5 comments about Condi: The Condoleezza Rice Story.

1. It was an incredible biography. It was especially poignat in that my children went to St, Mary's Academy in Denver. The book was well written and clear complete and concise. It was a testiment that blacks can compete and be sucessfull if the right environment and attitude, is present.



2. Condoleeza Rice is unquestionably one of the major minds of our day. Her life history and accomplishments challenge any parent to love and support thier child to the best of their ability with God's help.



3. This account of Condoleessa Rice is most helpful in understanding her upbringing, her motivation and her significant abilities. The author appears to have interviewed a large number of persons: 27 in number. However, no persons of highest notoriety were interviewed. Instead those notable persons were quoted only from other sources. The author typically did not write about Ms. Rice's personal views which was disappointing.
   
   The book unfortunately leaves several important questions unanswered, namely:
   
   1. How was it possible that Condi could have leaped over the normal path of ascension that others historically were required to endure and instead be awarded the esteemed position of Stanford provost?
   2. Why did Condi leave her position as Stanford provost for the significantly lesser position of Hoover Institute senior-fellow? The author's answer given in the book is not credible.
   3. Why did the author never interview Ms. Rice for this book? What was Ms. Rice's response when she was asked for an interview?
   4. How did Ms. Rice's notable but inadequate credentials of being a college provost qualify her to be appointed as head of the National Security Agency of the most powerful country on Earth?
   5. Why did the author not discuss negative issues regarding Ms. Rice as that would have given the book a balanced assessment?
   6. How was Ms. Rice's pro-abortion stance received by the conservative presidents that she served?
   7. Why was Ms. Rice's step-mother interviewed instead of her father, especially considering her step-mother was not even mentioned until 3/4 of the way through the book? Since Ms. Rice gave her father the highest credit for her success, would he not have been the preferred choice?
   
   While the book is enjoyable, it does leave some hard questions unanswered.



4. I thought this biography of Condoleezza Rice was very informative and enlightening. Particularly interesting to me was the fact that she had excellent guidance from her parents who encouraged her to pursue her education to the fullest. The books talks of her pursuing her diverse talents and her ambition to succeed. Although I felt that the book glamorized her life a bit too much and indicated that she rarely made mistakes, she is one who deserves everything she has worked hard for. She is truly an inspiration.



5. I'm not American so I was not well acquainted with Condi Rice and her life, both private and political. I came to admire her very much after reading the very detailed book which contains a lot about her private life, and a lot about her professional life which takes up most of her time and energy. She would be a great president, she has the guts and the intelligence and the sobriety to represent America in a very positive way.

No comments about Drums of Morning: Growing Up in the Thirties (ISIS Large Print).

1 comments about Always Give a Penny to a Blind Man.

1. When I was visiting Port Angeles Washington around March of 2000 I was sitting overlooking the Juan De Fuca which is a body of water about 20 miles wide which seperates the USA and Canada. You can barely make out Canada over the sea. Canadian radio would come over to Port Angeles and it was during this moment of relaxation that I first heard of Eric Wright. He gave an interview about his newly released book Always Give a Penny to a Blind Man. It's about his childhood in London in the 1930's and his struggles and eventual immigration to Canada. I'm not sure exactly why I found it so fascinating but the way he tells this story is wonderful. Perhaps because it's so entirely human. Like an Oliver Twist story this is a bigger than life story of someones ordinary life experience. If you come from the uk and now live in the USA, Canada or Australia, you would probably find that this book will lead you down a path of self discovery that you may have long forgotten over the years. It might shake you up. The characters come to life and touch you.

5 comments about The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini.

1. This autobiography resembles a popular life in the American wild west (not what one would expect of an iconic Renaissance sculptor/goldsmith), or so it seemed to me when I read this translation in the early 70's.
   
   It's a rare, remarkable work that remains memorable over the years. The saga of a vibrant genius (and the pleasure of reading this work) still remains.



2. If youre a fan of picaresque autobiography, this book is the best. Crimes and misadventures galore. Benvenuto uses his talent to win the patronage of the pope and king of france and then runs the favoritism into the dirt through paranoia, murderous rage, and a viscious slandering tongue. artists, and writers will find much to love in this book.
   
   this is not a history book. but a book from history. a real historian would know the differance and would appreciate it appropriately.



3. Benvenuto Cellini was a leading figure of the Italian Renaissance. He was close to the Florentine court and participated in royal intrigues. He was a major artist in a period of major artists, creating numerous works of beauty that can still be seen today. (His most famous work is the statue of Perseus holding the head of the Medusa, which stands in the piazza outside the Palazzo Vecchio. His description of the making of this work is one of the highlights of the book.) He had numerous love affairs with titled women and numerous feuds with powerful men. He was also a murderer and an unconscious sadist. And he wrote it all in what is one of the great autobiographies of all time. Parts of the book are chilling, such as when he regrets having beaten his beautiful model, not out of guilt or remorse, but because the beating had left her so swollen and bruised that she was no good to him as a model now. Other parts are disgusting, such as when he describes a parasite he vomited. At other times one wonders if he really thought he could get away with such tall tales as swearing that while under the protection of a necromancer he saw the Colosseum full of dancing devils. Cellini was a complex man and a great artist and a great writer. His autobiography is essential reading if one wishes to understand the Renaissance. I consider Cellini's autobiography to be almost as essential as Homer and Shakespeare. Five stars, of course.



4. It's a bit annoying to listen to Cellini talk about himself for 400 pages in such a manner. He's not a literary genius, so it's a bit hard to get through. But, Cellini's life is anything but boring. I also found him very witty and amusing. You have to be into the Renaissance, or history, to enjoy it.



5. This review is for the audio book version of this amazing autobiography. Cellini is an incredibly arrogant individual, but his story is entertaining and gives a fascinating look at the Renaissance and many of its major characters. Even though he is not the most likable man in the world, there were many things to admire about his strength of character. It is easy to see why he had so many enemies, though I'm not sure he understood why. His descriptions of the courts of Italy, France, and the Church give us priceless information on how they functioned. I noticed that historians like Durant referenced this work a lot in their histories. This also affirms to me that human nature has always been the same.
   
   The reader for this audio book is Robert Whitfield, whose characterization is exactly what I would imagine for Cellini. He had that touch of arrogance in his voice one would expect from a major braggart, but it was not too grating and easy to listen to. The translation by John Addington Symonds was also excellent and very easy for a modern ear to understand.
   
   I highly recommend this audio book for anyone that loves a good story. It has action, adventure, romance, intrigue, and about anything else one would look for in a good book. The audio book is 15 ½ hours long, and the time went by quickly.

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No comments about Letters of Anton Chekhov (Large Print).

5 comments about Basil Street Blues.

1. Michael Holroyd's "Basil Street Blues" is a marvelously readable memoir by the biographer of Lytton Strachey and others. Holroyd's early life in England before, during and after WWII was filled with a cast of eccentrics-- one grandmother occasionally sported a monocle, the other shouted the odd word in French; his mother was compared in every way to champagne; his father was "a most unlikely old Etonian;" and the waning family fortune came several generations back from Rajmai Tea, a company whose dramatic ups and downs proved "better than a seat at the opera." Holroyd cleverly explains how this oddball cast of characters ultimately led him into the profession of writing biography. This is a wonderful story, told not without pathos and humor. One hopes for a sequel.



2. Although Michael Holroyd had a difficult life growing up among eccentrics, his beautiful prose and gentle sense of humor show that he nonetheless emerged as a remarkably insightful, down-to-earth adult. His descriptions of the people who influenced him are wonderfully observant, and kinder than most of the people probably deserved. On page 142, he notes that what he can reveal "emerges more between the lines of my writing," and he gives us ample lines to read between. I would strongly recommend Basil Street Blues to anyone interested in the art of memoir writing, as well as anyone interested in knowing more about Holroyd.



3. Holroyd, a biographer, turns his skills as a researcher and writer onto his own family, and proves that the devil really is in the details, and in the telling of the same. The display of his skills as a writer in dealing with the homely eccentricities and dusty skeletons in the closet of his own life have convinced me that I must, at the very least, acquire and read his work on Bernard Shaw. Definitely recommended.



4. This is one of the most beautifully constructed books ....beginning slowly with an introduction too Holroyd's unusal ancestors .... his own shyness and youth among various estranged folks, and then building to a wonderful, generous, end.

   I was quite overwhelmed as the last few chapters came round. I am highly recommending it to readers




5. Holroyd may be a great biographer revealing the lives of the British authors, but he struggles to portray his own life which is the subject of this book. To cope with a world he doesn't understand, he wishes for invisibility as a child. He grew up in the dysfunctional home of his grandparents and elderly aunt, but as an adult delves into the fragments of their lives and the lives of his divorced parents.
   In this autobiography, he grasps as shreds of his family life, trying to piece together a coherent narrative. For the reader, the numerous relatives and switching of time frames, it becomes difficult to follow. Despite this, one feels drawn in to his search for meaning in the family's behavior.
   It's an interesting, though fragmented view, of a British family clinging to past glories and bemoaning lost wealth. I really wish it included a photo section.

5 comments about Hamlet's Dresser: A Memoir.

1. This memoir is incredibly heart felt, sensitive and beautiful. Interspersed with Shakespeare's words, and Smith's experiences sharing them with New York City's oldest people, as well as his experience with Shakespeare on stage is a pained and moving life.
   This is a remarkable book for anyone who identifies with the social/communal feel of life in the theatre, or artists for that matter. As well, anybody who knows the outside of an easy going life, alienation, deep guilt, a stilted family life, and the strain and sublime beauty of mental retardation.
   I feel thankful after reading this. Smith illuminates the simple beauty of a daily train ride into the city, the warmth and intensity of being an off stage dresser, the joy of being with young actors and artists, and the sweetness of giving to older folks, and finding out that they need vitality and art as much as anyone. Great for actors and theatre lovers!



2. Mr. Smith's relationship with his sister so reminds me of Tom and Laura in "The Glass Menagerie" -- it has that kind of sensitivity and heartbreak about it. In an age where a lot of memoirs seem so sensational and motivated by a kind of "tell all," Smith takes his time, patiently weaving his inner with his outer life, seamlessly moving from past to present. His compassion for the stories of others (and for Shakespeare's stories) gives him the compassion to tell his own. I found his story -- the way he finds consolation in Shakespeare and in the theatre and the way he gives back -- very touching. I loved when he was offered a non-speaking role in "Richard II" at Stratford in his youth, he jumps at it, saying that after all, he didn't want to say lines, he wanted to hear them! As I finished the book, I felt so glad this man was out there in Connecticut -- his sweet soul a sort of tonic. While everyone else is busy talking, this man, even in writing, seems to be listening.



3. I was born and raised in Stratford, CT., and I wanted to read the book because of the author's association with Stratford. But I found I loved the book for other reasons also, his honesty about himself and his family and his ability to let the reader understand how he overcame the difficulties in his life. I have passed it on to family members to read.



4. I have just finished reading Bob Smith's extraordinary memoir, and what a wonderful read it was. Very, very impressive. His story of growing up a solitary, lonely boy with a severely mentally and physically handicapped younger sister tugs at the heartstrings and makes for some harrowing reading, particularly the passages that describe his sister, Carolyn, as a young girl. I enjoyed his writing style, particularly the way he wove situation appropriate Shakespearean passages into the narrative. I also liked his passages describing his interactions with the senior citizens he taught Shakespeare to. One thing I was dissatisfied with, though, was why it took him four decades to reconcile with his sister. I did not feel that Smith spent enough time explaining or justifying why he left it so long, given that his guilt over the "abandonment" of his sister was so intense. I think he should have spent more time explaining this. However, that is a minor quibble. As a memoir, it is absolutely marvellous, evocative and gripping from page one. Highly, highly recommended.



5. Hamlet's Dresser: A Memoir by Bob Smith
   
   `Zoe died.' Just those two simple words. And from there on you are hooked. The sentence is up there with `Jesus wept' as one you are not going to forget in a long while. Maybe more so since at least we know who Jesus is. Who's Zoe? How did she die? Why begin a book with what would appear to be The End - and which certainly was for Zoe?
   
   These are the opening two words from Bob Smith's memoir Hamlet's Dresser. Born in 1941 in New England into what would now be called a dysfunctional family - and aren't all families dysfunctional in different ways and to differing degrees - he was christened Robert, called Bobby as a child, a name he hated, and had to wait until he was an adult before he finished with plain `Bob'.
   
   In 1944 his sister Carolyn was born and it is she who, together with Shakespeare, is at the centre of this book. Which coupling is fitting for, as Bob Smith points out, Shakespeare is full of ghosts and memory. Carolyn is also the person to whom the book is dedicated: For Carolyn Wells Smith.
   
   Carolyn was born severely retarded. As she grew she had the body of a 21 year old woman, but the mind of a two-year old child - a child who was not potty trained. Bobby was drafted in to help. `Wipe her good Bobby!' was a phrase which stayed in his head all his life. As their mother retreated more and more to a sick bed and a pathological obsession with cleaning everything in the house sometimes several times a day, Bobby was drafted in to help here too.
   
   `When I was four, my father joined the army - "to be a man," my mother said. She thought he'd abandoned her, and for a while he probably did. He went away because everybody cried all the time.'
   
   For a short time the family followed him to Florida, where he was taking basic training, staying with relatives. It was here that a small miracle happened: `Carolyn looked up at me. I was by her crib making faces. Suddenly she stopped crying and just looked at me for a long, long time. I was amazed and a little afraid. I never saw her look at anyone, she never did! She was looking at me. And not crying! Then it happened .... My sister smiled at me.'
   
   Thrown out of the house soon after because the relatives could not take the crying either, the husband handed over a bag of oranges. `A few days before he'd asked my mother when she would be taking the baboon out of his house? Over a lifetime she's repeated the cruel words a thousand times and always as if they'd been said only last week.'
   
   After eighteen years of intensive and wearing family care - by this damaged but somehow heroic family - their parents decide Carolyn must go into a permanent home to be looked after. Six weeks later Bobby goes to visit her.
   
   `Inside I asked a friendly nurse for directions. As I went up the iron stairs and down the long white hall I could hear my sister. She was saying my name over and over. She knew very few words - car, go to bed, Bobby. Even now in my old red house by the river all these years later I can hear her voice, her young lost voice, singsong - "Bobby ... Bobby ... Bobby."
   
   Carolyn is one thread of this story. There are others. One is the growing up of a very bright, very gifted, very lonely boy who one day decides he will no longer conform to a school regime of testing to see that what has been `taught' has also been `learned'. He begins to follow his own solitary path taking off early on Saturdays to visit the Museum of Modern Art on 5th Avenue. There is also the influence of his relatives and in particular his maternal grandmother Nana.
   
   But the most important influence is Shakespeare. It starts when he is in fifth grade, not yet into his teens. He does his homework every day at a beautifully furnished little gray stone local library. One day he gets soaked in a downpour and the librarian makes him take off his shoes and socks to dry them and she then gives him some rough paper towels to soak up the worst of the rain. While engaged in this task he notices a little stained glass portrait in the window. `It's the image of a bald fat man with a silly pointed beard and a cockyamamy moustache that curves up goofy at the corners.' Who is it he asks.
   By answer, when he's dry enough to sit at table and start his arithmetic homework the librarian puts a little book at his elbow. `Stamped in gold on the dark blue cover was the same pudgy face as the window. Along the side in bright gold letters, "William Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice."
   `I opened it. Antonio. "In sooth I know not why I am so sad." I read it again. Ten simple monosyllabic words and of course I couldn't know what sooth meant, but it's hardly necessary ... I think that the more confused you are inside, the more you need to trust a thing outside of yourself. I was desperate to lean against something bigger than me and it was clear that William Shakespeare understood what it's like to ache and not know why... Poetry became a beautiful place to hide from my life and from my parents, a place I knew they would never follow me to.'
   
   That first oblique introduction by a sensitive empathetic librarian was to spark a lifelong passion, one that was to lead on to a job at sixteen as Hamlet's Dresser at the American Shakespeare Festival at Stratford USA; to meeting such luminaries as Katharine Hepburn, Bert Lahr (the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz), Jessica Tandy, Jimmy Cagney and others; to becoming an actor himself for a short spell - long enough, however, to know that acting was not for him but that directing was, so that there is a list of more than a dozen groups, companies and festivals where he has directed Shakespeare plays; and, finally, and memorably, to teach Shakespeare to actors, guilds and adult life-long learning classes, where Zoe and lots of other old-timers make an appearance.
   
   All these threads are woven together, chapter after chapter, in a quite extraordinary way, interspersed with and moved along by short extracts - sometimes no more than a phrase - from the Bard's plays and sonnets.
   The first part of this review may have made Hamlet's Dresser sound like the latest in a long line of what have been dubbed `misery memoirs'. Nothing could be further from the truth. The book is an enormously uplifting experience, an emotional roller-coaster, by turns heart-wrenching, absorbing, engaging, exhilarating and always life-affirming.
   
   Most readers will have had the not uncommon experience of wanting a book never to end but for me this is the first time on completing a book that I have ever turned straight back to the beginning to start the whole experience again. Immediately.
   
   A warning. One line I do remember schooldays: `If you have tears prepare to shed them now.' Julius Caesar.
   DF

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