5 comments about The DD Group: An Online Investigation Into the Death of Marilyn Monroe.

1. What a remarkable detailed account of Marilyn's last days. The book focuses mostly on the last day however gives detailed information from other times that relate to the events on Aug.4, 1962. This would be a good book for someone just beginning to research MM or for someone who has read all before it and has their own conclusions about her death, since this book references other popular biographies written about Marilyn. This book is great becuase it's only purpose is to provide detailed information both before and after death so as to help the reader decide on their own conclusion. Although the author has his own beliefs which he shares with the reader, there is absolutely no intention of pursuasion to try and promote any one idea or theory. A personal thanks goes out to David Marshall and all who helped make this book possible, as it the best read on Marilyn Monroe I have come across yet. I have read many biographies and documentaries on Marilyn, and absolutely could not put this book down. I hope all others will enjoy it as much as I have.



2. David Marshall's "The DD Group: An Online Investigation Into the Death of Marilyn Monroe" is a must-read for anyone interested in learning the truth about the premature demise of Hollywood's most enduring star. The book examines all aspects of Miss Monroe's death by carefully reconstructing her final hours and analyzing the facts in a logical, detailed, and organized manner. Medical and forensics evidence is carefully dissected, and the possible agendas and questionable credibility of several key associates of Miss Monroe's {as well as a number of contemporary biographers} is presented for consideration. The book contains numerous startling new facts never revealed in any other Monroe biography, information which is compelling, ground-breaking and startling in the extreme. The intense research conducted by the participants of the group is impressive and unprecedented, and Mr. Marshall did an admirable job condensing what must have been an intimidatingly vast amount of information into a concise, well-written and thoroughly gripping investigative report. I highly recommend this book to anyone searching for the truth about what happened to Marilyn Monroe on the night she died. Fact and fantasy will become very easy to discern, and readers will arrive at a possible conclusion which is credible, realistic, and devoid of sensationalism. This book is a tremendous accomplishment, and you will never look at the death of Marilyn Monroe the same way again.



3. I liked the format of this book, researcher sharing comments and formulating their opinions. Perhaps a better way of looking at what happened than individual writers have done. Worth a look see.



4. 
   Just finished the book this morning. Couldn't put it down since I purchased it a couple of days ago! I believe it has demystified so much here about Marilyn that it has to be very close to the last word on the subject. I took an interest in MM a few years ago and read many books on her. I was so impressed with her life that I wrote a three-act play called "Bye Bye Baby" about her last thee days. It hasn't been staged yet but one lives in hope! It was heavily biased by the Slatzer, Wolfe angle [murder] but since I read this book I'll have to re-write it removing this bias. After I read it I immediately went to Matthew Smith's Last Words to see if the DD Group's versions matched in any way. I believe, with a little bit of editing, it has second-guessed the Marilyn's tapes which weren't published at the time! It all makes sense now!!! However, although I really believed all along that she had been murdered, I now believe she did kill herself and that she made her mind up after RFK'S visit. It would seem that her whole world caved in then. When she asked Dr. Greenson "Did you take my Nembutal?" I think she was calling his bluff. She probably told him earlier that she only had one or two left and hid the 24 or 25. He may well have given her a shot of a small, controlled amount of Nembutal, with this knowledge in mind, when he returned, advising her to go to bed immediately. [I think most psychiatrists can and do give shots]. Remember that her total well-being depended almost entirely the esteem in which the Kennedys held her. If that was lost irretrievably, MM was lost. And it looked pretty final at 4.00 that Saturday. Dr. Greenson alone couldn't keep her from ending her life, even though he was indispensable to her in many ways. She was too intelligent for them all but must have made up her mind that afternoon.
   MM must have felt lonelier that evening than any other time in her life and in that lonely bed in Brentwood she must have sobbed herself into that deep, deep sleep. I do believe now that she did say "Say goodbye to Jack..." to Peter Lawford. It's so, so tragic.
   This book is a wonderful, intelligent and compassionate insight!!! I am forever in their debt.
   
   
   Seoirse O Dochartaigh, Donegal, Ireland



5. This book made me re-examine my opinion as to the death of the great Marilyn Monroe. The book was so well researched (by so many), debated and documented. I actually changed my opinion as to the mode of her tragic demise because of it...I still don't believe that MM intended to commit suicide, which correlates to BOTH of the author's final speculations as to how she died, but I am swayed by the opinion that others were (innocently) responsible for her death, due to gross negligence. This negligence made it absolutely necessary to hide the real way MM died. (it saved careers)...Her Dr.'s. had an unknowing hand in her death, and even Mrs. Murray, which would fit in to why she said, "Why, oh why, after all these years, do I have to keep hiding this..." Marilyn did not intentionally commit suicide...That is my opinion after reading this excellent book. Your opinion may be different...That is what is so great about this novel...It leaves room for the reader to formulate their own opinion based upon the facts presented...Read and enjoy!

5 comments about Kiss and Tell.

1. i like how she described everything, and it gives some really good info on her and gene



2. This was a gift for my son who has followed KISS from it's early days when he was a boy. I'm sure he loved all the juicy info in the book.



3. First, why would'nt Gene Simmons be in the book? He has been the focal point of her life for at least half of it. For those who like pictures, this book will please you. I like an autobiography that gives more details & the individuals deepest held beiefs. There simply was not enough of that here. But, this autobiography does give some clear insights into the Canadian born playmates upbringing in Newfoundland, her later career in B movies, the Playboy experience, & her life with Kiss star Gene Simmons.
   
   On the positive side her meeting the latter at the Playboy mansion clearly changed her life for the better. She stopped abusing drugs & alcohol for him. He basically is a good guy who deserves credit for saving her life. But, if you want to see the deeper interaction & dynamics of their relationship with each other & their two kids, you should watch their show "Family Jewels."



4. This woman's confidence and intelligence are admirable. She has incredible insight into maintaining a healthy, long term relationship based on love not obligation only. An honest and interesting read. a great book!



5. Strictly a lightweight book, but interesting if you're a Shannon Tweed fan. Too much time on her pre-teen years and not enough on her film sex goddess years. But her rise to Playboy Mansion hostess is interesting and then her story kind of fizzles out after she meets Gene Simmons. But the middle hundred pages are fun.

1 comments about Queen of Diamonds: The Fabled Legacy of Evalyn Walsh McLean.

1. I have been a biography reader for many years and I can surly say that after reading this wonderful book about a lady who gave more to others then herself must have been to good to be true. Reading stories like this, reminds me when I was a little boy when my mother and grandmother would sit around a table and tell me about their lives. Most of all when their lives went to rags to riches to rags again like Evalyn did. I could not put Queen of Diamonds down. I'm so glad that a great grandson has taken a true story and is able to share his memories to everyone. It's wonderful and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone who wants to read a good story. I applaude him. A MUST TO READ AND TO HAVE TO SHARE TO OTHERS.

5 comments about I'm Still Hungry.

1. I really enjoyed reading about Carnie's experience because I have also had WLS. She offers great ideas, although I caution you that one should always talk to his/her own Dr. and not just taking her advice. Anyway, my complaint with her book is that she is sooooo inlove and sooooo happy all the time. It seems as if this was a panacea. Yes, I am happy and I have had great results from WLS, but it isn't all peaches and cream. In fact, there are many days that I don't even want to face the world. She seems to glamorize the surgery too much and she talks about her wonderful, fantastic, amazing husband too much! Enough already- we get it you're happy!



2. As with her first book, I was dissappointed. There is little quality in this book when it comes to GBP. While there is information in there about some struggles and what it was like for her, the "meat" of the book was about her posing in playboy, and being in love. The crude language remained, although it was not as bad as her first book, "Gut Feelings." I was going to sell these on eBay, but I think I will just give them away!



3. I recommend this book to anyone interested in WLS surgery, or knows someone who is having it. Carnie gives great information on what to expect after surgery, how she coped with issues the doctors don't talk about and kept me uplifted and excited about having my surgery. It was a quick easy read and I plan on having my husband read it so he will understand how and why I am choosing to do WLS.



4. Great book. Carnie Wilson's experiences, obstacles, bariatric suggestions and emotional ups and downs are presented. It gives a realistic view about what to expect, how to feel and the journey after weight loss surgery. Highly reccommended!



5. First, I admire Carnie Wilson. She is talented, gutsy and outspoken, as well as intelligent and poignant, not to mention very humorous. She prides herself on telling it like it is, which I really appreciate. She's been through a very public ordeal with her weight (and is still going through it, and probably will for as long as she remains in the public eye). I find Wilson's weight struggles to be fascinating, and some of that is because she is almost brutally honest about her failures (as well as her triumphs), not to mention her extremely complicated, extremely deep dependence for, and love/hate relationship with food. I can certainly relate to much of what she has gone through.
   But, the fact is, "I'm Still Hungry" is, at heart, a very shallow book. I have to ask myself why, since Wilson, herself, is anything but shallow. I can only conclude that Wilson, having undergone the very drastic, life-altering surgery of gastric bypass, must now feel that it is simply Not possible to allow herself to view this operation as anything but wonderful. Oh, sure, she Does talk about several of the downsides of the surgery, but she always gets back to how *great* it was to have it, and have *fabulous* it is to now be so much thinner (despite some conflicts). I believe her - but not completely. Her giddy tone cannot hide something even more trenchant: the deep and abiding love of food she (still) harbors. Weight-loss surgery has *not* taken this love away, nor, one feels, an even more troubling desire to binge on the very goodies she is not really permitted to have anymore, save for the tiniest of amounts. The book's title says it all: Carnie Wilson is *still* hungry and, lest you believe the form this hunger takes is mainly symbolic (for new life experiences and so forth), the book opens with a striking dream Wilson had, in which she is running through fields and streams of...food. I've had similar dreams, myself (prior to going on major bingeing sprees). Not only that, but Wilson dedicates her book to the "old fashioned buttermilk donut". She's tongue-in-cheek about it, which, for me, only serves to undermine her seemingly flippant, jokey dedication. The fact is, Wilson is strongly attached to food, always has been and, I think, always will be. Therefore, I take great interest in her struggles and the road she is on. She chose gastric bypass because she truly felt she had no other choice. I honor that, of course, (and the courage it took) but I also think that for a person who loves food as much as Wilson does, it might end up being a decision that comes back to haunt her. Perhaps WLS was the Only decision that she *could* make, if she wanted to survive (Wilson's first book, "Gut Feelings" definitely paints this portrait). "Gut Feelings" is, in many ways, a much more serious, in-depth book than this one is. Yet, Wilson is much further along on her gastric bypass journey at the time that this book came out. She knows, in fact, that she really Is still hungry (very hungry), and frankly, all the glee and glamour (and dishy photographs of Wilson) in this book Cannot disguise a sense of something very much like desperation coming through. A woman who is desperate to control and reign in her driving appetite for food. A woman desperate to believe that she really Really has made the absolutely Right decision by going for the surgery (and, perhaps she Has, but the right decision does not always mean that things, in fact, will always turn out just right - or even close to it). Yes, she lost the weight, but now she must eat really tiny portions - much more so, than if she had been able to lose weight by being not bingeing on food. Of course, without this operation, she probably would not have lost 150 pounds. Or got to pose for Playboy (I'm certainly ambivalent about this particular "triumph", but I can well understand a formerly fat girl's desire to "show them all" that she can be beautiful and desirable...and *thin*). I'm sure she honestly believes that the surgery has been completely worth the pain and setbacks. I really hope, for her sake, that it will continue to be so. She is now, at the time of this review, struggling to stop gaining more weight, and trying to lose the weight she has already gained. Clearly, gastric bypass does Not take away cravings - not for life, anyway. I came away from this book with a hollow feeling inside. It's almost like the after-effects of a food binge. There is crazy/giddy energy, and then: a real let-down. Carnie Wilson truly got to have the thin body she always wanted (it must have often been hell to always be the "fat sister" next to slender, fashionably-attired Wendy, whom she loves dearly, it must be noted). Carnie Wilson got to pose for a famous men's magazine. Moreover, Carnie Wilson knows what it is like to lose half a person, in terms of weight. But now, Wilson has to struggle with regain (something whcih almost All morbidly obese people experience after weight loss) and she also has to force herself to eat like a mouse. For life. This, for a woman who could and did eat with gusto. She is *still hungry* and I think she always will be, even if she manages, somehow, to get back down to her lowest weight, after the surgery. Gastric bypass is, after all, at the end of it, just another diet. And we know that diets more often fail than not. I think her story, far from being the bon-bon of glee this book tries to present, is, instead, a very sad one in many ways. I think Carnie Wilson is a strong, strong woman and I admire her for that. However, I wish that someday, medical science will have alot more to offer fat people than the miseries, compromises and limitations of gastric bypass surgery.

No comments about John Wayne - An American Icon (Biography).

5 comments about Hetty: The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon.

1. Hetty Green was heir to a fortune but what she did with that inheritance is a significant example of capitalism run amok during the late 19th, early 20th centuries. She turned that modest inheritance into hundreds of millions of dollars. Had she been a man, in my opinion, she would have come to us--through the decades--as powerful a name as Morgan, Carnegie or Rockefeller. Instead, she is remembered, if she is remembered at all, as an eccentric old lady, at best, and a ruthless miser, at worst.
   
   Thankfully, Charles Slack's HETTY, The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon offers us a look at the woman beneath the austere black dresses. At times ruthless, at times vindictive, Hetty Green could also be compassionate and sentimental. While she was not exactly an ideal wife or mother, her husband and children never villified her; in fact her children, in public at least, only said kind words for her (even though her son could have legitimately accused her of costing him his leg).
   
   What ultimately comes across though is a strong, looming sense of loneliness. To me, she seemed isolated as a child, isolated as a young adult, and in later years, as isolated as her Aunt Sylvia. In the end, money couldn't buy her love. It couldn't even pay for a friend. Charles Slack, however, doesn't want you to think of this as some sort of penance. She was surrounded by what little family was left, and by his account, left this world peacefully. Mr. Slack actually makes it seem she preferred it that way. And I believe he's right. This was a fascinating biography of a woman who deserved one.



2. Slack has given us the first cut of a remarkable life.
   
   How many biographies exist for John Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Jay Gould and the others? This book opens up a whole new unexplored territory. Stack provides a platform for future biographers and their field is fertile.
   
   Why was Hettie forgotten? Was it lack of self-memorialization in libraries and museums? Wrong gender? No progeny to carry the name/flame? No Newport mansion for tourists to visit?
   
   What made her tick? The distant father? The need to succeed/prove? Protestant ethic? Loneliness?
   
   What of Mr. Green, a man so adventurous in early life? How did he FEEL when his wife so publically demonstrated her financial independance (in Victorian America)? What did he do in the years following this.. and how did he relate to his children?
   
   What of the son who honors his mother in public, leaves Texas to assist her, but marries Mable "Harlot" so soon after his mother's death.
   
   Why has this not been a DocumDrama already?



3. Hetty Green lived in an era where the character of the American tycoon was emulated in the enormous mansions lining New York's Fifth Avenue. Hetty broke this mold in every way imaginable. Most importantly, by being the richest woman in America, she operated daily in an atmosphere dominated by men. Author Charles Slack provides a proper tribute to a woman mostly forgotten amongst the Vanderbilts, Morgans and Carnegies that came into prominence during her lifetime. Slack's treatment of Hetty's life is both fair and entertaining. At the time she was mostly known as miserly and mean-hearted but Slack offers a full-sided view of a complex woman who lived a very simple and unusual life for someone of her means.
   
   Unlike most women of the time, Hetty Green learned the economic ropes by reading the financial papers to her father and grandfather, both in the whaling business. She later uses her inherited fortunes to make her mark on Wall Street. Slack's ability to focus on her character and not on the specifics of her business dealings makes this a highly pleasurable and manageable read. She was often unpredictable and spent most of her life living in small tenements as opposed to mansions. Her penny-pinching philosophy led to many a great Hetty story, most of which Slack dutifully collects and includes in his novel. Her death, portrayed in later chapters, leaves the impression that our world is missing one of the true great aristocrats of its time.



4. This book is about Hetty Green who became the wealthiest woman in America at the time of her death in 1916. Hetty is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the greatest miser who ever lived. Even though she possessed vast sums of money in the form of Real Estate and Stocks and Bonds she lived life like someone who didn't know where her next dollar was going to come from.
   
   Her life as one the world's greatest investors unfolds from her childhood in the mid 1800's until the time of her death. There is some insight into how she invested her money and how she learned to invest as a child reading the financial news out loud to her father and grandfather whose eye sight was failing.
   
   There are 16 chapters in this short book of only 226 pages. A lot of the book is spent on her relationships with relatives and her family. She had two children from a marriage that could be described as odd. Her son grew up and became a good businessman himself although he did not live his life as a miser. Neither one of her children had children of their own and the vast fortune that Hetty had accumulated and held onto so dear was eventually given away by her daughter through her Will upon her death.
   
   It is an interesting story but at times it can be hard to read, the reason for only 3 stars. Her life in a way I would say was sad although if Hetty was asked about the way she lived she probably wouldn't have changed a thing.



5. Hetty Green was known ,during her lifetime,as "the witch of Wall Street"and with good reason..She was among the most wealthy people of her time,and her cheapness made Ebeneezer Scrooge look like a spendthrift..At the least,Scrooge is redeemed at the end of"A Christmas Carol"while Green remained an incredible miser until the very moment that she died...
   Hetty Green came from wealth,but wealth contaminated by 19th century Quaker austerity,a fatal comination in the case of this woman,inasmuchas her religion made a virtue out of being tight with a penny,and Ms.Green seemed unable,or unwilling to temper her miserliness with charity or even commonsense..Her cheapness cost her son his leg,amputated rather than saved because Hetty Green was too cheap to seek the sort of medical service her millions could afford,and instead opted for a charity hospital...Green would live in cheap boarding houses,eat day old bread and quibble over a penny while at the same time loaning millions to suchlike as the government of the city of New York,and always at rates that were just short of usery..
   This book is sort of a celebration of Hetty Green as"America's first female tycoon"but feminists who wish to embrace Green as such will find little to look up to,unless of course thier other role model is Gordon Geeko,notorious for the 1980's slogan"Greed is Good",from the film"Wall Street"..But this is the way Charles Slack sees Ms.Green,as a sort of 19th century feminist icon..Yes,he does detail Hetty's miserliness,but at the same time he attempts to excuse it or,worse,to put a happy face on it by comparing it to the miserliness of the era's other MALE tycoons...At the least,however,Rockefeller,Drew,and the others she is compared with were responsible enough to know that it was necessary to part with some of the sheckels when one's child had a leg injury that was going gangerous...Not Hetty...Indeed,Mr Slack attempts to downplay most of Hetty's bad habits,bad judgements,unnecessary cheapness,and other personality shortcomings while making a big deal out of her single-minded efforts to aquire more and more and more money..Wanting to become rich is,of course,no crime(although given the way most of the rich become rich,and the way most of them behave afterwards,perhaps it should be!),but,at the least,some of the very wealthy make some effort at appearing to be interested in something other than the getting of money for its own sake...Not Hetty Green..No sir!Until the day that she died,Hetty Green's obsession was MORE !

5 comments about John Wayne: American.

1. I agree with much of what has been said before, this book was the place to start -- books on Wayne seem either to attack him or deify him, and both have their uses, but this does read well, is thorough, offers enough of a view of all sides of the man that the reader can generally reach his or her own opinion on him, even one that might differ with the authors'. Somewhat overlooked, this is a worthwhile read.



2. John Wayne (1907-1979) was a man of more complexity than many folks would suppose. Consider:
   1. He portrayed macho cowboys and military leaders in the movies but never served in World War II (which caused him a good deal of guilt in later years.)
   2. He was an advocate for strong family life (including strong
   male bonding with his friends) but was wed three times and
   had several affairs.
   3. He enjoyed drink, good food and profane activities with his buddies Ward Bond and director John Ford but was noted for his
   strong he-man appearance (he was 6'4' tall and at one time weighed over 260 pounds.)
   4. He was at one time a member of the John Birch Society and
   supported the right wing during the McCarthy era but could also
   express individuality in politics (he supported LBJ and was a
   friend of Jimmy Carter). He resigned from the Birchers and was
   a man who valued America freedom. He was constantly having money troubles with the IRS and disdained (loathed!) big government.
   5. He believed in God but did not become a member of an organized religion until converting to Roman Catholicism on his deathbed),
   6. He was a good but often absent father to his seven children.
   7. He was well read and memorized his lines quickly.
   8. He was an excellent actor who finally won his Best Actor Oscar for "True Grit."
   Randy Roberts and James Olson have told "Duke's story from
   his life in middle class Iowa and Glendale (his parents despised one another and later divorced)to football player at USC to work
   in the movies.
   Wayne's first film was a flop and for almost ten years he labored in the B Western factory in such minor studios as Republic and Monogram. Only with 1939's turn as the Ringo Kid
   in John Ford's classic film did the Wayne star begin to rise.
   Wayne will live forever in such classics as "Red River" directed by Howard Hawks in 1948; "The Quiet Man with his best
   screen lady Maureen O'Hara" the immortal Cavalry trilogy of John
   Ford: "Fort Apache" ; "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" and "Rio Grande:
   His best movie was "The Searchers" in which he portrays Ethan
   Edward's in the Ford film set in Monument Valley!
   Roberts and Olson's book is long; well documented; well written and their hard work has paid off. I found a tear in my eye as I read of Duke's last few months battling cancer which he called "The Red Witch."
   Wayne had many faults as a man. He was a chauvinist; did not
   understand women and could be rough and rowdy. His positive
   traits were many: a generous and loving heart; kindness to others
   a respect for his fans and a love for his country the United
   States of American. Take him all in all whether you be a liberal or conservative or indifferent to politics we will never see another John Wayne!
   I loved this book and recommend it highly. If you do not understand John Wayne you will not understand the America he
   loved so deeply, so long and with so much honor through a lengthy and lustrous career in the movies!



3. I enjoyed this book more than I can Say . Being 80 yrs. old ,
   
   I have grown up with John Wayne , more so than any other movie
   
   " STAR ". Buy this book , you will treasure it .
   
   Jack Yannuzzi



4. I had wanted to read a John Wayne biography for some time, but never got around to it until buying this book. I think I picked the right one. It is chock-full of interesting information regarding 'the Duke'. I was surprised to discover how nasty director John Ford could be to his actors, John Wayne included; and yet the two were good friends. Surely Wayne must have wanted to punch the guy out a time or two. Regarding Wayne's mother; I don't think the writers did an adequate follow through. In the first sections of the book, much was written about the relationship between mother and son, but there was no follow up later in the book. Did his mom ever come around and begin to appreciate him before she passed away, or did she remain cold and aloof until she died? As a reader, I felt like I was left hanging on this one. Otherwise, this was an excellent book, and I highly recommend it. The final sections, covering Wayne's last days were sad and disturbing, but the man left us with quite a legacy on film. There will never be another like him.



5. The acid test of any biography is does the personality of the subject come through the pages of the book? After the reader is finished, do they feel they have meet the man or woman they were reading about. Historians Randy Roberts and James S. Olson have done so with this book, which is very difficult for two distinct reasons: 1) Wayne left no papers; and 2) there is the legend of John Wayne that gets in the way of knowing Marion "Duke" Morrison, the man behind the famous stage name.
   
   Roberts and Olson have given their readers a well-written, engaging study that is both traditional biography of the actor, but a study of his status as an American icon. The authors also show that Wayne was a talented actor in addition to being a movie star and deserved the Oscar he won, even though he expected to lose.
   
   A decent and diligent son, he was never able to win his mother's love. For whatever reason, she showered her affections on her second son who was a mediocrity in life. Wayne was a conservative, but mainly because he was a classical liberal in that he believed in limited government that did little to impose on the liberties of individuals. Even though he was worth millions when he died, he had invested poorly and had gone bankrupt, squandered most of his earnings, and most of his fortune was the result of his having an honest business partner that had looked out for him.
   
   He went through three marriages, but was a loving, if removed father. In many ways, he placed more value in his friends than in his family. Perhaps because his friends could never hurt him the way his wives had.
   
   There will be other Wayne books, but it is difficult to see this book being surpassed anytime soon.

5 comments about A Prison Diary.

1. Absolute drivel, poorly written by an angry ego driven con. The only thing that does come out of this is the state of our prison system, Kudos to our Lordship for at least using his celebratory status to raise this issue. However, come on, if you are going to write about being in prison at least let us know that you were scared to death. He never really talks about what was running through his mind all those hours in lock up. If any of these men, including Fletch, had sat next to him at the theatre he would have called security.



2. Incredible writing, totally expected of Jeffrey Archer.
   He brings his artisary in fiction into this non-fiction giving you great insight in the lives of prisoners who we all love to think of as bad guys.
   At the end of the book, the inmates are no longer bad guys but regular people who just want to get by with their lives living it as best as they can.
   A definite must read for all lovers of a good book.



3. I actually originally read Volume III Heaven before finding a copy of Volume I Hell and have to say I think Heaven was a lot higher in quality than this book. Heaven is also a lot thicker with a lot more pages. In Volume I Archer shows more of himself through his writing than in the final volume which to be honest makes him a little bit less likeable and harder to relate to. In Heaven you assume he is an average guy (I mean you know he is a rich author and politician) but in Hell he portrays his upper class upbringing and lifestyle and comes across rather snobby at times when talking about his fellow inmates backgrounds or describing his conditions. He will only drink bottled water, can't eat the everyday prison food served at meal times even though there's a menu of three alternatives, had never even heard of let alone eaten Coco Pops (these as the same as Coco Puffs for North Americans) before getting them in a multipack of cereal, and in his opinion they weren't as good as Cornflakes. How he was amazed that drugs can get smuggled in obviously means he had never watched normal TV before in his life.
   
   I found that the empathy I had for Archer in Volume III Heaven I just did not have reading Volume I Hell. Surely he also got some of his friends into trouble and a loss of their privileges or another 28 days added onto their sentences by revealing stuff like one of them who worked in the canteen stole him a bottle of water and passed it through the wire. Even if he uses fake names it is not going to be that hard for prison authorities to work out who it was from the dates in his diary. I'm glad he also got rid of the cricket score updates by the trilogy finale as these were pretty boring.
   
   Saying all that though I still found the first volume of the Prison Diaries an entertaining read and an insightful look into the Class A prisons of Britain which I imagine would have many similarities to ones in Australia, North America and elsewhere. I'm just glad that he improved the diaries by the third volume and I will definitely be checking out Volume II Purgatory.



4. What a shock to the system,but what a good read this was as well.To go from the very top to the bottom in one easy lesson!
   Loryn Potroz



5. Prison Diary is, by far, one of the most interesting books I have ever read. While some believe that Archer is egocentric (he does talk about himself quite a bit), I believe this adds importance to the story. Archer was part of the political system, yet he had no idea how horribly the prisons were run. He is now experiencing day to day life in the highest security prison in England. For a first-time offender, that has to be extremely overwhelming! He may complain about his conditions and the ordeals of his daily life, but wouldn't you if you were given a four year sentence for something that should have only gotten community service? His stories of the drug dealings, the prisoners inside the "lifers" wing, and the problems the guards face bring a new insight into prison life. Because Archer was not the "typical" con, everyone felt as if they could talk to him, thus, making this a well-rounded novel on the system. Overall, this is a well-written novel sure to shake things up a bit.

5 comments about Chasing Rubi: The Truth About Porfirio Rubirosa the Last Playboy.

1. I have always had a fascination about Porfirio Rubirosa and this book makes me realize that he really was the Latin James Bond and an inspiration for the subsequent books and movies.
   The book contains truely interesting no where else to be found facts and is written in such an easy to read way. I think that anybody that has ever enjoyed a James Bond movie or book should read this book. I am sure that one day this book will be turned into a move.



2. A friend recommended this book to me. I knew nothing about Rubirosa. What a fascinating character and enjoyable read.



3. I really don't understand all of the five star ratings for this book - it isn't that well written. The strength of the book is the subject matter, the life of pleasure and hedonism of Rubi.
   
   Specially, the book fails to bring Rubi to life. Like a B-grade high-schooler's report, the story is mechanical, overly relies upon big quotes from Rubi's memoirs and FBI documents, and is pedantic. The story lacks any magic; instead, it's just a rote string of descriptions of one biographical event onto the next. The story doesn't get the reader into the head or personality of Rubi; it just tells what he did from one happening to the next. The story fails to deliver any rich anecdotes of his high-life that would inject zest into the story line.
   
   The gnawing question the book only makes a meager attempt to answer is, "How?" Surely with Rubi's fascinating life, of cavorting with Hollywood's leading ladies, pursuing the world's richest eligible bachelorettes, and his associations to the mob, the rat pack, and to President Kennedy, how did the man come about to make this happen? The book provides a few pithy but poor quotes from some celebs who knew him, but they fail to capture the essence, instead only presenting simple quips. Unfortunately, the book doesn't provide its own analysis, of who Rubi was and what made him special.
   
   Rubi is a whirlwind of a story. Too bad this book doesn't bring it out.



4. I love how this book details one of the most amazing people in our history, yet many may not have heard of him, which only adds to his mystique. His accomplishments and exploits outweigh those of 10 men combined. The authors did a great job of showcasing Rubi. If you want to find out what life could be like if you were to mix James Bond and Hugh Hefner along with the adventures of Richard Branson all in one person -- you have Rubirosa. Entertaining and historical. A great read.



5. Once I started reading "Chasing Rubi," I couldn't put it down. The authors have done an extraordinary amount of research and produced a captivating portrait of a man who led a truly unbelievable life. It's a crazy, pedal-to-the-metal journey with glamorous highs, heartbreaking lows, intriguing plot twists and more close calls than you can imagine! Just when you think Rubirosa's story can't get any more amazing, it does. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

5 comments about The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini (Penguin Classics).

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.