5 comments about TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald.

1. After reading (and thoroughly enjoying) Trump's own The Art of the Deal I went in search for more on the captivating man known as "The Donald." I leafed through the pages of TrumpNation and was excited to see a bit about Trump's personal life, so I bought it. Although the book was written by a professional writer, it was not as easy a read (i.e. entertaining) as The Art of the Deal. The author came across as full of himself as his claims of Trump being. I found it rather juvenile and boring that O'Brien often repeated phrases he obviously felt were clever throughout his book. On the whole, here was an author writing a book on a magical personality but completely failed to capture any of it. Instead, he overanalyzed the person behind the aura and seemed surprised to find, in fact, an actual person. Person or persona, O'Brien came off as envious of both. In my opinion, TrumpNation was a disservice to anyone that is a fan of Trump and therefore, the author should not be capitalizing off those who are. I will be returning my book for "spite."



2. The book isn't bad but is mainly a rewrite
   of the better (***.5 out of 5 star) "The
   Art of the Deal", from 1987. O'Brien lauds
   crimnals like the Rockefellers and mentions
   AIDS infested ex-Commie-Hunter / Lawyer Roy
   Cohn as being pals with The Donald. But he
   really gets himself in a mess with his Non-
   Pro Football (non)knowledge! Here are some
   of his errors: (1) He claims the late Pete
   Rozelle (nee Alvin H. Rosencranz) came into
   the NFL right out of the (then) L.A. Rams
   front office, which isn't true. He was a
   Lawyer, like Cohn, who came to the NFL's
   Commissioner's Office after a year as the
   NFL's Legal Counsil (previous to that he
   WAS the Rams G.M., et, al...). (2) He
   claims that the old American Football Lea-
   gue "played independently from the NFL
   for six season". Actually, Timmy, it was
   10 seasons (1960-69). When the AFL-NFL ag-
   reed to merge in June 1966, they agreed to
   start playing in Jan. '67 a post AFL & NFL
   Pro Football Championship game called the
   Super Bowl [this WAS after six years of
   AFL play].(3) O'Brien says Doug Flutie
   wasn't as dynamic as Joe Namath. That's
   like comparing Coconuts to Pineapples;
   what O'Brien could have said is that the
   '85 USFL Generals weren't as good as the
   1968-69 Jets, and ended it at that. Be-
   sides, Flutie just retired as the last
   ex-USFL player (unless Sean Landeta makes
   another comeback!),after a 21-year Pro ca-
   reer and Namath bearly lasted 13 season...
   (4) O'Brien claims that even though the USFL
   kicked the overrated NFL's keester in court,
   the jury agreed that it was the USFL's poor
   Management, et, al, and moving to the fall
   that did the upstart United States Football
   League in. Bull(bleep)! O'Brien has probably
   never read the transcript of the court case
   USFL V. NFL, which I have a copy of. The jury
   found the NFL guilty ON ALL COUNTS of conspir-
   ing to Monopolize ALL of Pro Football in North
   America, not just the US. In fact, Pres. Ken-
   nedy hauled Rozelle, a slimey crook in front
   of Congress in 1962 and the arrogant khazar
   even ADMITTED he was trying to MONOPOLIZE Pro
   Football in the US THEN! (Of course it should
   be noted that AFL Boston [now N.E.] Patriots
   Owner Billy Sullivan was a close friend of
   Joe Kennedy's family. Certainly JFK favored the
   (then) upstart AFL...))And lastly, O'Brien says
   that nobody wanted to give the USFL any TV cov-
   erage if it moved to the Fall schedule. Once
   again Bull(bleep)! The USFL had a contract in
   perpetuity with the (then still new) ESPN! Tim-
   othy O'Brien further lies when he says that
   the USFL's talent level was far inferior to
   the overrated, monied NFL. Let's see; the
   USFL played a manly 18 game schedule (like the
   better CFL does) compared to the NFL's wimpy
   16 game schedule; The USFL drafted and signed
   (and played!) three straight Heisman trophy
   winning players. Compare the best NFL QBs of
   the day; Dan Marino, Phil Simms, John Elway,
   Joe Montana, Dave Krieg to the USFL starters
   of Flutie [played 21 Pro seasons, 6 CFL MVPs,
   five Grey Cups], Bobby Hebert, Jim Kelly [H-o-F],
   Steve Young [H-o-F], Cliff Stoudt [played 15 Pro
   seasons]and they are absolutely equal. In fact
   Kelly is the only QB in NFL history to take his
   team to four straight Super Bowls! Marino(1)
   didn't do it, Elway (though 5 Super Bowls) didn't
   do it, Simms (2 S.Bs) didn't do that, etc., etc.
   Mr. O'Brien, you get a C++ on the trump stuff
   which wasn't bad but you get an F+ on your Foot-
   ball Non-Knowledge! Overall, C.



3. After listening to this audiobook, I have to say it's definitely an interesting perspective on Donald Trump. Timothy O'Brien is definitely what you would call a "Negative Nancy"...he focuses on the failures of more than the accomplishments of Donald Trump. But hey, the evening news in every major city does too, as they love covering the latest murders, rapes & child kidnappings - as that negative stuff gets press & makes money. That in turn creates a distortion of reality...or a negative warped view on reality...which is what this book is. As I said, I think Timothy O'Brien is doing the same thing here...he wants to just talk primarily about the negative aspects of Donald's career. If he was more of an objective reporter, he would focus on the good and bad things. No, I'm not a die hard Trump fan, before you ask. But I have researched him quite indepthly & read many books on him, and this one is definitely one of the worst. But I'm sure some people will love it because the 'average joe' enjoys hearing negative things about successful people. So have fun reading the book or listening to the audiobook if you like such garbage.



4. I rate this book as 3½ stars.
   
   After I heard Donald Trump was suing the publisher of this book for 5 BILLION dollars, I knew I just had to read it. Perhaps that was all part of Donald's plan, but I fell for it, and I'm glad I did.
   
   I've been a big fan of Donald Trump ever since I just happened to stumble upon one of his books (I got it for free in a real estate seminar). I had a great appreciation of his business talents and, after reading what Donald had to say about himself instead of what the press had to say about him, I appreciated his attitude. This book changed that.
   
   This book changed my opinion of Trump, but neither in a positive nor negative way. Surely, this book lays out a very convincing case for Donald's net worth or business prowess to be nothing near as much as he claims. But it also gives a dimension of personality which never really came through in his own works.
   
   The stories covered and quotes are excellent - especially from Donald himself. He is TRULY a character. The author takes a balanced look at nearly all the major projects Donald mentioned in _The Art of the Deal_, and many of the details (and some not so detailed facts) are pertinent; the book also cites sources meticulously. Did you know Donald went over budget $50 million on The Plaza Hotel and had to be bailed out by his dad - what ever happened to television city - was it really smart to take on the city officials and say "this city is a cesspool of corruption and incompetence" while Donald was asking them for a ¾ billion dollar tax break?
   
   Not that the look at Trump is really "bad". His personality really shines in this book. For a rich guy, he is really anti-establishment, a cheapskate, and is very personable. You get a real feel for what he's really like. After reading this book, maybe I wouldn't want to follow his business advice blindly, but I'm more likely to want to sit down and have a beer with the guy - he sounds fun. To say Trump is a BS artist is like declaring the sky is blue - I always knew his projects were spun with his own opinions, so it's good to see a different viewpoint on his familiar projects.
   
   So why only 3½ stars? Because, despite the fact that the content of the story is great, the book is terribly written. For the author's sake, I hope there was a rush to publish because of the aforementioned lawsuit, because this has all of the organizational and journalistic talent of a high-school cheerleader writing a business memo. There's no organization, no structure, and bad jokes all over - luckily, the content of the book outweighs this otherwise unreadable mess.
   
   Bottom line is that if you've enjoyed Trump's past books, reading this book will give you a non-spin version of his business deals - and really introduce you to the man himself.



5. Took me ages to read. Sometimes a bit funny but mosly boring. I don't like Trump but the person interests me. The book is as much hype as the Trump himself.

2 comments about Mickey Rourke: High and Low.

1. After finding and reading Bart Mills' 1988 book on Mickey Rourke (which only covered up through 1987 in his career and is now out of print), I figured that that was as good as it was going to get. Wrong!!! While Christmas shopping for someone else in a local bookstore, I almost didn't check the usual sections for myself. I'm sure glad that I did. I was casually scanning the spines over in the TV/film section when something jumped out at me. I couldn't believe that I'd actually found another book devoted entirely to my favorite actor. I snatched it off the shelf and made my way to the registers knowing damn well that I'd buy it no matter what it contained. Since the line was rather long (another good reason to shop online), I had a chance to read the back cover and skim the 144 page book itself. I couldn't wait to start reading it. It covers Mickey's life from the beginning up through his upcoming work on Sin City 2 (and maybe Grindhouse). While it doesn't have as many photos as the Mills book (and are all b&w), it does contain something better. It contains interviews with Rourke himself as well as friends, family, co-stars, and directors. It also mentions the many famous roles/movies that Mickey passed on. You'll be amazed. Christopher Heard has done his homework and done it well. Minor quibbles aside (I don't agree with all of Heard's reviews of Rourke's movies and although covered earlier in the book, Eureka (1981) is left off of Mickey's filmography at the end while The Thin Red Line (1998) is included even though Rourke was edited out of it), this is currently the definitive Mickey Rourke book. Period. My advice? Eventually find a copy of the Bart Mills book for the pictures but buy this book now before it too is out of print.



2. could have delved deeper a bit weak in places will have to wait until the man himself decides to write his own autobiography.

4 comments about The Most Beautiful Man in the World: Paul Swan, from Wilde to Warhol.

1. When I read the review in the Hollywood Reporter, I figured the book was worth a look. Indeed, it was. I can't say it better than HR: The book should have screen actors guild members "turning pages with one hand and dialing their agents with the other." This is a visual book, filled with images. There is a lot of power is this crazy artist's life. --Another artist.



2. If this were fiction, it would almost be unbelievable. As a biography, it's simply fascinating to read what he did, who he knew, and how he survived during that time in history. An excellent exploration of art, sexuality, personality. You will burn through it.



3. I have had the privilege of working with Janis and Richard Londraville as an intern, and as a gift for assisting them with the exhibition of Paul Swan's works that Janis is curating at the SUNY Potsdam campus, I recieved an autographed copy of their book. I simply couldn't put it down! The authors did an amazing job of telling the story of Paul Swan, and after I'd finished the book, I felt as if I'd known the artist for years. This is a wonderful, amazing book and I'm glad I got the opportunity to work with the authors on an exhibit of Paul Swan's works. Everyone should read this book!



4. I have a feeling this book will continue to draw acclaim as the months and years go by, for it must be the standard biography for some time to come. Drawing on a wealth of material from the artist's family, Janis Londraville and Richard Londraville have managed to animate a long forgotten story, and it has made me completely interested in Paul Swan's works in all their guises. It's hard to imagine today the ease with which Paul Swan seems to have said to himself, "Well, painting is only making me this famous, I think I'll add another string to my bow and become an interpretative dancer"? How often does that happen, and how often does any arrist excel in both wildly competitive fields?
   
   Janis Londraville and Richard Londraville hint that Swan's good looks helped him along here and there. With so many photos of him spread throughout the book, a concordance of beauty begins to take shape in the reader's mind. Is he the "most beautiful man in the world" as his press agents claimed? It's a type of good looks you don't see very much today, or if you do, you see them in leading men who are just average looking--say, the Bill Pullman look. (Take a gander at the book jacket photo.) But Swan knew how to work his look, and he studied the Egyptian arts of presentation, so that his dances resembled early versions of Madonna's "Vogue" movements, with hand manipulations framing the face, the body, the long legs and the cinched in waist. He could have been a contender in the movies, but alas, he let the camera come close a little too late (he was already 40 when he played a herald in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (first version) by Cecil B. DeMille. In fact his age was always getting in his way, like a clumsy, ardent teenage boy stumbling over his erection. In old age he was still performing his "Grecian" and "classic" dances in which, apparently, he would dance off his seven veils and at the end reveal the original naked body Isadora Duncan had fondled way back in the day. In his prime, when he went to Greece, Greek newspapers claimed that their statuary had come to life and was walking in American clothes! "See him and then see our marbles! Is he not the Hermes of Praxiteles come to life again? Or is he Antinous?"
   
   He was sort of a dramatic Paul Lynde sort of queen except without a sense of humor, and not much of a dad to his two long suffering daughters. The authors luckily had his unpublished memoirs to draw on, and they are adept in art criticism to a scary extent, coming close to persuading me that Paul Swan's painting is necessary, like Thomas Hart Benton or Jackson Pollock. At any rate he is an American Rousseau, for good or bad, and I would love a companion volume with full color plates of all his surviving work, And what a shame that the authors worked hard interviewing nearly every available witness who knew the old man, and in a touching vignette they report that one, the actress Lisan Kaye, who posed as the Empress Theodora in 1944 for Swan, can't remember him at all, trapped as she is in her Alzheimer's disease. Something very Swanlike about that inability.
   
   Do the authors cheat in subtitling their book "from Wilde to Warhol," considering that Swan actually never did meet Oscar Wilde? Yes, a little, I think, but it suits the carnival barker aspect of their subject, for whom no publicity was bad publicity.

5 comments about God Said, Ha!: A Memoir.

1. Thoroughly enjoyable and insightful observation on the human condition. Poignantly demonstrates how fine the line is between comedy and tragedy, and how inseparable the two can be. Helps explain Ms. Sweeney's mood in her later fantastic work, "Letting Go of God>'



2. it's got heart, but it gets a little too personal to remain of universal interest, unless you know julia sweeney or knew her brother. she is witty and has great delivery & timing, but i expected a bit more humor and a little less sappiness. i had heard an interview in which she discussed her take on religion and how she fell "out of touch" with (her) god, and the comments she made in the interview where awesome, thought provoking. i misunderstood that this dvd was similar to the "routine" she performed on the radio interview. the dvd would be a great way to ease into the mourning period if someone close to you was dying of cancer, but still active in many ways.



3. Julia Sweeny seems from interviews to be a likeable person, and her writing is similarly winsome. This autobiography is about turning lemons into lemonade, and Sweeny wrings humor from the chaos that ensues when family members band together for support in time of trouble. She does a good job of conveying both the sweetness and low-level eccentricity of her parents, who moved into her tiny California home to minister to Julia and her brother Mike, both of whom contracted cancer around the same time (Julia survived hers after a hysterectomy). That Julia and Mike referred to the home as the International House of Cancer, and obsessed over whether their cat had cancer, too, is an example of how they tried to positively spin the positively horrible.
   
   My guess is that the anecdotes in "God Said `Ha!'" came across better in Sweeny's stage production than in this book, which is really light in content. The font is huge and the paragraphs spaced out widely, as if to help the story reach the minimum length required for print. Still, it's cleverly told, and nicely framed against a back story of how Sweeny and friend Quentin Tarantino unwittingly kicked off Sweeny's awful year of family turmoil by getting "lucky rocks" off the coast of Inish Turk, Ireland (Sweeny later returned hers).
   
   As an aside, I first heard about this story during an interview Sweeny gave discussing, among other things, her atheism. Some of those seeds are planted in "God Said `Ha!'," but nowhere nearly as overtly as the title. In fact, Sweeny's tone in the book alternates between anger at her religion and admiration for nuns she remembered from Catholic school as sources of strength and quirky humor. The atheism must have come later after much soul-searching.



4. I really laughed out loud at certain parts of Julia's monologue. What I love is that she can be a well known "star" and yet still weather the emotional day to day-ness of living with her brother's diagnosis.......knowing full well that humor can get us all through life's worst curveballs! I thought this dvd was great...a real treat .... very human!



5. I only wish I had known how much I would love this shirt because I would have bought several more. When I went back to buy they were all gone. Please get more.

5 comments about The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People.

1. I found the book a fascinating look into the extremely private parts of famous people's lives. The book is chocked full of mini biographies of famous people. Writers, artists and movie stars. All of them have a private life that most have tried to hide from the public.

   This book must have taken forever to research the facts. The book was written by almost all the same people that wrote the Peoples Almanac and The Book of Lists.

   I actually wore out three copies of this book. It's one of those books that you pick up again and again.

   For anyone looking into the "true history", this book is a must have. Through the years, I have gone through three paper backs and now have a hard back copy of this book. A real "keeper".




2. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. From the title, one might think it is some sort of sleazy tabloid in book form. But far from it! It's a real treasure trove of interesting information that is not readily available anywhere else.

   There's nothing sensationalistic about it; rather, the book helps make a large number of well-known names from movies to arts to politics, as well as historical figures from the less-recent past, seem more human and like the rest of us.

   Each subject is given approximately two to five pages of coverage. Of course I don't have the knowledge to speak about the book's accuracy, but it gives every appearance of being very well researched. Yet despite its almost scholarly approach, it's quite readable and interesting. Highly recommended!

   (I have the hard cover version.)




3. Quick. Name the famous baseball player who once rented an entire brothel for one evening. Or, how about the French novelist who, on his wedding night, coupled with his new bride nine times? And then there's the billionaire who had his employees recruit scores of young women to satisfy his "appetite."

   Interesting stuff, to say the least.

   Published over two decades ago, THE INTIMATE SEX LIVES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE still provides chuckles, giggles, and even a raised eyebrow or two as the reader becomes privy to the bedroom antics of dozens and dozens of "celebrities" (most of them historical figures). Written by the Wallace family (novelist Irving, wife Sylvia, daughter Amy and son David) this is a well-researched and sometimes overwhelming volume that presents the material as matter-of-fact and only gets risque when the subjects--through actual letters or conversations--are allowed to "speak for themselves."

   The "famous people" are a veritable "Who's Who" from all walks of life and epochs of history. Henry VIII. Leo Tolstoi. Gary Cooper. Warren G. Harding. Joan Crawford. Douglas MacArthur. Elvis Presley. Page after page, person after person, the intimate tidbits of those we revere--or despise--are revealed.

   THE INTIMATE SEX LIVES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE reminds me of a bag of Lay's Potato Chips. No one can read just one account; he or she will be busily turning the pages, looking for more scandal on the part of more people. I only wish this book was more contemporary. Think what a juicy chapter Bill Clinton's sex life would have been!
   --D. Mikels




4. Normally I'd just pass something like this by, but I saw it was done by the same folks who had done the People's Almanac series (Irving Wallace and David Wallachinsky). I grew up reading those massive compendiums of assorted information (including my earliest sex education in a book) and figured that if anyone could cover this topic tastefully, it would be the Wallaces/etc.
   
   This is over 500 pages of information on the sex practices of everyone from royalty to actors and actresses, poets and playwrights, the rich and famous and the famous-after-they-died-as-paupers. Ever wondered what Casanova was really like? Or if Babe Ruth was as much a slugger in the sheets as on the baseball field? How about Cleopatra herself? Well-researched, and well-written without being lurid, this is a frank but mature appraisal of the relationships and flings of the famous. While there are a lot of unfaithful folks, as well as some early free love advocates, there are also those who managed successful monogamy. Only the most prudish people could take offense at this excellent approach to S-E-X and the famous.



5. "The Intimate Sex Lives of Famous People", by Wallace, Wallace, Wallechinsky & Wallace. Delacorte Press, NY 1981. ISBN: 0-440-04152-X, HC 618/592 pages, with Index 22 pgs., & B/W photos. 9 1/2" x 6 1/4".
   
   Three Wallaces and a Wallechinsky collaborated on an expose of sex lives of over 200 persons, all customarily known somebody's from divers walks of life, many briefly or long relegated to the grave including generals, presidents, movie stars, writers, actors, industrialists, musicians, scientists, world leaders, sport figures and sex symbols.
   
   The book is divided into 17 specious chapters for rhetorical overstatement reasons at best, each sexual biography possesses an accompanying picture of the lover or loveress. Authors indicate they scrutinized over 1500 biographies but also memoirs by their lovers, friends and enemies. They justified this reference work by noting this expositiion filled a gaping omission on "sexual behavior of well-known and distingished men and women in world history".
   
   Presumably their research dug deeper than that encountered with present-day tabloids. Despite its explicit nature, the authors' material is largely confined to adults now deceased, unlike the goings-on of Hollywood's present genre of teens and teeny-boobies with their pregnancies, partners, public & pubic display of sexuality & drug adventures and misadventures displayed on weekly newsstands courtesy of paparazzi. So, with what's going on now, two decades later, the book is not a shocker and is thusly for those with a void in/or possessing a nugatory sexuality.

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 The Trumps: Three Generations That Built an Empire.

1. Did you ever wonder how Donald Trump could have been so knowledgable and astute at so young an age. How did he do it? Who taught him? Family that's who. Unbelievably true. Ms Blair's research spans three generations. Friedrich who eventually earned a fortune in Alaska; his son Fred Jr. who made millions from U.S. government housing programs and his grandson, "the Donald" real estate developer and promoter. The book gives us an up close view of Donald Trump's ego, his wives and their role, his survival after near-bankruptcy, his eagerness for publicity and his "midas" touch. The man can close a deal. Well written and fascinating. Once upon a time there was the Rothchilds and the Rockefellers. This era it seems belongs to the Trump Dynasty.



2. At first glance, you might say that "The Trumps" is another well-written biography of the highly successful Trump patriachs. And while some of the content is fair and accurate, it is quite obvious that for the most part, the book was written by a third-rate novelist with a first-rate agenda. The negative tone she sets of the Trumps, sometimes blaring, others not; and particularly of Donald, is proof that she can only envy the great success each has had. She takes every oppurtunity to spin that, without government subsidies, none of these would have ever achieved greatness. The book was indeed, an interesting read, but if you can't stand the envious musings of a not-so well known author who lives to bash those who have accomplished anything, steer clear. I was able to handle it because I enjoy controversy. Throughout the tome, the writer provides misrepresentations of various documented facts, including even mistitling well-known executives! Clearly, a segment of the American public does not like "The Donald"; typically because they are phonies who hate all successful people. However, unlike this book, Trump's three titles were all #1 bestsellers. There's a reason -- they're better written and more exciting! It's time that people like the author of this book realize that Donald Trump is nothing more than a savvy businessman playing to the interests of his special niche; the ultra wealthy, just as this book plays to its author's class -- those repulsed by anyone who could achieve success independently.



3. The first generation you will read about was never allowed to reach its conclusion, due to an unfortunate early death. The second and third generations of this grandfather, father, and son trio are much longer. The second generation too has recently come to a close after a very long and successful life, in excess of 93 years, and the verdict on the third is still evolving. There is no question where the business acumen was at its greatest, the talent rested with Mr. Fred Trump, the second of the three men, and his story is the one of substance. The grandfather never had a chance to play out what likely would have been a very successful life, but during the time he was a businessman he was creative, bold, and gutsy as any pioneer.

   Donald Trump is certainly the most well known, for marketing himself is a large part of whom he is and what he does. He is a man who can only speak in superlatives about anything he is involved in, even if some grand and prominent project bears his name and little else. The name on a building has very little to do with who owns it, who paid for it, or who made it happen. Donald Trump's primary business is Donald Trump. His flair for promotion and obsession with how he is perceived has become his career. There is no question he has had his successful projects, but the question of would they ever have happened without his father is a legitimate one. And he probably would have had much more success and a much larger fortune had he stuck to the business he knew, developing real estate. He got sidetracked with buying an airline, paying absurd prices for casinos that still are far from trophy properties, and while he may have benefited, the holders of stock and various bond issues have not.

   Fred Trump is the man you would have given your money to and slept soundly at night. He was an astute man of business, he was self-made, and he spent no time promoting who he was. In this manner he was like many other long time major developers in the NYC area that developed massive amounts of real estate and fortunes to match without having any interest in the world knowing what they were worth.

   Forbes Magazine often documents the calls they receive from Donald Trump complaining about where he is listed on their richest people list. This is not something his father or grandfather ever would have contemplated, nor would they brag to anyone listening how they increased their net worth by failing to honor financial commitments. In the end his charismatic style allowed him to get financial institutions so grossly over invested in his view of the world that he could never be allowed to go bankrupt, as the lenders could not afford it.

   His predecessors in the family rate much higher on substance, and the newest Mr. Trump rates highly on style. But for all of the perceived satisfaction he would have the public believes he enjoys, in the end the author portrays a man that craves publicity to the detriment of his personal life. Squiring around beautiful women makes for nice pictures, but he and it and getting a bit old.




4. At first glance, you might say that "The Trumps" is another well-written biography of the highly successful Trump patriachs. And while
   some of the content is fair and accurate, it is quite obvious that for the most part, the book was written by a third-rate novelist with a
   first-rate agenda. The negative tone she sets of the Trumps, sometimes blaring, others not; and particularly of Donald, is proof that she
   can only envy the great success each has had. She takes every oppurtunity to spin that, without government subsidies, none of these
   would have ever achieved greatness. The book was indeed, an interesting read, but if you can't stand the envious musings of a not-so well
   known author who lives to bash those who have accomplished anything, steer clear. I was able to handle it because I enjoy controversy.
   Throughout the tome, the writer provides misrepresentations of various documented facts, including even mistitling well-known
   executives! Clearly, a segment of the American public does not like "The Donald"; typically because they are phonies who hate all
   successful people. However, unlike this book, Trump's three titles were all #1 bestsellers. There's a reason -- they're better written and
   more exciting! It's time that people like the author of this book realize that Donald Trump is nothing more than a savvy businessman
   playing to the interests of his special niche; the ultra wealthy, just as this book plays to its author's class -- those repulsed by anyone who
   could achieve success independently.



5. This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. It led me to appreciate and admire Donald Trump and his family.
   
   Gwenda Blair spins a fascinating account of Trump's grandfather's exploits in the Gold Rush days, then details Trump's dad's rise to mogul status in New York real estate. Trump then builds on that heritage with grand achievements of his own.
   
   It's a remarkable story because the progeny of so many prominent families fail to match, and sometimes even disgrace, their forebears (Paris Hilton, for example). Donald could easily have chosen the life of a spoiled playboy, but that wasn't about to happen when you are a Trump. You see that in Trump's kids. As I recall the oldest ones, like his dad, graduated from the Wharton School of Business. You don't get into that school because your daddy is Donald Trump. You have to have the scholastic credentials.
   
   A lasting image is Fred Trump's Sunday visits to construction sites, with his boy Donald in tow, picking up discarded nails as they walk the project. Then there was Donald's dutiful attendance at a military academy. It was tough going at first, but he had a family obligation to fulfill. He later became a BMOC. Some sons have the spirit knocked out of them by Type A dads, but Fred Trump managed to instill even more drive and ambition in his son.
   
   The book recounts several of Trump's battles to get his projects off the ground. He faced obstacles that would have made quitters out of less persistent entrepreneurs. But The Donald kept plugging away. It wasn't just in pursuit of riches, but to realize his vision.
   
   The author openly lauds The Donald as one of the most positive people on the planet. Yes, Donald was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but we can all learn from his story. You have to hang in there, roll with the punches, and keep fighting.
   
   A biographer has a responsibility to paint a complete picture. Blair doesn't shrink from that. She details, but doesn't dwell on, Trump's womanizing and other scandalous exploits. Overall, the book is an inspiring tribute to the Trumps.

5 comments about Tina and Harry Come to America: Tina Brown, Harry Evans, and the Uses of Power.

1. I started this book with the conviction that I would finally learn what had made Tina Brown such a feared and respected editor. Unfortunately, when I finished it I was somewhat disappointed. Judy Bachrach certainly does a good job of finding disaffected former employees who dish out all sorts of dirt on Tina Brown and detail working practices and habits which seem to have caused her underlings some serious grief. But what I did not really learn was what exactly why she was brought across from London to edit first Vanity Fair and then the New Yorker. She was clearly not a charlatan, she clearly had talents, but the use to which she put them is obscured by the dirt and nastiness regularly dumped all over Brown by other people quoted in this book. As a reader of the New Yorker for the last 15 years I can say that she did indeed change it, in many ways for the better. I still have some of my old pre-Brown copies of the magazine and while they do contain the occasional excellent articles, there are also many long, long screeds about fruitflies and tomatoes and some obscure aspect of baseball which were allowed to ramble on and on. Whatever faults she may have had, Tina Brown at least turned the magazine into something I wanted to read and actually looked forward to every week. She did make mistakes (as the book makes clear) and I agree with critics who say the Diana issue was extremely ill-judged, but the magazine now is in many ways a sorry shadow of what it once was. It saddens me to say that I look forward to Harper's and Atlantic Monthly with more anticipation than I do the New Yorker. The one area where the magazine has really collapsed is the fiction section, where whoever is in charge seems to have completely given up. Almost every week it's the same thing, exceedingly well-known names writing variations on the same themes, be it Alice Munro or William Trevor or whoever else it might be. What happened to the magazine's fine old tradition of unearthing new authors? I note that Zadie Smith is now going to be writing a story for the magazine, which is a good thing, but it would have been more impressive had the magazine published her before the success of "White Teeth". Yes, there has been the odd New Fiction issue with a few new authors, but I can think of no area where the New Yorker has collapsed so miserably as in fiction. So do read Bachrach's book if you have an interest in Tina Brown and Harry Evans but don't expect an answer to all your questions.



2. journalism and its practice isn't really everybody's top interest, but this is one of the best books i've ever read. tina brown is the editor of our generation, and how she did it is of compelling interest to women in journalism everywhere. one way she did it was by writing what can only be called faye wray journalism in the 1970s -- something invented by older blondes on this side of the atlantic. it makes for a great read, and it helped both of them find rich mentors. that's part of the way the world is, and this book is exactly about that, including the anti-semitism of britain (tina is one-fourth jewish) and how when she could not conquer british society as she wished, tina chose to conquer hollywood. (her father, whom she loved, was a B-movie producer.) how she persuaded media mogul s.i. newhouse to fund her money-losing yet spectacular rise is suggested (let's just say blondeness is involved). the biography of her husband, harry evans, is as compelling as tina's -- almost d. h. lawrence -- starting out sexually compulsive as the crusading editor in some polluted northern england rust belt town. how tina has mined her older husband's gift for graphics is displayed. i loved the roseanne issue of the new yorker which all the white boys hated. roseanne is tina and tina is roseanne. and i'll wager (were i a bettin' man) that that's why people hate this book. you need to read it. tina (along with katharine graham and princess diana) was a captain of the girl team. and this is how she got there. cover 'em up if you got 'em.



3. Hi there and apologies for bothering you. Judy Bachrach has contacted me to point out that when I say an anecdote was repeated twice at the start of the book, I should in fact have said an entire quote. I know this sounds like splitting hairs, but she seems a little perturbed by this and so if you could change the review to make it 100 percent accurate I'd be very grateful. Many thanks in advance for your understanding.

   David Ljunggren




4. WHAT did Tina Brown do to Judy Bachrach? That's really the question you keep asking yourself while reading this bitchy if amusing book. Not that Ms Brown and Mr Evans don't deserve quite a bit of the stick they get here, but it is so... unrelenting. Judy Bachrach now works for Tina Brown's successor at Vanity Fair, and she applies to Tina and Harry the gossipy techniques which made VF's success. She should have applied fuller disclosure to her motives.

   That being said, most details here are probably accurate. Thebook is not published in the UK for fear of libel suits. Not very sportsmanlike of Tina and Harry.




5. This book is a nasty, in a sophistiacated 1930s sort of way. Think, Clare Booth Luce's "The Women". This book is the story of an unrelenting social climber who had genuine talent and ability on her side but little grace, humility or kindness. And it caught up with her. The book does a good job of showing why Ms. Brown has so many enemies and why she rose to such starry heights in the first place. It's great for people who love NYC, or who love journalism, or anyone who just wants a juicy piece of shameless gossip.

5 comments about Disney: The First 100 Years.

1. I really enjoyed this book. It is packed with lots of great photographs and artwork from Walt Disney and the Disney Company. It also has a really nice overview of the life of Walt Disney and the work of the Disney Company in text.

   I appreciated the organization of the book. The book is arranged chronologically, which helped me to understand the flow of events better. This book has a very upbeat, positive tone and paints a very bright and exciting future for the Disney Company.

   This book does not contain nearly as much information about Walt Disney as some of the biographies that I have read, but I don't think that was the goal of this book. This book does a very nice job of chronicling the art and the work of this great American icon and then continues the chronology with the work of the Disney Company in the post Walt era.

   This book starts with very early Disney and takes the reader all the way through to Fantasia 2000. This is an excellent coffee table book. I highly recommended it to anyone that loves Walt, his work and the continuing work of the Disney Company.




2. This book was excellent! It had terrific pictures and it told from 1901 when Walt was born until 2001. It is a great keepsake. I purchased mine at Walt Disney World during the 100 Years of Magic celebration.



3. This is a great book about Disney Company. It goes chronologically from 1901 to 1999 and beyond. Every event in the company's history is put in the book, but without much detail.
   Since he maintains Disney Archives, Dave Smith could have done a litle better, like he did with Disney's Encyclopedia.



4. This 213 page book is just full of an endless supply of full color photos of everything Disney for the past 100 years. You'll learn all about Walt's early life and how his ideas created worldwide Disney worlds. Each chapter covers a decade from 1901 to 2001 !! Many of these pictures are archival and never made available before. The book provides many memories for "children" of all ages. It's a keeper. Enjoy !



5. Catch up on your knowledge, or review what you know. Fun series of all that's Disney.

1 comments about Sotheby's: Bidding for Class.

1. Excellent book. Piles of facts, sharp analysis. One can learn more about art market from the book than from years of studies. Apart from it - pleasant reading.