5 comments about The True Story of Pocahontas: The Other Side of History.

1. The book tells a "new" story to me from the standpoint of the Powhatan Indians of Virginia. I enjoyed learning of Pocahontas from the viewpoint of her ancestors. This oral history of her life was enlightening. It made me rethink how my English ancestors behaved and how they may not have been as truthful and honest to a trusting Powhatan Indian Chief, Pocahontas's father, to gain successful knowledge about planting and growing crops in the "New World." I also never knew that Pocahontas might have been kidnapped by the settlers. To learn in this book that Pocahontas may have been poisoned in England, where she died, it was very sad.
   Great read!
   Thanks to Dr. Custalow.



2. After reading this version of Pocahontas, a lot of things became clearer to me. I could never understand how, when the Natives from the rest of the United States were treated so horribly by the Anglos, that the Natives of Virginia escaped, virtually unscathed, during the time of Powhatan. It was very informative, beautifully written and I am grateful that the truth has been told. My congratulations go out to both Linwood Custalow and Angie Daniels for writing this book. I know that Chief Webster 'Little Eagle' Custalow, from his present vantage point, is very proud of this contribution to history. I only wish that he were here, in person, to tell you this.
   
   Thank you for sharing,
   Barbara 'Little Doe' Adkins
   Gloucester, Virginia



3. This is a very important story that should be read by as many people as possible. It is essential that we recognize the value of oral history--and the other side of history that is presented here. We generally know so little about the native people who interacted with the English settlers of Jamestown--their beliefs, their way of life, and their perspective. We are very fortunate that Dr. Custalow was willing to share the story that he knows with the rest of us, particularly as we turn our attention to Jamestown during this "celebration" year. It is beautifully and evocatively written and well worth your time and thought. I know that reading it has affected me, and increased my understanding of this pivotal time in our nation's history. Thank you for your contribution, Dr. Custalow.



4. The authors of this book felt that this was the time to finally tell the true story of Pocahontas, and I completely agree. It's time people, especially Americans, face the truth that has been shrouded in romantic myth for far too long. It may be difficult for some to think of such historical figures as John Smith, John Rolfe and others to be anything but heroes, but it's far more important to the history of this country that the truth be told. The Mattaponi, Pocahontas's tribe, has kept their secret knowledge of the truth to themselves for 400 years. It is with bravery and no doubt a sense of relief that they finally decided to share it with the world. The time for Disney movies and romaticized stories is over: it is now time for the truth.



5. Pocahontas's life has reached mythical proportions. How could any book possibly offer new information? The True Story of Pocahontas was written by the Mattaponi, her tribe. After having read many accounts about the legendary woman's life, I tried to interlock the jigsaw puzzle with the pieces never quite fitting. Not only did this book answer my questions, it filled in the gaping holes.
   
   John Smith wrote the stories about Pocahontas saving his life several years after her death. Other texts admit as much, yet most gloss over why this may have been. Few also question why a woman abducted by what must have seemed like an alien culture would immediately dress like her captors, convert to Christianity, and marry within a year of her captivity. All of those facts, plus another side to Pocahontas's death, are revealed with shocking clarity. The True Story of Pocahontas should be required reading for every American history class.

5 comments about Four Corners: Into the Heart of New Guinea-One Woman's Solo Journey.

1. A compulsive traveler to remote and dangerous places, Kira Salak is on a journey of self-discovery. The trouble is, she keeps making the same mistakes. Intent on proving that she, a young, single woman, can go anywhere she pleases, she keeps setting the bar higher.

   In Africa, 1992, age 20, she decides to cross war-torn Mozambique on the lawless, mine-riddled road known as the Bone Yard Stretch. Natives and tourists alike point out the dangers, but Salak convinces a reluctant trucker to take her. A former runner with Olympic aspirations, when the inevitable happens Salak manages to escape her captors. "No one knows where I am....If I died here no one would ever know." Guilt stricken, she realizes that her "self-indulgent, foolish trip" has probably cost the lives of the men whose need for money induced them to risk bringing her.

   Several years later, Salak is bound for Papua New Guinea with a vague plan to "get from the south to the north of the country via the major rivers." Or, as she explains to a fellow traveler, "Actually, I have no idea what I'm going to be doing. I'm just going to wing it as I go." Again, no one knows where she is and all advice falls on deaf ears. "The only rule I try to follow religiously in life is not to listen to most people." And I suspect the "most" was an editing afterthought.

   But Salak grows on you. The child of Ayn Rand fanatics, she struggles to overcome a loveless childhood through self reliance and searches for epiphany through ordeal. And she gets plenty of that, from guides who take her money and strand her in the jungle to hordes of mosquitoes, armies of roaches and plagues of leeches. She nearly repeats her Mozambique experience on a trek to a camp of refugees from Irian Jaya (invaded by Indonesia), suffers serious sunstroke after a harrowing jungle trek, gets lost on land and water and meets an amazing variety of kind and vicious people, native and foreign.

   This is a colorful odyssey by a quirky narrator who both exasperates and inspires.




2. I found Kira Salaks Four Corners a very good book. I have hardly been able to put it down.The only thing I found disappointing was that there were no pictures except for the cover. It would have been so nice to see these places where she went. I do hope we see another book from Miss Salak soon.



3. I am leaving for my second trip to Papua New Guinea in little under a week. I found Salak's book to be a great read! I agree with another reviewer that her introspective thoughts became a bit redundant but all in all the book flowed well and was very interesting
   I would definately-- and have already-- recommended this to friends.



4. (Memoir) Salak decides to travel across Papula
   New Guinea solo and has some amazing and
   some frightening adventures. She gives some
   good insights into Papua New Guinea, and she
   also has some exciting internal discoveries that I
   found moving and insightful. She's a great
   storyteller: a great and thought-provoking read.
   
   Potentially offensive material: Some language, references to sex



5. Four corners is a tale of a 24 year old woman's journey across Papua New Guinea. Her experience makes for a wonderful read, but she overworks the "finding herself" bit. Despite the self obsessive and all too frequent maudlin tangents, Salak writes in tight prose that grips the reader early in the book and doesn't let go until the second to last chapter (the last chapter is so sappy it brought the entire book from a solid 5 stars to a 4. It nearly morphed the read from high adventure to a "chick" book).
   
   Despite the nearly manic determination it took to make the journey, Salak is quick to acknowledge the help she got from others. There is very little chest thumping and unlike so many other adventure writers, she never claims to have "conquered" the island. Much of the writing is about the nature of the people she comes in contact with and I finished the book feeling like I had been personally touched by the peoples of PNG. I am grateful for her story and ordered a hard bound version to last another reading before passing it on to my daughter.

5 comments about Hold Me Close, Let Me Go: A Mother, A Daughter and an Adolescence Survived.

1. They say to write a good memoir, you must write as if everyone is already dead. Man, Adair Lara knows how to follow that advice - and apparently is still on good terms with everyone in this book. Stupidly shelvedin parenting sections, bookstores should better market this as memoir. No one, having read it, would take it for a parenting manual. It's one woman's story of her difficulties, triumphs, and failures, challenges and sacrifices, doubts and agonies of blundering her way through parenting one of god's most difficult and brilliant (always a dangerous combination) teenage girls.
   Also, as Lara is primarily a humor writer, it's screamingly funny, and laugh you will, when you're not holding your breath to see what new devilment Morgan (the daughter) will get up to next. I think the most profound lesson a parent would get from this book is that if you love your kids and let them know it, you'll all probably survive those difficult transitional years.



2. Two years ago my grandmother-in-law, sage that she is, gave me this book as my husband and I embarked on the rocky teenage road with our then 13-year old daughter. My similarities with Lara's family are profound: I am married to a wonderful man who has embraced (and adopted) my child from a previous marriage; I have fretted, cajoled, and attempted everything from prayer to tough love to help my desperate daughter find her way; I have talked sensibility into myself, only to lose it in a moment of desperation, panick, and fear. My daughter is now 15 and beginning a new life in an emotional growth boarding school...the last hope of terrified and devastated parents. This book leaves me hope that we, too, can come through this seemingly endless nightmare with relationships intact. I highly recommend this book to anyone dealing with a child with entitlement issues, drug usage, sexual acting out, and defiance issues. My daughter read this book and she, too, has gained hope from it.



3. Adair,the middle aged proffessional columnist ,obssesed with the fear of failure for her duaghter, writes her own biography of her duaghter's teenage years.
   The author unconsiously compares her daughter with her own father-the man who has abondoned his wife and 7 children to get to know himself and now at the age of 70 has made no use of his life.
   She finds herself scared of the idea of her daughter having the same future as his father's and thus picks on her teenage kid_as she knows her so-with unpredictable groundings and decisions.
   Reading this book could be suggested to all obssesed and overcaring mothers or parents who doubt about their parenting ways.I also offer this book to all teenage girls who would like to know why their mothers sometime sound too illogical and vicious.



4. I don't think i have ever read a memoir that was so obscenely personal and made me so uncomfortable. I blushed on behalf of all of Adair Lara's family members, and felt grateful that no one in my family has decided to become a writer (so far, but i better start behaving, just in case).
   
   Where to begin?
   
   Adair Lara is a well-known columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle. Her daughter Morgan was a rebellious teenager growing up in a progressive household. She lived in a house with her mom, step dad Bill, dad Jim, and brother Patrick. Unfortunately, all the adults preferred to keep their heads deep in the sand rather than to address what was going on. In a nutshell, Morgan was out of control. She broke all rules, and began lying through her teeth, smoking, drinking, taking drugs, having sex, and throwing tantrums whenever her mom made timid attempts to control her. Adair is very honest and acknowledges that she did not know how to handle the situation. Her main resort was to ship Morgan out of the house, because of course, Morgan's problems affected Adair's marriage. And that was the key to the entire issue.
   
   I am a big fan of Dr. Laura, especially the Dr. Laura of yesteryear, before she became so shrill. I like that she always puts children first. Her recommendation to single parents is that they do not start dating (much less marrying) till the youngest child is in college. In a society that is all about self-fulfillment, this is a hard pill to swallow for many. Adair Lara, about two thirds into the book, ventures that perhaps she should have remained single. I'd say that for starters, she should have never divorced the father of her children, a loving and decent (yet spineless) man for whom her passion had fizzled. Morgan acted out because this is how children call attention to themselves. A three-year-old knows that. So when Adair married her new husband, Morgan felt displaced, and rightly so. To make matters worse, Morgan was sent to live with three different relatives (who although full of good intentions, had dismal problems in their own lives), an acquaintance of Adair's, and summer camp. That was like throwing salt in the wound.
   
   Many parents take a hands-off approach with teenagers, and Adair was no exception. After all, they are becoming adults and need to learn how to make decisions by themselves, fight their own battles, etc. That is fine, but in this particular case this philosophy was taken to an extreme. Morgan did not need to be fed formula or have her diapers changed, but she was craving parenting. She needed to have her parents on top of her, creating expectations, offering support, paying attention, asking questions. I don't know what Jim's problem was, but Adair could not do that because she was occupied in her marriage, her career, her writing seminars, her classes. Adair was obviously #1 in Adair's list. In that sense, she was no different than her father, whose story is weaved alongside Morgan's antics (he up and left his wife and seven kids and never apologized about it). That is what i found most ironic of all. And by the way, i really would like to know how Adair's mother felt when Adair invited her absentee father to give her away at her wedding.
   
   More thoughts:
   
   Adair, Bill and Jim are all a collection of spineless wimps. Morgan was introduced to drugs by boyfriend Zach. This was a fact well known to all of the adults, but Zach was still allowed to spend the night with Morgan in the house. Sure, the men talked about how much they would like to kill him, but what did they do? They continued eating their breakfast. Adair took pity on poor Zach and straightened his tie on his way to work. Notice that these are the people who are supposed to safeguard Morgan's well being!
   
   Adair wrote: "No one in my family except me has ever seen a shrink they weren't ordered to. I lasted two months. "How did that make you feel?" a couples counselor I was seeing with a boyfriend had said when i told her about all the stuffing coming out of my koala bear when i was seven. I didn't see where she got off asking about a private koala bear." I had to laugh. Adair, who showed no restraint opening extremely private moments of not just her own life, but of her entire family, to the universe, complaining about a counselor trying to do her job! What a hypocrite.
   
   I am a big fan of John Irving. In his short story collection, Trying to Save Piggy Sneed, he prefaces "Almost in Iowa" with these thoughts:
   "I loathe the subject of divorce - my own especially. [...] I do not tell stories about my divorce, nor have i ever written about it - nor would I. I feel most strongly that writers who have children, and who have been divorced, should not write about their divorces; to do so is a form of child abuse"
   I agree 110% with this, and i wish that Adair had had the same level of compassion for her own children. It was very sad to see how neglect perpetuates itself from generation to generation. Adair was simply the product of yet another broken home, and most likely her dad was too.
   
   In summary, i am glad i did not spend any serious money on this very frustrating book (found it during a library sale).
   
   If you really want to read about teenage girls' behavior, i highly recommend Reviving Ophelia, by Mary Pipher. This is not a work of fiction, but a well documented book based on research and the many years that Dr. Pipher has been in practice.



5. I finished this book with tears in my eyes and hope in my heart.
   
   I am the mother of a child adopted at age 9, who spent four years of her life in Foster Care. I am also a mother that had to release my "Morgan" back into the System after 18 months in my home -- not my adopted daughter, but her biological 1/2 sister -- a teen in which I could see such parallels to Morgan.
   
   I hold such respect for both of these amazing women for navigating, thriving and sharing an incredibly turbulent existence during Morgan's search for herself. You both accomplished such an amazing journey of Love. I honor you, and thank you, for sharing your lives with me.
   
   I cannot recommend this book enough to women -- and men -- who have teenage daughters. Or daughters that will someday be a teenager! This book held me spellbound.

5 comments about The White Masai.

1. Unfortnately, it was the schadenfreude that kept me reading, and not the "romantic" angle or the "gripping yarn" comprised largely of the author's tangles with bureaucracy or free trade in Kenya. I came to dislike the author early in the book, and it was knowing that I would have the satisfaction of seeing her capricious actions and her condescending post-colonial attitude come back and bite her that kept me glued to the book to the very last page.
   
   I had trouble believing that a 27 year-old woman - old enough to know better - on vacation in Kenya WITH HER BOYFRIEND would, upon seeing the Samburu who became her husband, begin stalking him and proclaiming him "[her] Masai" with a frightening and single-minded obsession. Love at first sight? Really? And then you stalk him all over Kenya for the next several months?
   
   The author continues on her flighty course, foisting herself on this young man she has fallen for, and then foisting herself on his family and village in northern Kenya. She seems to expect their culture to change to suit her, and when it doesn't, she acts as if she's a victim. In fact, she plays the martyr throughout the book, whenever things don't go her way, whether the problems are the result of cultural differences or because she insists on driving a dangerous jungle road (over and over and over and over again) despite numerous near-disastrous trips on the road. No matter how many stupid choices she makes, she always finds someone or something to blame when things blow up in her face.
   
   She seems endlessly put off by almost everyone she encounters during the course of the narrative, whether it's her baby daughter for messing up diapers, or the Italian priest in the mission neighboring the Samburu village who inconveniences her by not being at her disposal to bail her out of yet another of her self-inflicted disasters (broken car - AGAIN, ran out of sugar, etc.). Shortly after her marriage to the Samburu, her tone toward him, as she tells the story, changes, and you can tell that she is almost immediately disenchanted pretty much the moment she makes a formal commitment to him. Unfortunately, by then, she's pregnant and more or less stuck in the situation. Again, it's a situation which she doggedly and tirelessly pursued, so it's hard to feel sorry for her reaping the rewards of her actions.
   
   She recklessly disregards her health (I can't count the number of times she recounts how little she's eaten - but always with a figurative martyrish sigh); the most descriptive writing in the book deals with her two-and-a-half chapters retelling her miseries with malaria; and while I'm certain that malaria is no picnic, she brought it all on herself, every single woe that befalls her in the book, and it's hard to feel sorry for her, as she obviously wants the reader to do. She clearly wishes the reader to read her account and say, "Oh, poor Corinne! Look what she must put up with - all for love!" but by the time she starts complaining in earnest, you realize how flighty, immature, and manipulative she is, and it's hard to pity her for actively pursuing the situation that is currently making her miserable.
   
   As well as complaining about the ways "[her] darling" - ugh - disappoints her, she does little but complain about... well, nearly everything else, too. How hard it is to get a permit to open a store or get married. How far away all the towns are. How hard it is to get stock for her store. How dangerous the jungle road - that she still insists on taking every trip, inexplicably - is. How lousy her car is. How little she eats. How hard she works. How hard it is to be the only white person for miles. The entire book is a litany of complaints.
   
   Her writing - and maybe part of this is the translation from German to English - is workmanlike and strangely dispassionate. The tales of her frequent journeys to various towns and villages in Kenya have a hypnotic quality because they're all the same ("I must go to Nairobi. How I hate that place! It will take me days to get there." And then she recounts the various problems - tire puncture, broken clutch, broken transmission, leaky battery - that she has in getting there. And then discusses how unhelpful the bureaucrats are. And then describes the trip back home - tire puncture, broken clutch, broken transmission, leaky battery. And then the complaints about "home," in the Samburu village, despite the fact it appears the villagers bend over backward to make her comfortable both within and outside of their culture, which she so rudely crashed into without consulting anyone but her own fickle heart). For someone whose writing is so detached, though, she manages quite a bit of melodrama, but it rings empty, much in the same way that a heroine in a Gothic novel speaks hollowly of her great love and her vast troubles. And then she faints prettily and waits to be rescued by a gallant gentleman with smelling salts. This is what the entire book is like.
   
   The author is enormously self-centered and selfish, and as she expects the Samburu culture to bend to her needs, she refuses to take up much of any of the culture to meet her new family and neighbors halfway. This, unsurprisingly, causes clashes, wherein, again, she seems to believe that she is the victim and the villagers and her husband and his family are the victimizers. She has an incredibly condescending, undeniably racist attitude toward them and winds up emasculating her husband terribly. This leads to poor behavior on his part, to the point that I ALMOST felt sorry for her the last couple of chapters, but the poor guy was stalked and outmatched by an insufferably selfish and manipulative woman, so his behavior - acceptable in his culture - gets a pass from me.
   
   What kept me reading was, at first, the hope that the author would become less self-involved and more self-aware, and that the "part travel-writing" part touted on the back of the book would begin to evidence itself. Once it dawned on me that this wouldn't happen, I kept reading to see the author's downfall. Pure bonus were the letters at the very end of the book wherein she tries to explain herself to pretty much everyone she came into close contact with during her years in Kenya, in which she sounds indescribably self-serving and reveals that she learned absolutely nothing about herself or the culture into which she injected herself while she was there. I suppose her book is an explanation to the rest of us about what happened, and an attempt to make us believe that she is noble, brave, and tragic. I found her more to be stubborn, headstrong, and impetuous, and I'm glad the book is over so I can move on to more worthy projects.
   
   If you are able to borrow this book, by all means, give it a read. It was entertaining, it its own way, to read about this woman's constant delusion and habitual victimhood, and, like I said, I couldn't put it down once I'd started. But I'm sorry I paid money for the book, and I wouldn't do it again.



2. I received this book for Christmas and while it held my interest until the end, I was flabbergasted at how her obsession blinded her. Egads!



3. Despite being a successful businesswoman in Switzerland, 27-year-old Corinne Hofmann still didn't know the difference between lust and love. She did one stupid thing after another in chasing down a man based solely on his looks, pursuing him across Kenya, pushing for a marriage even though he was acting crazy soon after they met, and taking her European lifestyle to a remote Samburu village. Some surprise when "her darling" turned into someone she didn't expect. I still don't think she realizes what an idiot she was, but she meant well and placed her trust in the fantasy of a love that would cross all barriers.
   
   Several things stick in my mind about the book. 1. How Samburu women are worth less than goats. 2. How "her Masai" Lketinga suggested that instead of marriage she just come visit him on holidays but oh no she doesn't listen... if some guy said that to me I'd get the message. 3. After living in the village she loses a lot of weight and realizes her problem is the same as everyone else's: a lack of food. Amazing she could be there so long before she noticed.
   
   I was impressed by her loving terms toward Lketinga at the beginning of the book. She really pulled off how taken she was by him, even though when she wrote the book it was no longer the case. Despite her questionable choices at the beginning of her relationship, she did get out of it quickly when it was obvious it was never going to improve.
   
   The White Masai is a great read with her cultural observations and experiences. I have the sequel but can't start reading it until I have a weekend where I have nothing else to do,- I know I won't be able to put it down.



4. If you enjoy adventure stories, this is a fast read. Corinne Hofmann does not write fluently, but her book is captivating. That being said, readers just can't help but dislike the author for many reasons (read the many other reviews). She does, however, capture the essence of Samburu life and effectively shows how similar/different world cultures really are. The non-western perspectives (clitorectomies, no mouth-kissing, crying only at deaths, etc.)are what make this an interesting story. Readers also realize some things are universal and never change--like jealousy, greed and corruption. One wonders how Corinne would have fit in had she not been a white female bearing gifts and money. One note--there is little, if any, detail in this book about Kenya's natural wonders.



5. I could not relate to the author's fanatic obsession of insisting that she had to be with this Masai man. I was tempted to throw the book away in the first two chapters. I only continued to read because I have been to Kenya myself and it gave me more insight into the Masai's culture and traditions. Worth reading if you are interested in the Masai tribe and/or the difficulties in daily living in Africa-things that we take for granted in the Western world.

5 comments about First Mothers: The Women Who Shaped the Presidents.

1. Imagine if the public throughout history had been privileged to read books and concepts like this one. We might have had entirely different Presidents than we had, or we might have had a much better understanding of the kind of President we were getting. Barbara Bush has been around for some time, and most know both her influence, and her ability to put people at ease with her common sense and her style. We've yet to hear anything about the mothers of the current candidates in 2004, but who would not remember Lillian Carter, feisty as she was, a no nonsense strict disciplinarian if my memory serves me correctly, but endearing, and honored by her son, the President. One of the most powerful mothers of all was Bill Clinton's mother, and when I read her story I wept, not only for her, but for her family, and in part, for me, and for all of the women I'd known who had to march forward in life in less than ideal circumstances. Hers were pretty bad, but they sounded more familiar than not, unfortunately, as I'm sure they did to many others. I had never read a more powerful personal reflection and about such deeply troubling topics. Their familiarity continues to move me whenever I think about it. With all of our rhetoric about how we claim to be opposed to domestic violence, physical, emotional and verbal, we've done little to the vast need that actually exists. She may have been the first that I'm aware of in my lifetime to be so candid, and be connected to so powerful a person as a President of the United States. Surely, that is a major step forward for America, and one hopefully not lost on American women, even if it is usually on American men. Because we prefer our heroes complete with shining armor and white horse, we are not prepared for the knowledge that they had endured some of the common problems that affect so many families. The revelation was striking, and provides an extraordinary backdrop to understanding her son, the President, and perhaps a little of his administration despite their obvious gender differences. Men are often measured by their fathers as the "chips off the old block," as Dad's are inclined to view them, but in fact, most have far more affinity with their mothers to whom they have been the most intimate and honest. It is the reason that Barbara Bush can look at her son, and wonder if he would make a good President, as she did once, and why Lillian was not about to become lax with her son. The high expectations that mothers have of their sons as adults is far higher than their fathers do, and sons nearly always feel the pressure of that concern, as well as the love that accompanies it. Fathers have high expectations of their sons as youngsters, generally, to prepared them for that task, but it is usually the mothers who scrutinize and measure their progress the most intensely. Any book that attempts to define the relationship of Presidents and their sons, or even any prominent sons, and their mothers is well worth the effort and the expense for understanding how those gentlemen are able to rise to meet those expectations, and the struggles to get there. This is true family entertainment, and among the most worthwhile available for family values, and perhaps, for family progress.



2. Predictable. This book only made me turn the pages because I was hoping to find some golden nugget of information that would truly link the Presidents. It was not to be found.



3. This was a very informative book, well-written and interesting. Numerous facts not before know to me were written in this book. I felt each of the mothers was unique, but many had similar characteristics. I really enjoyed reading this book.



4. Although First Mothers is an interesting topic, this book had a few serious flaws. The author is obviously a journalist, not a non-fiction author. The chapters felt a little choppy, and the lack of a firm timeline was confusing at times. Also, there was a strong bias throughout the book, particularly in favor of Rose Kennedy. It was an interesting book that was obviously researched extensively. But it was a bit too nostalgic.



5. I enjoyed this book very much and have passed it on to my Grand Daughter to read since we have a new Great Grandson just born. Who knows he could be our president someday.

5 comments about Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, an Oscar, an Atomic Bomb, a Romantic Night, and One Woman's Quest to Become a Mother.

1. I REALLY enjoyed this book! It helped me to relax more as I went through my journey that lasted several years & I'm so proud to say has FINALLY come to an end! We're pregnant! Her writing is wonderful & the book took me to world's I'd never been to. It was so helpful to see how another woman had struggled with this awful disease & how she made it through with a happy ending...it gave me great hope & helped ease my tension considerably. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling through Infertility or anyone who knows someone who's struggling. GREAT book...fantastic author with a big heart & a great sense of humor!



2. I'm in my 30's, but I'm not planning to have kids. I happened to have a chance to borrow this book, and I'm glad I did. Orenstein's writing style was so honest and engaging, I'm going to seek out more of her work.
   
   As others have noted, Orenstein shares everything about her fertility journey - especially the bad and the ugly. It was very brave of her, and I imagine it will be very useful to people trying to conceive. I found it refreshing to read about her ambivalence towards wanting children at all, and even now, towards how she arrived at parenthood at last and how it has affected her life. I particularly enjoyed the chapter about her Orthodox Jewish friend who had 15 children. That was a slice of life I wouldn't have gotten to learn about otherwise.
   
   As an adopted person (from outside the US, as it happens,) I was not offended by her reluctance to adopt, as some other readers were. The decision to adopt is very personal, and I thought Orenstein's misgivings were perfectly natural. Besides, they did try to adopt a little boy in the end, but one petty bureaucrat made it impossible for them to bring him home. After five years of trying to become parents, one couldn't blame Orenstein and her husband for cutting their losses at that point.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone, whether they were trying to become parents or not.



3. I struggled with this book. How could someone go through all the procedures, expense, marital strife, and anxiety and NOT still be certain that they wanted to be a parent? Her descriptions of the escalating nature of infertility treatments were fascinating, but they could not overcome her descriptions regarding her ambivalence toward parenthood. I think her husband is a saint. I wonder what the people in Hiroshima think?



4. Peggy Orenstein's articulate prose is as "gorgeous" as her mucous:-). (She was frequently told by medical people that her cervical mucous was "gorgeous".) In this wry, intensely personal, beautifully told tale, she presents us with a cautionary tale of modern life that can be summed up as "Don't put off having children." I began to feel somewhat constrained as I turned the pages of her compelling story, thinking I had judged her too harshly in my review of her book "Flux"(available on my profile page, page 36 of reviews, dated December 6, 2000). In this current book, she writes briefly of her upbringing in a Conservative Jewish family, and of how she felt her mother's life was severely limited, strictly contained by old ideas of a woman's role. (I was born into a much freer, exuberant Scandinavian family full of educated, high achieving women who were also wise enough to know (1) they wanted children and (2) the time to have them was when they were young.)



5. Struggling with infertility is an alienating experience. Orenstein shares her real life journey with us and may provide hope to those of us who have become lost on our own path. I recommend this book my infertile sisters coping with the painful reality of their diagnosis.

5 comments about Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story.

1. I finally got around to reading this memoir this summer and was in awe of the author's narrative gifts. This story reads like a novel and is full of plain human wisdom, an emotional openness combining humility and pride, wry humor, sharp political analysis, and a can't-put-it-down story line that comes to terms with America's number one cultural problem: racism. This is a book of local history that gets at the human condition, and a work of history that reads like great literature. I'm telling everyone I can to read it, and that includes whoever reads this. Don't pay attention to any of the so-called "corrections" made by some other reviewers here. This is a must-read historical work that shows an astute and perceptive ability to understand its widely varying participants' points of view and experiences, while not shrinking from the moral and historical obligation to draw judgments. There is only one word to use: *brilliant.* (I'm not one to use that lightly when talking about either autobiography or
   history.)
   
   Disclaimer: The writer of this review is a professional historian with a Ph.D., but one who has never met Timothy Tyson.



2. Blood Done Sign My Name is a non-fiction work that combines the personal memoirs and research of Timothy Tyson, Professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin. The most striking aspect of the novel is the description of Dickie Marrow's murder from the points of view of different citizens of Oxford. This unique feature makes the book appealing to many age groups. Teenage readers can relate to Tyson's personal anecdotes about growing up in rural Oxford, North Carolina. Even if younger audiences do not understand the symbolism behind the text, they can still enjoy the well-developed characters and eventful plot. Adult readers can gain insight into many themes concerning race and white supremacy. Tyson elegantly expresses the naiveté of children on the issue of morality and treatment of other races. This is best conveyed in the passage where young Tyson taunted a black child solely because his friend had started an insulting chime. The author describes that it was fear--not hatred--that bred the twisted idea of white supremacy. Parents can also connect with the decisions and actions of Vernon and Martha Tyson. The Tysons believed that their children should be exposed to many different opinions yet respect all races. The difference in perspectives in the work allows readers of all ages to enjoy and understand the truth behind the Civil Rights Movement.
   The book contains a few minor flaws that diminish the lucidity of the text. The plot is rather erratic; from time to time, the events are not connected perfectly. This technique may be Tyson's personal style of writing, but it proves to be rather confusing at major points in the plot. For example, Tyson usually explains a personal memory of the murder and follows it with completely unrelated information about another character. These discontinuities in the plot make the book difficult to comprehend at first. Gradually, however, the reader gets acclimatized to this original form of writing. The gaps between personal stories build suspense and enable the reader to process a feasible prediction for the sequence of events. The novel also includes many extraneous details about minor characters that play an insignificant part in the plot. Tyson extensively describes his mother's childhood, even though his mother does not affect the sequence of events in any fashion. This extra information, however, does not detract from the book's overall theme. Though the story contains a few negligible weaknesses, Tyson maintains his overall claim and presents it in an interesting and distinctive manner.
   Blood Done Sign My Name is an enthralling story that expresses the moral wrongs of racism. To call it a mere story does not do Tyson proper justice; it is more fitting to call the book a documentary. By citing several engrossing stories throughout the novel, Tyson maintains the reader's attention and successfully proves his thesis. Other than its occasional lack of continuity, Timothy Tyson has written a classic non-fiction work for readers of all ages.



3. I recommend this book not only to those of us who lived through the time but also to younger adults who care about racial issues in America. The author's personal account allows readers to experience recent history through his eyes. The book is informative and a very good read!



4. I read this book for a college course and found it shocking and heartbreaking. I grew up very close to where the event of the story take place. After I had finished the book I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Tyson. This is when I began to become suspicious. I also met the offspring of people involved in the story. They, along with many other residents of Oxford confirmed what I already suspected. Much of this story is COMPLETELY MADE UP! Some of the events did actually happen, but are blown WAAAAAY out of proportion, and the means by which Mr. Tyson acquired some of his information are very shady. So my verdict: as a piece of fiction I think it's a beautifully tragic piece of fictions. As a "true story" this novel loses all credibility and so does Mr. Tyson for any of his other work and he should be prosecuted for his slanderous words.



5. I had the pleasure of meeting and spending a week with Dr. Timothy Tyson as part of a Civil Rights Tour in Alabama with my public school district. Although I was "required" to read this BEFORE the tour, I did't pick it up until after I had returned home. Reading Tyson's words in print doesn't compare to listening to him in person, but the book is extremely powerful and eye opening to say the least. My parents were of the segregationist baby boom in Alabama and little mention of the civil rights movement was ever made to me during my childhood in the deep south. It is my opinion that most Americans are of the impression that it began with Brown v. Board and ended with the assassination of MLK. The book is only the beginning of an unearthing of long-buried truths about the struggle for racial equality and the unsung heroes who continue the fight.

No comments about Sanity and Grace.

5 comments about Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau.

1. Martha Ward deserves great kudos for this incredible work of love and devotion, Finally bringing the enigma of "Marie Laveau", BOTH of the Marie Laveau's to us in this day and age where she is so very much needed again to Bless her 21st Century Children now as a bona fide "Lwa"! Excellent!!! May the Good Mother Bless Martha Ward, And ALL of Us! So Be It!



2. Many people have fallen in love with the women who is known as Marie Laveau. Not much is truely known about her, but Martha Ward does an excellent job in giving it's readers an inside look at the "Spirited Life of Marie Laveau". This book is a must for anyone interested in the subject of New Orleans folklore.



3. Great book , loved it, thought it was wonderful



4. Another reviewer here has stated that the author should perhaps have written a historical fiction influenced by Leveau, like what Atwood did with Grace Marks in "Alias Grace".
   
   To be honset, I wouldn't have read the book then either. That's because I can't read this book without feeling... well... search inside and read a brief excerpt. The writing reads like a freshman comp paper. I can't take it seriously because the author's put so much fluff into it.
   
   Check it out for yourself, but read the excert before you go out and actually blow some scratch on this book. Who exactly is she qouting in that first chapter?
   
   Bah... if you're interested in Marie Leveau, a topic worthy of interest; then I recomend Long's investigation into the who Marie Leveau was. It too, has it's short-comings, but I assure you that it is more worth your time than this.



5. This book is was not written in an enjoyable format. Martha Ward jumped from person to person and date to date and back and forth and all around. She also injected her views on people and places without presenting proof of validity. They were simply her views, but the way she wrote them in, they could appear to be factual.

5 comments about Nancy Cunard: Heiress, Muse, Political Idealist.

1. Regrettably, this biography is seriously flawed, frankly a disgrace, in respect of Henry Crowder and throughout. There is hardly a page in the book without demonstrable error of fact, misrepresentation, unfounded speculation or garbled citation. Columbia University Press were twice alerted that there were problems when an advance proof fell into the present writer's hands two or three months before publication. The Press did not respond. Caroline Weber's New York Times review is foolish in the extreme. Anne Chisholm's 1979 biography remains indispensable. While Gordon has uncovered new material (not about Henry Crowder in which she is particularly deficient) she has not been able to make sense of it. The true story of Crowder is told in the book+CD Listening for Henry Crowder scheduled fall 2007.
   
   Although readers must judge for themselves, it is incumbent upon someone or other who has studied some of the particulars to point out the book's shortcomings, which are drastic. The book's flamboyant style may appear to be "a good read". All the more reason to alert the general reader. That Cunard's life was replete with extraordinary events and relationships does not confer upon the biographer the right to play fast and loose. Such treatment may befit an exploitative Hollywood movie but not a literary documentation with academic credentials. It may be that few care. Neverthless . . . In respect of, for example, Crowder, by Cunard's admission the single most important man in her life, a good deal of the information the author needed had been available to her for some years in an exploratory article in a journal, which was also posted online. Either she chose to ignore it or she did not find it, though it was easy to find. Unfortunately, she does not even get the facts right from the sources she does use and her misdemeanors extend far beyond that particular subject. (Crowder does not even figure in a list of Cunard's friends in an interview with the author on the publisher's website, while another, with whom she had no relationship whatsoever, is proposed as a lover.)
   
   In response to a comment on my original brief posting: I have mentioned my forthcoming book on Crowder's life (which will not receive wide distribution or review) and Anne Chisholm's earlier, easily available, elegant, sober, generous, decent biography of Cunard, which is grudgingly noted and casually mistreated by Gordon, in order to give general readers the opportunity to find other takes on Cunard, which they might otherwise miss, and so allow them to judge from a well-informed position.



2. I just finished Lois Gordon's deeply moving tale of an unbelievably heroic, remarkable woman about whom I knew very little. I now feel I know the soul of Nancy Cunard, thanks to the author's wonderfully engaging, well-documented presentation. The book's fluent style and breadth of information are impressive. I agree with the majority here who have praised this fascinating biography. Buy this book, settle into your favorite chair, and prepare to meet the caring, complex, flawed, passionate woman that was Nancy Cunard.



3. This is a brilliant, sensitive, thoroughly researched biography which is a model example of how such things should be done. The author writes of the First World War experiences in London as if she had personally lived through them. Her understanding of the complex and bizarre Nancy Cunard, of her weird mother, of her strange friends, of her insane promiscuity, of her serial preying upon the creative elite by means of 'genital consumption', of her impossible psychlogy, of the whole phantasmagoria which Nancy Cunard represented, are really a triumph of empathy and insight, as well as of organisation of material. Lois Gordon's ability to master large volumes of action and hysteria without flinching qualify her for a top military command.



4. A facinating look at a most interesting woman. Well ahead of her time. Also many insights to a span of recent history often neglected.



5. If Lois Gordon was writing about a fictional character she could not have told a story of a more exciting person than Nancy Cunard. However, Nancy Cunard was indeed an individual who lived in the early part of last century whose exploits, altruism, and literary talent were extraordinary by any standards. She was a legendary beauty, with a great mind, who was extremely devoted to the disadvantaged people of the world and their struggles. This is an unusual and remarkable combination of qualities that is brilliantly depicted throughout this wonderful book. Simply, I could not put the book down once I had started reading. I can highly recommend it.