5 comments about Their Lives: The Women Targeted by the Clinton Machine.

1. Listen to an exclusive interview with Candice E. Jackson Live by She Unlimited Magazine http://www.sheunlimited.com
   
   Candice E. Jackson Sets forth our mission and vison. This interview will shed some light on the books mission and points that author this book.
   
   It was an honor!!!



2. While purportedly written about a group of women who allege atrocious treatment by Bill Clinton, this screed by a fringe journalist from a fringe publisher instead focuses on an indictment of liberalism.
   
   The "facts" for the accusations of felonies against the 42nd president stem from the chiefly uncorroborated accounts of the several women. How could anyone so brutally raped with a mangled lip from a bite as Juanita Brodderick claims not have taken photographs and had a physician collect semen samples? Certainly the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Office in a Republican administration would have listened to her and pursued a criminal investigation if state authorities would not have.
   
   These women could have secured legal representation, even if funded by arch conservatives as was Paul Jones' counsel, to pursue civil damages.
   
   The author's extreme right-wing credentials are clearly demonstrated by her education and experience. If these terrible allegations were true, they would be more powerfully presented by a mainstream journalist.
   
   What's lower than an Amazon rating of one star? One can't give it here.



3. Candice E. Jackson is a lawyer who worked for Judicial Watch, an organization whose founding principles appear to include drowning the the court system with a blizzard of lawsuits against the Clintons.



4. Oh, Liberals don't lie? Only Republicans lie? Put your hippie pot smoking BS out the window. Liberals lie too. LBJ lied to the American people about Vietnam and he was a dumocrat, ooops democrat, I keep getting those two mixed up.



5. Excellant read - verifies much of what many with half a skull already knew or suspected - all the more reason to "Let Lying Dogs Sleep!!!"

5 comments about Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette (Ballantine Reader's Circle).

1. I bought Thurman's bio of Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen in Danish after seeing "Out of Africa" in 1986 in Copenhagen, where I'm from. I never finished it, and sold it eventually. Then, two years ago I came across it in a used book store here in CA (the English edition), read it and adored it. It is one of the few books which I have read more than once. Sometimes we come back to a work of art and wonder how we could be so blind/deaf the first time around. I may feel the same way about Thurman's bio of Colette down the road, but as of today I must admit I had a tough time getting through it.

   The fairly small print didn't help. Keeping track of the enormous gallery of people in her life took away a great deal of the reading pleasure, and Thurman's sentences are very long and not always "clear headed". Yes, Colette had quite a life, but somehow her life comes across as more interesting than her persona.

   My favorite parts are those that tell of her complicated relationships with her parents. I learn more about myself from reading such analysis than I would from three years of therapy!

   An A+: When Thurman writes about the "fin de siecle" in France she in fact shows herself to be a far better historian than biographer. (In the Dinesen bio she was both) And France around 1900 is remarkably like our world of today, which makes it very topical.

   I don't know how much of the Colette bio is Thurman and how much is other biographers and that too is a big minus. Colette has been covered extensively by many writers, and I wish that Thurman had spent 1990-1998 reading, researching and writing about someone who has not been "bio'd" so often or, even better, not at all. There were a few bios on Dinesen before Thurman's, but she was almost "virgin snow" compared to Colette.

   The fact that Colette was a very flawed human being doesn't mean someone should not write about her; in fact, flawed people often make the best subjects for a bio. Unfortunately, Thurman sounds at times star-struck, other times she sounds like a puritan, shocked, sometimes even somewhat envious, which of course are precisely some of the feelings and reactions that people had and still have about/to Colette. Dinesen is a much more likable person, much easier to relate to, and the movie "Out of Africa" made her the sort of romantic heroine that Colette probably never could be or would have wanted to be. Two very different women, two very different biographies. If a movie is ever made about Colette, one would hope they focus on a specific period and only a few people in her life as was done in "Out of Africa" in order to avoid the kind of horrible bio picture that Richard Attenborough's film about Chaplin was, where they rush through his entire (long) life in three hours with a "revolving door" of characters coming and going, leaving you dizzy and frustrated.

   I do recommend listening to the interview archived on the Diane Rhemes (spelled correctly?) show website: (type in Thurman's name on Yahoo and it will come on the long list of Thurman webpages) She interviewed Thurman when the book came out in 1999. You can "hear" Thurman blushing at times when speaking of Colette's wild times, and perhaps that is ultimately the problem with the Colette bio: Someone uncomfortable writing about sex, lesbians, bondage, nude dancing, etc. will come across as a prude. Colette, I imagine, would have been proud to have that effect on people in the year 2002, OR maybe she'd be sad that we really have not progressed as far as we'd like.

   Thanks for all the reviews - it's very interesting to read what other readers think - A virtual book club. I hope Thurman reads the reviews by the way. Writers can learn far more from "regular folks" than from critics who are feel obligated to either gush over a book or thrash it vicously, depending on who the critic is.




2. The farther into this book I got, the more I got the very strong feeling that at some point in her research and writing, the author came to intensely dislike Colette, particularly in her roles as daughter, wife, and mother. And after reading the book I came to dislike her too, which is a shame. I also didn't appreciate what I think was almost condemnation on Thurman's part--almost as though she thought Colette didn't deserve the respect and accolades she received throughout her life and after her death, because she was a neglectful daughter, an unfaithful wife, and a truly awful mother. Maybe, maybe not.

   Colette was a favorite author of mine, 25 years ago or so while I was in high school and college. I knew many of the details of her personal life from what little biographical information I could find at that time, but not this much. Perhaps ignorance is bliss! C'est la vie.




3. I say "wonderful," though I don't mean in the chaste, good person sort of way, but in a fiery, accomplished one. This biography, amazingly in depth (though at times almost too chronological, and not enough insight into Colette's persona) reveals all that Colette did and was, the good, the bad and the ugly, though despite her flaws she contributed an oceanful of herself--her books, her plays, her child, her love, and her histrionic talents to the world. She lived without being afraid to be herself in a time, as Thurman truthfully puts it, when contempt for both women and homosexuals (of which she was both) ran rampant.

   Thurman has definitely done her research, and switches back and forth between a sort of fictitious, dreamy scape and a very forward, matter of fact report, which can get a little austere. I went back and forth to being completely absorbed to just reading it to get past this or that part, but thankfully, there was much more to praise than to criticize. I found Willy's "character" particularly amusing. The pictures are a nice gesture, my favorites being the one where Colette is holding a cigarette, dressed in drag, and the one where she's in a dance costume, kneeling and watching Willy. They both sum up that Moulin Rouge, anything goes, youthful era, which Colette basically incarnates. I hope we can all be sort of like her, in one way or another.

   On the whole, this is one piece of nonfiction I indefinitely enjoyed, and Thurman, though not perfect, is a dedicated and effective author. Recommended highly.




4. Colette is one of those authors whose life is as fascinating as her writing, and this book ably describes the former, also containing many wonderful photos. Colette's uniquely sensitive yet unsentimental way of experiencing life has been a source of inspiration to me since I first discovered her as a preteen. One moment she can be devastated by the suffering of an animal, or write with exquisite insightfulness about the insecurities of her unconventional friends; the next she can swear off a failed marriage or friendship without a hint of pity (or self-pity). This book was very satisfying from the standpoint of her personal and family history, and contained extensive information about her long-standing affair with her teenaged stepson, which, while perhaps her most problematic moral transgression, certainly made for interesting reading. While the book was far less occupied with conveying the brilliance of Colette's writing, for that one need only go to the source. There is so much to learn from Colette's life; despite facing considerable hardships, she managed to thrive and celebrate all that she found beautiful and fascinating in nature, the theater, humanity -- really any topic to which she turned her magnificent vision. Betrayal was a major theme in her relationships, and the way that she survived and even exploited repeated psychic wounds, ultimately finding peace with a kind and compatible partner, is instructive and inspiring. She will always have a very special place in my heart, and I thank Ms. Thurman for making her more accessible.



5. Judith Thurman is an intelligent, thoughtful biographer with a superb prose style to boot. It's an extremely satisfactory biographical experience to experience Colette through Thurman's filter.

3 comments about LISTEN TO ME GOOD: THE STORY OF AN ALABAMA MIDWIFE (WOMEN & HEALTH C&S PERSPECTIVE).

1. I loved the raw honesty of Margaret Charles Smith's story. She tells about catching babies in a time when birth was not considered a medical crisis. As one of the last granny midwives, Margaret has much to tell us about how African-American midwifery was stamped out in particular, and how hospital birth gradually became the norm in this country. I devoured this book in a matter of hours, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of birth in the United States.



2. Once I started reading this book, I could hardly put it down. I was impressed by Margaret Charles Smith's honest way of telling her extremely interesting story. She is a courageous person and devoted her life to helping mothers; most of them so poor, that they couldn't have afforded to give birth in a hospital. But given the choice, surely they would've chosen her,anyway, as she cared so lovingly for the mothers and their babies, in a way hardly possible in a hospital. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about midwives and births. There is also a lot that can be learned from it about the history of midwivery in the U.S.



3. The only thing I dislike about this book is that I did not write it myself. I grew up in South Alabama during the depression years, the daughter of a country doctor. I have been with my father to deliver babies in little houses that had no floors, no electricity, no plumbing. Often when he could not be two places at once, my father sent one of the midwives to do deliveries, and he had total faith in them. I can vouch for the authenticity of every word of this wonderful book, and the heroism and skill of these wonderful women.

5 comments about Microthrills: True Stories from a Life of Small Highs.

1. one of the funniest books i've ever read. very witty. laugh out loud funny.



2. Wow. What a total and utter surprise.
   
   After reading the rave reviews on Amazon I figured I would get the book and it would be a letdown. Good, but not 5-star good. Well, I was wrong -- and the reviews were right. Do yourself a favor and get this book.
   
   You probably won't learn any life lessons that you can teach your children, but you'll close the book with an understanding of life in another person's shoes. There were lots of things I was shocked about (people live like that?!) and just as many things I identified with (oh my gosh, me too!!). As soon as I finished this book I forced my roomate to read it -- every 5 minutes there was a roar of laughter from the next room for the next few nights.
   
   Its honest. Its funny. You'll want to read it all, and you'll be sad when it is over. I recommend it.



3. This book was great. It is nice to know that there is someone out there as crazy as me and enjoys every minute of it! I'm going out to start a finger puppet collection today!



4. I do not read much non-fiction. I live real life. I read to escape it. But the bright neon yellow cover of this book was eye-catching. So, against my will, my feet walked up to it, my hand picked it up, and my eyes began reading. Before I knew it, hours had gone by and I had read the whole thing.
   
   In this book, Wendy "Wendaay" Spero tells readers true stories about her life in a way that only she can do. From her childhood, to her awkward years, and on up to the present day. Being raised by a mother like Wendy's makes for some interesting memories. (I will think of Wendy and her mother every time I go to a fair from now on.)
   
   ***** Engrossing, packed with humor, and just all around fun, this is one book you will never forget. Very highly recommended! *****
   
   Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.



5. This is such a great book! It's well written and witty - and completely hilarious! I actually enjoyed this book and found myself laughing out loud a lot more than I did when I read the new David Sedaris (which I also loved and don't tell him I'm saying this). Totally recommended. Go read this book immediately.

5 comments about Practicing Resurrection: A Memoir of Work, Doubt, Discernment, and Moments of Grace.

1. Nora Gallagher tells a wonderful story about the everyday as well as the "big" events of life. Through a year of searching for answers and asking the needed questions, she goes beyond the usual metaphors to look at how to deal with the death of her brother, how to reconnect to her husband and most significantly, how to make an decision about which road to take next in her life. Readers - don't be put off by the religious words and subtext of this powerful book! It is not a book about going to church, but rather about the value of people, prayer, introspection, respect and bravery in all our lives. Relish its beautiful language and poetic flow. It is well worth your time to live in the world created by Ms. Gallagher!



2. 
   I bought this book totally on the recommendations of all the previous Amazon reviewers. Nora G. is a very gifted and insightful author. I love the way that she is master weaver with her insights and honesty.
   
   I am at the other end of her theological spectrum and disagree with all most all of her conclusions and positions. I find it amazing that in her spiritual "Christian" journey she rarely refers to scripture. So many of her insights bring clarity to the scripture and other points they disagree.
   
   I will not keep this book and have no people I know interested in reading the copy I just read and will send it to anyone free" no postage fees.
   
   tim@twright.co.uk



3. In this sequel to her bestseller Things Seen and Unseen (1998), Nora Gallagher continues to explore what a life of Christian faith marked by authenticity and integrity might look like in our contemporary world. She compares her journey of faith to the swimming lessons she took as a child: "The life of faith [is] amorphous, ephemeral, a glimpse, a moment. Trusting it [is] like my early swimming lessons learning to float." In particular, her brother Kit's diagnosis of bladder cancer, a prognosis for a "zero percent" chance of recovery, the horrors of surgery and chemotherapy, and eventual death all forced her to ask life-altering questions about God's call upon her own life.
   
   The themes of vocation and call loom large in Practicing Resurrection. Through her many involvements at Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara, Gallagher began to wonder what might God have for her. To what could she devote her passion and considerable skills? Where did her joy and gladness intersect with the world's needs, as Buechner once put it? Sensing a possible call to the priesthood, her church formed a "discernment committee" of four saints. They met once a month for three hours across the year, plying Gallagher with questions, telling their own stories about vocation, reading the Scriptures, praying, and, perhaps most important of all, "honoring listening." What voices should she listen to? Which ones should she tune out? What about her husband's deep ambivalence? Was the priesthood any more sacred than her identity as a writer that she had nurtured for over thirty years? After negotiating the labyrinth of the Episcopal bureaucracy and its application process, Gallagher was "exiled" to a very different parish with a very different priest for a year as a ministry-study student. At first she felt like she and the priest were on a "bad blind date," but across the year she gained a deep appreciation for her mentor's faithfulness.
   
   While Gallagher was trying to discern how she might hear God's call, Trinity Episcopal grappled with how as a church they might extend a call. Their interim pastor had informed the vestry that he was gay. Should that impact whether they called him as their regular priest? How did they guard issues of confidentiality once the vestry knew but the congregation did not? How to tell the congregation? What about feelings of distrust and betrayal? Should the church wrap the different but related matter of gay marriages in with the possible call of the pastor? How might the denominational officials respond, if at all?
   
   You'll have to read this fine memoir to learn about Gallagher's call to church and the church's call to their pastor. In the end she likens herself to a friend who was listening to an unctuous priest ask, "what do you really want for Christmas this year?" Her friend responded, "What I wanted to do was to stand up and call out, 'I would like to really believe in the resurrection.'" Her remark reminded me of the words of the eminent church historian Jaroslav Pelikan, who near the end of his life said, "If Jesus rose from the dead, nothing else matters. If Jesus did not raise from the dead, nothing else matters." In practicing resurrection we thus inaugurate a tiny bit of God's eschatological future into our lives today.
   
   Gallagher's fans, and their numbers are considerable, will want to note the release of her first novel, Changing Light, in early 2007.



4. In Practicing Resurrection, Nora Gallagher writes movingly and spiritually about the various crises facing her and the world around her. Her book has a lot to say about living in community and finding spiritual direction; unfortunately, the structure of her tale does not contain a similar direction. It is riveting in the middle, but suffers from a muddled, boring beginning and a rambling, uncertain ending. It contains a lot of good thoughts hidden in the midst of irrelevant chatter. Perhaps the problem is more than structure, for Gallagher seems to travel from uncertainty to uncertainty and, though this is a journey, in the end, doesn't change all that much. Maybe she just wanted to write another book.



5. I wish Nora Gallagher lived next door to me. I'd like to hear more about her courageous faith. I wanted more about practicing resurrection. She left me hungry. What a great title! Gallagher writes so wonderfully about matters unspeakable, ineffable, silent and deep. She puts words to hidden yearnings. The glimpse into the clerical side of the Ep[iscopal Church was fascinating too, and her critique enlightening. It's so gratifying to read a book about God that is real, touching, and grounded.

5 comments about Longing to Tell: Black Women Talk About Sexuality and Intimacy.

1. Tricia Rose turns academic research into a literary masterpiece. She interviewed 20 African American females with various ethnic backgrounds, broad range of age, and socioeconomic upbringing. Rose organized the real life commentaries on sex, intimacy, relationships, and race into a narrative that will carry you through a broad range of emotions. The women speak truth to situations that happen in every day life but are considered taboo in the African American community. 
   Rose starts the book with a discussion about the negative stereotypes in regards to sex and intimacy that are portrayed about the African American female in the media. The purpose of the book was developed as an attempt to answer the question, "how has the history of race, class, and gender inequality in this country affected the way that black women talk about their sexual lives?" Rose answered this question and much more. Longing to Tell is a mirror image of African American female sexuality in contemporary society as well as an oral history that serves as a vibrant presentation for everyday readers and scholars alike. 
   The stories are captured and categorized into three different areas: Through the Fire; Guarded Heart; and Always Something Left to Love. The women, whose names and locations have been changed to protect their anonymity, openly discuss their sexual history; how they learned about sex, masturbation, orgasms, and experience of first menstruation, virginity, pregnancy, and motherhood; sexual abuse, rape, sexism, sexual fantasy and sexual orientation. Some of the tales in the book are horrendous such as incest, rape, domestic abuse and sexual harassment but while knocked down these women were not knocked out. Many tell about the love from friends, family and at times even the smiles of strangers brought them back from the depths of despair. The stories are all different and engaging as their experiences were dynamic while thought provoking. Does your definition of sexuality characterize how you live life? 
   Longing To Tell is an extraordinary account on how African American women survive despite the incredible odds against them. As an adjunct professor of African American Studies, I highly recommend this book as a study into the mind of black women. As an avid reader, I strongly encourage you to read this book as a motivational guide on finding your way out of the struggle. African American women are the cornerstones of modern society and this book proves that!
   Reviewed by M. Bruner for Loose Leaves Book Review



2. When I say "Hard", I mean this book is so strong! This book took me a while to read because I had to take breaks in between each woman's story...I could identify with more than one woman's story (I'm sure a lot of people will be able to) and that's what makes this book worth every page...I recommend it to anyone who feels as though the struggles they deal with are only theirs...



3. I was interested in reading this book because I am a latino male who's been involved with African American women since I can remember. I watned to read this book to inform mysself about how it was like to be an African American woman in America. I've discovered that they are very strong and have gone through alot in their lives from the stories of the many women in this book. I had read this book about a two or three years ago and it was very informative, but I know that there is still much to learn.



4. 20 stories by 20 black women, 2 of them separated, 2 of them married, which leaves 16 single black women. of those 16 single black women, the number of them who have children...math is tiring, i don't want to do the work. so without pleading a problematic here, let's just say 'it is what it is'. still, might conclusions, for some folk, be reached, there are no good black men as husband material, and marriage isn't all that important for black folk? such conclusions remain a vicious circle. hopefully, her, rose's, book proves a starting point, an inspiration and a calling for and a telling of more stories.



5. i've always been attracted to black women. This rare book contains the personal narratives of twenty black women, young and old, of diverse backgrounds, and of diverse temperaments. This book has opened the door for me in understanding black women more intimately.
   
   Unforetunately i have noted one negative characteristic in all stories given in this book. All the women in this book share the same affliction. It is a consistent theme throughout this book. And that theme is that black women are PERPETUALLY DISCONTENT. They are NEVER satisfied with anything, or anyplace, or anybody. They're always ON THE MOVE. Black women are always moving from one city to another, from one boyfriend to another, from one job to another, from one apartment to another, from one religion to another. It never ends.
   
   Black women only "settle down" when they end up having a baby. When they become a single mom then they are forced by the circumstances to "stay put". This is always the period when they express regrets about leaving such and such a job, or such and such a boyfriend.
   
   i can personally testify to black women's impetuosity. i've had seven girlfriends in my dry life. And i'm proud to say they were ALL black. But guess what? They all left me one after another. i was a man in a long chain of men that they were "moving" through. i was deeply hurt everytime. Yet i'm still seeking another Nubian Queen to be with.
   
   None the less, i would call this a LANDMARK book and would whole-heartedly recommend it to everyone who loves black women as much as i do.

4 comments about Tori Amos: American Doll Posse (Pvg).

1. Great transcription to the Tori Amos album. The sheet music since "Scarlet's Walk" has been very accurate.



2. Love the book musically, very accurate transcriptions from what I can tell.
   HOWEVER
   The binding is somewhat cheap...
   The color inserts (pictures of the Posse) started falling out within a week of receiving the book (with moderate use, ~30 min. of practice everyday)



3. There are just a few little things that aren't right, but compared to the mistakes and inaccuracies of the previous Tori songbooks, this one is really fabulous. I've attempted to play most songs and I am really pleased! I'm like a young clown on the piano compared to Tori, so I try to stick to simpler pieces - if that's you too, then start with Big Wheel, Mr. Bad Man, and Smokey Joe. I don't think the intro to Beauty of Speed is accurate - it seems like Tori keeps both hands rapidly moving high on the keyboard in treble clef as opposed to simple bass notes, but does it matter - like I'll f'ing be able to play it!



4. The transcribing in this book is on the good side. None of the sheet music songbooks are note for note Tori, but all the songs stay in the keys they were written in. Nothing was transposed for easier play, so they all sound right. My biggest disappointment was that "My Posse Can Do", "Miracle", and "Drive all Night" are not included. The book does not like to stay open either. The included artwork is pretty but falls out easy, so be careful!

5 comments about Killed Strangely: The Death of Rebecca Cornell.

1. This book dares to be called an historical work. It should be deemed a fantasy. Rarely does the author clearly articulate reasons for her sweeping and farcical assumptions. When she describes Lizzie Borden as proof positive that the Cornells were genetically disposed to get angry enough to kill, she clearly crosses the line. Ms. Crane thanks her husband for his help by stating that he was her partner in crime. It's truly a crime that this book was ever published.



2. At the end of the book, the author wonders why there was not more in history written about this important event. However, she fails to convince me that this was an important event. If she had intended this book to be about trends in history, it might have lived up to its purpose. However, as a story of the death of Rebecca Cornnell, it fails to accomplish little. I learned nothing new from reading this book, and in fact found it irritating at times when the author guessed at what might have happened, with very little basis to back up her guesses. She also did little to convince me of the relevance of the connection with possible future generations that she tacked on at the end.



3. Killed Strangely: The Death of Rebecca Cornell is a fascinating true murder mystery by a Fordham University professor of history, chock full of early American criminal legends that from a less qualified source one might chalk up as fiction. In a single volume, she touches on two of New England's most infamous murder cases, and a third, the title case, which was strangely forgotten.
   
   At center stage in this gem of a book by Elaine Forman Crane is "one of New England's darker moments,"the death of the elderly Sarah Cornell in colonial Rhode Island in 1673. Weeks later, Thomas Cornell, her middle-aged son, was accused of her murder. But was she murdered at all? Sarah Cornell was an English settler and once was a follower and next-door neighbor of Anne Hutchinson when Hutchinson and family were massacred by Natives. How small was the colonial world. Mrs. Cornell escaped the slaughter - only to be cut down by her son years later. Or such was the verdict.
   
   Was old Sarah stabbed in her room, her body set on fire? Or did she die accidentally? One hopes it was indeed a case of murder since Thomas was hanged for it. The author lays out the evidence point by point and wrestles with the vagueness in the records, searching for answers, the final one elusive, but the exercise an enjoyable one. She did manage to unearth many fascinating depositions and transcripts from the case still in existence today, 340 years later, and they reveal the most intimate abuses and private aggressions in the Cornell family (which, much later, through more illustrious offspring, would found Cornell University). Thomas Cornell treated his mother very poorly, and the people who knew him very well, his friends and neighbors who judged him, determined that he killed her. How much weight should the guilty verdict be afforded? Who's to say?
   
   The legal process used to bring Thomas Cornell to the gallows was fascinating unto itself. The colonial court allowed a witness to testify that the dead woman's ghost visited him in a dream and made some vague allusion to her questioned death. Hearsay -- from a ghost. There is also a description of the "ordeal by touch," a quasi-legal procedure by which the accused was compelled to be in the presence of the deceased, and in a case of murder, bleeding from the corpse would give it away. And yet, despite these curious features of the law, Cornell was permitted an attorney and was not compelled to confess or testify against himself.
   
   Until this book came out, the story "languished in the shadows of historical obscurity," the author says. Amazingly, there was never a broadside, ballad, pamphlet, sermon, or other written record of the case beyond the legal papers. "The literary stillness," Crane says, "is all the more surprising since New Englanders enjoyed a good execution sermon or thrilling murder story."
   
   This book is what Id call popular criminology, a la the recent Science of Sherlock Holmes, though the academics would call it "microhistory". Either way you slice it, it deserves to belong to any respectable collection of historic true crime, and it also commands a spot on the shelf of the complete Lizzie Borden library.
   
   How's that? Lizzie Borden? It seems Thomas Cornell was the great, great, great, great, great grandfather of murderess Lizzie Andrew Borden, who was acquitted of patricide in 1893, 220 years after her ancestor was hanged for matricide. Lizzie Borden directly descended from Thomas Cornell's posthumous daughter "Innocent."
   
   And there's more. Many well read true crime buffs will also recognize the infamous case of a young pregnant girl from Fall River, Mass. named Sarah Cornell who was found hanged from a haystack - the victim of Reverend Ephraim Avery (though he was acquitted in her death, and it was probably suicide). The author briefly explores that branch of the family tree as well.
   
   But what I found most interesting about Killed Strangely was the author's brief foray into an uncommon crime. "Matricide was and is extremely rare," the author remarks. "No other fully documented cases have been uncovered in colonial America, and even today the infrequency of the crime hinders sustained research into the motivations for such violence." Some 20th-century studies of matricidal adolescents are mined for fascinating potential implications for the Cornell murder case. Needless to say, I found much to like about this book.
   
   Unfortunately, not all academics, and not all general readers, like criminology, even when it's called "microhistory." The review of the book in Publishers Weekly was downright mean, calling the passages about Lizzie Borden, Sarah Cornell, matricide, etc. "bizarre aside." It goes on: "Without clear answers to whodunit or why, [the author's] proven scholarly track record could have been put to better use."
   
   Well! A book is no good without clear answers to whodunit? Whatever you do, dont repeat that to the Ripperologists. I frankly like some of my mysteries to be mysterious. It's the mystery that abides: Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden, the Lindbergh baby... this long-ago matricide in colonial New England, brought to light for the first time in these pages. We may never know, and we rather like them that way, thank you.



4. I didn't particularly like the book, and if the person who died hadn't been an ancestor, I don't think I would have finished reading the book. I don't think the author proved anything.
   
   But for family genealogists who have Rebecca Cornell in their lineage, the book is a must. The book provides good background and color of the time period, including many family facts that can be used in expanding your knowledge of the Cornell and related families. I was able to add lots of additional information to my Family Maker. So as a family genealogist, it provided a wealth of little known information and was worth the price---but as an analysis of a killing---I felt it was pure conjecture.



5. I really enjoyed the book. It brought 17th century New England to life for me. I thank the authur for writing this and including history on other Cornells. I just bought a book about Sarah Cornell.

No comments about Faith of the First Ladies.

2 comments about Return to Nisa.

1. You'll be completely drawn into Return to Nisa, whether or not you've read Marjorie's Shostak's original classic anthropological text Nisa. Author, Marjorie Shostak returns to the bush in Africa two decades after the publication of her first book. This time, Marjorie has been diagnosed with breast cancer and feels compelled to visit her African friend, Nisa. Marjorie's relationship with Nisa is complicated and compelling. Theirs is not a traditional Western friendship, but somehow they are able to transcend insurmountable obstacles and share intimate tales of their lives. We learn that this time around, Marjorie has breast cancer. Not only does she leave behind the comfort of a modern medical establishment but also her three children. It becomes obvious why this author felt a calling to return to the bush. This piece of non-fiction is fascinating. You won't be able to put it down.



2. As a survivor of breast cancer, it was amazing to read this book. Just as amazing is the story of how it was written--the ultimate act of courage by the author. It is a book about friendship, Africa, breast cancer, and womankind.