3 comments about Shakespeare's Wife.

1. This book, ostensibly about Ann Hathaway Shakespeare (1556-1623), is packed with fascinating research, but a lot of it is not about Ann directly, and some of the connections are a bit tenuous. Because of this, I found it a difficult book to get into; but having finished it, I think it was worth the effort--it is important, provocative, and very informative, especially about the lives of Stratford women who were peers and contemporaries of Ann. It also sheds a little light on the mysterious woman who was Shakespeare's wife.
   
   Greer aims to rescue Ann Hathaway from the traditional view that she coerced William Shakespeare into marrying her, that he consequently left her and the children to seek his fortune in London, and that he ultimately slighted her in his will. Greer examines the evidence (or lack thereof) for each of these points, and advances (sometimes many) alternative interpretations, often based on meticulous details about similar women.
   
   Against the first point, Greer persuasively argues that Ann didn't entrap Shakespeare by pregnancy, but rather he wooed her, although Ann had "good reason to resist Will's advances: he was too young; he had been trained to no trade that we know of, and his family, having nursed pretensions beyond their means, had run into serious financial trouble." He probably stood to gain more from the match that she did: "Will was certainly young and witty, possibly handsome, but he had nothing else to offer the kind of girl, who, as a sober, industrious, patient, frugal wife, would help him repair his family's ruined fortunes." The young lovers probably weren't forced into marriage, but instead followed the tradition of handfasting (a family wedding ceremony), then consummating the union, and upon pregnancy going to church to solemnize the marriage. By the end of Elizabeth I's reign, the Anglican church would have (mostly) ended this practice, but handfasting was still common in 1582, as borne out by the examples and statistics that Greer musters.
   
   After William went away to London, but before he became successful, Ann must have supported herself and her children, probably by brewing ale, curing bacon, and baking bread, with perhaps some haberdashery on the side. She may also have been instrumental in the brilliant match of their eldest, Susanna, to the physician John Hall. Greer suggests that a condition of the match may well have been making Susanna the sole heiress of William Shakespeare's estate. If so, then Will leaving Ann only the "second best bed" in his will would not be a slight, as it is usually interpreted. Aside from the bed (which was probably their marriage bed and quite valuable) and a possible dower right of one-third of the estate, Ann would have been able to choose things from their personal effects before his death. Some of Will's papers, revisions of the plays and so forth, were conceivably among those things; and Ann (probably literate, as Greer argues early in the book) could have been an important part of the First Folio project.
   
   In the process of rehabilitating Ann, Greer sometimes goes too far, I think, in the other direction, disparaging Ann's husband (and some of his biographers, like Stephen Greenblatt). In addition to the often sarcastic references to "the Bard" and "the bardolators," she reverses the usual interpretation of his leaving Stratford as escaping his wife:
   "Ann Shakespeare could have been confident of her ability to support herself and her children, but not if she had also to deal with a layabout husband good for nothing but spinning verses . . . When the chance arose to send him off to London in the train of some dignitary or filling in for someone in a group of players, she could well have jumped at it and sent him south with her blessing."
   
   In spite of the shortcomings of her book, Germaine Greer should be applauded for this fascinating and important study about the woman who was Shakespeare's wife.



2. Greer is well known as a significant feminist writer (The Female Eunuch) and general social critic. She also holds a doctorate in English literature and enjoys a less generally known reputation as a competent literary scholar. She has a long-standing interest in Shakespeare and his works. Here she takes on a difficult task: Telling the story of Ann Hathaway's life and her marriage to Shakespeare.
   
   Hard facts about Shakespeare himself are notoriously few, but there are far fewer about Hathaway. During their lifetimes few if any people kept personal journals or diaries, letters were few and seldom contained personal revelations (for one thing, paper was quite expensive and there was no public mail). So collections of private and personal papers of any kind are simply not available, making it practically impossible to gain insight into the inner world of even public figures of the time, let alone ordinary people such as Hathaway or that "common player" Shakespeare himself. This is a monumental problem facing all who seek to portray the life of anyone who lived before relatively recent times.
   
   Authors are driven to public records of various kinds such as court and tax records, deeds, church records, wills, charters and the like which they then supplement with more or less informed inference and, very often, speculation. Biographers of Shakespeare have done this for years (indeed for centuries) and in the process have created a very unfavorable portrait of Hathaway. She is the older and unscrupulous man-hunter who traps young Will into marriage. She contributes nothing to his life, much less to his work, and he must abandon her to realize his creative destiny. There is no hard evidence for any of this and Greer sets out to challenge it.
   
   Greer, of course, is also constrained by a lack of hard facts, even more so because Hathaway's life left fewer traces in the records. To build her picture of Hathaway, Greer examines the records of Stratford and other relevant environs to build a picture of the sorts of lives led by women like Hathaway (and by their men) in their contemporary social context. The effort is multi-layered, deeply informed and occasionally compelling as Greer creates a rich picture of the common life of the time.
   
   Greer argues strongly that, except for Shakespeare's unusually young age, Hathaway's marriage was not unusual in its time, that Hathaway and her clan were probably a step up for the Shakespeares, that Hathaway was neither ugly nor a shrew, that she did not drive Shakespeare away and that there was probably love between Ann and Will, at least initially. In addition, Hathaway made a living for herself and children in Stratford while Shakespeare was in London or on the road and repaired and kept up the ramshackle house (New Place) that Shakespeare bought. She was also almost certainly literate. In fact, Greer argues, Shakespeare probably wrote one of the sonnets (No. 145) for her and possibly others as well. Hathaway may also have played the pivotal roll in the publication of the First Folio.
   
   Greer's point, as I take it, is that a "good" Ann Hathaway is at least as readily inferred from the limited evidence as is the "bad" Ann Hathaway of tradition. This point she amply demonstrates, with some strictures on the biases and carelessness of traditional biographers along the way. Greer's arguments are strong and based on great knowledge of the time and its culture and (to me at least) are persuasive. In the end, however, Greer's position too is circumstantial. Given the state of the evidence, I doubt that more is possible.
   
   A final word: This is a good and deeply learned book, unusually so for a book intended for the general reader. It is well and clearly written, with great attention to, and respect for, evidence. It is careful in its inferences. It is neither wild nor flashy and it does not "read like a novel." It requires time and attention but will repay them.



3. Once again, I've read a biography about a historical figure that the author seems to know very little or nothing about. My impression while reading this "biography" was that the author's real intent was to write her own opinions about Shakespeare's plays under the disguise of calling her work a biography about his wife. There are many comparisons to Mrs. Shakespeare's wife from his plays, but nothing is fact. There are too many "maybes" to call this a biography about Shakespeare's wife. The author's true strength comes in recounting the lives of women during Shakespeare's time, but there again, nothing is certain about what Ann did or did not do. Was he present at the birth and deaths of his children? The assumption that it was possible is not enough for me. What his feelings may have been about the death of his son is not enough for me. I find the sections on literary comparisons tedious; the sections on the lives of women at the time are fascinating. That the author is very knowledgeable about English history and Shakespeare is unquestionable, but that the author has hard historical facts about his wife is questionable.

5 comments about American Priestess: The Extraordinary Story of Anna Spafford and the American Colony in Jerusalem.

1. Jane Geniesse tells a fast-moving, rigorously reseaarched tale of a Chicago society woman who loses her children in a cross-Atlantic shipwreck, later accompanies her deadbeat husband, wiped out in the Chicago fire, to Jerusalem at the head of a group of evangelical believers in the imminence of Armageddon. Her husband dies and she becomes the leader of the group, which persists in the Holy Land for decades through many adventures and leaves behind the American Colony hotel, still a Jerusalem landmark.
   
   
   
   
   



2. This a very unusual story with serious implications. Full of surprises, it is the work of an experienced historian who can really write. Enjoy the story and gain a better understanding of why America behaves as it does in the Middle East.



3. Adding to Furman Baldwin's commentary on "American Priestess" by Jane Fletcher Geniesse, I too am a 3rd generation descendant of the first wave of members who joined Anna Spaford's American Colony in Jerusalem. Our fathers, Furman and Norman,were sons of Reverend Edward F. Baldwin who with four of his children became early members. Also my mother was 9 years old when her parent and siblings from Nas, Sweden joined the "Overcomers" in 1891.
   
   Like cousin Furman,I learned more about our family background from the book than from our parents and all who knew them, combined.
   
   The story at times shocking, is meticulously researched as to characters and covers decades of fascinating social, economic and historic background from the mid 1800's to modern times. The author's deft use of language is a refreshing force to expand one's vocabulary.
   
   Without sharing much credit for many positive accomplishments of the American Colony, founder/leader Anna kept tight reins on the colonists by revealing to them her divine guidance undergirded by faith, ego and nepotism. The saga is a revealation of the depth and breadth of human potential for good and evil.
   
   If after reading the book, I'd be pleased to hear from any other descendants of the colonists with new informatioin to add. Norman T. Baldwin (baljunor@aol.com).



4. Jane Geniesse has painted an intriguing portrait of a fascinatingly complex woman. Whether a tyrant or saint, Anna Spafford's Christian Zionism and her devotees won the admiration of Jews and Muslims even as she scandalized mainstream Christians and the US State Department with her unorthodox practices and beliefs. There was no room in her "American colony" for boundaries of national, racial, religious or social attachment that might limit its good works. The "colony" became a model of energetic competence and non-proselytizing Christian universalism, even running hospitals for the Turks in war when America was fighting on the other side. A thought-provoking primer on what makes a difference in relations with the "other."
   
   John W. Kiser ("The Monks of Tibhirine," "Commander of the Faithful: the Life and Times of Emir Abd el-Kader")



5. Here is an extraordinary story about an international group of people who immigrated to Jerusalem to await the Second Coming led by Anna and Horatio Spafford beginning in 1881. The American Colony as they were known settled in a compound situated in the Old City in the Arab Quarter between the Damascus Gate and Herod's Gate. Jane Geniesse writes with fairness about the leader, charismatic Anna Spafford, who was appalling in many ways but also the positive force in developing welcome and lasting social services for any of the local people in need. (Of course much can be accomplished with mostly unpaid workers who are dependent on their leader for food, shelter and salvation.)
   This was like reading three books: Immigration to America, tough times in Chicago and Protestant Evangelism (and dipping into the till); The growth of The American Colony with its vague religious ideas; and The Middle East spanning the two world wars. Her research on the Spaffords, their descendents,the civil, military and religious personalities who lived through the political turmoil of the region resulted in a broad portrait of that era.
   The American Colony Hotel on the grounds of the compound continues to be a favored setting for celebrities,spies, diplomats,journalists, tourists and politicians. Until her death in June, 2008, Valentine Vesper, the granddaughter-in-law of the Spaffords and proprietor, lived there. Be sure to go on-line to tour this beautiful hotel.

5 comments about Circling My Mother: A Memoir.

1. No one will ever fault Mary Gordon for a lack of frankness or honesty. In the past, she has mined her rather difficult upbringing and family life for short stories, novels, essays and memoirs. Now, with Circling My Mother, she shares intimate details of her often difficult relationship with her mother, a woman afflicted with polio as a young girl and who was looked down upon by most of her relatives despite the fact that she for long periods of time provided the bulk of their financial support.
   
   Rather than using a straight chronological approach to recount her mother's life, Gordon chose to focus on specific ways through which her mother related to the world. In separate chapters she discusses her mother and her bosses, her words and music, her sisters, her friends, her priests, her father, her world view, and her body. However, as Gordon "circles" her mother and explores a different aspect of her character in each chapter, the reader comes to know as much about Mary Gordon as about her mother, Anna. Nothing less is to be expected of an author of Mary Gordon's honesty and, in fact, it is the revelations that Mary makes about herself and her feelings that make Circling My Mother such a powerful book.
   
   Mary Gordon lost her father at an early age and, although her relationship with her mother was an uneasy one at times, the two were close. Mary suffered through her mother's often public displays of alcoholic self-pity and from her sharply critical way with words but, in the end, she is loyal to her mother's memory and defends her actions as only a family member can do it. She accepts criticism of her parents from no one, almost refusing to acknowledge that her mother and father were often as wrong as those she criticizes for causing them grief during their lives.
   
   Circling My Mother is Gordon's attempt to reconcile the guilt that she seems to feel for "abandoning" her mother to a nursing facility in her last years, a facility to which she dreaded to go for the horrible one hour per week that she spent with a mother who no longer recognized her or had control of her mind or body. Her approach to her mother's story paints a human face on a woman who was very much a product of her times but who still managed to achieve more than many women of her day. Anna spent a lifetime as a treasured legal secretary, raised a daughter on her own, supported her brothers and sisters financially until they could do it for themselves, was a staunch supporter of the more traditional Catholic church of the times, and had close friendships with several intellectual priests.
   
   But she could also be a vindictive woman and she resented the way that she was sometimes treated because of her handicap and "place" in life. Mary Gordon seems to have inherited that resentment and she does not try to hide it. Instead, she describes several key relationships in her own life, relationships which helped to make her into the woman that she is today but which she abandoned with little thought or guilt when she no longer needed them. Some of the people cut from her life, such as her truly horrible Aunt Rita, admittedly deserved that treatment but that others who at one time meant so much to Mary Gordon were treated the same way is as surprising as her willingness to expose this weakness in herself to her readers.
   
   Circling My Mother is not a sugarcoated, feel good memoir, the kind that often reads more as fiction than as fact. It is Mary Gordon's honest assessment of her mother's life and how she related to that life. It is the work of a woman not afraid to expose her own weaknesses as part of her writer's craft and, although it is the kind of book that often makes the reader uncomfortable, it should be read especially by those who find themselves caring for elderly parents of their own.



2. Mary Gordon is a wonderful writer and brings alive the environment of a Catholic upbringing, never hiding her loving ambivalence or her mother's peculiarities. The first chapter overdoes the analogy to Bonnard paintings, but otherwise, a good read.



3. This was a very insightful book about a complex subject -- mother-daughter relationships. I was moved by the author's honesty, especially during her mother's decline. Well worth reading.



4. I decided to take a chance on this memoir even though some of Amazon's reviewers thought that Mary Gordon did not really like her relatives or her mother and found that to be depressing. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I felt she loved her mother very much. Relationships are not easy and Gordon and her mother were there for each other most of the time. Sure they failed each other sometimes, but isn't that the nature of relationships?
   
   I found Gordon's analaysis of these imperfections to be compelling and rich. I throughly enjoyed this book and plan to read her memoir of her father soon.



5. This was a hard book to really critique due to the nature of the subject. On one hand, it reads rather fragmented, unorganized and definately hard to like the writer at times because of her intensely dark and resentful thoughts. But, on the other hand, her tormented thoughts about her relationship with her mother and her rage and vindictiveness towards the people who have cause pain and suffering for her mother(she includes her own behaviors)inevitably make this book a hard one to enjoy. Writing is undoubtedly beautiful and deeply reflective, and one thing for sure is that she is bravely honest in sharing her tormented feelings toward her mother's life, decay, and death.

5 comments about The Hospital by the River: A Story of Hope.

1. Seldom has a missionary painted such a compelling portrait of hope from darkest despair as Dr. Catherine Hamlin in her inspiring memoir, THE HOSPITAL BY THE RIVER. When she and her husband, Reg, embarked on their careers in gynecology in Australia, they never dreamed their work would eventually take them halfway across the globe to the third world country of Ethiopia to establish a teaching hospital.
   
   Ethiopia's insistence on child-brides and the poor obstetric care in that country is responsible for the high incidence of women who suffer from fistula, a childbirth injury that results in constantly running urine and terrible internal injuries. The personal stories of these women as told by Dr. Hamlin will break readers' hearts. Divorced by their husbands and rejected by their families, many of these injured women live out the remainder of their lives ostracized alone in dark rooms --- all for want of an operation costing only a few hundred dollars.
   
   A simple operation can alleviate their suffering, and most women are curable. (Hamlin takes payment in everything from live chickens to jewelry.) But although two million women suffer from fistula, less than 7,000 are treated each year. The challenges to create a hospital that serves these women --- and then maintain and finance operations --- are formidable.
   
   Hamlin's descriptions will move even the most jaded readers to tears --- and sometimes to a queasy stomach. In one gruesome anecdote, she tells of a woman mauled by a hyena while giving birth (the hyena ate her baby while she was helpless to protect it). However, Hamlin wants us to understand the depth of this despair so difficult to relate to --- the horrific conditions these women live in --- in order to arouse our deepest compassion for their suffering.
   
   In one memorable passage, she describes the life of one such outcast, discovered in a village by a medical worker:
   
   "...They reluctantly showed her a side room. Inside it was dark, and the smell was almost unbearable. In the far corner, against the wall was a raised platform. Peering through the gloom they made out a woman lying on her side with her legs drawn up in a flexed position. Her bladder and bowel contents were leaking into a pool underneath. Because she had been in this position for five years the joints had become stiff... and she could no longer walk...."
   
   This woman --- like more than 20,000 others --- was cured by Hamlin and her team.
   
   This is a book of contrasts, from the gatherings thrown by royalty to the extreme poverty that most of the people of Ethiopia experience. Although the reader has to mine a bit too much detailed memoir to get to the good storytelling, it is well worth the effort. Her tone throughout is one of gratitude. Hamlin is quick to offer copious amounts of praise for others, even those who have perhaps wronged her in some way. She is vulnerable about her own shortcomings, especially as a parent.
   
   Almost four decades after her work began, it's understandable why Hamlin has been called "The new Mother Teresa for our age" by the New York Times, and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. This fascinating account of Dr. Hamlin's work will break your heart --- and offer hope that even the worst circumstances can be changed if we care enough to help. Keep the Kleenex handy.
   
   (...)



2. This book tells a remarkable story. It is the autobiography of Dr. Catherine Hamlin and the work she and her husband have done to establish a hospital treating obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. What an amazing story. I had never heard of obstetric fistula till a few days ago. I did not know that so many young women (girls, really) in some parts of the world have child birth complications that cause holes in the vagina through which feces and urine leak constantly, leading to the women becoming abandoned pariahs. And the repair surgery costs only about $300 -- but this was essentially unavailable until the Hamlins came to Ethiopia in 1960. What wonderful work they have done, along with their wonderful, competent Ethiopian staff and colleagues. In addition to that basic theme, Hamlin tells an engrossing story about the overthrow of the emperor, the years of communist regime (many of her friends were murdered), and then the current improved situation. What a story! This book about her faith and her work is well worth reading. I hope many, many people enjoy this book and are inspired to donate to this hospital.



3. I and my friends who have read "Hospital by the River" have all liked
   it very much. It tells about an Australian couple
   trained in obstetrics who went to Ethiopia and established aa hospital
   to help woman in Ethiopia who had suffered the bad effects of early
   child bearing. I believe it shows how the Christian life should be lived.



4. It is said that in some parts of the world the foulest curse that can be uttered is "May you be born again as a woman!" and after reading this story, I now understand why. We in the developed world have no idea what it would be like to be an Ethiopian Woman: betrothed as a toddler, married at nine (the groom promises not to have sex with his bride until she is "old enough." - ha, ha.), pregnant at twelve and left for four or five days, utterly alone, to try and give birth unaided. As in the developed world, many babies are not in a position to be born easily, but unlike here, there is no sterile hospital and a doctor ready to perform a C-section. A girl has no option but to push and push and push until she gives birth to her baby (who has been dead for days by this time) or until she dies.
   
   Death would be the kinder route, once you learn about the mission of the Doctors Reg and Catherine Hamlin. As the poor undeveloped, undernourished girl pushes for days, the corpse of her child causes horrific injuries to the woman's body. She is left leaking urine and often, feces, with no control over her body whatsoever. In a land where water is scarce for drinking and nonexistent for bathing, and where a man wouldn't dream of trying to buy some rags for his wife to keep clean, life becomes a torment that a woman prays would end every day. She is no longer allowed indoors or near other people. Her husband, who has to have at least one son to secure his own future, abandons her and finds another child-bride. Her mother (if she hasn't died in childbirth herself) will probably allow her to return to her home village, but she will be banished to a ragged lean-to that she builds herself with castoffs. Speaking of castoffs, that is all she will be allowed to eat and wear. So she lies completely still, because of an old wives tale (even though there are few old wives) saying that a girl who lies still enough will eventually heal. She may lie this way for twenty years or more, and healing never comes.
   
   If a miracle happens, she hears about the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa. Her injuries, which we now now are called Fistulas, will be healed and she will be able to return to her people and her village, ready to begin life again. The Doctors Hamlin, devout, old-world Christians, dedicated their lives to these poor, forgotten souls. Once Fistulas were as common in Europe, Australia and the US as they are in Africa today, but minimum marriage ages and proper care during childbirth have so solved this problem that the Hamlins had to develop methods of surgery to cure this condition. In the past sixty or so years, they operated upon and cured at least twenty thousand women, all while the world passed them by.
   
   Dr Catherine Hamlin describes a childhood in an Australia that is long gone, and a life that is as full of hardships as any western doctor has ever lived, but she speaks of her life with joy and a devotion to G-d and the women that have no voice, even in their own homes. Dr. Hamlin, devoted and saintly as she sometimes is, can drive you (me) batty with her old-fashioned ways. She and her husband had a motto: these women want what every woman wants -- a live baby in her arms. They were horrified by the 'free love' of the 1960's, and spoke with great reverence for the last Emperor of Ethiopia, before he was overthrown.
   
   I loved the book, and was moved to tears at the plight of these poor young women. I admired the dedication of the Hamlins, especially during their early years in Ethiopia, operating in the corner of another hospital, with thousands of injured young women coming to them, and their attempts to create a hospital of their own. I admired them even more during the years of war and revolution in Ethiopia, while they tried to get supplies and continue their work while under constant threat of death.
   
   If you want to be touched and discover once again how lucky you are (and if you can read this, you are darned lucky, I guarantee it), then this book will make you feel gratitude and compassion for your fellow human beings, no matter where they live. If you think that this is just some sob story, then read the book anyway -- you need to have your soul touched, and I guarantee that this is the book to do it.



5. I found this book to be educational, heart-warming, heart-wrenching and entertaining all in one. I enjoyed learning about the history of Ethiopia, its culture and its people. The Hamlins are amazing people who took their love of medicine and passion for helping others and have literally transformed the lives of women in Ethiopia who without a fistula repair would be shunned and destitute.
   
   This is a great book, and I would encourage anyone to read it.

5 comments about When I Was Puerto Rican.

1. i had to read this for a college class (urban development). this book really gives you the opportunity to reflect on how hard it is to get by in other cultures. the author of this book overcomes a lot of hardship and eventually obtains her phd in the u.s. it is powerful. i wouldnt have read it unless it was for class though. thats minus 1 star



2. When I first saw the title I was a little anxious to see why she wasn't Peurto Rican anymore. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was hard for me to put it down and I usually don't say that about many books I have read. Esmeralda Santiago is a brilliant writer and has beat the odds after all she's been through. I mean I'm not going to lie about anything in this review. The book did have it's boring moments, but the action pick back up again after you thought everything was back to normal. I truly enjoyed this book.



3. I had to read this book for a class in college back when it was still fairly "new". I say "new" because it is the same tired formula of most contemporary Latin American authors.
   I currently, previously and, as far as I can tell, will continue to BE Puerto Rican and the "charms" of this story fail to grab me.
   Reading some of the glowing reviews for this book, I suspect I was never meant to be it's target audience.



4. Oh man. I enjoyed the story of this author, who tried to find a balance between her native home of Puerto Rican and cold, hard NYC. I always find it amazing that this author was able to craft something so beautifully and clearly in another language. That is a challenge I tell you! Her story came across as if her native language was English, she painted lots of pictures with her words! Beautiful. Other than the work of professional editors, her story really shines in this debut. Excellent.



5. An excellent read. Well written and touching. A must read for all Nuyoricans, both women and men.

5 comments about Be Happy or I'll Scream!: My Deranged Quest for the Perfect Husband, Family, and Life.

1. I bought this book because I needed about $5 to give me free shipping. I enjoyed it and I realize that I am not one of the worst parents out there! Families go through the same things we do--with those stares from other people looking at us like we're swamp-creature parents!



2. I found the author's views hilarious but her mad-cap versions of everyday life and her (assumed) exagerations of her trials as a working mother and wife got a little tedious after a while. I thought it was funny, but I got to the point where I had to either close the book or put out a 9-1-1 call to "Supernanny". I chose the former. Sorry. I just couldn't get over the urge to jump in the book to help her or call her to make sure she wasn't in an asylum. If you want hoots and giggles, this is the book for you. If it wasn't for the author's humor, I would probably have been really pissed off about the money I spent on the book.



3. My wife and I share a newborn and during her non-stop nurse-fests I read this outloud to my wife. This book is fantastically funny and makes both of us laugh out loud during some parts and sometimes so loud we almost wake the baby.
   
   Great book, and at 4.99..it's a steal! :)



4. Sheri Lynch paints a clear picture here.Life is disfunctional and we have to swim around it!Her antics will make not only you roar with laughter,but those who get subjected to,"listen to this".Nothing is sugar coated in her quest to be like the Cleavers and you gotta love her for that.She puts it out there,puke and all.I very much enjoyed the laughs I got from this book!



5. Our book club bought 8 copies of this book from Amazon for our August club. We knew we were all crazed with getting kids back to school, so we wanted something 'light' but with enough meat in it to have a good book club talk. This totally fit the bill. This is a great book to pick up in the car pool line or just before bed--one you can read a little at a time but it still brings you back for more. I am especially a fan of chapter 4, where she dissects the phrase, "I'm going to be a terrific mom today." Our book club had a great evening of wine and laughs and our own stories that totally mirrored her experiences.

5 comments about It's Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life and Cancer.

1. This is a MUST BUY book! It is an amazing story told by an amazing woman. You will laugh, you may cry, and I guarantee your heart will be touched as you hear her story of cancer and how she dealt with it. Her emails describing encounters with pills and doctors will make you laugh. Debra understands cancer from both sides, that of a patient and as a Chaplain who counsels people. If your life has ever been touched by cancer, you will benefit from reading this book. Joe Barnes, Pacific Science Center, Seattle.



2. I found this book while browsing in a bookstore early in my chemotherapy adventure. In many ways it helped me survive the ordeal. The writing is wonderful--engaging, humorous, realistic, and at times heart-wrenching. There are many "this is how I survived cancer" books around, but this one is different somehow. It meant so much to me, and I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis.



3. Debra Jarvis has the perspective few other cancer patients have: that of a cancer patient and cancer chaplain. When I think of "chaplain", I imagine a older gentleman with a collar and a bible, ready to read me my last rites; Debra is the antithesis of this. She is a young, funny woman with a surprisingly secular approach to God, and she is able to minister to people with cancer in a way that touches everyone. And when she is diagnosed with stage II breast cancer, her reactions and emotions strike a nerve as genuinely human and real -- her training as a chaplain doesn't give her any special superhuman strength to deal with it more than any of her patients.
   
   This book is a great insight into a cancer patient's journey, especially for a loved one or caregiver. When a friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer, I think this book was as helpful for her as it was for me in learning to speak about it. Just like a great film, this book will make you laugh and cry, but ultimately uplift the experience of cancer and shine light on the dark shadows that surround it.



4. This book is written in such a personable manner, I felt like I was making a friend while reading the book. The way Debra deals with painful and scary situations with humor and caring diffuse the negative emotions attached to cancer, hospitals and dying. I was really impressed with how she integrated different styles of spirituality into a practice that sounds flexible and comfortable. I am not an active church goer anymore, but Debra's welcoming acceptance of others and continuing search for answers for the big questions in life gave me interest in more actively pursuing a spiritual life. She gives me hope that I will some day find a spiritual community to grow with.



5. A friend going through breast cancer told me about this book. I got it from the library and could not put it down. Debra Jarvis is a chaplain at a well respected Cancer clinic in Seattle, and in a twist of irony, she is diagnosed with cancer (one week after her mother's similar diagnosis.)
   
   (Reviewer disclosure: I do not have cancer, nor am I religious.)
   Jarvis puts "God" in a perspective to which even I can relate.
   
   Sounds like it might be dark, but Jarvis's humor, wisdom, faith and grace are both enlightened and hysterical. She has a wicked sense of humor. I've since bought this book for several people and will continue to. If you're having a tough time, due to health, emotional or any other worries and can't seem to see past the dark clouds, I highly recommend this book. She is inspiring and the book is a gift.

5 comments about If You Don't Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails: And Other Lessons I Learned from My Mom.

1. Yes - I have a personal connection to it because of the tie in with my background. Barbara started her real estate agency on a bootstrap just like me! BUT this book should not just be read by real estate business owners. It's witty, relevant to any business owner and beautifully crafted. While I of course admire Barbara for what she did turning a $1,000 investment by her boyfriend into one of Manhattan's largest real estate groups - my admiration grew when I read this sensational book.



2. I ordered this book thinking it was different from Use What You've Got & Other Lessons I Learned from my Mom, which I bought in hardcover and enjoyed. It is not, it is the same as the older book. They simply retitled it.



3. Should be required reading for anyone in real estate sale, new to the business or a seasoned agent.



4. Barbara's wit is as enjoyable as her wisdom. A very easy read, this book puts a fun spin on the typically boring side of business management.



5. This is the best book for any woman who is lokoing to start their own business! I must read!

5 comments about Madeleine Vionnet.

1. This book is an absolute dream right through from the beautiful hard cover to the wonderful photographs, history and patterns. I am a Designer/Patternmaker and is the most beautiful book I have ever bought on fashion. Betty Kirke has put a lot of love and care into this treasure and any student of fashion, especially patternmaking and draping has to purchase this and learn a whole lot about bias cutting.



2. A great book on Vionnet's work and life. It has a lot of sewing patterns with instuctions from the WWI era to late 1930's; the patterns include day and evening dresses and frocks, capes and coats, slips and pajamas. Plus there a lot more pictures of Vionnet's clothing. The perfect gift for a fashion student. It is a pity that you do not hear so much about her.



3. This book is even better than I hoped. The photographs are stellar and for some designs - a bird's eye view of the pattern peices are included. Try to wrap your head around those non-conventional cutting techniques! I bought this for myself but this would be an excellent gift for someone interested in Fashion History, Fashion Design, Fine / Decorative Arts, etc. Super-Gorgeous book!



4. This is an outstanding book on a revolutionary designer. Wonderful photos, and "patterns" from the clothing. the only problem is Kirke never bothers to tell you what the scale is, so making these patterns is almost impossible. Her directions for making the patterns are laughable. The patterns are white lines on black. Why include patterns if you aren't going to put them in a usable form? There are people out there who can and have made clothing from this book. You will have to be very smart and well trained to do so. that said it is still one of the best books on a fashion designer I have seen.
   
   Maybe Kirke will redesign the book with the pattern section properly done. Then the book would be worth more then $100.



5. Es lo mejor que he tenido , el libro de un diseñador donde estan patrones, diseños y fotos...que mas se puede pedir!
   Ojala se hicieran mas libros como este .
   España,profesion: patronista

5 comments about The Other Woman: Twenty-one Wives, Lovers, and Others Talk Openly About Sex, Deception, Love, and Betrayal.

1. Sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, and often times both, this terrific collection of essays is to be savored. Among my favorite reads here: Pam Houston's "Not Istanbul" (do read this is you need a good laugh!), Jane Smiley's "Iowa was Never Like This," and Lynn Freed's "Running the Smalls Through."



2. This is an amazing book I read it in a weekend I read the book because I was the other woman my husband was married and had two kids I was married and had 3 kids we meet feel in love and broke up 2 families my ex husband has moved on and has forgiven but his ex wife even though married to a doctor (my husband is a lawyer her ex husband) is extremly bitter and is hateful and everything imbetween. I got this book in order to read it and somehow get an idea of where she is coming from so we can stop the hate we have for each other. I often compare us to Mary Jo and Tori Spelling that is our story we meet and new we were soulmates from the second we saw each other. I have no regrets I love my husband and am glad we found each other but I can move on from hating her for not accepting responsibility for her part in the break up of her marriage This is AMAZING I would recommend it for anyone who is the other woman, thinking about being the other woman, or has another woman in their lives.



3. "The Other Woman" presents an eye-opening look at extra-marital affairs and the devastation such affairs can wreak on all parties involved.
   
   I don't usually gravitate towards non-fiction but I read an excerpt of Mary Jo Eustace's essay, "Palm Springs," in People Magazine and was completely hooked. I ordered the book the next day and found it to be a quick and enjoyable read that offered interesting and varied points of view. I expected to read the book and find myself disgusted with the "other" woman but instead found myself empathizing with each woman's feelings and conflicts.
   
   Of particular note is Dani Shapiro's essay "The Mistress" and Mary Jo Eustace's essay (which I mentioned above). Mary Jo's account is incredibly touching and full of strength and humor. I do hope she has been able to reclaim love since the Tori Spelling debacle!



4. This book contains twenty one essays from known authors-authors who have either had encounters with the other woman, or been the other woman. They share their stories of humor, heartbreak and at times, love that was lost. Every essay is the total truth and it must have taken a lot for the authors to want to share their stories with others.
   
   There are two sides to the other woman: Our side and then there is her side. All of us know about the other woman. She's the one who's always in the back of our minds. She's the one we all fear of when in a relationship or marriage. She is often considered a home wrecker (along with other common names). Yeah, you know the one. She comes in and wrecks a marriage or relationship, or sometimes becomes a step mom. She is the one we watch for signs of-like the late nights, away a lot of the time, and the lame excuses or lipstick marks on the shirt collar.
   
   Then there is the other woman's side. She is the one who only gets to be with the other man or woman at certain times. She is often jealous of the wife or children in a marriage. The other woman works two ways. Sometimes she wants to be the wife and sometimes she just wants the attention, and sex with no strings.
   
   You will read about affairs, betrayal, love, sex, and lesbians. All of the authors are open and honest. You will hear what if feels like to be the other woman and what it feels like to find out about the other woman.
   
   I truly enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. I loved reading the stories of the other woman. It was nice once to hear the other woman's side of things and why she does what she does. I think it took a lot of courage for these authors to tell their stories and to make them public.
   
   This would be a good book for anyone in a relationship or marriage to read as it points out the signs of "the other woman." It also gives a good perspective of the other woman's actions and why she does what she does.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: A lot of information and insights to think about.



5. This book is a collection of short stories (most written by authors) describing their personal life experiences with adultry. The stories are from the perspectives of the mistress, the wife, and the children. I honestly only bought this book to read the story from Dean McDermott's (now married to Tori Spelling) ex-wife. It was a disappointment. She literally only described the moment that Dean told her he was leaving. There was no description of how she put her life back together, how her son handled it, etc. I read the entire book despite this and ultimately felt that most of the other stories were okay but the purchase was not worth it.