5 comments about I Could Tell You Stories: Sojourns in the Land of Memory.

1. This is one of the MOST insteresting books I have ever read. I go though several of Ms. Hampl's explorations upon people and life which I found both intriguing and informative. I especially enjoyed the chapter about Edith Stein. (Try reading at least that chapter and see if it entices you too.)



2. What is memory? One and the same amid East Europeans and the Western world?

   Outstanding among Patricia Hampl's essays, I COULD TELL YOU STORIES: SOJOURNS IN THE LAND OF MEMORY, is "Czeslaw Milosz and Memory," a brilliant discussion concerning this Lithuanian and Polish poet, whose personal history and that of his fellow citizens pivot around that of the nation per se. Memory, for a small country, is the ntion itself.

   Therefore,the past, the history of a nation, plays a primary role for the East European. Compare this to the American memoirist whose primary focus is the family: "The self is the story; history is just a landscape," writes Hampl. The American (and West European) memoirist is swayed by an intrinsic, not an extrinsic process.

   We can say that this held true until 9/11. And thereafter? One might say of the West: Erstwhile, the self was the story, History, beyond the landscape, has begun to touch our lives.




3. This multi layered book shows, tells and illustrates in an intriguing fashion.

   It tells you about memoir and memory and shows you, actively, of Hampl's writing journey and then illustrates through her essays.

   Her description of "re-vision"... literally revisiting the "scene" in one's memory and her description of memoir writing as "travel writing" -- notes taken along the way -- give you a flavor of Hampl's unique fingerprint.

   Read and study this one if you are at all interested in writing and actively reading memoir.




4. My life has been touched by this insightful book. Hampl has invited me into her vision of the writers' calling, and I understand that impulse more fully. She shares not only insights about the complexities of writing about memory but also gives us brilliant views of writers she admires. From Augustine to Plath, the rich material stays with me, teaches me, inspires me in my own writing like no other book about memoir.



5. [...] I also recall that, "At the root of utterance," Patricia Hampl writes, "language conspires to be political, cohesive of the nation, a linguistic fortress preserving those gathered within it" [...] --from "Recollections"

5 comments about The Shiniest Jewel: A Family Love Story.

1. The Shiniest Jewel is the true story of Marian Henley's journey through adoption, love, and loss, told in the graphic novel format.
   
   Marian has a serious boyfriend, that she isn't ready to marry. She is about to turn 50 and decides she wants more than anything a child so she turns to adoption. We go along on her journey through disappointment and also happiness. At the same time she's trying to adopt a child her father is slowly dying. She fears she will be out of the country during her father's last days. This is a beautiful story of life and death and everything in between.
   
   What a great story that is only complimented by the graphic novel format. Seeing the author's work right there in front of your eyes instead of just reading about it is wonderful. Henley has a very simple illustration style, basically line drawings yet the emotion is there. A person has to be very brave to tell such a personal story such as this.
   
   Like the Heartbreak Diet, The Shiniest Jewel would be a great place to start for someone hesitant about graphic novels. It's a very approachable story!



2. A Family Love Story
   Marian Henley
   ISBN: 9780446199315
   Springboard Press, 2008
   5 Stars
   
   
   Shiniest Jewel is the heartwarming memoir of Marian Henley. Through her own drawings, Henley shares the story of adopting her beautiful son, William. 49-year-old Henley longed for a child. After much thought and contemplation, she applied for an international adoption. The agency made promises they could not keep. The hurry-up-and-wait atmosphere that goes along with adoptions causes anxiety and stress. Obstacles popped up. When Marian's father becomes ill, she spends time pondering their relationship.
   I see this as a book fraught with hope. When things seem bleak, there is always hope. The last few pages are heartwarming. Amidst sadness came the hope that can only be brought by a child. I love this book. It is heartwarming and unique. Marian Henley uses her own unique talent to express her inner thoughts and emotions. Marian Henley is the extremely talented creator of Maxine (my favorite cartoon.)
   I'm already thinking of friends that would enjoy this book. It is an honor to recommend The Shiniest Jewel.



3. I love this book. Marian Henley's drawings are so poetically spare, deft and masterful, and the story line is so compelling--the adoption of a child while losing a father--that I defy anyone not to read it in one sitting. I've always been a fan of Ms. Henley's work because of her commanding grasp of both the absurd and the sublime in life. She often mixes hilarity with poignancy in her work to illuminate her own very personal experiences. This takes great courage. And as deep as this book is, and as artfully constructed as it is, this tome is also a very FUN AND AMUSING read. THE SHINIEST JEWEL will give you many little jolts of pleasure and pathos through the unsentimental voice of its author. It sheds light on our wacky human condition, and on our one possible hope of redemption through the power of love. All written with great humor and heart. BUY THIS BOOK NOW!!! You'll cherish it.



4. I've read this book twice and both times it made me laugh and brought tears to my eyes. Henley uses spare and telling line drawings to convey her story, diving into the hope, loss, joy, anxiety, frustration, and familial and romantic ties that layer this tale of loves gained and lost. Excellent storytelling -- rich and deceptively complex in this apparently straight-forward graphic narrative.



5. Marian Henley's The Shiniest Jewel is a moving graphic memoir about, at its core, life and death, the two intertwined here in her search for a baby to adopt, and the poor health of her aging father. Her circumstances are unusual: she's 49 and unmarried, though she has been with her boyfriend, Rick, for a decade.
   
   What's outstanding about this book is how powerful Henley's illustrations are, often saying so much more than her words. She shows her horror at the idea of marriage with a series of grotesque faces. She makes though bubble asides, one of the funniest of which is when she finally does decide to get married, and as she publicly says "We just adopted him from Russia!" she's thinking, "So, you see I'm not a slut." Another priceless one is when she's being interviewed about adopting, she gets yelled at by a woman who, in the drawing, practically breathes fire.
   
   The babies, first Sergey, whose adoption falls through, then Igor, who she winds up adopting and calling William, are less cute and perky than most images of babies we see. They are more solid, chunky, in Henley's version.
   
   This is also a bit of a warning to those looking to adopt through an agency. Henley almost has a breakdown when her visit to Vladivostok is almost for naught when the staff of her agency fails to tell her she needs a certain document. Though she doesn't explicitly offer advice, and she is someone who did her research, the point comes across that no matter how prepared you are, there will likely be obstacles, especially if you're unmarried.
   
   This is a tearjerker, as by the end, her father is in hospice, his descent chronicled alongside the first moments of her motherhood. Henley's simple but powerful artwork serves as a complement to her story, one that may not be all that remarkable, but finds its power in the most basic human emotions, ones that speak to our need for family, the kind we are born into and the kind we create.
   
   There is a happy (mostly) ending, but there is still a trace of sadness, as the "shiniest jewel" she plucks from Russia means that her adopted son's family couldn't afford to care for him. The look she's given by his caretaker says volumes, and underscores the fact that none of this is an easy process for Henley, even if the ultimate outcome is one that brings her what she's been seeking. Even the very idea that a baby is a "shiny jewel" clamoring for someone's attention has a bittersweet twist, as Igor leaves the other children behind. That's not the focus of this story, but is still something Henley makes sure her readers are aware of, weaving happy and sad, life and death, until it can become hard to fully separate them.

5 comments about Chicken with Plums.

1. Drawn in bold black and white, Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel illustrates the moving and disturbing life and last days of her uncle, Nasser Ali Kahn. He was a famous Iranian musician, loved for his virtuosity, and the sensitivity with which he played his beloved tar.
   
   It's a tale of how a man's happiness was gradually eroded by his culture, loss, suppressed feelings, and unrealizable expectations.
   
   The story starts with an older man in black walking down a city street. He encounters a slender woman with her grandchild. He hesitates. Asks if her name is Irane. She doesn't recognize him. Wonders how he knows her name. He, Nasser, apologizes and walks on to a friends business where he hopes to buy a replacement for his recently broken tar.
   
   We later learn that the broken tar had special meaning for Nasser. When he was a young man, the parents of the woman he'd fallen in love with forbade her to marry him because he was only a musician. Losing her plunged him into deep depression. He had difficulty playing. Nasser's tar master tried to console him by telling him, "To the common man, whether you're a musician or a clown, it's one and the same. The love you feel for this woman will translate into your music. She will be in every note you play." He then gave Nasser his own tar and instructed him to go on playing.
   
   From then on, Nasser's joy was his music. His playing thrilled his audiences
   
   Since childhood he'd been unable to meet the conventional expectations of others. His mother's, his brother's, his teachers', the parents of the woman he loved, his wife, his children.
   
   His mother urged him to marry a woman he didn't love so that he would forget his loss. Although the woman he married did love him, she resented his music. His children, influenced by their mother's attitude, became estranged from him. This drove him further and further into his music.
   
   After he failed to find another tar equal to his broken one, feeling that without that tar and his music there was nothing else he wanted, Nasser came to the conclusion, "To live, it's not enough to be alive." He decided to die.
   
   This where the novel really begins. Through Satrapi's masterful construction, we are able to piece together what we need to understand who Nassar was, and why he would make this tragic choice.
   
   Satrapi reveals Nasser's life and character by skillfully rearranging temporal events - picking up a incident, then dropping it, and then weaving it in later on in the story with new threads. She loops the past into the present, the future into the past. Sometimes, from frame to frame, she switches back and forth between the past and the present, showing how a character's unhappy memories and lingering hurt become emotional IEDs on the path to true understanding.
   
   There are many lenses through which to "see" another person, many ways in which to know them. At Nassaer's mother's funeral, a mystic tells him the story of five men in the dark trying to describe a whole elephant from the part each has touched. "We give meaning to life based upon our point of view," he tells Nasser. In Chicken With Plums, through characters and events, Satrapi gives us the whole elephant.
   
   As the novel progresses, Satrapi's drawings become more expressive and surreal, adding more decorative touches. Her work resembles animation, almost cartoonish, but her story has the depth of a great novel. She has the timing of a film maker, knowing just what to show when, and how to keep the mystery and tension to the end.
   
   Chicken With Plums has touched me deeply. It's a heart breaking story of love on many levels, fulfilled and unfulfilled. I believe Nasser died of a broken heart. Without Irane and without his music, he could not find a way to be in this world.



2. Having read Persepolis I and II, as well as Embroideries, I was excited to snatch up Chicken With Plums as well. And despite some of the negative reviews here (which almost dissauded me), I found this book one of Satrapi's most magical, perfect creations. It's quite different than the autobiographical, child-like Persepolis I, though readers of Persepolis II and Embroideries will recognize the general tone and style. That said, it's a work that takes you by surprise with its directness, honesty, and sheer invention.
   
   The book follows the last eight days of Nasser Ali Khan's life, as he decides to resign himself to death after his wife, in an argument, destroys his precious "tar"--an Iranian sitar-like instrument. He is a master musician, renowned throughout the country, and the great love affair of his life (despite one thwarted human one) was with this reciprocating instrument. Unable to find another tar to requite his passion, he loses all taste for life and its joys, and decides to stay in bed until Azrael, the Angel of Death, comes for his soul. While waiting, we get a series of flashbacks and flashforwards as he--and others--recount the stories and anecdotes that frame his life. Reading this book is like listening in on family stories around the dinner table, which by their very nature are fragmentary, interrputed, and from multiple points of view.
   
   Though a simple story, the manner of telling it is amazingly complex and mesmerizing. Satrapi's storytelling is at its most concise here, but so much is revealed about the very human passions that shape a life, and how blind we are even to the people we live with. This is a magical book, filled with Satrapi's beautiful characterizations of the people she knew and loved. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.



3. I just finished Chicken with Plums, and I loved it. It has about a human condition. In this case a man, who is living a life that he felt he did not own, except his musical instrument, and the secret it held for him.
   It is deceptively simple, but it is deep in what it conveys to the reader.
   I noticed some readers felt that the book was not finished, or they were confused about it. However, I found it very clear, honest, and funny at times. It made me sad too. I wonder how many of us live a life like Nasser Ali Khan, the musician? The life that is not truly an expression of our hearts.



4. This is a story of a man who lives for music and a tragic love. It is a very simple yet wonderful tale of a man who doesn't seem to know how to live. He becomes a great musician but can't work and loses the love of his life due to his devotion to music. Without music and his memory of great love, he dies. The man's family, friends and relatives don't seem to count in his estimation of life. I found this book very moving and very touching. I think some reviewers took offense since it differs from her most famous book but this one holds its own and is very special. I highly recommend this book. It is very touching and the ending is just as tragic as the main character's life.



5. Marjane Satrapi, Chicken with Plums (Pantheon, 2006)
   
   Satrapi's fourth book gives us biography instead of memoir this time-- the story of her great-uncle Nasser Ali Khan, a musician who decides to die after his wife breaks his favorite instrument. We are taken through the final eight days of Khan's life, as friends, relatives, and his own consciousness try to change his mind.
   
   I admit that my somewhat cool reaction to the book is almost certainly a product of the complete overload of memoirs and memoir-like biographies with which the market is currently glutted; I'm relatively sure this will be my last one for a long, long while, save one series-memoir I'm in the middle of. I say this because it's certainly not a bad book; Marjane Satrapi is a witty writer, and no less here than in her other books; Chicken with Plums is as enjoyable as anything else she's done. I just couldn't get my head round it as much as it deserved. ***

5 comments about A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story.

1. While reading this book I experienced a wide range of feelings because Elaine Brown basically bared her soul when writing this book. She also has a great sense of humor. I give her the highest respect for the soul searching she did while penning her autobiography.
   
   The book gives a clear look into the BPP and its members and the changes the party went through. I found the information of Huey P Newton, Eldrige Cleaver, and George Jackson especially eye opening and helpful-it answered some of the questions I had been seeking answers for.
   
   The book also gives a clear look of what it was like to be a woman, a black women, in the 60s and 70s operating in a male dominated party and society as a whole
   
   I noticed there are a lot of negative reviews on this book and wonder if the people who left them, wrote them because they really disliked how Elaine presented her story or are using the media's interpretation her legacy and the historical legacy of the BPP to fuel their comments. The story in the context of times and situation of the party and Elaine along with the political and social changes the party was trying to achieve.
   Anyway I high recommend.



2. Elaine Brown went from the hood to the governor's office in her search for identity as a black woman coming of age in the 1970s and to make the black power movement - the Black Panther Party - a powerful voice in California state politics.
   
   The autobiography is seemingly an act of catharsis as Brown bares her soul without justifying what she has done with her life. It is what it is and she keeps it real.
   
   There will be segments that you'll be touched by, others that will repulse you and some where you question why, but it ultimately is her life story. Sexuality and violence - oftentimes at the hands of her lovers in the BPP - overshadows Brown's quest for love and acceptance, but you will find segments of her life that intertwine with snapshots from your past.
   
   Brown takes what I consider some unnecessary swipes at Angela Davis - it is taken for granted that many in the black power movement questioned her membership in the Communist Party, USA - but she does have unapologetic portraits of people throughout her life.
   
   If you are looking for an autobiography solely on the BPP from a party member's perspective, you may want to look for another book to read. But you will be missing one of the most powerful writings on one's life that has ever been published.



3. Intelligently written and inspiring!! The truth about the black panthers is revealed in this book. Enter Elaine Brown, Smart, intelligent, witty, and truthful. A member of the black panther party exposed and subjected to the sexism, chauvinism, and often sinister side of the party. Elaine Brown has endured the harsh realities of living in a time of revolution. In their search for social and economic change, the party insisted on doing things on their own terms by setting up programs, fighting against oppression, police brutality, and racial discrimination. However, there was a darker side to the panthers only few knew, and in this book Elaine tells it all. The sex, drugs, and divisiveness of the panthers is only the beginning of what eventually caused the destruction of the party. A long but powerful look into the nation's most powerful revolutionary group.



4. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Black Panther Party. Comrade Brown's memior is well written and very interesting.
   
   The main problem I have with this book is that I feel Elaine's narrative is biased and self serving. (Especially her commentary on Bobby Seale.)Furthermore, I can't help but to wonder if some of her sexual adventure chronicled in this book are overblown.



5. A taste of Power by Elaine Brown is a compelling and passionate
   autobiography which highlights the internal tensions inside the BPP and
   the fascinating stories of party members. It is at times heartbreaking
   and beautifully written.

5 comments about Nothing's Impossible: Leadership Lessons From Inside And Outside The Classroom.

1. 
   I found about Dr. Lorraine Monroe on 60 minutes. She took one of the worst public schools in Harlem, New York and turned it around to the point that it is one of the top three public schools in New York and 96% of it's students are accepted into college. I believe that her insights and strategies can be used to improve any workplace or organization. Remember, she isn't some theorist - she actually has dramatic results in the real world -under some of the toughest odds imaginable!
   

   
   She has some great strategies that can help anyone. Here is an example:
   
   "I developed the habit of never asking my superiors at the Board of Education for permission to carry out any innovation or other "risky" venture. I felt that if I asked, they would usually say no. After all, they were cautious, conservative people, interested in keeping their present jobs or moving up within the heirarchy. Taking risks isn't a good way of accomplishing either goal.
   

   .....My supervisor would come to the school for periodic visits, and I'd either tell him about our latest venture or let him see it for himself. I figured that it would be hard, even for a dyed-in-the-wool bureaucrat, to try to stop a program that was already running successfully. This approach worked like a charm; the supervisor was generally pleased to realise that the successful new program, whatever it was, had been started under his administration. As the saying goes. "Success has many parents." When something is working, people are always ready and eager to bless it and share the credit."
   
   Some more of the Monroe Doctrine:
   
   "I learned from Mr. Littwin that it's impossible to run any organization from behind a desk in an office. You've got to walk around, watch people work, schmooze with everyone, and make yourself visible. It's the only way to really know what's going on and to have a true impact on the operation."
   
   Pick up this book to get some inspiration on how you can make a dramatic difference in your organization.




2. Everyone should read this book. I just started it and I am already hooked. The energy and enthusiasm leaps from the pages and "kicks" you into action. Although I am not an educator, I was greatly encouraged as a parent-to-be by this book. Thank you Dr. Monroe for being obedient to God's calling and preparing the way for our future leaders.



3. Dr. Lorraine Monroe is a force to be reckoned with. Tenacious in all aspects, once she discovered who she was and what power she possessed as a leader, there was no turning back.

   I choose to read about Dr. Monroe simply from the title of her book Nothing's Impossible and to learn what further lessons I could learn in and outside the classroom. As an administrator, I too believe that nothing is impossible and I was curious to see hear how "a dedicated educator" as Jimmy Carter described "conquered the most overwhelming challenges in life". I was not disappointed. As I read, reread, dog-eared pages highlighted and shared with my colleagues those familiar Monroe Doctrines (witty sayings and profound statements) I continued to believe that perseverance and believing in yourself enough not to back down for what you believe in, is part of the leaders make-up.

   Dr. Monroe further encouraged my thinking that sometimes as a leader, it's better to just "do your thing" and ask questions later, even it means getting your hands slapped later.

   I would encourage administrators in all lines of work to learn from these lessons, because no matter where you work, those you're working with are `students' in your `classroom' even if it's in the corporate office.

   In the final chapter of the book, although the message reverberates all through the book, Monroe brings back the point that leadership is the key to school change. In her words, the message of the leader is "I am here to support you in whatever way you choose, as long as your way improves children's academic and social achievement."




4. Great woman and story and excellent for teachers and principals
   
   I thought there would be a lot of good life lessons 'outside of the classroom' but found there weren't



5. I am a public school teacher, and I read Nothing's Impossible because my principal attended a conference where she became enchanted with Monroe and her doctrines.
   First, the good. Monroe had a very challenging life, and it is impressive what she has done with herself. She was African-American, poor, there were alcohol and abuse issues at home. I also agree that many times you have to, so to speak, ask for forgiveness rather than permission-- education is full of paper-pushing bureaucrats who nay say everything. One has to admire how Monroe turned FDA into a wonderful school to attend or at which to work.
   Having said that, however, I must point out that Monroe basically created a charter school. In public schools, you have to try to teach everyone within the school's enrollment boundaries. If we were able to kick out the small but extremely difficult, criminal types, all public schools would be much better. I am glad FDA has done so well-- but comparing FDA to a public is terribly unfair. She hand picked those who may have had challenges but who wanted to learn. That makes a huge difference.
   I also found it extremely offensive that Monroe, who had taught, said in her book that there were three types of teachers: the stars, the strugglers, and the incompetent. Every school district has all three, it is true, but what about the thousands of us who aren't struggling ( well, most days) but aren't stars or incompetent? We are not all perfect. I work very hard to be a good teacher. I may never be great, but does that mean I should leave teaching? No.
   The Monroe Doctrine is useful to some extent, just as long as you can live with the reservations I have described.

2 comments about A Regular Guy: Growing up with Autism.

1. I loved this book. The story of the Shumaker family's journey with Matthew, their autistic son, was so fascinating and well written that I felt as if I was part of the Shumaker family as I read. I couldn't put it down and ended up finishing it in one sitting. Life with Matthew is not always easy, but Ms. Shumaker's descriptions kept a smile on my face as I traveled the journey of adapting to a full and rich life with a son who is very special. I highly recommend it.



2. I couldn't put down "A Regular Guy." I was very moved, I laughed, I cried, and I was educated. Having a disability or being with someone you love who has one is not easy to understand for those of us who aren't in that situation. I thought Laura's book brought that experience to light with all the joy and pain. While it's apparent that it has been a tremendous struggle for the family, it's obvious that the love the family shares has made them so much stronger and a tighter unit.

5 comments about The Pleasure's All Mine: Memoir of a Professional Submissive.

1. When does a person go from asking why to why not? In a way, that is what Joan Kelly asks through out this memoir of her professional submission. At first, I wasn't so sure I liked Joan Kelly; she came across as aloof and subdued but then she is a submissive. Of course, you realize that she does have a strong will and certainly many personal opinions. I still don't know if I like her but I am most certainly intrigued by her.
   
   "The Memoir of a Professional Submissive" begins with Joan's search to fulfill her desire to submit by attending a BDSM club demonstration. Unlike some, Joan already knows she needs to pursue a submissive role to gain sexual gratification. She's seeking out her fulfillment unsure how to go about it. After stumbling through a few awkward situations she finally ends up at a commercial dungeon for BDSM as a professional submissive. Joan Kelly grants us the privilege of sharing in her journey as a professional submissive. You might not like the journey she takes or the situations she puts herself in but you will certainly be compelled to read each page with pensive interest.
   
   Joan Kelly writes of her journey with wonderful ease and a tempered pace that lends itself nicely to the gradual penetration in to the lifestyle of a professional submissive. This is not some pumped up porn fantasy but a small opening into an alternative lifestyle one woman takes to feel gratification and pay the rent. You can't help feel that this woman was no victim of circumstance but an explorer of self, which brings us back to the question of why or why not. Some of the actions in this book goes beyond what is accepted by the majority and at the same time you read it and societies morality isn't all that important to the discovery of self.
   
   I felt a lot of emotion reading this book. Joan Kelly emblazons her every whim, care, opinion, and most of all her vulnerability into the pages of her memoir. There is a casualness to her writing that lends itself to an intimacy that is rare and delightful.
   
   girldiver:)



2. A page turner. I couldn't put it down. If you are looking for a graphic description of etreem sex this book isn't for you. The author does, however, skillfully reveal to the reader her hopes, fears and vulnerablilities as she pursues her career as a professional sub. Erotic enough to keep my attention, and then some. A great book for a nervous partner to read.



3. There is nothing I can say about this book that will improve it. It is a memoir and shouldn't be viewed as anything but that. One cannot learn the lifestyle from this book.



4. A well written book and it was a fast read. Here is the the problem I had with this book... she presents herself as a submissive for hire/professional submissive in the summery and in the book it reads more like a woman in search of a husband/Master. She lacks the objectivity to do the job, falling in love with her clients, feeling depressed when they don't stay longer than what they have contracted her for. As disappointing a story as The Puppy Papers but better written.



5. Though the author seems to wield the background, humility and mindset to deliver the goods, this one stumbles straight out of the gate. Sadly, there isn't even enough titillating material to craft a decent Penthouse Letter. In sum, to go from "Carrie's Story" to "Pleasure's All Mine" is to slouch from wicked black leather to a plaid settee covered in plastic.

5 comments about Elizabeth & Georgiana: The Duke of Devonshire and His Two Duchesses.

1. Excellent book on the lives of two amazing women sharing the same man. Highly recommend it if you like reading about 'ton' society in late 18th-early 19th century England.



2. While I had read about the triangular relationship between Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and Lady Elizabeth Foster, nick-named Bess, I never realized that Bess had such colorful life. The authors use letters and other historical documents to present Bess in a more positive way, than previously recorded. It is a fascinating biography.



3. If you haven't read "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire," you're likely to come away from "Elizabeth and Georgiana" with a very positive view of Lady Elizabeth Foster. I had read "Georgiana," and I didn't find Bess all that likable, even after reading Chapman's glowing chapters about her life. I did, however, love this book and found it very interesting and well done. There are unanswered questions, though, about Bess and the Duke's children and what the Duchess knew; but, Chapman does a good job of filling us in on what happened to the main characters after Bess's death. Easy to read, filled with information about the Georgian period (for instance, a good explanation of how people traveled in the time), and not so mired in politics of the day as "Georgiana . . ." is.



4. I suppose few people really care now that Lady Elizabeth Foster finally got her man. This book is nonetheless a caution to historians dependent upon family archives for primary source material. Laudatory bias is bound to creep in somewhere. As the previous reviewer noted, Bess does not come across so attractively in other biographies, even those written about Georgiana's niece, Lady Caroline Lamb. The book's positives have already been noted: good descriptions of aristocratic society and travel in the 18th century. The book is not, however, good history or even good biography.



5. bad marriage,being kept from young sons would wreck a lesser woman,but bess land on her feet with duke duchess devershire.having strong friendship with duchess didn't stop her from boring two childern by duke,keeping her friendship with the duchess.this is a positive view of lady elizabeth foster who later got her duke,very comfortable life.

5 comments about Love, Janis.

1. Janis' sister, Dr. Laura Joplin, provides the reader with special insight to many core concepts of Janis, such as Janis' mission of encouraging freedom of expression for all, on every subject, as well as her passion for ending racial and all other forms of discrimination. Janis so humorously exposed hypocracy and so wonderfully raised questions that many are afraid to ask. What irony that her gifts to the human race were cut off so prematurely by some of the traps of life.



2. I thought this book was outstanding. Not only does it give good insight on what made Janis tick, it gave a very indepth history of the hippie movement from it's earliest conception. I found it fascinating.



3. I WAS PLEASANTLY surprised at the way this book showed us the real Janis. I was expecting a glossed over version of her life, but Janis's sister told the good and the bad. Through it all you can sense the love and affection her family had for her. Laura Joplin is an excellant writer and her insights on why Janis did the things she did was very refreshing. I was 13 years old when Janis died and had already begun to be a part of the rejected "hippie" crowd. My crowd was the first in our school to be a part of that culture. I identified with alot of what Janis went through and I remember buying her albums and listening over and over. I loved her. I remember the days of pot and LSD and speed, and my personal favorite, quaaludes. The drug culture was much different then and much safer. I thank God for a praying Grandmother and for a fear of needles, or I could have gone further and ended up like Janis. Few of our group ever experimented with injecting, but I could understand how Janis got caught up in it. This book showed a side of Janis that was so much like us and showed that she was really an insecure girl wanting acceptance like the rest of us.
   Thank you Laura, for giving us insight to the real person your sister was.



4. Laura is no Balzac. She doesn't share the reality of her sister's life in a way that makes it as important and real the way a master would. But, what can a person expect? She does share and reveal much. It's way too much to ask that she (Laura) could write a book that truly reveals the depths of Janis' life and times such that it will influence people for ages to come. I would like such a work because I feel that Janis' life should not be forgotten. If you have feelings for Janis like I do then this book is a must read. If someone someday takes what Laura has written and makes it into a book that captures all of the emotion and reality of Janis' life and times so that even a casual reader will be amazed then that will be an amazing book. I think Laura would agree.



5. once i started to read this book i couldn't put it down until it was finished, was sad to see it end. it gives alot of detail into janis joplin's early family life as well as school and friends and the start and finish of her music career. would recommend this to any joplin fan, a must have!!

4 comments about Chanel: The Couturiere at Work.

1. (nermin8@yahoo.com) How to recall sectet life of the most influencal fashion Mademmoiselle of all times? For the first Chanel-biographyst it was a nightmare...So we should give a huge respect to evry new Chanel biography, and not just for this reason... Also this biography deserves great respect. Though, some questions aren't yet answered (they may never be), this colourful book, introduces us to some new detailes about the "Chanel cut" as well as Coco herself. Must read to any haute couture lover or dreamer...



2. Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel is adequately profiled in this book; from her very humble beginnings to her rise and fall -- and rise again -- this is an insightful biography of the woman and her work, which were for all intents and purposes inseparable. The authors capture not just the drive and determination which propelled Coco to the heights, but shrewdly illustrate how startlingly ahead of her time the designer was, and how much her work and ideas permeate fashion, even to the present day. Don't let the absurdities and excess of so much Chanel on the runway today fool you -- this woman was a visionary in her time, and the quintessence of her designs was paradoxically American; sporty, practical, possessed of a spare elegance, though she was in every way a Frenchwoman through and through. The early drawings of her first dresses are included here and are fascinating. Precious few exist, because -- as they book tells -- Coco Chanel preferred to design on the body, using live models. She was a perfectionist par excellence who introduced trends that transcended their time, and this modest book is a worthy addition to your library if you have any interest at all in the foundations of twentieth century fashion. There are many books on Chanel; I haven't read them all, so this isn't a comparative review, just the opinions of a fan of the couturiere as artist.



3. Chanel: The Couturiere At Work is a lovely survey of fashion icon Coco Chanel and her innovative fashion ideas, and belongs in any collection boasting a focus on fashion. Her style is examined in depth; from her first early creations in the early 20th century through her design changes over the decades and her creations through the House of Chanel. Loaded with black and white and color examples from all the periods, Chanel The Couturiere At Work is a 'must' for any serious fashion collection.



4. The writing is not very good - more like a stream of advertorials. There is overwhelming praise of Chanel's work - flattery more like it - without any criticism or analysis. However the pictures are good if you are collecting photos of Chanel's clothing designs over time. "Chanel and Her World" is a better book - it was put together with more thought. "Chanel: The Couturiere At Work" is just a thin book - more like a magazine, with insubstantial prose. Get it used.