5 comments about Mistress of Modernism: The Life of Peggy Guggenheim.

1. I had eagerly awaited this book because I had been disappointed in Guggenheim's own CONFESSIONS OF AN ART ADDICT. I wanted a book that didn't skip over some obvious issues, like the reasons for the multiple marriages and a daughter's suicide. I was not disappointed in Mary V. Dearborn's MISTRESS OF MODERNISM. Dearborn delivers a warts-and-all biography that is nonetheless sympathetic, and extremely readable. I read this book quickly even though I put it down often to think about the implications of what I had just read.
   
   Can one have too much money? As I read this book I wondered if Peggy might have been happier if she had had to work for a living. As Dearborn points out, Peggy was a "poor" Guggenheim whose fortune was only a fraction of her Uncle Sol's. The bohemian crowd that Peggy wanted to be a part of assumed that Peggy's fortune was far larger than it actually was. As a result, she had the reputation of being a cheapskate even though she supported a handful of people she was not even related to until they died. (This list would include Djuna Barnes, ex-husbands and ex-husbands' previous wives and widows, etc.) She also subsidized a lot of other people at various times on a temporary basis. The people in this milieu seem to have had extremely poor parenting skills. Peggy and her sisters spent their childhood virtually segregated from adults. Could that be why she and her surviving sister were such poor mothers? Peggy's son grew up to be an ambitionless playboy and her daughter Pegeen committed suicide. Peggy's sister murdered her own two small sons by pitching them off a balcony. She got away with it. Peggy, her sister and her daughter were promiscuous and seemingly had voracious sexual appetites. What set them apart from their peers was that Peggy and Pegeen were open about their affairs. Peggy practically advertised hers with the publication of her autobiography OUT OF THIS CENTURY and scandalized New York society. (This book explains that CONFESSIONS OF AN ART ADDICT is an extremely expurgated and revised version of OUT OF THIS CENTURY that Peggy put together years later. It deals only with Guggenheim's career as a collector. I would now love to get my hands on the original OUT OF THIS CENTURY!) Yet, through it all Peggy seems to have had very little self esteem. The men she was involved with were often physically abusive. There was a streak of masochism in her. (Was this a generational attitude? Peggy's friend Emily (whom she supported) admitted in her diary that she herself enjoyed being beaten.) I came away with the impression that Peggy was basically a bland person who just wanted to be loved. She never knew whether she was really loved or whether people just loved her money.
   
   This book is very well written and presents brief, vivid minibiographies of virtually the entire dramatis personae. It has made me curious to see the work of the artists that Peggy promoted. This book tells an important part of the story of American art in the 20th Century. Those with an interest in this subject will want to read this book as soon as possible. I would especially recommend MISTRESS OF MODERNISM to anyone who has visited Peggy's museum in Venice or who is planning to visit there.



2. Peggy Guggenheim brought abstract expression to the forefront of the art world. Behind the scenes, Guggenheim led a torrid, Bohemian existence, unrestrained by middle class conventions. Mary V. Dearborn captures the essense of of Peggy against the back drop of the art she helped to promote.
   
   Well written, easily readable, and thoroughly researched. Mistress of Modernism: The Life of Peggy Guggenheim is a must read for anyone who loves art, or just loves to read a good biography.



3. I became interested in reading about Peggy Guggenheim when I visited her museum in Venice last spring. It was one of the highlights of my trip.
   
   Mary Dearborn did an excellent job. However, I found Peggy Guggenheim's life pathetic. She was a completely selfish person and an unimaginably awful mother. My heart went out to her children. Her childhood was not ideal, but certainly not so bad that she couldn't avoid winning the worst semi-wealthy mother of the century.
   
   The author gets 4 stars. Peggy Guggenheim gets minus 10,000 stars.



4. As a biography, certain important aspects of PG's life were totally overlooked. Ms. Dearborn omits mention of WWII except in the context of Peggy's need to escape the continent-- ie. no coverage of her feeling about her Judaism, or how this was viewed in the society circles she traveled in, no discussion of how wartime affected her gallery.
   
   Also, little serious discussion about the art historical movements which PG was involved in. What was surrealism? What movements did it replace? How did Abstract Expressionism evolve in New York? How did the European artists in exile influence the development of Ab Ex? Did PG care or just buy what her advisors told her? Why or why not?
   
   Too much about who she was sleeping with, too much focus on her life before the gallery opened. The reason we know PG is because of her collection and her artistic eye, not because she had some risque chats with writers in the English countrywide in the 30s. Also, please fact check your book. The artist's name is Hans Hofmann, not Hoffman. Very annoying!



5. This is an enjoyable read. I was interested in reading it after reading "The Rape of Euorpa" and "Duveen" it made sense to wonder what had become of the art/artists that were rescued from the WWII Nazi-occupation of Europe.

5 comments about I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner.

1. My husband and I are thinking of owning a B&B. Making the move from private practice as a holistic practitioner and a product creator/manufacturer for my website [...], I wanted to get someone's firsthand experience at dealing with the public when that public-on-your-property and no-privacy is your source of income. Michele's story is wonderful, insightful, amusing, and a quick-read. We live in Wisconsin so we are fully aware of the hardships of winter and of living in the northwoods, but we are also aware of the beauty of nature. Whereas this really didn't address my questions about B&B ownership in specific, it gave me insight as to employee issues and the liberties that customers take. It certainly gave me fodder for thought and more study before we venture forward. It's a great read!



2. I was drawn to this book orginally because of my love of disc golf and I was intrigued about a published book that not only was written by a fellow golfer but also featured the sport. However, I learned the book was more about running a resort than the sport of disc golf but I also learned that the book was well-written and tells a wonderful story. I also learned I will probably never run my own business but also appreciate the owner of my company (a small family business) more now.
   
   Mrs. Cozzens story is hard to put down and will be a favortie of anyone who enjoys a good story of any genre. It moves briskly along and you begin to feel like one of the family. As an ironic twist this book would be perfect for reading on the Sandy Point Beach during your week's stay in one of the cabins.
   
   Mrs. Cozzens, if you read this review, I ask you to please find time to write another book (If you already have I apologize but please tell me what the title is) and tell all of us more about life at Sandy Point and Tuscon, or maybe you can write the book which truly does justice to the disc golf world and makes that world more accessible to everyone.



3. Excellent work. A must read for every wannabe resort owner. I wish every occupation had such helpful inside tips as this.



4. 5 years living expenses saved and no profit for over 7 years...Should be titled yuppies buy a resort.



5. Michele Cozzen's book I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner reveals the grit, grime, and behind the scenes goo (stains on blankets) waiting for anyone daring enough to entertain thoughts of opening a charming little resort far away from it all. When Cozzens and her spirited husband Mike chuck a perfectly lovely suburban California life to open a lakeside resort in a remote area of Wisconsin, she enters a new phase of her life. She learns to wear a tool belt, scrub toilets, smile at demanding tourists, cope with a barrage of stupid questions, deal with insane lawsuits, rake a beach, and change sheets in world record time. While coping with these less-than glamorous activities, she raises her two spunky daughters, keeps her marriage healthy, and takes in an occasional glorious sunrise from the dock of her resort--early enough in the day to avoid being pestered by any of her holiday-happy guests.
   
   This book deals with the major theme of most modern women's lives--how to balance a career with children--without being preachy or bitchy about the tight-wire most of us walk while combining a career with motherhood. In her own peculiar scenario, Cozzens never finds the answer, but she keeps searching for the silver lining in her log-cabin reality. Cozzen's endearing optimism and obvious love for family and business kept me glued to her story.
   
   Michele Cozzens tells the truth about her life and the decisions she has made. Her writing gushes in emotional spurts that left me reflecting on my own career choices, my personal attempts at having it all, my guilt over not always getting it right. Because of Cozzen's memoir, I understand a little more about myself. Highly recommended, even if you're not in the toilet-scrubbing sheet-changing business. I'm considering buying a tool-belt.
   
   Robin Meloy Goldsby is the author of Piano Girl: A Memoir and the solo pianist featured on Twilight and Songs from the Castle

5 comments about Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom.

1. The story of the ex-slave, Civil War `general' and black liberation fighter Harriet Tubman is the stuff of legends. Although in recent decades she has received more of the proper attention due her the fight she so ardently fought for the real freedom for blacks still is the wave of the future. Her early story, in any case, is the all to familiar slavery story of arbitrary beatings, random acts of senseless brutalization, separation from family and friends and the dreaded `sale' further South that those like Ms. Tubman from border state slave society in Maryland feared above all. It was as a result of one such beating that left Ms. Tubman permanently injured that she determined to in the late 1840's to seek the "Northern Star" and escape.
   
   If that was all to her story then she would not be different from the average one thousand or so slaves who escaped each year. But here is a woman with a difference agenda. After her escape she became a 'conductor' on the then bustling Underground Railroad, the route used by escaped slaves to head North to freedom. She repeatedly led, at great personal risk to her life, many slave expeditions from the South. As she was able to brag later she did not lose one of her charges to the hands of the slave owners.
   
   Another interesting part of her story is her relationship with the legendary revolutionary abolitionist John Brown. Apparently she was slated to join Brown at Harpers Ferry but illness forced her to forego that fight. Given her talents in leading slaves from bondage, her authority among plantation blacks and her knowledge of the terrain and travel routes in the South she could have made Brown's seemingly utopian plan for a slave insurrection and guerilla warfare much more plausible. Needless to say she held the highest regard for this white man ready to lay down his head for black liberation. Toward the end of her life she named a rest home for indigent that she sponsored with her gvernment pension in his memory.
   
   During the Civil War Ms. Tubman sought to aid the Union Armies as they made a beachhead in the South by acting as a scout and helping create a scouting unit made up of blacks that knew the area. She witnessed the brave fight of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment made up of Northern freeman at Fort Wagner and spent time under the command of the famous Kansas free state fighter Colonel James Montgomery, another intimate of John Brown's. Although she was recognized for her services she had to endure many hassles in order to obtain the full pension that her service to the Union cause entitled her. She nevertheless spent most of her life in poverty and maintained herself with odd jobs and projects. The real honors that Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, John Brown, the men of the Massachusetts 54th and those countless black slaves and freedman who fought in the Union ranks still await them in a more just and honest society. In the meantime read this informative book about Harriet Tubman's life and struggles to free her people and learn how to bring that day closer.



2. I partly agree with a former reviewer that this book lacks sparkle and suspense. In fact, if I were not already interested in this fantastic historical female figure (and slavery, in general), this book would not draw me in. I also agree that Clinton made the book tedious by her detours and sub-topic (if not off-topic) details--except that such coverage may increase the value of the book as an archival reference. She does wax somewhat eloquently in her Epilogue.
   
   But I am not so dismissive of the book as to give it the lowest rating. Her seemingly exhaustive research did sparkle (to me) when it revealed Tubman's social connections, and events with which I was unaware. Here are some gems that got my attention:
   
   1. The behavior of her first husband, John
   2. Her later remarriage to someone nearly half her age
   3. Her affirmation of and connection with John Brown
   4. How pro-slavery Maryland was
   5. Her torturous efforts to get a military pension for her
   dedicated service to the union army
   6. Both her devotion to the charity of other down-trodden African-
   Americans, both slave and free, and her intelligence in dealing with
   various issues
   7. The fact that a SINGLE and private reward for her capture would be
   $270,000 in today's currency and the total offered by all parties
   would add up to just under a million dollars
   
   Finally, what I found unsettling was Clinton's admitted speculations-interpretations (and from some she quoted), the passing of "stories," events "according to family lore," and other happenings "based on comments"--the quotes are from her book. Of course, this practice was not a major part of the book by any means, but still a minus. These parts are sort of like the unanswerable historical question, "Who created ice cream?" with each answer having its own logic.
   
   The rating of 3 is based on her craft as a writer, not on her skill as a researcher; for the latter I would give her a 4 or 5. I, too, recommend THE JOURNAL OF DARIEN DEXTER DUFF, AN EMANCIPATED SLAVE and THE JOURNAL OF LEROY JEREMIAH JONES, A FUGITIVE SLAVE. Also, though out of publication, I believe (but available at Amazon as used), is the engrossing young-teen-oriented book MARASSA AND MIDNIGHT by Morna Stuart. Finally (one has to stop somewhere), there is Milton Meltzer's ALL TIMES, ALL PEOPLES: A WORLD HISTORY OF SLAVERY. Of course, these recommended books are not about Harriet Tubman, but about similar conditions that Tubman experienced.



3. I was excited when I finally got the chance to read about Harriet Tubman, but when I started reading this book, my excitement went downhill. I don't know if the book just didn't capture my attention or if Harriet Tubman's life wasn't what I thought. Anyway I barely got through the book so can't say much about it except that I lost interest.



4. I got this book after a debate with a former co-worker about whether Harriet Tubman helped free 300 slaves or 75 slaves. He insisted it was 75, but I have read that it was 300 in several books and articles. He insisted that this book was a great source for research and facts, so I picked it up.
   
   Cons: I love reading about Harriet Tubman, but this book seemed like it should've made the subtitle the main title "The Road to Freedom" instead of using Tubman's name or picture. There were so many antecdotes that didn't have a thing to do with Tubman--stories about white people in black face to free slaves she didn't even know, presidents, and so forth. But what bothered me was all of the opinions the author gave within this book. Is this supposed to be a nonfiction book or a really long op/ed? (Example: On page 58, the author talks about how Jerry Henry was "far from an ideal candidate for rescue" and the story of him being saved from slavery by a crowd. But she uses adjectives like "menacing." If this story is supposed to be fact based, I need to know WHAT made them menacing, not that she thinks they were menacing. The Note (in the back) says he had domestic issues with the same women several times, but without the back story on Henry, I don't feel it was necessary to put that bit of information in there. I don't advocate hitting men hitting women, but I'm also skeptical of the charges considering Black men were being slapped with incorrect charges even moreso during slavery days. Telling half stories does not lend to Tubman's story at all.
   
   The author kept calling Tubman Araminta. Once it was mentioned that her name was changed, I didn't understand why that was necessary. That's like calling Malcolm X Malcolm Little once he was a Muslim.
   
   Pros: This book made me want to read the story of Jerry Henry to find out about the uproar and danger people went to to save this man. But do you see how this could be a con as well? I'm supposed to be reading this story to find out about Tubman, but I'm finding out more information about OTHER people even though she's on the front cover.
   
   After all the stories, either I looked over a page or it wasn't there, but I do not see how many slaves Tubman freed in this book. It says she was responsible for THOUSANDS of slaves being freed, which backs up my argument even more.



5. Sorry to disappoint, but this book is not really about Harriet Tubman. I would liken it to a college student majoring in the histrory of slavery, with a minor in Harriet Tubman. I wanted to know more about this very great lady. I was disappointed.

3 comments about Me llamo Rigoberta Menchú y así me nació la conciencia.

1. After reading this book, I realized how truly blessed I am. My problems are so minor compared to theirs. It also helps you to understand the suffering of the Indigenous persons both in Guatemala and in other countries throughout Latin America. I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about the world around them.



2. Although I've read this book before, this time, as an older and wiser reader I was able to recall a lot more information and specifics that had slipped my mind since the previous reading. As a non-native spanish speaker, it was easy to follow, in a dialect I could easily translate if necessary. Plus, this book is useful in the spanish classes that I teach in portraying a realistic view of guatemalan history.



3. I am an intermediate level student of Spanish. This book keeps being mentioned and I would like to read it in Spanish. I can't find a copy where I can read a page or two to see if that might be possible. Does anyone familiar with this book have a recommendation?

5 comments about Love, Loss, and What I Wore.

1. If I could, I would give this book more than 5 stars. What a clever idea to recall onel's life by remembering the outfits worn. Loved the delightful illustrations. Beckerman is a unqiue and talented writer/illustrator. Thanks for the memories!



2. I, like most of my women friends I've talked to, including my mother and my sisters, shape memories and moments based on the clothes we were wearing at the time.
   
   I bought this book in 1995 when it was first published and have referred to it several times over the years for inspiration and support. I found it in the "Self-Help" section of the bookstore.
   
   This little book does as good a job as anything I've read, at getting in a woman's head. Clothes are how we remember. Wearing our favorite clothes or shoes or carrying our favorite handbag gives us confidence and helps us cope.
   
   For a while, I kept a diary of drawings of outfits whenever I'd want to remember an important event. Ask me what I was wearing when I held my niece for the first time (navy blue A-line Liz Claiborne dress) or when I went to my first job interview out of college (a polka-dot suit I called The Stewardess) or the night I was first kissed by the love of my life (a shirt that said "Keep On Truckin" in glitter... heh).
   
   A good friend's mother passed away a few months ago, and I bought a copy for her, since Ms. Beckerman mentions the death of her own mother. She also mentions marriages, divorces, babies, and career successes, and most importantly, what she wore.
   
   It makes a great gift for any woman. Or for yourself.



3. I had picked this book up and put it back down several times when I saw it at the book store. I am glad I finally bought it! It is an interesting idea, and one that I am sure many of us can identify with: a memoir built on memories of certain beloved items of clothing. Ilene Beckerman had an interesting childhood and has had a varied life as an adult. Obviously, her talents lie more in writing than in drawing--the sketches of the clothing are rather simple,but she does manage to convey what she felt like wearing each outfit. It doesn't take very long to read, and if read in one sitting you get quite a sense of her life. Sometimes funny, sometimes quite bittersweet, but always entertaining.



4. Delightfully wacky little book deliciously decorated. Even though I'm a male I loved the book and its many drawing/paintings of clothing and other things. It is interesting to know how the book came about and how its author was writing about her life for her children and using her creative ability to show them how her life was growing up.
   
   I learned of the book when reading Jane Smiley's book: "13 Ways of Looking at the Novel" and thought her comments interesting enough to buy the book and read it. And I enjoyed it very much. I recommend "Love, Loss and what I Wore" to everyone regardless of gender.



5. This book is a little gem. It is one of a kind. There is no other book like this on the market, not that I know of, anyway. Although the author is a bit older than I am and some of the clothes are outdated, I could still relate to her. She related her life experiences by detailing what she wore during those experiences. We all can recall at least one event by remembering what we were wearing!! At times, she appears kind of catty, which just gives quite a human element to the book. I myself have so many clothes I cannot get rid of due to sentimental reasons. However, after reading this book, I may do the same thing she did and draw them or take a picture of them and then give them away. This is a GREAT book!!

5 comments about One Pair of Hands.

1. Looking for a light but well-written book? This is it. Absolutely charming.



2. This was one of the most delightful books I have read in ages. Monica Dickens (great-granddaughter of Charles), despite her privileged upbringing, despite being presented at Court as a debutante, is bored and has little desire to do the rounds of social events expected of a young upper class girl in the mid 1930s. And so she decides to try her hand at domestic service. If you have ever enjoyed watching the wonderful "Upstairs Downstairs" series or reading other tales which reflect the upstairs downstairs lives of the British class system, this is for you. It is light, entertaining and the author writes so fluidly, it has inspired me to begin reading more of her works.



3. An quick and easy to read book, but thouroughly fascinating. Monica Dickens describes the life of a cook-general in 1930s England. The upper classmen she meets are described excellently. She meets a lazy bachelor, enigmatic owner of a vast country estate, and a kind family, her last employees. This book is not long and engages readers. The only thing i didn't like was that the only personal reflection included in the book was left to the end. The rest of the book was devoted to her life and the people she meets. However, i recommed this excellent book.



4. "One Pair of Hands" by Monica Dickens clearly demonstrates that writing skills are genetic. Like her great-grandfather Charles, Monica Dickens knows how to write well. The book is charming. It chronicles her life during her twenties when she decides to try her hand at domestic service out of sheer boredom. As they say, hilarity ensues! Readers who have ever made a complete mess in the kitchen or have ever had a stingy boss can relate whole-heartedly to her trials and tribulations.



5. Not only have I throughly enjoyed this tale relating the author's brief career "below stairs", but I've lent it around and everyone who's read it has loved it too. Highly recommended for "upstairs/downstairs" types, for humor, for those who are interested in mid 20 century london below stairs life, or for Monica Dickens fans -- grab her "Talking of Horses" too.

5 comments about Coffee, Tea or Me? The Uninhibited Memoirs of Two Airline Stewardesses.

1. I picked this up based solely on the reissue cover. I got into it and started wondering who the heck would talk like this, as a woman? Then, about 1/2 the way through, I read the intro and realized this was actually penned by a male who had interviewed a lot of stewardesses. It made me feel better that these weren't real women, but a man trying to sound like a woman.
   
   This isn't a literary work, but it is a great beach read. Don't expect too much, and you'll be thrilled to join these two "women" on their careers. I was born well after the 60's, and it is fun to imagine how classy and upscale air travel was back then. It's certainly a contrast to the budget consciousness of today.
   
   It was definitely a page turner, because I wanted to keep having more adventures in the crazy life of 60's stewardesses. Check this one out and have fun for a few hours.



2. No juice stories, probably written by people that got married and didn't want to be honest about the life they were used to.
   Don't spend money buying this book.....



3. This book was my mothers as a young teen and passed down to me when i turned 13 a few years ago. The book is wonderful, Its one of those books you start reading and dont want to put down thats how good it is.
   
   I've read the whole series and they all are great.
   you could read this book over and over again and never get tired of it.
   
   I reccommend this book to anyone.



4. My daughter was going through her training as a flight attendant and I remembered this book - I read it when I was a teenager. I sent it to her as a surprise. Not only did she love it, she loaned it to everyone else in her class and they all got a great kick out of it. It's just a fun read.



5. This is a must read of a not too distant time when flying actually was fun and considered by most, exciting. It was a classy affair in the 60's to take an international flight and airlines actually served real fine food- including cherries jubilee flambee! The antics of the stewardesses is a time warp of the free love era and it is hysterical. A must read that will make you long for this bygone era next time you are cattle called onto your flight and forced to purchase "food" on board. Side note: the somewhat mythical "mile high club" began its origins in these very pages.

1 comments about Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi's Life, Times, and Rise to Power.

1. This portrait of the nation's first female Speaker of the House is built for speed; its short paragraphs and newspaper style are probably the result of Sandalow's former day job at the San Francisco Chronicle. Readers expecting a full-blown, soup-to-nuts critical biography won't find it here, and the "Times" part of the subtitle isn't quite apt. This is Pelosi's life story, told quickly and effectively, but without the benefit of much retrospection or even cooperation from the subject or her staff. (Pelosi is planning to write a memoir.) For this more replete kind of biography of a San Francisco politician, the gold standard is still John Jacobs's Rage for Justice, which features Phil Burton, one of Pelosi's mentors.
   
   Still, I enjoyed Madam Speaker and learned a lot from it. In fact, one of the things I learned is that Pelosi wasn't Burton's creature, though Burton's widow Sala essentially bequeathed her House seat to Pelosi on her death bed. Pelosi is quoted as saying that Phil Burton might not have supported that move. Interesting.
   
   The other thing I learned is how much political savvy Pelosi picked up from her family in Baltimore. Her father was elected both to the House and as mayor, and he did retail politics the old-fashioned way--right in the neighborhood. In fact, he did a lot of it in the family home, which was frequently full of residents seeking favors and whatnot. Pelosi's father also provides a good deal of the book's color. Her messaging is very disciplined; he was more willing to open up his game, and Sandalow records some of his zingers, at least two of which are laugh-out-loud funny.
   
   The picture that emerges from Sandalow's biography is that of an organized, hardworking, business-like leader. She's sure of her convictions but focused on results, self-respecting but more than willing to share the credit. Most of her peers describe her as a tough Italian grandmother--which happens to match her self-description. "I'm not taking complaints today," she used to tell her five young children when the lamentations began. But like all good legislative leaders, she knows what motivates her colleagues, tracks every detail, and takes no guff.
   
   Very worthwhile. (Full disclosure: I edit Pelosi's daughter, Christine.)

5 comments about Diana Ross: A Biography.

1. OK, there has been so much written about Miss Ross (most of which I have read) including this authors previous efforts. I couldn't put this one down, it is very well written and easily read. Although I have previously read much of what has been written on Diana Ross and have been an avid fan since she began her career, there was still some information in this piece with which I wasn't familiar. It saddens me that the one group whom I and millions of others so adored experienced such conflict within their ranks. RT clearly doesn't put the blame on any one "Supreme" for the turmoil that was evident through most of their time together. Towards the end of the Bio, even Scherrie Payne, a singer with the group after Diana left, and one of the singers that Diana invited to join the Diana Ross and The Supremes 2000 Return to Love Tour, voiced how she hopes that someday Diana, Mary and Cindy can look beyond their differences and once again give the fans an opportunity to see one of the premiere groups in the history of music. I for one would pay far more than the $250.00 asking price for that ticket. Whether or not you are a Diana Ross or a Supreme fan treat yourself to a well written biography about one hell of a stunning star! I was fortunate to have seen her numerous times over the years, including her performace at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles in 2004 and I already have my tickets for her show at the Gibson Universal Theatre in November of this year. At the risk of sounding cliche' Diana Ross ia a survivor and I know deep down that there is more to come! A great read! Highly, highly recommended.



2. As for readability, I'd give this book 5 stars. It read like a novel - with dialogue and drama and character exploration. But, is it really a "biography?" - that's not how it came across to me. I thought it read more like one obsessed author's suppositions, speculations, fantasies and desire to dish a bit of dirt. For example, he'll ascribe a motive or intention to some action Diana took. C'mon, as if he (or anyone but her) knew what she was thinking at that point in time. Buy it as fun read.....but go into it knowing that the author has filled in a lot of blanks with his own biases.



3. Even with Randy's third opus on Miss Ross I haven't any more of a clue as to who or what she really is but if you've bought the previous two books don't think this is just a rehash. It's a new book and impeccably researched and impeccably written. He's done his damnest to try to bring the complete person to the pages. Ross' own book showed she hasn't got a clue about who she really is (and, good grief, all the information and dates she had wrong or confused) and that she is the center of her universe, not the most sensitive to the feelings or viewpoint of others she's worked with. Since she'll never write the whole story, this book will do nicely. The most significant observation Randy makes is Ross' multiple personalities--almost every star in show business has them, a combination of sheer guts and ambition and power with total insecurity. It drives everyone around them nuts. (But not every star is a bundle of contradictions--some are in show business but not of show business and live their lives right side up.) As for Ross, I love her work--a fabulous career still chuggin' ahead--but I'd never want to get in her way.



4. An unabashed fan of Ross and the Supremes, the author of this bio lets all his own biases show. The writing is a little too gushing in places and the uncritical judgments seldom tempered. Still, if you don't already know this familiar story, there's interesting fodder here because the author has been an insider more or less for decades. The early years of the Supremes are well dissected and readers learn much, not the least of which is how much the group recorded beyond the hits. Ross's later years are also well documented and her somewhat sad decline and recent DUI chronicled. This is a very long book, so be prepared to wade through.



5. 
   This must be the ultimate Diana Ross biography. The author of this book seems to know the legendary singer all too well. In fact, if you look at his credentials, I think you'll be quite impressed: Mr. Taraborrelli begin following her career when he was just barely a teenager; he wrote countless of articles on her for various publications; he's interviewed dozens of her closest friends and family members throughout the years, including Diana Ross herself; he wrote two previous books on her, and, as proven with this book; he's an exceptionally talented writer.
   
   What's great about this biography - as in the case with virtually all biographies - is that you learn more than just about the "biographee." You learn about other people, places, and events. In this case, you learn about The Supremes, Motown Records, Berry Gordy, the sixties, the music industry, the movie industry, and much more. So to some degree, this biography is really a history book with an emphasis on entertainment, and where Diana Ross is the main subject. This is the sort of book that once you start reading, you can't put it down. And even though I'm not a huge fan of Diana Ross or Motown Records, I found this book captivating, fascinated by her life story.
   
   I think readers will be pleased with Taraborrelli's in depth look at Diana Ross' life: her personal life and relationships; her music career and other business ventures; and her family and children. Yet, even though the author admits to be a great fan of Diana Ross, this book doesn't seem to reflect that. The author holds nothing back. In fact, he gives us a very sincere portrayal of Diana Ross, and not a manufactured one. He tells us about her good side and bad side, her failures and successes, her good times and bad times. Some authors may be tempted to be a little bit biased, but not Taraborrelli in this case.
   
   My one and only disappointment is that there is no mention of Michael Jackson's song "Dirty Diana." Was it really a song about Diana Ross? I was hoping he would set the record straight and maybe even get Diana's own reaction to the song, but that didn't happen. Maybe he's got something written about that in his Michael Jackson biography, which I'm eager to read. But besides that, I found this book excellent all the way through. If you're even remotely interested in Motown Records, The Supremes, and of course, Diana Ross, I think you'll truly enjoy this book. As for me, I look forward to reading more books from this author.

5 comments about At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life.

1. This is a brilliant book written by a highly intelligent and unusual woman. It is probably headed towards becoming a minor classic. Like all great books it is not easy to classify. At its most superficial it purports to be a history of the Oregon wine industry, a subject of limited interest. At another level it is a business autobiography by a woman who heads a successful Oregon winery, a subject of slightly wider appeal. Yet both levels simply form a frame to answer more eternal questions: who am I and how did I get to be who I am? At that deeper level the book may come to have a more lasting life.
   
   Emerging into adulthood in the early 1970's the author and her husband bought land in Oregon and planted grape vines which ultimately led to the Sokol-Blosser Winery. That they were in their early twenties with no business experience, no knowledge of the wine industry, and no knowledge of agricultural did not then occur to them as an insurmountable obstacle. Nearly forty years later after taking over the business from her husband, surviving the disinvestment of her brothers, droughts, rain storms, a volcanic eruption, separation from business partners, 20% interest rates, three children, a three-legged cat, recalcitrant geese, a mid-life divorce, love unexpectedly found anew, success in business and failure in politics, the author recounts with great honesty the trials and tribulations of a woman's life in the second half of the 20th century as mother, wife, and CEO.
   
   While the author ascribes the emerging success of her business mainly to determination and some luck, her intelligence and judgment shine through and provide a more convincing explanation. That no rancor invades the author's tale, despite many instances where bitterness and acrimony would be a natural response, suggests that her skill and judgment in negotiating difficult situations may have counted more heavily than simple determination. The author's seriousness is often leavened with humor. It is a book well worth reading.



2. This book, down to the "pioneer" theme,and dustjacket synopsis, seems to owe a significant debt to Louisa Thomas Hargrave's The Vineyard, which covered similar territory at a similar time on Long Island's North Fork.



3. I found Hargrave's autobiography pompous and dull, but Susan Sokol Blosser's account of building a life in the Dundee Hills of Oregon speaks to me on many levels--as a woman working in the wine industry, a woman working with her husband, a woman running her own business, and a mother. Susan turns her trials into triumphs and exercises a sense of humor along the way. From the Great Goose Experiment to the day her tearful son rides his bike all the way to school by himself, this is a story that will transport you into "The Life" of owning a vineyard and winery, with a judicial salting of reality and romance.



4. Pour a glass of Evolution Wine and kick back with this entertaining memoir. If the technical aspects of starting and maintaining a business is not a favorite reading topic there is still plenty of life drama going on that is highly readable and easy to relate to. Having lived in Oregon for 22 years and seen (and tasted) the state's wine industry mature I was fascinated with finding out the inside story. If you live in Oregon you might enjoy a few "I was there" moments when the author describes the wonderful concert series in her vineyard. Ah yes...Johnny Mathis under the full moon. Wonderful memory, wonderful book.



5. Well, except when the weather deals them an unwelcome clout....
   
   I live smack dab in the middle of wine country (California) myself, but am no vintner. And it happens I took a scouting trip to the McMinnville vicinity in Oregon last year, thinking it a prospective new home. So, when I spied the lush, green-vined cover of AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD, I was hooked and had to investigate one woman's (and her family's) experiences establishing and nurturing grapes from plant to bottle.
   
   Susan Sokol Blosser writes a chatty, wide-ranging history beginning in late 1970, when she gave birth to her first son and her then-husband Bill "closed the deal on our first piece of vineyard land." She traces the stages of the vineyard and the winery that was built later with an easy, honest style that disarms and charms. It is soon apparent that this woman is an engine of energy. During the years her three children are small, she mainly toils in the vineyard, tilling, planting, picking, spraying, fertilizing, etc. But she also finds time to join the school board and various associations. She also teaches briefly at a McMinnville college. Later, she is twice a candidate for state public office, once losing by a questionable "whisker." As the family wine business expands, so does the wine industry in Oregon. Susan and Bill do their part to uphold and promote the burgeoning reputation Oregon wine slowly acquires -- particularly its Pinot Noir which grows full-bodied in the cooler Northwest climate. In 1990, Susan takes over from Bill as president of their winery and slowly refinances and then gains full ownership of the enterprise. She changes winemakers to improve quality. She travels widely and often to see distributors and explore new markets. She modernizes the labels on their bottles and gains national attention with a blended white wine. She deals with lawsuits and legislative hurdles. She also decides to shift to organic operations and embraces sustainable agriculture. Then, in the early years of the new millennium, she decides she will focus on gradually handing over the reins of power to the son and daughter who have decided to follow their parents into the family business.
   
   While the author relates the chronology of the vineyard and winery she owns and manages, she doesn't ignore the personal side. AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD includes some cute anecdotes about farm pets, and it mentions family concerns such as her father's Alzheimer's without dwelling on them. At one point, I wondered how in the world anyone could juggle so many balls in the air -- family, business, many friendships, and political activism. Something seemed bound to tumble. Well, something did, and the author unflinchingly, and without wallowing, tackles the changes in her life after the children grew up and left the nest.
   
   For anyone who has ever considered starting up a winery, AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD illustrates the kind of commitment and fortitude such an undertaking requires. But even if you aren't planning on being the entrepreneur that all the members of the Sokol Blosser family are; if you seek stories about rural life, want to know more about the Willamette Valley, or are interested in one outspoken and undaunted woman's adventures as a corporate executive, then snag a copy of AT HOME IN THE VINEYARD and -- maybe with a glass of wine in hand -- imbibe it cover to cover.