5 comments about Burned Alive: A Survivor of an "Honor Killing" Speaks Out.

1. It is highly suspenseful and I especially liked the evil telephone motif. This was back in the days before calling features when the phone still had enough mystique to sometimes in still fear.
   
   Several reviewers have impugned the credibility of this story. The basic premise, unfortunately, is highly plausible and not just confined to Muslim countries. Someone also expressed contemptuous disbelief that Souad's mother would actually suffocate her baby daughters. This story takes place about three decades ago. Today gender (almost always female) infanticide has been made obsolete by ultra-sound. In countries like India (majority Hindu) and China (majority atheist) female fetuses are aborted at such a high rate many young men have difficulty finding wives. Many baby girls who manage to make it out of the womb alive end up in orphanages. This perturbing aspect of females helping to perpetuate their own subservient status is an irony usually overlooked by readers.
   
   Burned Alive is a timeless story. This version just happens to take place in Palestine. Souad lives a very isolated and abusive life. Instead of her parents building self-esteem in their daughter, and warning her about the archetypal Humpty-Dumpty, they treat her as some sort scourge turned servant as compensation for not having been born male. She is kept locked up behind walls so that she won't escape and no one will use her. When she eventually manages to sneak out she is putty in the hands of a wily older man looking to score. He showers her with "kindness" and flattery, tells her he loves her and wants to marry her, etc. He gets her pregnant and then leaves the country for an extended vacation. It also turns out that he's already married or has a fiancée.
   
   This creates an embarrassing quagmire for Souad's family: It makes the men look like a bunch of weenies who can't control their women. It also spoils their cash crop since in many cultures the groom must pay a bride price to the male head of household. Ergo, pregnant Souad must be annihilated in order to punish her and save face.
   
   In the US murder is the leading cause of death among pregnant women, usually perpetrated by the husband or boyfriend who wants to be relieved of his paternal responsibility. Fortunately, defending one's so called "honor" is not a defense for murder. So, Charles Stuart, who fatally shot his pregnant wife and superficially shot himself blamed it on a non-existent black man. Rae Caruth denied shooting his pregnant girlfriend and if this had been prior to the advent of DNA testing he could have simply denied paternity. Scott Peterson blamed it on a band of marauding Devil worshippers. His trial was a death penalty (which is rarely carried out) case and he was convicted of two murders.
   
   I am very grateful that in America women enjoy a status, economic power, and legal protect that exceeds that of many nations. Unfortunately, these advances haven't eradicated misogyny, which fuels violence against women.
   
   FYI: For those interested in this subject I also recommend The Garlic Ballads by Mo Yan. It takes place in the Chinese countryside in 1987. A young woman, Jinju, is forced into an unwanted marriage with a much older man in order to secure a happy marriage for her older brother. Corrupt officials refuse to help her and she runs off with her true love. It is also a brutal story and its premise is basically the same.
   
   There is a website [...] that claims to have debunked this particular book as a hoax.



2. This book was a big waste of both time and money. It is absolutely the worst thing I have ever read and, for someone who is interested in and has studied Islamic culture, religion and history, this book is a complete disgrace. Yes, some things that the author maintained happened to her do really happen. BUT, she did not experience just one bad thing, but ALL of them and, quite frankly, nobody is that unlucky. And even if someone can be that unlucky, there is no way such person could just randomly be saved by some European aid worker. Not after she was left to die. Although, I, too, was skeptical about the claims that Souad's story is a fake, after reading the first 20 pages, I was sorry I didn't listen to the people who wrote the negative reviews.
   
   OK, in the words of Therese Taylor:
   
   "An important point to note is that Burned Alive is a work of recovered memory." ... "There are similarities in most works of recovered memory and unreliable memoirs. The authors' stories are extreme, they are the victims of every conceivable circumstance, and everyone they meet tends to be a sadist. Their survival is always a miracle."
   
   Also important to note is that such works are found to be fictional 90% of the time. Basically, in my opinion, this is yet another work of anti-Muslim propaganda that is becoming oh-so-popular these days. So, if you don't care about the truth, this is an excellent book for reinforcing your hatred of the entire Muslim world. But, then again, ignorance is bliss...



3. I read this book when it first came out in hardback and admit I was blown away although I am someone who is VERY familiar with the challenges so many women face worldwide. I am disappointed with reviewers who state that the book is not true and only have one question: HOW CAN YOU KNOW THIS FOR A FACT? CAN YOU PROVE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING? The truth is that you cannot possibly know and that you are simply angry and making unfair statements. Life is stranger than fiction and no one but the author of this book knows for certain, but I suspect that this story IS true. There are many people who believe that such book exposures are meant to attack a culture or a religion. This is not true. You should not take these true stories as an attack on you or your country or your culture. These are individual stories that do not reflect on you, yet should be made known. This does not mean that your culture or your land does not have many wonderful aspects. I, myself, write about women's issues and just so happen to write about the Arab world because that is where I lived for much of my adult life and that is what I know, and women from the area come to me oftentimes asking that I tell their stories. Although I write true stories of women in the Arab world, and those stories are heart-wretching, I am still aware that there are many women living happy lives in Arab lands, and that there are many wonderful things about Arab culture and lands...things that we westerners can learn from and better ourselves. But the issue of abuse on women is one that should concern every caring person. Even if most women live in safety in the Arab world, it does not mean that ALL women live without abuse. Every life is different and readers from the Arab world should be glad such stories are exposed and work to stop the abuse of women, rather than gripe when stories are made public. I am from the United States yet am not ashamed to admit that we have many abuses of women here. I myself know some professional women (doctors, lawyers) who live in abusive relationships, which is horrifying. Yet I have found that a very important difference is that women in the USA who have an abuse problem CAN seek help from society and generally will find help. Sadly, in the Middle East when a woman complains of abuse, society generally BLAMES HER for the abuse rather than the man who is abusing her! Few people will step up and try to help. Why? Because they are worried that they themselves will be targeted. Also, to expose abuse is considered a huge shame on the country. This should not be the case. No one blames an entire country for a few bad people. If anyone in the area will be honest, they will admit that abuse of women is a genuine problem. Rarely will anyone help a woman in need. The area is still a part of the world where men are more valued than women, and until this attitude changes, a lot of women will pay the ultimate price, and will live miserable lives. For example: I still have very educated Arab friends who mourn at the birth of daughters and express openly their desire for sons only. Even the educated women I know keep this attitude ongoing, which is shocking considering the fact they are women and they should work to make the status of women high. It is a huge problem. When will the world acknowledge the truth that a baby girl is no less than a baby boy, both are precious and there should be rejoicing at the birth of either. So, those of you who make statements that this story is not true, perhaps you should look around the world and know that cruelty upon women knows no bounds. I believe that anything is possible and nothing in this arena surprised me anymore. Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia;Mayada, Daughter of Iraq: One Woman's Survival Under Saddam Hussein[;[ASIN:0470067292 Love in a Torn Land: Joanna of Kurdistan: The True Story of a Freedom Fighter's Escape from Iraqi Vengeance]]



4. "Burned Alive" is an insightful account of a heinous and violent crime, that is unfortunately rather common.
   
   Souad describes thoughtfully how she was treated worse than an animal while she lived as a slave; owned by her father in a primitive West Bank Village. On a daily basis Souad was the victim of beatings and horrible abuse. Why is that?
   
   Because like virtually all third-world/Islamic States, women are property; not human-beings. Souad is nothing if not honest and brave as she describes in detail how it is a sin simply to be born female. She even describes how her mother murdered her own newborn baby daughters because of their gender!
   
   Souad was forbidden to ever speak to a man and could only go outside to work her long daily chores. When she was still a teenager one of her neighbors raped her repeatedly. She was young and vulnerable and this pig told her that he "loved" her and would "marry" her. But after Souad became pregnant this rapist abandoned her!
   
   Poor Souad goes into detail about how she tried to hide her pregnancy because she knew that it would surely mean her execution. When her family was finally aware of her pregnancy (more than 6 months,) they had her brother-in-law douse her with gasoline and set her on fire. Soaud bravely describes how this felt and how she was treated.
   
   This story is very sad, shocking, tragic but also hopeful. There are millions and millions of women who have been victims of these horrible honor murders. Souad is unique because she is a survivor. She survived her attempted murder. Her family left her for dead, but she survived. And she was able to start a new life!
   
   My hope is that this book will be passed around in the Islamic third-world villages where women are treated worse than garbage. Proper education is the solution. No one deserves to be treated the way Soaud was; there is no justification for this.
   
   Souad is a very courageous woman, not just for surviving, but for also telling her story. She still feels guilty, but if I could speak to her now I would tell her that she is a shero and has nothing to be ashamed off. Souad is a survivor.



5. This book held my interest and at times made for shocking reading. A country with beliefs so foreign to us made it almost abhorant. The true tragedy is how women in other cultures suffer and we are powerless to do anything to stop it. This book was written by a very very brave woman.

1 comments about Prophetess of Health: Ellen G. White and the Origins of the Seventh-day Adventist Hearl Reform, 30th Anniversary Edition (Library of Religious Biography).

1. As a former SDA myself who was educated in that church's school system through the first year of college, this book had a huge impact on my life. Ron Numbers is not just a disgruntled former SDA, he was SDA "royalty", related to some of the top names in Adventist leadership. He started the book with the intention of simply providing a historical context for the writings of Ellen White, and his connections within the church gave him unusually broad access to her writings and writings of her contemporary church leadership. He strikes a balanced, academic tone throughout the book and does not stoop to the axe-grinding of many former SDAs. It is my understanding in talking with several SDA friends of mine, that Ron Numbers will be invited to an Adventist History conference as a speaker. I believe anyone interested in a balanced view of SDA history needs to read this book.

5 comments about Around the World in 80 Dates.

1. Have you ever wondered where in the world your soulmate might be hiding? Maybe the reason you haven't met him yet is that he doesn't share you zip code? In fact, he may not even share your continent!
   
   In this poignant, witty, exposed memoir, Jennifer Cox attempts to answer these questions for herself. At 38, still single, a trail of failed relationships looming behind her, this editor and PR manager for Lonely Planet decides to set out from her native London on a round-the-world voyage to locate Mr. RIght. Through the help of internet searches and her "Date Wranglers" she manages to create an 80-date itinerary that spans 6 months and 18 countries.
   
   If you believe in love, fate, following your heart, and braving monsoons, food poisoning, weeks in the desert in order to find what you've always been looking for, this is the book for you!
   
   Singles and not-so-singles alike will revel in Cox's hilarious, plucky, first-person account of her international dateline trials and tribulations. Will she find true love? Will she come up empty, aside from a lot of frequent flyer miles?
   Read this engaging, inspiring, page-turner to find out!



2. Jennifer Cox could not find love in workaholic London. With contacts worldwide as a PR person for the Lonely Planet travel guidebooks, she sets out to find Mr. Right by sending out a casting call for dates, and ends up with 80 all told.
   
   As others have pointed out, she doesn't date outside her race, barring a mixed Thai-Italian man. This beautiful man is actually a model, but no sparks fly.
   
   Everyone is entitled to their tastes, but this racial restriction seems a bit staid, and amazing for a traveler. Guess her network of Date Wranglers was somewhat restricted in who they recommended to her, consciously or unconsciously?
   
   Among her Caucasian dates, she actually meets Mr. Right. After agonizing about what to do, she decides to continue her journey, and then appears to meet a second Mr. Right, a wonderful American pilot working in New Zealand.
   
   While this causes Cox emotional consternation, it fascinated me as a reader. TWO Mr. Rights in the space of fewer than 80 dates? This needs to be announced to every workaholic woman discouraged by her dating scene.
   
   Cox seems to be a one-woman demography and mating experiment, demonstrating that the very real man shortage for women in their 30s and older in Western cities can be foiled by determination, a sense of adventure, a winning personality, and the willingness to expand one's horizons. Even women without the budget to date men on four continents can take a page from Cox's book to find love on less costly or extensive adventures.
   
   Would especially recommend this book as about 10 times better than the comparable "The Year of Yes" (the author similarly takes control of her dating situation by being positive, and with a good result, but oh the drecky guys she wastes time with on the way) and "My 1,000 Americans: A year-long odyssey through the personals," which is far more depressing as author Rochelle Morton meets loads of narcissistic and married men. I suppose the lesson here is that Cox was wise to rely on her date wranglers, while Morton did far worse using the personal ads.
   
   I'm sure Cox could have found a Londoner as Mr. Right -- had they met each other traveling! A relationship counselor told me once that romance and passion require time, which no one in a demanding job has. Hence the link between travel and romance.



3. I really enjoyed this book, I love dating books, especially the one of true accounts, in diary form, and traveling out side the U.S. in search of love. This book was fast moving most of the story, but I take my hat off to anyone who is willing to follow even chase after their dreams no matter how far it takes them, it's very inspirational. The other books that I found very much alike were ... "The Bridget Jones Diary" and "The Dream Begins When I Awake."



4. I love reading people's true life accounts of their world travels - I can't afford them right now, so the next best thing is to savour the delight of living vicariously through English workaholics who take six months off work (as travel writers) to go off searching for their soulmate!
   
   It's a unique sort of mission, which makes for an enjoyable read. The author, Jennifer, obviously enjoyed herself and did some soul-searching as well as soul-mate searching.
   
   This chick lit-cum-travel log will please those who like some romance in their travel stories and some travel in their romance!



5. This book is interesting and keeps your attention the whole way through! At first I was kind of irritated at the author for not giving Olivier, the cute French guy a chance. But then towards the end of the book she starts to realize she has to let things flow and not try to control them. She seems to feel more at home in America than in Europe and starts to unwind a bit and then she falls in love! She planned her dates with no down-time at the beginning and therefore was grumpy all the time! It makes you realize how important it is to always have time for yourself alone otherwise you can't enjoy things no matter how nice they are. Better to travel to one spot and stay a while than to always be on the move and tired.
   Great book!

5 comments about It Seemed Important at the Time: A Romance Memoir.

1. Dear Gloria Vanderbilt, i am enjoying reading your wonderful book. Thank you!! sincerely,
   Joan Clement



2. The book was much shorter than I thought, and the writing was a bit too scattered, too many side notes - but good. I would average it out to be a 3.5 and you will find it funny, interesting if you know the characters or have read much about them. When you think of them as people it becomes harder to grasp, but characters seems a more realistic yardstick to use. I love Gloria Vanderbilt, I admire her and feel that she deserves applause and praise, but this one didn't do it for me. Maybe a good book to take traveling.



3. I never received this book. A notice was sent to me saying the book was unattainable at this time.



4. This book lacks depth and leaves the reader feeling that we still don't know Gloria Vanderbilt. Also, why does she give the impression that she only has one living son? What kind of mother would disregard her two older children? Very sad.
   
   A much better book on the Vanderbilts is "Fortunes Children". I recommend it.



5. It is quite irritating to read and re-read comments about Gloria Vanderbilt being unloved by her mother, her 'less than lucid' mother, or being harmed by a self absorbed mother. Perhaps those who believe these descriptions would do well to read "Double Exposure" by Gloria M. Vanderbilt and her twin, Lady Thelma Furness. This autobigraphy relates her mother's side of what happened at the custody trial (when wealthy, connected Aunt Gertrude 'won' little Gloria she no longer had an interest in her), the court allowed heresy and libel to colour testimonies and soil the reputation of mother and widow Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt as 'unfit'. Gloria M.'s own mother, Laura (little Gloria's grandmother) testified against her daughter at this trial with outrageous lies and unmotherly love. Read more about Grandma Laura's unstableness, selfishness, and self absorbsion (she left her oldest daughter at school in Paris during WW1 bombing seige). Grandma jetsetted around Europe shuttling her children to various boarding schools; she allowed her twins to move into a Manhattan apartment by themselves at age 16 to live there basically unsupervised. This was in 1922. Modern medical knowledge would most likely diagnose Grandma Laura as suffering from a neurological disorder. One wonders if it was passed down through the genes.
   Learn of Gloria M's motherly love and pain of being torn away from her only daughter and the lies spun on both sides to keep them apart. "Double Exposure" should be offered in tandem with any Gloria Vanderbilt autobigraphy. Both sides of the story should be known before one can truly pass any judgement, and even then pause and ask yourself if either one is truly glorious and deserving of gushing praise for a life of having a 'good time' and 'getting lots of lovin'.

5 comments about Minor Characters: A Beat Memoir.

1. Joyce Glassman's memoir is very well written and is truly a fascinating account. She manages to describe a scene and give the reader a glimpse of a particular era--long gone. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the 1950's, the beat generation, women in the 1950's, and New York City at that time.



2. This memoir recounting a young woman's years spent in the inner circle of Jack Kerouac is well-written and gripping enough to hold its readers' attention. Placed firmly in the center of the Beat Generation, her story teems with indecision and insecurity, the desire to get up and go, leaving responsibilities at home to see the nation and experience life.
   
   -- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens



3. This was the third book I bought at the City LIghts bookstore when I was there in 2005 or so. It was this one, a book of beat poety and a collection of San Francisco short stories. I read the beat poetry and this memoir at about the same time, which was a good way of doing so, as many of them dovetailed. I bought it for Joyce, not for Kerouac, as I'm not his biggest fan anyway and have never read On the Road. Was very impressed. It does a good job of showing the lives of the beats and how they lived and the insanity moments of them. Captured the feel of it. But sad. I liked Elise and Hettie a lot and kinda want to read Hettie's memoir too. And probably the dudes at some point too. I like when she's talking about beatnik as a commodification situation.



4. Baby boomers will recognize the freewheeling emotions and impulses described in this book about the late '50s, because these were ours in the '60s and '70s. Joyce Johnson's own transformation, and her close observations of her beat companions and the intellectual stew of NY in the late '50s, give hints of what will happen to America in the following 15 years.
   
   In particular, the author has a unique ability to articulate the feelings female baby boomers absorbed growing up, before the feminist revolution swept us away in the early 70s. As a small example, she points out how girls reading adventurous novels (like On the Road) didn't separate themselves from the guys but fully inhabited the male characters. Male narrators are not a problem for women the way female narrators can be for men.



5. I just finished reading this novel yesterday, I loved the novel and how Johnson describes life in that inner circle. I agree with other reviews, do not read this book if you're only interested in Kerouac. What I came to realise was Johnson's point of view was not only to the idea of being a "minor character" in the history it self, but the fact that women during that time frame were only considered minor characters in life. I highly recommend this novel to any.

5 comments about Accidentally on Purpose: A One-Night Stand, My Unplanned Parenthood, and Loving the Best Mistake I Ever Made.

1. Single Mom Seeking: Playdates, Blind Dates, and Other Dispatches from the Dating World
   
   I stayed up way past my bedtime to read this book, about 39-year-old movie critic Mary Pols, who knew she wanted to have a baby. But never--not in a million years--on her own.
   
   Then, there's this one-night stand with an adorable but jobless guy ten years her junior... After taking a home pregnancy test, Mary worries everything: how she'll break the news to her friends and family (five siblings and an 84-year-old Catholic father), how she'll afford single motherhood, how she'll do everything on her own, and how she might co-parent with a man (Matt) whom she barely knows.
   
   I love how Mary defines family in her memoir, and how she honestly looks at herself between the lines. I really related to her angst, late nights, and worries about the future. Simply beautiful writing.



2. I happened across this book in the library and picked it up because the title sounded interesting. I am a habitual re-reader of books I love and am harsh on starting new books due to limited time. That being said, I found Accidentally on Purpose to be a book I couldn't put down. I felt like the author was talking to me as one of my friends might talk to me telling me a story of what had happened to her. This is a wonderful story of two normal, imperfect people doing the right thing in their own way. I found the story of Matt and Mary sticking it out with each other and working through their own issues to meet their goal of parenting Dolan to be really inspiring. I'm making an effort to tell everyone I know to read the book- it's such a delight to find such a good book purely by chance. Hope to see more work by the author in the future.



3. Though I really enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons, it concerns me that Pols was so ruthless and revealing about her relationship with her son's father. Although she certainly does not paint herself as the perfect mate or parent, she is not gracious about her son's father's (perceived) failings. I just thought it brutal, and more than a little indecorous to go into such detail about their sexual behavior and how he doesn't measure up in so many ways. How unkind a picture to bequeath her son! I think the rationale that it is for "art's sake" is thin, and symptomatic of our boundry-less popular culture. Sure, Pols is honest about her own warts, but that doesn't mitigate the cruel overexposure she has subjected her son and his father to.
   
   That said, it is often funny and definitely a page-turner.



4. This is one of the few times that I have read a book based on a family I know. I grew up around the corner from the Pols and was friends/contemporaries of the older group of the six children. I do not know Mary but I certainly understand the family dynamic.
   I read this book in one day-I lauughed and I cried. I was angry with her for her lack of understandingin some situations and I was proud of her for her understanding in other ways.
   This is a painfully real, honest memoir that tells a sometimes hard story but Mary reveals so much of her soul it is hard to not be entranced and engaged. How brave to be so brutally honest about one's shortcomings and fears.
   She paints a sometimes unattractive picture of the baby's father but I do understand that she was writing about her feelings-she would not tell you that she was always fair or politically correct-it just is what it is. Her son may read the book and think she was hard on his father but I doubt that. I think that he will see the truth of his mother's struggle in bringing him into the world and how both his parents fought to make him safe and happy. It was hard and very real-I'm glad she told the story.



5. Mary Pols entered motherhood by the backdoor - at the age of forty, a one-night stand with a man ten years her junior left her pregnant. At times both hysterically funny and deeply moving, Pols writes wryly about the challenges of parenting not only her newborn son, but also his chronically immature father. From the struggles of becoming a mother to the heartbreak of losing her elderly parents, Pols has written an engaging and memorable memoir.

1 comments about Lucrecia's Dreams: Politics and Prophecy in Sixteenth-Century Spain.

1. Story of Lucrecia De Leon whose `dreams' embarrassed Phillip II and caused her to stand before the Inquisition as a heretic. Based on transcripts of her trial and other first hand documents, Lucrecia's Dreams is an important part of Early Modern Spanish history. Kagan's writing is not elegant or flowing, but few history book boast such positive attributes.

5 comments about No Lifeguard on Duty: The Accidental Life of the World's First Supermodel.

1. So, I am a fan of crazy-gorgeous-extreme model types, because they are so much the opposite of me.
   
   Take Janice Dickinson, for instance. Janice walks in a room, and everyone knows it. Maybe they smell her heady melange of booze, perfume, and cigarettes. It could be the obnoxiously loud string of foulness that always enters before she does. And perhaps it's because she's gorgeous and has those crazy -- as in substantially unstable -- eyes that demand attention in a Charlie Manson kind of way. I don't know. Whatever it is, I want it, as do millions of young ladies.
   
   So I really wanted to like this book and experience a lot of "Oh no she di'int" admiration, but mostly, I was stumbling over the lackluster, disconnected writing. Does anyone believe celebrities of her caliber -- low, that is -- really write their own material? I suppose her "writing partner" is partially to blame for the poor quality, but having seen Dickinson in action (critiquing ANTM contestants and manipulating her way through the D-list dumpster that is The Surreal Life), I don't doubt for a second that she'd have creative control and final say on the content and style.
   
   Janice does deliver some juicy bits. For example, way back when Sly Stallone was her man, Janice was regularly given mystery "vitamins" by the Rocky that, in light of recent events, may've been an early iteration of HGH. Hm. Plus there's tons of drugs and boyfriends (and girlfriends), although I could've done without the explicit descriptions of sex ham-fistedly sandwiched into random spots. (It's like she forgot she wasn't writing a Harlequin for a couple of pages.)
   
   As in other memoirs by people who shouldn't necessarily be writing any, there's the usual childhood drama blown out of proportion. Being abused is drama enough -- why add the Lifetime Movie of the Week fanfare? It feels a little... exploitative.
   
   But I suppose that's the point. Dickinson made her career out of exploitation -- of her body, the camera, other people's bodies... you name it. I appreciate the candor she shows, and no-holds-barred "outing" of celeb secrets is balanced by kind words for others (for instance, Christie Brinkley is -- or at least was -- a saint). This could've been an excellent book if only she'd taken an intensive in English composition and pulled out a thesaurus. (At least it wasn't as bad as Iceberg Slim!)



2. I must say that I truly enjoyed reading this book. There is one thing about the author that I like best and it is the fact that she is real; she tells it like it is. She has guts! This by itself makes the book worth it! I honestly believe that she shares honest and truthful tales about the modeling bussiness and her personal life. I give this book a 10.



3. This memoir delivers! Laugh out loud funny, and full of juicy show biz gossip. Janice rats out everyone in here. I like that her voice comes through 100%--it's like you are sitting with her listening to her stories over drinks, one on one. There is more to Janice's story--a darker side with a totally messed up childhood that shaped who she became. Think what you will of her, but she is never boring. A great read.



4. This book was AMAZING!!! SOOO good i thought it was fiction. A fantastic read.



5. Janice got down, dirty, and honest with this book in her tough journey to fame. However, she is an amazing woman who has survived much in life, while doing her best to thrive.
   
   Kudos Janice! Thank you for sharing a part of you with us all!
   
   A MUST read for everyone!
   
   Merna Throne
   
   Pocket of Pearls: A 30-day pocket workbook to start hearing a softer voice inside of you!

5 comments about How I Became Hettie Jones.

1. Hettie Jones' work is an important contribution to the Beat era. The Beats were avant-garde in many ways, but they remained entrenched in sexism. Sexual liberation is here frought with masculine privilege, as is drug-taking and the creation of art--men get to create, while the mothers cook, clean, and change diapers.

   However, I found the book a bit dull and unreflective. Jones seems not to have been very excited by the Beat scene or the people whom she knew. Nor does she emote a real feminist consciousness. Instead, she seems to sense that something was wrong, and hope that things will change.




2. Great books - stayed up until 3 am to finish. paid the price this morning but it was worth it.



3. I had the honor of taking both a poetry and personal essay class taught by Hettie Jones, and all I have to say, is she is just about the coolest lady I know, and since I met her before reading this memoir, it was absolutely amazing to think of all she has been through, she is wonderful and this book reflects just that.



4. 
   
   This book has it all. It's half novel, half history lesson, half
   feminist screed, and half bittersweet love story. And somehow it all
   works.
   
   
   In my first novel I wrote, "Behind every great man is a good woman he
   steals all of his ideas from". But in this case the man had his own
   great ideas, and the woman proved later with this book that she is the
   equal to the great man.
   
   
   love, Michael W. Dean



5. I am an avid reader, and I read an assortment of books, but I have never come across a book like this! Miraculously, I picked it up at a used bookshop and bought it after quickly scanning the description on the back flap. It seemed interesting, but was thrown in a corner with a bunch of other books that I promised myself I would read when I caught up on mounds of other books which seemed more important. Fast forward a few years and imagine someone literally nose in book, reading while walking, not able to put it down! This is a woman's fascinating account of life in the '50s and '60s, but that's not all. Hettie's writing style is so unique, beautiful and inspired it's a shame she hasn't written a dozen books with the same freeflowing gorgeous poetry of this one. This book actually made me laugh out loud, sob, smile, feel anger, and shame. It also made me frustrated by the injustices of the world. How can one attend school everyday from the age of five and not learn a tenth of what is taught in this slim book? Buy this for your sons and daughters, your parents, friends, teachers. It's true that this should be required reading. I would love to have a conversation with this wise woman, but in the meantime, this book is as close to that as one can hope for.

4 comments about Education of a Woman: The Life of Gloria Steinem.

1. I have admired Gloria Steinem since I came to this country in the 70's to go to college. She has had to make some tough choices in her life and I respect her greatly for the path she took. I particularly liked to read about her early years, her childhood and family, prior to the more public New York life of the sophisticated writer and feminist persona she became. After reading this book, I feel that I understand much better where her strong motivation came from. The author deserves much praise for this biography.



2. Growing up in the early 80's, I had a vauge idea who Gloria Steinem was and what she did. I was delighted to pick up this book and read the first (and probaly most accurate)book on such a revolutionary leader.

   Denounced by the extreme right and extreme left, Steinem's life has taken her from Ohio to Massachusetts to India, Washington DC and NY. Having cofounded Ms. the National Women's Political Caucus, the Women's Action Alliance and Voters for Choice, Steinem is truly an example of a good role model.

   Heilbrum's superb prose takes us into the infamous resentment born by Betty Friedan and Kathie Sarahchild. Although both of these women are famous in their own right, their inexcusable and childish tantrums undid their own feminist reputation without any help from Steinem. Also deserving of their repuation is Betty Harris who's paranoid delusions and lax work ethic jepordaized the working environment at the early MS. Steinem is a saint for having dealt with these crazies and still keeping cool.




3. A sympathetic biography of one of the most famous leaders in the women's movement. According to Heilbrun, Steinem's beauty and ability to remain constantly in the public eye have been a constant source of irritation to other feminists. She presents Steinmen as a slightly naive, well-intentioned and empathetic individual who never intended to lead the feminist movement and indeed would have preferred remaining in the shadows as a reporter and writer.



4. I read this book nonstop while on a lengthy car trip. I found it to be incredibly interesting, informative, well-researched, and enjoyable to read. If you've ever wondered how Gloria Steinem got to be the icon that she is, this book explains it all. Whether you are researching Steinem or just looking for an interesting non-fiction, this book is for you!!