5 comments about My Father, Marconi (Picas Series).

1. For a long time, I have studied Marconi since I am an amateur radio operator. I have visited his two stations on Cape Cod and even wrote a short web article about the first message he sent from Cape Code to England. Yet I found much new information in this book. Some of the comments tied loose ends together for me. If you are interested in early radio or Marconi, I suggest you read this book. It is paperback book size, but has a vast amount of information and pictures written by someone who knew him well.



2. I was held captive by a book that is a generous tribute of a loving daughter to her Father, Guglielmo Marconi. Degna Marconi allows us an insight into a chapter in her family history, and introduces us to the science behind her Fathers' inventions, his passion, his single-mindedness, his genius.
   Marconi grew up in Bologna, at the center of his Mother's world. Without formal schooling, bright and gifted Guglielmo was allowed to develop at his own pace. Inspired by a book on Benjamin Franklin, his imagination was fired up, and he started experimenting with electricity and passing signals across distances. Later as a young adult in Great Britain, Marconi together with a small group of dedicated and passionate men and scientists made his ideas a working reality. The rest is history, and we all are beneficiaries.
   Last summer when I stayed at Cape Cod, I took a detour and a walk at South Wellfleet. Marconi Station is no longer there, but the display tells us of messages that were relayed for the first time over great distances, between Great Britain and America. One of the early demonstrations of importance of communicating over long distances was when the signals were received, informing the world of the tragedy of the maiden voyage of Titanic.
   While most of us still grapple with understanding the way signals travel, the ideas and inventions of Guglielmo Marconi have become a life transforming reality. As a mother living in Melbourne, Australia, with a daughter in New York, and a daughter in London, I bow to the genius of Marconi. His work made it possible for us to remain close, it made the "tyranny of distance" more bearable.
   This book is more interesting than any fiction. Degna Marconi writes with literary skill that is outstanding.
   We are closer to understanding Guglielmo Marconi, the man, when we read his own words: "genius is gift of work continuously applied"
   Recommended reading!



3. Review: My father, Marconi

   What magnificant reading this is! This book is a must for those who would agree that a good biography is incomparably more valuable than even a great work of fiction. Degna Marconi has succeeded in recording her father's life with both scrutiny and filial affection. She has maintained a very high level in every aspect: what she tells us about scientific evolution in its historical context is witty, precise and fascinating whereas her personal touch never errs on the side of biased family pride. She is as good an author as her father was a man of science!
   This portrait of Marconi and his times at the beginning of the era of global communication is all the more interesing right now a hundres years after it all began.
   "My father, Marconi" should be on the shelf of anyone who prefers reflection to mere consuption.

   Susanne Regehr




4. If I had to pick the one book (and there are many out there) that best describes Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of wireless communication, this would definitely be it. This book, written by Marconi's eldest daughter, Degna, is one of the best biographies I have ever read, in part because of the enormous charisma of the subject and in equal part because of the obvious respect and affection with which he is treated by Degna Marconi.
   With only a vague idea of who Marconi was and fearing a book filled with technical jargon I picked up this book with a little suspicion at first. What a wonderful surprise! Degna Marconi's story was engaging from the first few paragraphs and rivetting up until the end. I quickly became engrossed in this fascinating story of a young man who, instead of going to university, spends his days experimenting with sending radio signals across his parents' garden, using homemade equipment and information gathered from scientific magazines, and then his tireless struggle to improve and promote his inventions which takes him first to London, then Canada, and the U.S. Degna Marconi presents the historical and scientific facts in a clear and concise manner without sacrificing detail. The work is both rewarding for those interested in science as well as those of us after a good read. Indeed, the charm of this book is that it reads like a real page turning novel. Loads of little anecdotes and commentaries colour the story without obscuring it. The reader gets a wonderful insight into a world of wealth and luxury, cut-throat competition and scientific innovation.
   The book describes the novelty and excitement of Marconi's first experiments and then moves on to describe Marconi's struggles to patent his inventions, circumvent his ever more numerous competitors and expand the range and use of his technology. In fact, Marconi emerges not only as a brilliant scientist but above all as an energetic and resourceful entrepreneur. This account of Marconi's work to establish radio as a practical and useful alternative to other more established technologies (such as the telephone) is thrilling to read and is as relevant today as it was 100 years ago. I especially enjoyed reading about the heroic radio operator who continued sending S.O.S. signals from the sinking Titanic and about Marconi's long, lonely and often frustrating struggle to establish radio contact across the Atlantic.
   Marconi's private life was no less exciting and tumultuous. The book's description of Marconi's love of the beautiful Beatrice O'Brien, his efforts to win over the undecided Beatrice and their wedding is entertaining and often humorous. The strain of Marconi's ever increasing work and fame on his family, the tragic divorce that neither he nor Beatrice really wanted and Marconi's complicated relationship with his children, especially his son Giulio, are all described with subtle and touching insight. Degna Marconi is also able to convey Marconi's charm and subtle sense of humour. Highly recommended.



5. This book by Mrs Marconi was extremely touching; we know so much about Marconi the inventor, the public figure but what makes this book so original is that it was so clearly written by someone who knew him well and loved him even more. Set side by side are descriptions of his scientific breakthroughs and very intimate glimpses of him as a person, many of them humorous and understanding.

   The book is also very well written, interesting but at the same time readable and enjoyable. I have lent my copy of the book to many of my friends.

1 comments about Miracle at Sea.

1. This is an extraordinary and well written little book that celebrates faith and family. The setting is in the early days of World War II before the US gets involved. In 1941 a missionary wife and her six children receive permission to travel to Africa to be with their beloved father. En route the Germans sink their ship, the Zamzam. But despite continuous shelling, not one soul is lost! Mother and her six children board a lifeboat that sinks beneath them. 'Just remember that Jesus loves you,' she comfortingly tells her children. I highly recommend this book. Well written with great narrative. You will not be disappointed.

5 comments about Mother and Me: Escape from Warsaw, 1939.

1. A real page turner. I couldn't put it down. Aptly described as "part Anne Frank, part "The Great Escape" and part Marx Brothers. A plum for some actress, with a range from Lorelei Lee to Mother Courage.



2. Couldn't put this book down until I finished reading it, then wished that it had not come to an end. A beautiful story of how we can do anything if we put our mind to it.
   
   I so admire and respect the strength & determination of this mother and her son.



3. Inspirational and entertaining. Julian recaptures the voice of a little boy and tells one of the great stories of WWII.



4. Julian Padowicz's perilous escape from Warsaw is an exciting adventure, made all the more engrossing because he conveys so much about his feelings and impressions of this time in his life. The young Julian, who seems at times wise beyond his years, has a wonderfully wry outlook on the varied circumstances in which he finds himself during the course of his journey. The author enables us to understand his doubts and fears, his joys and sorrows, and above all, his great need to connect with his mother. His story is truly a poignant and heart-warming chronicle.



5. Product received promptly and in good condition. I am very happy with your service.

5 comments about 44: Dublin Made Me.

1. When I bought 44: Dublin Made Me, it was primarily because my mother had been born on the same street, at No. 77, a generation before, in 1917. All I knew of the place was the stories she had told me of her childhood.
   
   As you might guess, I ended up loving the book for itself, and enjoying Sheridan's voice (I buy his other books as I find them). I fell madly in love with his entire family. However, my original purpose was satisfied anyway - Sheridan has painted a wonderful portrait of a place and a culture, which was what I'd been seeking all along.



2. Peter Sheridan gives a brave and honest account of his formative years growing up in a working class Dublin family, reminiscent of Roddy Doyle's "Paddy Clark: Ha Ha Ha." It is a deeply felt book, full of the frustrations and joys of everyday family life. His parents, in particular, are beautifully renderred. At times, I found the choppiness of Sheridan's style a little jarring, and the final chapters seemed a little rushed, but on balance, I definitely enjoyed the book, and do not hesitate to recommend it.



3. Happiness is in the eye of the individual..to me this was a tragic family life...a mother overburdened with a houseful of children and a self centered husband. All the sader for me to review since I'd read 47 Roses first and knew the father to be less than honest with family.



4. The story is about Peter growing up with his family in North Dublin and is set in the 1960's. The tightly knit family relations with his own family and those of his extended family of lodgers, which his parents took in to supplement his father's income, forms the backdrop to his story at 44 Seville Place.
   The pace of the book has the rhythm of the sixties. The short sentences beat out the rhythm of the sixties and keeps the tempo up-beat throughout the whole of the book. For those who have experienced Dublin in the sixties this book will take you back to that place and that time.
   The metaphorical pieces were very touching and masterfully executed. One example of this technique was when Peter tries to get to grips with his emotions concerning the possible loss of his brother Frankie before Frankie goes into surgery. A joy to read.
   Da is the Sun and all the minor planets revolve around him. Peter takes to his role as Mercury the messenger with great relish. There is a strong bond between father and son.
   I feel this story should not be compared to Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. A one generation step into the future in Ireland can make a very big difference in how life is experienced.
   It was a very enjoyable read whereby the need to laugh out loud in places could not be silenced. However there were places in the book where the need to cry out loud could also not be silenced.



5. As if drawn by a gravitational pull, Irish yarns seem to center on the relationship of children with their mothers. In a break from this natural order, Peter Sheridan's memoir, 44 Dublin Made Me turns to the bond of a boy with his father for its compelling tale.

   Sheridan writes about his childhood with grace and ease. Readers are catapulted into his large Irish family in 1959 from the first sentence onward.

   Peter Sheridan is a good Irish boy who enjoys school and loves the hectic life Dublin offers. His best friend, Andy, hates school but loves traipsing around the city in search of fortune.

   The two boys influence each other in both good and bad ways - Andy gets involved with the church after a stint in reform school, and Peter learns to stand up for himself. In the end though, Andy remains the rogue and Peter the goody-two-shoes.

   A steady presence throughout the book is Peter's Da. The man has his own outhouse in the garage, preaches to his family like they are his disciples and relies on his wins at the horse races as a major means of income.

   Peter is his Da's helper and is ordered to do just about every imaginable task - from climbing up an ariel on the roof to fix the TV's reception to digging holes in the garage to fix water pressure.

   When Peter's brother, Frankie, falls ill, their Da finds himself unable to cope. Peter tries to fill in for his father and be someone for his mother to rely on. After his father regains his strength, he and Peter find their friendship stronger.

   Peter also runs errands all over the city and helps out with the tenants his parents have taken in.

   One of these boarders, Mossie, plays a crucial role in Peter's life. Mossie robs Peter of his innocence, terrifies and scars him so deeply that Peter withdraws inwardly. Unable to find comfort, Peter then seeks solace at the hands of the church.

   Illness and deaths make Peter grow up quickly and 44 Dublin Made Me documents his maturation. Andy gets a girl "in trouble" and quickly marries to take responsibility for the situation. As his world changes, Peter adapts.

   Sheridan's strength is that he writes his story, which could be sad, as hopeful and happy. Rather than just have stories from his childhood strung together as some memoirs do, 44 Dublin Made Me creates a touching story.

4 comments about Village of the Small Houses: A Memoir of Sorts.

1. Written and narrated by author Ian Ferguson, Village Of The Small Houses: A Memoir Of Sorts is an hilarious and highly recommended account of growing up poor in the far north when in 1959, just ahead of the law, Ferguson's con-artist father Hank headed up north in a delapidated Mercury Zephyr with his pregnant wife, Louise. Hank got as far as isolated Fort Vermilion where he passed himself off as a teacher at the "Indian school" and settled his ever-expanding family in a house devoid of plumbing and electricity. The lively recounting of a scrappy childhood, Ferguson interweaves truth, tall-tale exag-geration, and a memorable case of growing up among lovable misfits in this 2 CD, 2 1/2 hour autobiographical account.



2. The story here is about growing up in the far north. It begins in the 1950's when a con-artist father, Hank, leaves Edmonton with his pregnant wife and eventually passes himself off at the Indian school as a teacher. Hank settles his family in remote Fort Vermilion. The cast of loveable misfits struggle with the day-to-day harsh reality of being in Canada's third-poorest community. Winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Fiction



3. I loved every page of this book. The writing is excellent and the story flows really well. There are so many moving moments in this book that I shed a tear on a number of occassions. I also laughed my head off quite a bit. What more can one ask of a memoir? Well done Ian!



4. I read Ian Fergusons `biography of sorts` on a recent visit to Canada.The book was un-put-down-able,such well shaped characters,such wonderfully evoked scenery. Full of humour and pathos. When does the movie come out?

No comments about A Young Girl's Diary: Prefaced with a Letter by Sigmund Freud.

No comments about Diary of a Little Girl in Old New York.

5 comments about Growing Up Moffett: The Rise and Fall of Innocence in a Pathos Plagued Year.

1. So, okay. Here's the deal. I made an enormous fool of myself, and it's entirely Sarah Moffett's fault. I brought this book to my son's medical appointments and read it while trapped in numerous waiting rooms. I actually made heads turn and drew the wrath of the receptionists.
   
   What did I do? Well, first, I guffawed (All I'll say is it involves square dancing and a suitor sporting Underoos. ) Then, I shrieked. (What does she mean chocolate isn't her favorite food?) And finally, I wept. Loudly. It wasn't pretty. Nope, it wasn't pretty at all and it almost got me escorted out. It was, however, well worth it.
   
   GROWING UP MOFFETT is funny, sweet, funny, tender, funny, absolutely heartbreaking, and did I say funny? My heart broke for this young girl and it cheered for the young woman she becomes. But more importantly I walked away thinking about what we do for those we love, and how it changes us all. So yes, it was definitely worth it.



2. I adored this book. From the first page through until the last, I was completely taken by the words I read. I laughed out loud several times (and earned strange looks from those around me) and I even cried. I couldn't put the book down, but I wanted to...only because I wanted the experience of reading it to last longer. Yep, that good.
   
   The story is told from the perspective of a young girl growing up in a family filled with closeness, happiness and trust. It's full of anecdotes and humor, and at some point or other will remind most any reader of their own childhood. As Sarah, our trusty narrator, grows up, so too does the tone of the story. Everything changes one afternoon with a phone call--a phone call with news of a dying family member. Suddenly death becomes a prevelant part of Sarah's world...and we watch as her outlook on life changes. Through it all though, Sarah is witty and intelligent. You can't help but identify with her as she reminds you of parts of yourself that you had forgotten about.
   
   I can't say enough good things about "Growing Up Moffett," you need to read it for yourself to see what I mean. Its one of the best coming of age memoirs I have read in...well, ever, and you'll adore it too.



3. Here's a remarkable first book by a recent college grad. Hope it isn't her last! Moffett is such a cool writer, makes this an entertaining and insightful read on some of the ecstasies and agonies of growing up in the 80's and 90's.



4. Don't you adore precocious twelve-year-olds? Their every word is so precious, so funny, so wise. Someone please tell Terry Gross about this book. It's perfect for her show.



5. Be ready to experience your childhood again! Through the eyes of a passionate, witty girl, you will recognize her challenges, successes, and losses. It's a well-balanced portrayal of the life of a young girl just trying to figure things out on her own. I loved this book, and would recommend it to everyone.

5 comments about Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods--My Mother's, My Father's, and Mine.

1. I am a great fan of using humor to deliver painful truths in writing, but this book goes too far in that direction. The writer's tone is unbearably flippant at times. She seems to hold her life and the lives of her parents at arm's length where she can giggle at it all with shoulder-shrugging, eye-rolling smirks. When dealing with her own childhood, that approach is fine, but I was taken aback by the writer's overly jokey tone when talking about her mother's adolescence and her father's painful childhood. That is probably one way of dealing with the confusion and pain of her father's life and the distance that caused in their relationship. Thankfully, late in the story, her father goes through his transformation and so does she. When her humor finally fails her, she also relaxes her frenetic "let's-play-it-for-laughs" posture. As a reader, I was relieved. All in all, this is a fascinating story about gender that raises as many questions as it answers. The writer's eye for telling detail brings her past alive, and she is one funny woman, so I do recommend it despite the snarky tone. Also, how many other people can tell this story? That alone makes this book worth it.



2. When I saw this book, I expected it to be facinating. Afterall, how could it fail? Somehow, it did for me. I was very disappointed, because I wanted to compare this family with another. A good friend of mine went though the process of changing gender from male to female and since we worked nights together, I spent a lot of time talking to her about the process. Although I did finish the book, it won't be one that I'll need to talk about. Howey seemed to have left the characters incomplete. I found the end to be rushed. Howey dealt with her major depressive episode in the last 30 pages! Not one of my favorite books and not one I'd recommend for others.



3. The true story of a woman who grew up with a cross-dressing dad, who later became a transgendered woman, is bound to be an attention getter. I picked this up expecting to get some nice shocking details about alternative lifestyles, but instead I was touched with a very complete family portrait. Howey dove deep into her mother's and her father's childhoods, their formative sexual relationships, and how they were shaped into who they were as adults. She paints a complete picture of three different transformations into womanhood--those of her mother, herself, and her father.
   
   This isn't a train wreck of a journey--the reader will come away surprised at how natural all this growth and transformation seems. Howey captures the larger attitudes and issues around transsexualism, as well as how it affected her small family. Her insight and wisdom make this book an excellent resource, and this book should be remembered as a portrait of attitudes about sexuality over the last 25 years.



4. The local school system is considering dress codes as parents today don't care what the older kids wear in public so, when I found this book at the library surplus sale, I took it without checking the contents. Was I in for a shock!
   
   This unusual memoir concerns a totally different matter. The female writer grew up in an unorthodox family situation. The photos show a normal looking childhood and ordinary people. However, there was nothing normal about their life, after a time. The last photo shows her with two women, the taller is her father Richard (now Christine) who is shown as a beauty contestant. He'd been an advertising writer and part time actor, and tried to stifle his desires with alcohol; to beat it all, he was only 5'10".
   
   He and Dinah had been high school sweethearts in Cleveland, Ohio. He kept his distance from daughter, Noelle, and she avoided being in his presence. Children know instinctively when things aren't right. She learned at the age of fourteen that her father had a real problem which they'd have to live with, or acccept whether they wanted to or not. He'd implied as much in 1962 before the wedding to Dinah, but she didn't take the warning. She heard what she wanted to hear by changing the subject.
   
   This girl lived through emotional and mental distress because of the consequences. There was never any guilt involved, only a determination to become what he wanted, no matter who got hurt. Noelle wasn't successful in sticking with anything she tried, giving up in the early days of a college education, or a job abroad, and suffered a misery only hinted at. It's a miracle she came out as "normal," with the happenings the next ten years after her mother explained the reason for the divorce. She remarried and Richard had operations to appear feminine and have his own way of living. It's sad to put that burden on an adolescent who developed a split personality in high school.
   
   She'd written an earlier book, OUT OF THE ORDINARY, with Ellen Samuels, prepping for this family revelation.



5. I bought this book in the "on sale" part of Amazon one day, because it was the cheapest book that could get me over the "free shipping" hump. I thought, "It sounds alright -- maybe I'll find time to read it one day."
   
   Well that one day happened while I was rearranging furniture last week. Dress Codes fell out of my bookshelf so I picked it up and said, "Huh! I forgot all about this book!" I sat down on my office chair and flipped to a random page in the book to see if it was any good. Six hours and a damn good story later, I went to bed.
   
   The book weaves an interesting twist of biographical stories from the view point of her parents as children, along with her own childhood story. She explores the characters in her family with depth and humor. Each chapter leaves you hungry for more.
   
   Enjoy the author's communist grandfather, socialite grandmother, goes-along-with-anything mom, and her grumpy dad with his humorous efforts to prove his masculinity!

2 comments about Low Down: Junk, Jazz, and Other Fairy Tales from Childhood.

1. "Low Down" has plenty of moments that are tragic, horrifying, horrifyingly funny. A lesser person and a lesser writer could've written it in a continuous (and unbearable) whine. Yet, thanks to A. J. Albany's pitch-perfect, mean, clean, uncompromising writing, it's instead an example of how the best art transforms the most sordid reality into something else entirely - something beautiful, pure.

   Every time I revisit this book, and I've done so several times, I'm amazed by just how lovely Albany has made her story of wasted talent (the parents) and a ruined childhood (the author's), without letting her text get bogged down by the very natural emotions of self-pity, fury, sorrow. They're there, but they're not all that's there. There's the joy of music played right, the joy of love - however twisted - expressed fully, the joy the author clearly feels at getting it all down, and getting it down right - even righteously.

   This book deserves a thousand times more attention than it's gotten.




2. Such an amazing story told in such a beautiful way that you truly don't feel 'BAD' after reading the awkward situations this young girl endored!! A completely original writing style adds to the romantic feeling of the entire book, which is a series of short stories about life in a Hardcore Hollywood, most kids couldn't even dream of. With each chapter, you expect to somehow get to the sunshine of her tormented life (ya know, like in the movies!) but, luckily, this book is reality, rather than a predictable movie and it stays true to it's "poetic integerity" throughout! Good luck putting this one down...there's nothing predictable about this book, it's truly BEAUTIFUL, somehow!