4 comments about On the Edge: My Story.

1. I listened to the audiobook. It's an interesting story. If you're a fan of the Hamster, you'll love hearing him read this.



2. It is a rare thing in today's world that you find a true gentleman adventurer. His story is a great read and yet still very touching. The nice guy you see on Top Gear doesn't seem to be an act, he really is a genuinely nice guy with a beautiful family.



3. I bought this book based on the rave reviews it had received upon release in Britain and expected, as a fellow reviewer here noted, an autobiography. Which it is, but not in the 'traditional sense', if one can say that.
   
   It describes Hammonds childhood adventures dreaming about being Evil Knivel and doing stunts on his bicycle, but it mostly focuses on the great crash that he had in "The Vampire", a rocketpropelled, 10.000 horsepower dragster and the subsequent hospitalisation and recovery.
   
   It was co-written by Hammond and his wife Mindy (seeing that there were a couple of black spots in his memory after the accident), which gives the volume a different aspect from normal biographies, which, in my opinion at least, is a good thing in the sense, that we get both sides of the story. Not something often available in auto biogs.
   
   It does however also shift focus away from the biography part to the accident part, which, granted, is the most interesting part, obviously, but not what the book 'advertises' (if one can use such a silly and completely stupid word in this connection). That is, however, a tiny problem, and indeed a problem that is mine entirely.
   
   A true problem though, in my opinion, is the style of writing. I know, that this is one of the things that has won this book such good reviews, but in my opinion it is not a bonus, but a subtraction. The writing style is more suitable for romantic novels, not autobiographies. Especially the portions written by Mindy Hammond are staccato to the point of distraction. Far too many short sentences filled with too many emotional words (I know she describes her at the time quite wild emotions, and that this is necessary, but too much of a thing is seldom good. I think it could have been frased better). It does really seem to my eye to be a style of writing more suited to romantic fiction than biogs. And this bothers me. It subtracts rather than adds.
   
   There are also a couple of factual things, that seem at odds with other accounts (not of the hospital or the crash, but facts in the perifery of things). These may of course be the truth, and the other accounts false. Moreover it does at times simply feels to short. Not enough pages. Especially of the therapy afterwards. I think that maybe the book was written a bit too soon. If they'd waited another year or so they'd have a lot better perspective on things. Although it is a very honest and candid account of things, I think there are many things, especially in the aftermath, that are left unsaid. Also it would've been nice with an account of how Hammond was/is coping with returning to Top Gear. A thing he has talked about recently in interviews in Britain.
   
   All in all, it's not a bad book, just not all that I expected it to be.



4. I was expecting an auto-biography; instead, I found a compelling account of suffering a brain injury, recovering from that injury, and - most movingly of all - living with and loving someone with a brain injury. The searing honesty, and the often black humour, shown by both Richard and Mindy Hammond shows that theirs is a marriage that can survive anything life throws at it. This book ultimately is about hope, and it certainly puts my little gripes about life into perspective. A great read.

5 comments about Iron and Silk.

1. Sometimes travel books can come across as "looking down" on the locals for their backwards and silly ways. This book shines in quite the opposite direction. Mark Salzman does an admirable job of telling about the challenges of his years in China in the 1980s, when China was still getting used to having Westerners within its borders. He encounters numerous bureaucratic hurdles, faces them with diligence. He meets many smart and wonderful locals and appreciates their talents. He realizes that many things he took for granted - electricity that always came on, a steady supply of food, mail service that delivered on schedule - were not to be assumed here.
   
   The book is very well written. There were numerous parts that I laughed out loud at, and then read it to whoever was sitting near me at the time. There were other sections that were very sad. A woman commits suicide and everybody is worried that her children will suffer - her suicide is a crime against the Party, and her children will be punished as somehow not having properly prevented it.
   
   There are many stories that illustrate a variety of differences between how Mark (and most Westerners) would interpret a situation, and how the Chinese do. It is fascinating to see him stymied by cultural misunderstandings, figuring his way around taboos and rules. A Westerner might say "Well why not just do XXXX and get it all done with?" But to the Chinese, it is far more proper to do things in a very different way.
   
   One story that stuck with me involved a Chinese person trying to explain to Mark why the Chinese are so patient and accepting. The Chinese person said: once there was a farmer who had his horse run away. People said "how awful" but the farmer did not worry about it. Then the horse came home with a whole herd of friends. People said "how lucky!" but again the farmer did not react. Then the farmer's son broke a leg training one of the new horses, and people said "how awful" - but the farmer did not mind. Then the army came looking to drag away recruits for the war, and the son was safely ignored. This story was an example of why short term ups and downs should just be accepted as part of life's long term path.
   
   Highly recommended for anyone interested in the Chinese culture.



2. This memoir is light and humorous and a wonderful way to learn about Chinese culture.



3. This was how Mark Salzman's students thought of him in China. His account of his time spent there in the early 1980s is a fantastic journey in and of itself. His narrative style is intriguing as he does not probe into the thinking of the Chinese people that he encounters day to day. He presents his experiences always on the surface and rarely speculates on the speakers intentions. Even though he is fluent in Chinese he does not seek to offer insight in the mindset of the culture he lived; he only reports it. Although such dialogue may sound superficial and trivial it is not. Salzman draws us into the events by merely presenting his encounters with his Chinese friends and acquaintances, and chance meetings. So powerful are the stories that the words and actions of the individuals portray an honesty and passion that is captivating.
   The uniqueness of everyday Chinese thinking he faced for two years is inherently surprising, delightful, curious, odd, shocking, and hilarious.This was truly a memorable account of a young man who came not only to teach but to learn as well.



4. "Iron and Silk" is a delightful book and film. I had the pleasure of reading the book awhile ago; but was delighted to see the film in a local Asian film festival in my community.
   
   The author Mark Salzman plays Mark Franklin in the movie of the same name. It is a memoir (a true story) of Mark's travel and teaching experiences in China (Changsha, Hunan Province). The events took place during 1982 - 1984 and Mark became as much of a student of Chinese life, martial arts, calligraphy, tai chi as he was a teacher of the Middle Aged English Teachers (a group of Chinese Russian teachers at the Hunan Medical College who had been told to forget Russian and now learn English).
   
   Mark always wanted to be a Kung Fu master growing up, and he took lessons from a local teacher; but always felt like the smallest kid on the block. From a young age, he loved all things Asian. His mother was a musician and his father a social worker; but he found that he had developed an exceptional talent for the cello. He was admitted to Yale at 16 because of his cello expertise; but soon decided that he would major in Chinese languages and philosophy (again not much of a surprise). As part of a Yale program, he found himself traveling to Changsha, Hunan Province, China to teach English to a group of Chinese Russian teachers who were being asked to retrain. For two (2) years he lived, taught and learned a great deal in China about the Chinese people and also about himself.
   
   He always wanted to study martial arts from a true wushu master and was fortunate enough to find as his teacher, the grand master himself: Pan Qingfu (known as the Iron Fist). Pan was the best in the world and was known as the Iron Fist because he punched a heavy iron plate 10,000 times a day! Mark was also learning Tai Chi and Chinese manners and etiquette from Teacher Wei and calligraphy as well from other teachers.
   
   Mark soon found that "as a student in America, he had searched for ancient wisdom, as a teacher in China, he learned to find it in himself." Mark Salzman, when interviewed, stated: "Learning about another culture doesn't mean you have to reject your own, It allows you to see yourself from another perspective, see your good side and your bad side and appreciate what you have." Some will say that the book and the movie focus on martial arts and in part that is one of the major themes; but the blending and the co-existence of the two cultures in the classroom and in social interactions is illuminating.
   
   There are many humorous and philosophical revelations in both the book and movie. Telling Mark that he has a big nose by saying, "You have a very 3 dimensional face"...is probably the most diplomatic way of stating the obvious. Mark might have been able to name the book, "Let's Make a Regulation" if he wanted to only focus on the difficult aspects he faced in being a foreigner living in China. The Washington Post reviewed that "Salzman demonstrates with skill and subtlety just how China society works."
   
   This Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1987 is dated; but describes the undercurrent that still exists in part today. The movie's script stayed true to the book; yet the movie was shot in Hangzhou and not Changsha. Make sure to stay for the vignettes and movie credits at the end; they are another joyful experience of the film and you will not be disappointed that you waited. Mark found out that happiness was not a simple thing in China and though he valued being well liked and mastering a skill; his Chinese friend felt that "these goals can be achieved easily. All you have to do is to be kind and work hard. But to eat and sleep well that is a difficult wish, because you cannot control these things yourself."
   
   One interesting note is that on the last night of the shooting of the movie, the brutal crackdown occurred in Tiananmen Square (June 3, 1989).
   
   I loved this book and the movie and the delight that two very different cultures shared in learning about each other. All that I can say is "very well done" (Manhaodilei!)
   
   Mark really learned Qong Fu: a skill that transcends mere surface beauty!
   
   Bentley/2007
   Iron and Silk



5. I've seen this movie some 15 years ago and very much enjoyed to see it again.

5 comments about Red Azalea.

1. 
   From the start of the book the reader is enveloped with several odd concepts and aspects of communism and the Chinese culture that many may find simply odd. This is one of the books most fascinating qualities that make it partly likable. My problems with the book come primarily from Min's raw and almost poetic writing style. At times her simple sentence structure was a major drawback that led to a choppy feeling and rough delivery. I felt that her memoir would have been more appealing if she had spent less time dwelling on descriptions that were in many cases not necessary. Overall this book in my opinion deserved three out of five stars. I will undoubtedly recommend this novel to others for the reason that this story is one of a kind and at many points heartwarming.



2. Red Azalea is a compelling memoir, even though the writing is not always engaging. The prose relies on simple declarative sentences and often seems stilted. One observation follows closely upon another; thus, a description of setting might be followed immediately by a description of mortal danger, all in the same even, subject-verb syntax. You feel like you are reading a translation, and, in a sense, you probably are, since Anchee Min knew no English when she came to the U.S. in 1984, although the memoir was written in English. (Red Azalea was published in 1994.) Interestingly, she does not use quotation marks for a character's speech, but does use them for the numerous quotations from Chairman Mao, which has the effect of making Mao a powerful presence in the book. Two things make the book compelling. One is the sheer force of the events of the Cultural Revolution, particularly Min's depiction of her childhood and of her time on Red Fire Farm. The other is her eye for detail, like the bright red underwear hung out to dry in the spartan barracks of the collective farm. Min's recollections of sexual repression (and expression) during the Cultural Revolution are interesting. Such sexual puritanism is exactly what George Orwell's character Julia rebels against in the totalitarian society of his novel 1984, written in 1949, the year Mao came to power.



3. I'm not really sure what to make of this book. It was very powerful and personal. It's unlike any other book i've read because it something that has actually happened. The events in the book are mind blowing in a way that makes you want to keep reading. I would reccomend this book for someone who is ready to read a story that can overwhelm you.



4. I finished the book in 2 days...I could've finished it in one but I'm a student so I couldn't finish it as early as planned. However, I love this book! I love Anchee Min..she is definetly my favorite author. I bought almost all her books. One of the book I really liked is Empress Orchid.



5. Having read Empress Orchard I found this written in a more juvenile way. Perhaps the author was a younger and less sophisticated writer at the time. Good, but not fantastic

No comments about In Spite of Myself: A Memoir.

5 comments about Two or Three Things I Know for Sure.

1. Dorothy Allison's Aunt Dot said she only new two or three things for sure and added, "Of course,they are never the same things." This slim volume, a family history memoir, celebrates the way that women know and affirms that what women know is different from what men know. Allison not only tells an engaging story, she tells her story with clear compassion for all concerned. That doesn't mean she hedges around about the truth. It means that one of the things she knows for sure is that "if we are not beautiful to each other, then we cannot know beauty in any form." Compassion goes along with being beautiful to one another. This book is both honest and forgiving. and as such reminds us to look with an open heart on our life circumstances. Don't compound the hurt or the suffering with hate suggests Allison in a mere 94 pages. I suspect most people will want to read this book more than once. I pull it out when when I feel my heart closing and each time, the thing I come to know is never the same thing.



2. "Let me tell you a story," is how the author of BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA begins her autobiographical journey, alerting the reading audience from the start that she is a storyteller first and foremost above all else: above her being a woman, a daughter, a sister, a lesbian, a survivor. Indeed, she creates and tells stories in order to better define those qualities she has, the labels she possesses, and with an effort towards cleansing her soul of ugliness in favor of beauty and hope.
   
   Originally designed as a performance piece, that she staged in San Francisco at The Lab in August of 1991, Allison reworked the spoken narrative into this flowing, written memoir.
   
   There are many inspiring, defiantly unsentimental portions of the book, which serve to display Allison's valiant attempts to heal herself while becoming an artist. Unfortunately, there are also Anne Lamott-type lapses into cliche and sap and faux-inspiring writing that fails to ring completely true. The pictures of Allison and the family she writes about that accompany the book are vivid and add an even greater genuineness to the text.
   
   A scene that encapsulates the tone of the book, as well as describing Allison's life-long struggle and that of the girls and women she loves, appears near the end of the book, when Dorothy is visiting her sister and pre-adolescent niece. "I looked into my niece's sunburned frightened face. Like her mama, like her grandmama, like her aunts -- she had that hungry desperate look that trusts nothing and wants everything. She didn't think she was pretty. She didn't think she was worth anything at all." Heartbreaking, real and a truth that haunts the women in Allison's family from generation to generation until... when? That's a question that the author refuses to deal with, probably more out of fear for its answer than anything else.
   
   On a side note, I saw Allison appear live at an event in Orange County in 2006. She was fiery, profane, fearless, and struck me as a serious truthseeker with a motivating message for aspiring writers and aspiring humanists. I was at first taken aback by her brashness, her unapologetic stance about people and politics and education. But as she continued on, she became less guarded, more sympathetic, and ultimately more loving than someone who's seen so much hatred and so much abuse should be expected to be. She was, truly, an inspiring figure up there on the stage.



3. Dorothy Allison:
   No one has put the struggle to be human in terms as stark, alive, and
   desperate and uncertain.
   
   This book is necessary because it reminds even those who don't want to believe it that we are in that terrible, possibly beautiful and desperate place--just trying to get our leg muscles to work, or our hearts.



4. Done originally as a theater piece, "Two Or Three Things I Know For Sure" is moving, a quick read, and educational. In other words, it's everything you'd expect from one of our finest contemporary writers. I didn't see it when it was performed as a show. As a memoir, it is very good. My only criticism is -- and it is not so much as a criticism as a wish -- that I wanted to know more, especially about Allison's Aunt Dot and her mother. The book is generously illustrated with photographs of Allison and her family through the years. There is a piece in the book family photographs in a box, pictures of relatives Allison knew little, if anything, about. I would have loved if that section were expanded upon, and maybe to have seen some of the photos. Succinct and thought-provoking (not to mention heart-tugging), this short book makes for a valuable reading experience.



5. I bought this book because the author's books `Skin' and `Trash' are spotlighted in the anthologies `Courting Pleasure' and `Lovers: love and sex stories' by Tee A. Corinne. I enjoyed them both tremendously and sought out this book.
   
   From the back of the book - [...] Out of Carolina, nominated for the 1992 National Book Award for fiction, introduced Dorothy Allison as one of the most passionate and gifted writers of her generation. Now, in Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, she takes a probing look at her family's history to give us a lyrical, complex memoir that explores how the gossip of one generation can become legends for the next.
   
   Illustrated with photographs from the author's personal collection, Two or Three Things I Know for Sure tells the story of the Gibson women -- sisters, cousins, daughters, and aunts -- and the men who loved them, often abused them, and, nonetheless, shared their destinies. With luminous clarity, Allison explores how desire surprises and what power feels like to a young girl as she confronts abuse.
   
   As always, Dorothy Allison is provocative, confrontational, and brutally honest. Two or Three Things I Know for Sure, steeped in the hard-won wisdom of experience, expresses the strength of her unique vision with beauty and eloquence.
   Lambda Literary Award: Finalist

5 comments about Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend.

1. I think back to some of the Westerns I watched on TV many decades ago. "Wyatt Earp," with the theme song's words, "Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, Brave courageous and bold." Or Bat Masterson, "He wore a cane and derby vest. . . . They called him Bat, Bat Masterson." One thing in common with both? John Henry "Doc" Holliday.
   
   This is a detailed biography of Doc Holliday, the notorious gambler and gunman of the West (called Doc because he was a dentist who, from time to time, actually earned his keep by plying that trade, although gambling seemed more compelling to him!).
   
   He died young, at age 36, of tuberculosis (how many readers recall some actor playing Doc Holliday with an ever present cough, signifying his ailment)? Gary Roberts, the author, notes that Holliday has an elusive element to him. He notes (Page 3): "Yet the measure of the man remains incomplete." Roberts does yeoman work pulling together what is known about Holliday--but there are gaps in our understanding of the man. He notes that (Page 5) "This work, then, is not the final word on the life of Doc Holliday. . . ."
   
   The book begins, in standard fashion, of examining the character's youth. He was a southerner, and his family moved when he was young to get out of the way of Sherman's march to the sea. As a young man, he studied dentistry at the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery. Then, after a time working as a dentist, he moved westward, for reasons not completely ascertained. Surely, he had come to know that he suffered from "consumption," but that probably was not the sole reason for his peregrinations.
   
   The book goes on to detail his life in the West, wandering from one place to another (one almost gets weary at the travels of Holliday and his companions, including the Earp brothers). There is the tale of his saving Wyatt Earp's life in Dodge City, of his move to Tombstone (where he took part in the famous battle at the O. K. Corral), of his gambling, of his turbulent relationship with Kate Elder (possessor of several names), of his work as a "shootist." His many entanglements with the law (while sometimes serving with the law, to make things more confusing!).
   
   Then, his last few years, with some peaceful and some not so peaceful moments.
   
   All in all, a good biography, although sometimes one can get lost in the details and even though sometimes one wonders if a single individual, suffering from tuberculosis, could have wandered so widely across the land. Nonetheless, a good starting point of the reader wants to understand a bit more about this rather mysterious historical figure.



2. Given that Doc Holliday left virtually no record of his own behind, Roberts has done an amazing job of researching and piecing together this detailed portrait of Holliday's life, those whom he encountered and the worlds he inhabited. Copiously footnoted but eminently readable, Roberts' book uncovers some of the man inside the legend. Highly recommended.



3. Doc Holliday books always suffer from the well-known fact that Doc left absolutely no written record of his own. He is, as has been noted, known only through the eyes of others. Some of his contemporaries, like Bat Masterson, are probably accurate in their appraisals. However we can never know much more about Doc himself unless something that he wrote shows up. And, it probably never will. The letters from him to his cousin are probably all gone. So we are left with a bunch of facts that we can rearrange and interpret all we want, without any guarantee that we are any closer to the truth. The author of this latest book does a good job of arranging and stacking what is known about Doc, and does a nice job of interpretation. I liked his ideas about Doc's gravesite, but wonder about the pictures...a couple of them don't seem to be of Doc (are they generally accepted to be, or not?). The author also does a nice job of questioning, appropriately, some truths that have been more or less accepted with little proof over the years (like Doc riding alone across the High Plains). A final comment: this book is dry, but is written in such a way that readers can make their own interpretations about Doc and his motivations, character, etc. Overall, a good, worthy addition to the Doc library; unless something new is discovered, this book will give you everything there is to know about Doc Holliday.



4. This is a truly masterful work. I bought it as I was interested in Holliday and the development of the West. What I found was an historical book with much about the society, economics and culture of the mid-19th Century South, as well as the rapid migration to the central and Southwest. Facinating and exceedingly entertaining and informative.



5. I was given this book as a gift. I enjoyed the movie Tombstone back when I was in college, and Doc Holliday certainly is a colorful Western outlaw. So I was really looking forward to reading this book to get the facts behind the legend. While I think the author did an admirable job researching the book, I felt his text was too dry much of the time. I couldn't understand how an author could take an exciting outlaw who interacted with so many famous characters and write out the story in a way that made me picture a monotone college professor speaking. Back in the 1990s I read John Myers Myers biography of Doc Holliday and I remember enjoying it much more. Maybe it wasn't as well researched or documented, but it was definitely more lively.

5 comments about Mouse Trap: Memoir of a Disneyland Cast Member.

1. I have a couple of the other books Kevin Yee has published and they are not much better than this one. I enjoyed several aspects of Mouse Trap in terms of some of the behind the scenes bits and pieces of Disneyland, like the pranks the cast members played and Disney setting out to break the world record for hula hooping. The trivia aspects of it were quite interesting.
   
   However, I found the on stage/backstage "tour" part to be horribly tedious and very difficult to follow. I was an annual passholder for five years and am fairly familiar with the layout of Disneyland. That being said, I had a terrible time following what he was saying in terms of trying to provide a written "guided" tour of these areas and found myself skipping over some parts because they were so poorly written.
   
   I think that Yee had a very good premise going but the Disney University part of the book also got a bit boring in terms of the management tactics he was taught. This chapter basically focuses on what makes good customer service, which most people will be familiar with if they have ever worked in a customer service job.
   
   My other complaint is the cost of this book. I thought for $18 the book would be hard cover. I guess I missed that in the product description. Overall, I think if you are a die hard Disney fan this book is worth reading but you should try to obtain it for less money. Yee is a good writer when he is writing about something he is clearly passionate about but when he is focusing on more technical aspects his prose seems to fail. I did not feel like I wasted my time when I finished the book, I was just a bit disappointed since I was expecting something a bit more like David Koenig's Mouse Tales, which is far more interesting.



2. The reviewers who trashed this book because it tells the story of being a Disneyland cast member in a non-magical way are missing the point. This IS what working at Disneyland is like. I know, I was also a long-time cast member and believe me it is not all fun and fantasy. I held the same position as the author although in a much more frantic location and I can vouch for the accuracy of his account of how it works. If you think you can walk in and get a job as Mickey Mouse, wake up. You're far more likely to end up in food service or shops than one of the glamour jobs. So, if you really want to know what goes on behind the scenes, this is it. The book is probably more suited to former cast members than the general public, but I enjoyed it. If you think Mr. Yee's account of the park is too harsh, you should hear what the rest of us have to say!



3. I heard of this book on MiceAge, a website I read religiously.
   
   I live in Wyoming so insiders news of Disneyland is a little more difficult to come by, even with the internet.
   
   I absolutely love Disneyland and have taken my family there every year for the last 18 years. I mention this since it sets the stage for why I like this book so much; in my opinion the book is best read by someone who is a fan of Disneyland, who enjoys information about the place, well beyond that needed to visit.
   
   This is one of those books that I simply could not put down once I started reading. Yee gave so many fun and interesting insights to his experience as a cast member, that the book satisfied the curiosity I have had about "backstage" Disneyland and for many years.
   
   The pinnacle of the reading for me was the well-thought-out description of all the backstage areas. Yee did an excellent job taking you visually from one area to the next, and even includes well detailed maps with a legend. I must be quite the Disneyland nerd because I was genuinely fascinated by all of this. Of course, Yee's energy is hard to resist. The next time I go to Disneyland, I will see things with a different eye.
   
   There were only a couple of things I did not care for as much about the book. First of all, the work needed some attention from a professional editor. The grammar and wording worked, but did not have the level of eloquence that the uniqueness of the content deserves. Also, I did not care for the "hormones" section at the end of the book which reminded me of the kind of book which describes the "wildlife" of college aged people. While I am sure the information is accurate, it was not necessary and served only to detract from this work.
   
   Finally, if you are a dedicated Disneyland fan, I highly recommend this book. I absolutely loved it and will keep it for reference from this point on.
   
   A thanks and nice job to the author and please, keep writing books as I have purchased and enjoyed all of them you have written.



4. I am suprised on the bad reviews. I absolutely did not find this book boring, but engaging and a quick read.
   
   If you have read Mouse Tales and More Mouse Tales, you will enjoy this book. Whereas Koenig writes heresay stories, Kevin Yee has written a first hand account on a slice of Disneyland life.
   
   I will admit that the first few pages the naration seems to jump around, but Yee's style is not chronological, but brings one into the life of being a cast member. Starting with his interview, "casting" in Disney-speak, Yee introduces what many current and ex-cast members remember as orientation, indoctrination, or even brain washing. Moving on to Disney University, this is a rare glimpse into how Disney maintains the high standards we all expect.
   
   Further along, we learn why Yee, obviously a very intelligent man who could earn significant more money outside of Disney, remained at Disneyland for so long. He writes about the tight knit community, the "family" of his coworkers, and how Disney was not just a job, but can become a way of life.
   
   After many mini-stories about working at Disneyland, including a very poignant story about working the vacant resort on September 11, 2001 (Kevin, if you read this review, thank you for your thoughts and experiences that day), Yee talks about escaping the mouse trap, may be for his last time.
   
   If you ever want to experience a slice of life of a cast member, get this book.



5. It actually pains me to actually write a bad review on this item because Yee is so enthusiastic about telling his story. However, I actually felt cheated out of three days of my life, that I spent reading this book.(I continued reading it out of sheer morbid curiousity) I have Yee's other two books and found them to be very entertaining and informative. I expected more of the same. I was looking very forward to this book and actually pre-purchased it. Kevin Yee makes an honest effort in this book; I just think that perhaps he's not a very exciting person. He was a lead in a New Orleans Square restaurant. The book is centered on his microcosm of Disneyland. I'm not sure there could be a more boring area of Disneyland to chronicle than the restaurant division. The book describes mundane details of the behind the scenes areas, none of which is exciting. (I don't really care how you go about exchanging pants at the costuming counter.) Yee also uses so many codes and acronyms, that I felt I needed a decoder ring. I expected hidden secrets of Disneyland, or maybe some behind the scenes dirt. (Something like the book Mouse Tales. Which is a worthwhile purchase) What I got was to see what Kevin Yee's timecard looks like, and what a performance review looks like. Yee actually kept all of these items and pictures them in his book. (kind of weird) This is more Yee's auto-bore-ography than it is about Disneyland. It was a huge disappointment. In the final chapter of the book, Yee even states "There are thousands of CMs and former CMs that have more interesting anecdotes than I do, and I hope this book inspires them to record their stories as well." It's almost as if Yee knows that the book is terrible and this is his way of apologizing. I wouldn't waste my time with this book.

5 comments about The Good Fight.

1. While I enjoyed Senator Reid's narrative of his life experiences (growing up in Searchlight, his education, his religious conversion, his career as a Las Vegas attorney, and his time spent on the Nevada Game Commission), I was disappointed with the events he shares during his time in the Senate. He repeatedly descends into partisan politics and hyperbole. For example, he writes that, "George W. Bush will rank among the worst presidents--if not the worst--in the history of our country." While I do not agree with much of President Bush's tenure, Reid's assessment is disrespectful, mean-spirited, and certainly over the top. I also read Clarence Thomas' biography, My Grandfather's Son, who admirably avoids this type of bashing. Reid spends 6 pages (a bit much) discussing Jim Jeffords change in party affiliation. He praises Jeffords for his "act of bravery". It seems it would have been braver for Senator Jeffords to resign his senate position since he felt he could no longer represent those who voted for him.
   
   Reid is quite candid about some of his personal failings, but he does not mention how he has personally benefited from his powerful position. What about his land deal? Or how his son and son-in-law were generously paid as special interest lobbyists? Positions they would not have enjoyed had they not been related. What about his several other embarrassing missteps?
   
   As someone who shares a religion with Senator Reid, I had hoped he would do a better job explaining why I should not doubt his honesty or integrity. It seems to me he merely represents why so many of the American public are dissatisfied with their elected officials.



2. Harry Reid came from a totally non-religious, squalid background in the tough Nevada mining town of Searchlight. His father, a miner, abused both alcohol and his wife. Reid and his brothers "took him down" once to stop the abuse. Eventually, Harry rose through hard work, 75 to 80 hours per week, and, with some networking help, became a lawyer.
   
   His parental home, a shocking shack far worse than Elvis Presley's parental shack in Tupelo, Miss., had no equivalent in most advanced nations in '39, the year of his birth. The question that immediately arises is why does Reid fail to address the fact that slum houses were so prominent, so widely dispersed across the U.S. at that time and still constitute, at the present, a major feature of slumerica. Here arises a subtle theme of Reid's book, namely, one works oneself out of slumerica, but one doesn't understand why slumerica continues. Reid never once focuses on this issue. Instead, he uses it for grandstanding, for hooking onto the log-cabin-to-the-White-House myth, the Horatio Alger myth, the aspirational sentiments of most in spite of the fact that downward mobility is the reality of many Americans far more than in most advanced nations. (See the number of university educated people living in marginal trailer homes or having jobs that are performed by grade-school grads in other nations or check economic research summarized in "The Economist" re upward mobility among the poor in the EU being far better than in the U.S.)
   
   Reid values education, but it was of the type that is used for career advancement, for escaping the slum and squalor of slumerica. In spite of becoming credentialed, he failed in being educated. He absorbed and never weaned himself of the crude values of the coarse and tough mining town. He revered turning out for football and boxing and adulated coaches. Yet, in the absence of ethical-philosophical growth, the true qualities of becoming educated, he never once (like autobios or even scholarly accounts of Nixon, Ford, LBJ, Eisenhower, etc.) focuses on becoming educated. Turning out for football and boxing and being subordinated to the exploitative bureaucratic processing of sports bureaucracies is all dominating. Reid does not grasp that organized sports bureaucracies have bludgeoned the educational system. Coaches at many universities may earn 2 to 8 times more than their presidents and academic corruption related to sports is epidemic across the U.S. It is crucial to grasp the fact that senior American politicians totally avoid this issue and cannot even admit it nor understand it nor reform it. In this sense, Reid is like the ones he correctly criticizes, namely, Bush, Rumsfeld, et al.
   
   Like Bush, Reid has a history degree and like Bush exhibits few signs of having learned the wisdom of history. Instead, as most senior politicians, he perpetuates the myth of the "Great Country," the myth of U.S. soldiers being "the most thoughtful" and "poised 18 year-olds anywhere." (He needs to read Chalmers Johnson, et al. and look at comparative crime rates of U.S. bases abroad, for a start). Above all, he adheres to the invalid and dangerous notion--which one doesn't find in most nations--that the military dispenses liberties. While advocating not using the Yucca site for nuclear storage, he evades completely how nuclear tests and other military activities have spread nuclear contamination and toxicities not just across his home state Nevada, but across all of the U.S. so that the clean-up cost will bludgeon the living standard and tie millstones around the necks of all U.S. taxpayers--if such contamination can even be cleaned up. Amazing how he is totally unaware that military-derived poisons across the U.S. have become a noticeable cause of diseases and deaths.
   
   After marrying, Reid embraced religion though he does not tell why, leaving the suspicion it was, as is the case with many politicians, for political posturing. He entitled his book "The Good Fight" which may have been derived from the Bible though it may also echo his coarse background and patronizing boxing fights of Mohammed Ali in Las Vegas' ambience.
   
   Nevertheless, Senator Reid acquires unquestionable moral stature in the direction of Fulbright during the Vietnam era when he, with sincerity, exposes, criticizes and tries to correct Bush's massive deceptions, violation of laws and war crimes. This is THE crucial and most important issue and here Reid redeems himself successfully.
   
   But again, had he familiarized himself with the facts before the Iraq war broke out by reading foreign news accounts (which gave plenty of correct info), he could have avoided voting for the war. Thus, the excuse that Bush misled Congress won't fly. It was the pressure of the junior high school political pep rally mentality which kow-towed Congress into submission.
   
   Reid does not seem to be aware that social security and other policies, which he affirms and defends are adopted from foreign countries. He states that they made "America great." The fact that ecological policies are also coming from abroad (as corrective measures did with the car industry, with inflation and the educational system, etc.) denies the validity of Reid's characterization that the U.S. is as "self-correcting as any society ever to have existed." The fact remains that slumerica has not been corrected since his birth: 75 to 80 hour work-weeks are more common here than abroad, the infrastructure is dilapidated, huge overwhelming debts everywhere, massive trade deficits, a constantly declining dollar and no savings rate.
   
   Thus, the greatest failing of Reid's book, namely, no focus on America's economic conditions, nothing about the mortgage mess, the stock market corruption and the S and L imbroglio, etc. and, above all, no comparison how other nations without many resources have no grinding poverty that characterizes slumerica. For someone who came from slumerica, this is puzzling and should cause him to read "Why the U.S. Needs an Economic Miracle" accessible at "http://comparativegems.blogspot.com/".
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



3. With the exception of 1 or 2 chapters early on, the book was a page turner. I couldn't put it down. The book is a worthwhile read whatever your political persuasion.
   
   Jerry



4. "The Good Fight" explains well why Harry Reid is a good Democrat on most social issues.
   
   Growing up in a shack with an outhouse in half-dead Searchlight, Nev., in the New Deal, he learned about the hope and support government programs can offer to people on the edge.
   
   Searchlight is detailed with warts, vivid colors and all by Reid. So, too, are his parents.
   
   Beyond that, the best part of the book was Reid's discussion of his years as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. While he doesn't go into a tell-all of Mob influence over Vegas casinos, he gives the reader enough information to see how much the city needed cleaning up. And, with Reid presiding over the commission at the time non-Mafiosi like Steve Wynn and Kirk Kerkorian started building, he was part of Vegas' transition to the world of today.
   
   That said, the Washington years are somewhat thin. All Democrats are great, as is independent Joe Lieberman on anything besides Iraq. The difficulty of herding cats as Senate Majority Leader is discussed in brief, but not too much on any one issue or vote.
   
   Nor do we hear anything about how Obama-Clinton has played out inside the Senate Democratic caucus. I would have loved to hear Reid drop a few "fly on the wall" comments.
   
   So, this is a three/four star book, but I give it a bump, in part with the context of people one-starring the book for other reasons.



5. There are plenty of rags-to-riches stories in America, but there are few that read with so much candor. Senator Reid's deadpan humor also comes thru. I highly recommend this book - if you're a Democrat, to learn a bit more about your party's unassuming leader; if you're a Republican, to get a leg up one hell of an opponent!

5 comments about Lost Victories: The War Memoirs of Hitler's Most Brilliant General.

1. Let me first say, that I am one of those who considers Field Marshal Erik von Manstein one of the best operational minds to have fought in the Second World War. His achievment in the post-Stalingrad months (Dec 1942- Feb 1943) will go down as a classic in mobile warefare. Enough has been written about his 1939 operational plan to invade France to fill a volume. In short, he was the consumate military professional.
   
   Which is why it pains me to offer only a 3 rating to his memiors. Don't get me wrong. The memior reads very well; the translation is excellent, and the prose is easy. My main complaint lies with the memior's content. I first read Lost Victories twenty years ago and took most of what Manstein wrote as fact. However, as I read more and more about not only the Wehrmacht, Germany, and Hitler, I began to doubt the narrative that von Manstein and the Feld Herren as a whole have been put to paper. This memior is long on ommisions, and short on introspection. Like other senior officers, Manstein piles the blame on the most senior Wehrmacht leadership while conviently excusing himself. The sad fact remains that von Manstein rarely vocalized any complaints concerning the Nazis treatment of men like Fritsch or Bloomberg (his former superiors sacked by Hitler), the introduction of the swatiska on thier uniforms, the establishment of the Waffen SS, or the treatment of Polish civilians, Jew, or captured officers. In his memiors, Manstein does take a few pages to offer his criticisms of Keitel (OKW) and von Braunstisch (OKH), yet not once did he explicitly critique in name the poor tactical generalship of either General Hoepner -the 4th Panzer Army Commander and his immediate commander during the initial stages of Barbarossa, or Field Marshall von Leeb -the overall commander of the Northern Army Group. This I thought was rather odd considering that these 2 men at that stage of the war still excercised complete freedom of movement. Manstein vaguely critiques the "High Command" (ie either the OKH or Hitler himself). Like other generals, Manstein leveled his stongest critiques on those that were dead, and thus couldn't defend themselves.
   
   The Chapters covering Stalingrad at the battles along the Don are the most dramatic of the memior. Many do find fault with Manstein's decision not to relieve General Paulus of command of the 6th Army in November-December 1942. This was a period of high drama and emotion, when as most experts believe that the 6th Army could have broken out of Stalingrad. It was also the period of greatest danger when the entire front was collapsing back to Rostov. Manstein's reasons for not relieving Paulus are clear enough -namely he didn't have the authority to do so. The other reason, which he barely skirts around is the fact that the Soviets had nearly a half million men, 3000 guns, and 2000 tanks around Stalingrad. If the 6th Army did breakout, this vast force would be unleashed and the entire Don Bend as well as von Kleists Army Group in the Kuban would have been become a giant tomb for the Germans. Manstein after the war could have offered this terrible but truthful fact to the public, but instead said the sacrifice of the 180,000 men of the 6th Army was never an option. Somehow I do not believe him.
   
   The last area of criticism is leveled at von Manstein's decision to back Zeitzler's (OKH) and Hitler's decision to strike at Kursk. In his memiors, he does say he strongly desired to wait until the Soviets struck first and then offer a counter blow on "the back hand". That is, he wished to conduct another mobile counter attack like he did earlier in March at Kharkov - this time from the Northwest and drive the Soviets offensive forces Southward into the Black Sea. This operation, brilliant in conception and most probably would have had sufficient motorized forces to execute was never considered. Hitler couldn't stomach the idea of giving another inch of territory (Manstein's plans included a planned withdraw initially so he could spring his trap), instead followed Zeitzler's idea of a pincer attack on the Kursk sailent. For some reason, von Manstein allowed himself to initially concur. Again, I find this strange. Manstein never was one to keep quiet when considering other people's failures. OKH's Kursks attack lacked imagination, was totally predictable and lacked any strategic value. On paper it looked like the "safe" plan. Even if it was successfull, Manstein, Zeitzler, Guderian, and most of all Hitler knew the Soviets had sufficient strength to bleed the outnumbered German's white. Manstein's plan, on the other hand, had all of the makings of a classic battle of annihilation, which could have bought Hitler another year, or maybe even a stalemate in the East.Yet, Manstein offered little defense of his plan.
   
   Finally, von Manstein like Guderian, Halder, Kluge, Rundstedt, et als. said he had no prior knowledge of the Final Solution, Russian Slave Labour, and the killing of POWs. He says very little, but does offer up evidence of the Soviet's own crimes while he commanded the 56th Panzer Corps in the Courland. As time goes by, I find this harder and harder to believe.
   
   Overall, the reader will have to judge for himself. Of all the memiors, this one is the best written, and there are many times where one can see Manstein's genius as he discusses in his cool, rational prose the many tactical and strategic problems he faced. He is also very kind when ever he writes about the enlisted soliders who served under him, especially the German NCOs. He was never an "armchair" general. Both as commander of the 38th Infantry Corps, and the 56th Panzer Corps he led from the front, and made his decisions based upon first hand knowledge. It was also heartbreaking to read about the death of his only son in 1943. While Erik von Manstein had many faults, he was anything but the stiff, monocoled Prussian caricture that some in the West like to paint of the Prussians. He was a brilliant yet flawed general. His memiors should be read, but critically so. While reading the memiors it is also good to keep in mind that her served one of the cruelist dictators of the 20th Century.



2. German Field Marshal Erich von Manstein wrote "Lost Victories" in 1955, ten years after the end of the Second World War and eleven years after he had been dismissed from command on the Russian Front by Adolf Hitler.
   
   Von Manstein served in the German Army from 1914 through the First World War, the bitter interwar years, and the major campaigns of the Second World War in Europe. He was, by all accounts, a master of the operational level of war, whether as a commander or as an outstanding staff officer. His memoirs are still in print at least in part because his narrative powers were equal to the task of describing the military operations in the Second World War in which he participated. "Lost Victories" may provide as good an account from the German side of the War in Europe as we are likely to get from a participant. His understanding of the huge battle waged over an immense manuever space in Western Russia is almost as unique as the nature of the fighting itself. If his account is tinged with some "I" and "me", that is perhaps to be forgiven in an autobiography by a man who saw all too clearly the wasted strategic opportunities to conduct a war with a defined and achievable political purpose.
   
   This book is highly recommended to students of the military art and of the Second World War.



3. It is a "must read" strategy book by the one of the best WW2 German generals. It is not the full memoirs. Still it is a 5 star (great) reading.



4. Lost Victories is an excellent first-person memoir of some of the critical battles of the Second World War. Its primary focus is on the Eastern Front in Russia and the Ukraine; von Manstein speaks some about the attack on France in 1940 and opines on what might have been done with England thereafter, but for the most part, his command was in the East.
   
   This is not a starter treatment of the Second World War, and it will appeal only to those readers who are looking for an in depth discussion of certain topics. It is not a comprehensive treatment of the war -- von Manstein naturally only discusses theaters in which he was involved directly, and the book generally focusses on military matters, leaving political topics for others. It also proceeds in some detail, occasionally even providing a division-by-division account of battles. That was sometimes more than I wanted, and I found it possible to skim some of the more detailed parts without sacrificing the overall discussion, however.
   
   Those readers who seek a deeper understanding of the military conflict in the East will be rewarded. I found two features of the book particularly compelling. The first is the lengthy discussion of the Stalingrad endgame (the German Sixth Army was already encircled by the time von Manstein arrived on the scene). The second is the author's discussion of Hitler's strengths and (mostly) defects as a supreme military commander. There is a chapter devoted to this discussion, but the comments and impressions that von Manstein sprinkles throughout the other chapters are even more telling.
   
   I had two small critcisms. First, the book would be more enjoyable with more and better maps, so that those of us who don't have a deep familiarity with the geography of southern Russia and the Ukraine can better place the action. There are a few maps, but they aren't always well-placed in the book and they often don't include all of the key locations.
   
   Second, I wanted more discussion of Operation Citadel (Battle of Kursk), which was one of the critical engagements of the war. I think that von Manstein's actually wrote an in-depth discussion of this battle, but that the editors of this edition chose to replace it with a shorter discussion that the author wrote later for a magazine. That would explain why this chapter is uncharacteristically brief and why its style seems out of place with the others.
   
   Overall, this is a fascinating read, and it has enriched my understanding of the war on the Eastern Front.



5. Lost Victories is superior to Guderian's Panzer Leader and also better than 'Panzer Battles'. The early chapters on the planning and evolution of the Polish and French campaigns is remarkable. Manstein accomplished the near impossible at Sevastopol and almost the impossible at Kursk where (as was often the case) his carefully laid plans were perverted by the powers above. His firm stance against getting German armies sucked into city fighting beginning with Warsaw were tragically forgotten by Stalingrad. His theories about mobile defence, attacking on the other side of a river to defend a bridgehead etc... were revolutionary for their time. It may have been a different story in Normandy in 1944 if Manstein had been in charge rather than the hodge podge of commands which included the discredited Rommel and the over the hill Rundstedt. One of the main reasons the Germans were defeated is that experienced, brilliant generals like Manstein were eventually replaced by yes man that far from strengthening Hitler's position hastened his downfall.

5 comments about My Brother.

1. I'd only ever read a short short story of Jamaica Kincaid's (that I wasn't too impressed by) before picking up this memoir. I enjoyed her memoir thoroughly. Wonderfully crafted and skillfully written, this rendition of her memories surrounding the life and death of her brother in Antigua, Jamaica, are emotionally moving, to say the least. I'm not giving much away by revealing that her brother dies of AIDS, something that is revealed in the first few pages, so I'm okay to say that this story of a sister and family's grappling with the immiment death manages to handle the AIDS story with beauty, poise, and compelling writing.
   
   She highlights the stigma that surrounded anyone who contracted the disease. Were they a drug user? A philanderer? A homosexual? What kind of lifestyle does that person live that allowed them to contract such a deadly disease? Those are the questions people in Jamaica, and elsewhere, thought and asked themselves at the time, and even today. The sick were labelled, ostricized, deemed outcast, and refused help. A sad plight, indeed.
   
   Simply put, Kincaid has a simple way with language that turns up on the page as alluring, seductive, and entertaining.
   
   -- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens



2. I first read Jamaica Kincaid's work in "Talk Stories", and I loved it.

   I discovered this book (My Brother) when reading the book "Writing as a Way of Healing" by Louise DeSalvo. I was curious about Jamaica's life and her writing style intrigued me.

   Through her writing, Jamaica brings beauty to even the most difficult of life's experiences. She writes, "That sun, that sun. On the last day of our visit its rays seemed as pointed and unfriendly as an enemy's well-aimed spear."(p.73)

   Her writing is honest and balanced between expressing the hard aspects and the kindness within her family life. This book is mostly about her brother dying of AIDS, a very difficult subject matter to read. I also enjoyed reading about how she became a writer, and what it means to her to be a writer.

   This book also tells about life in Antigua, which I was especially interested in learning about. The next book I will read by Jamaica is "A Small Place", to learn more about life in Antigua.




3. I'm still thinking through the issues raised in "My Brother" -- and I suspect that it will be one of those books which, though it feels a bit hollow as I read it, will turn out to haunt me in the future. Only time will tell. The most remarkable thing about it, I think, is the way that Kincaid refuses to valorize any of the characters she describes. The incredible ire towards her mother is the only emotion that feels puzzling, given the lack of context for it -- I kept waiting for a revelation there that never came. With this exception, however, Kincaid seems committed to presenting a balanced portrayal: she does not heroize the dead, nor does she portray herself as particularly wise or noble in the face of death. It is this commitment to a human, complex portrayal that makes the description unique.

   I just want to add that I am only posting this to counteract what appears to be a long list of high school book reports that make up most of the "reviewing" on this page. ...




4. Jamaica Kincaid tells the story of her ill brother and his encounters with the virus HIV. The story has the title of My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid. The story is essentially written to save Jamaica's own life. Whenever there is a tragic happening in her family, she writes about to let her feelings out and she also tries to exclude herself from her family. She moves away from Antigua once she became old enough to do so. Jamaica goes through sever years without connection to her mother and her siblings. Jamaica struggles to find feelings for her sick and dying brother as he spends his last days in an old run down hospital in Antigua. Jamaica is only able to let her own feelings out in a comfortable manner to Dr. Prince Ramsey. Jamaica is unable to communicate with her own mother. This is due to Jamaica's feeling that her mother was only a mother at certain times. Jamaica is driven on the idea that her mother only wants to care for her children if they were sick or in need of caring. Any time other than that, Jamaica thinks she had a poor mother. Jamaica is pleased however with few things her mother did. When Jamaica was only fifteen years old, she was forced to look after her younger brother who was only age two. She decided to read her books all day long and decided that looking after her younger brother was not a number one priority. Jamaica realized at the end of her reading that her mother would be home soon so she tried to clean up the things she thought her mother would realize first. One of these things was her brothers diaper but Jamaica did not have enough time to change so once her mother found this out, she took all of Jamaica's books, took them outside, doused them with kerosene, and burned them all, every last book. Jamaica recalls this event as driving her to become a written to make up for all for all of the books that she had lost at a young age.
   Throughout the book Jamaica conveys her struggle to find love for her dying brother, Devon Drew. She never was close at all to her younger brother and as her brother became more sick, Jamaica knew she need to do something to redeem her self for all of the years she was absent in the presence of her brother. On page 72, Jamaica and her mother have a conversation about bringing her brother the medicine that prolonged his life several months more. Her mother said to her that god would bless her richly for providing her brother with the medicine, AZT. Jamaica was not sure if what her mother said was true but she was really not concerned with gods or being richly blessed. Jamaica was constantly thinking about how her brother was sick and how much Antiguan society shunned HIV positive people. Even though her brother was feeling better from the AZT, Jamaica knew that eventually her brother would die. On January 19th, 1996, at the age of thirty-three, Devon Drew died.
   At certain times throughout the story, Jamaica thinks that it is perhaps better if her brother would just die, but when Devon was no more, Jamaica did not know what to feel. At certain points throughout the story, Jamaica feels that Devon is becoming a burden to her, making fly from her home in Vermont to Antigua, every time her brother needed more AZT. On page 87 she states that it seemed that his dying was a good thing, she was relieved when her brother finally did die. She says " when that moment came, the moment I knew he was no longer alive, I didn't know what to think, I didn't know how to feel" I think that this sentence conveys the struggle Jamaica has internally about her brothers illness and about how she felt about him when he was alive. During the story Jamaica also remembers the death of her father. She got word of his death right around Christmas time and she felt increasingly depressed. On page 119 Jamaica says " In the letter telling me that my father is (that is, the man who was not really my father but whom played I thought of as my father, and the man who had filled that role in my life) had died, my mother said his death left them impoverished, that she had been unable to pay for his burial, and the only charitable of others allowed him to have an ordinary burial, not an extraordinary burial of a pauper, with its anonymous grave and which no proper mourners attend". Throughout the second half of the book, Jamaica demonstrates her increasing anger toward her father and her brother. She becomes very angered at the thought of anyone dying and she keeps feeling that she really did not care about the loss of her father, only how to try and make up for the lost time with her brother, who in retrospect never really seemed to love Jamaica as a sister, just perhaps someone who provided him life with more AZT. Jamaica has difficulty dealing with all of the tragic experiences that has happened to her family, that is why one could feel that Jamaica isolated herself from her family. She feels that at certain times throughout the book she feels that perhaps she is to blame for being in the absence of her ill brother.
   One could feel that Jamaica Kincaid does represent a hero but in defined terms. At times the only reason she is able to provide her brother with AZT is because she has had a better life than the rest of her family and she also has more money than the rest of her family. She tries her hardest to find love for her brother, even though she really cannot relate to any of his problems. She buys him temporary relief with the AZT medicine, but she knows that is not enough to make up for all of the lost years she had been without her brother. One might not necessarily think that Jamaica wanted to reconnect with her brother and the rest of her family, one might think that she just wanted to see him again before he died. While visiting her brother the experiences Jamaica had with her mother did make her more stressed out and more prone to mental and physical breakdowns. One could say that Jamaica did triumph all of the death and stress that was associated with her mother and the rest of her family.
   One cold imagine that this story is heartfelt at times and a very good read. Some parts of the story were somewhat confusing when Jamaica puts things like my father (not my father but my brother's father) in parentheses. It seems as though she does want a mother and father but at times is seems as though Jamaica knows that maybe they do not want to be parents to her. This book is touching on several levels and anyone who has family members who are sick can relate to this book. This book was moving and really from the heart (of Jamaica Kincaid). One could feel that this book could be given to almost anyone and that person would be moved emotionally as well as physically. This book tells the story of hardship and death a young girl inspired to write her feelings in order to save her own life. Jamaica was inspired by the acts of her mother burning the few items she truly loved in live. Her books. She is familiar with the act of saving herself, so when she found out her brother was sick and dying. She started to write she knew that was the only was to understand his sickness, and she also began to write so she would not die with him. This book was amazing and is truly one of the best works of all times. It deals with emotion and real life situations. One feels that anyone who wants to learn the story of a girl who overcame the impoverished life of her family and the way Jamaica tried to save her own brother even when she could not relate to him, and she did with grace and inner strength that is unprecedented and amazing. She tried to keep a smile on her face and have a strong heart through it all.



5. "My Brother" by Jamaica Kincaid is one of the most unusual books I have ever read. It is moving, inspiring, depressing, emotional yet confusing all at the same time. The book is about a sister's journey as she helps her brother fight against AIDS to stay alive. It gives many explicit details that are disturbing. She paints a picture that can only be told by the one who experienced it first hand. In addition to the morbid mood of the book, the author has too many thoughts that she tries to fit into just one sentence. This form of writing can be hard to follow and actually trying to follow the storyline can be a distraction from the main focus of the book.
   Jamaica Kincaid's novel is depressing and morbid in numerous ways. The setting of "My Brother" is mainly taking place in Antigua. There are no hospitals with the proper medications. In addition to the setting, the author's family affairs are an example of depression. Her family was extremely dysfunctional and unsociable. They had conflicts over meaningless situations and never resolved them. This family needed a psychiatrist to assist them with their many conflicts. Another example of depression in "My Brother" is the entire theme of a brother with no loving family and friends who is dying of AIDS, due to his own carelessness. On page 99-100, it shows how Jamaica's family is not affected in the least that Devon has just died. The one last main theme of depression is the relationship between Devon, the man with AIDS, and his mother. They never got along, which was very sad because Devon was dying and his mother didn't seem to care. She didn't do anything to try to help save him. It was Jamaica's help that gave her brother many extra days, perhaps years, of life.
   "My Brother" was also a very confusing book. Reading it takes the complete focus of the one who is reading it in order to actually follow the story line. Many of the sentences are three or four thoughts combined into just one sentence. The book has a great number of sentences that are nearly half a page long. For example, on page 101 and 131, one of the sentences is nearly three quarters of the page. There are a great deal of commas, semi colons, and a few parenthesis in these sentences. With all of those elements, reading and actually comprehending the book can be very tough. Also, the author constantly bounces back from the present time to past experiences, which greatly contributes to the confusion.
   My final opinion of this book is that it is very inspirational and moving. If one is close to someone with AIDS, they would find this book very enjoyable and interesting. Jamaica mentions many times that she doesn't love, never has loved and never will love her brother, yet she still goes way beyond her duties to care for her brother. After reading "My Brother" there are many instances where Jamaica is much like a true hero. By supporting her brother, Jamaica became a hero to herself and to Devon. The book is inspiring because it encourages anyone who reads the book to love their family and not take them for granted. "My Brother" is a moving book because throughout it, one learns of the struggles the entire family went through. Devon's critical conditions, however, did not bring the family any closer together. An example of a struggle the author told of was a time when her mother disapproved of something one of her other children did, and she began to throw stones at him. Her son then threw his mother to the ground and broke her neck (pg. 189). That experience the author described really stuck out because it sounded so unreasonable.
   "My Brother" is a novel that one would not consider to be easy reading, not just because the style of writing was confusing, but because it was not a happy story. After reading this book, one would feel bad for Jamaica's family, yet inspired by her words. The book was hard reading, mainly because it was done in an unusual type of writing. It was also very depressing and had a definite morbid feel to it, yet it was extremely inspirational. It encourages those who read it to love your family while they're still there for you.