5 comments about Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life.

1. This is a memoir written by a professor of philosophy who is also the current president of Al Quds university in East Jerusalem.
   
   After getting through his father's history in the early chapters, University professor Sari Nusseibeh realizes the central problem between the Israeli and Palestinian coexistence: neither sides understanding of the other side. It takes him meeting Israeli students at college, and flying on an Israeli ariline, and teaching at Hebrew University before he begins to see the similarities between the two. And thats where he evolves his ideas about peace.
   
   A central concept of his is that both sides are allies, NOT enemies. He even goes as far to say that the two are more like allies than the united states/israel and palestinians/arab states are allies.
   
   Unfortunately as the occupation of the west bank and gaza continues throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s, he sees a different kind of arab majority emerging from the areas, that is bent on the concept of eradicating the Jew, instead of working with. As his story progresses we see how the author gets involved in politics and attempts to keep the two state solution as a viable option, while trying to maintain his own logical understanding of what was transpiring.
   
   But as we come to the 2000s, Hamas gains most of the support of the palestinians, wins elections and violence ensues.
   
   The author is not hopeless. He does speak of trying to advocate a peaceful two-state solution by teaming up with Israelis in the Peace Now movement and in the government, to get the peace that both sides seek. He writes up a two state solution, that would allow Palestinians to have the borders from pre-1967, and allows palestinian refugees to return to palestinian areas, and Jews to jewish areas.
   
   Only concerns i have with his memoir book are of misrepresentations of Israeli actions. He states that the Israelis invaded Lebanon in 82 without "any bullets being shot from lebanon." That's misleading. The PLO were launching rockets into kiryat shemonah and nearby cities which was provoking the Israelis during this turbulent time for the lebanese people, to maintain peace in southern lebanon.
   
   Ina few other places he tries to place more blame on Israel rather than sharing it with the palestinian people, a product of his upbringing more than malicious intent.
   
   However Sari Nusseibeh is not Hamas and not an islamic fundamentalist. He isa two-state solution advocate who writes mostly about using non-violent disobedience. As the reader I wondered, if more palestinians were like Nusseibeh perhaps the world opinion would change towards them? But Nusseibeh DIDNT grow up in a refugee camp, was educated at Oxford and Harvard, and lived a different life than the majority of palestinians.
   
   So perhaps palestinians as a whole dont see life as he does? And maybe this book is as much a minority views as that of the suicide bombers?
   
   Hopefully not, because Nusseibeh portrays himself as a peace seeker. and thats what is needed in Israel and Palestine.



2. The writer knows a country we know very little about. I loved learning about the people of Palestine and their culture from a non-politicized source.



3. This book forms part of a larger group of first person memoirs by wealthy Palestinians (Out of Place: A Memoir andPalestine: A Personal History andThis Side of Peace: A Personal Account and Strangers in the House: Coming of Age in Occupied Palestine). Sari Nusseibeh was born in 1949 in Demascus, and was descended from one of the wealthiest and most aristocratic Jerusalemite family (along with the Hussaynis, Nasashibis, Khalidis and Dajanis). He studied at Oxford and received a Phd in Islamic Philosophy from Harvard and moved to the West Bank in 1978 to teach as Bir Zeit University. Later he would be President of Al Quds ('the Holy') University.
   
   He has lived a life devoted to being anti-Israeli and at the same time a 'peace' activist. His memoir is one long diatribe about his reighteousness, his love of Islam("How could a civilized nation rooted in palestine for welel over a thousand yeats be so easily plucked out and chased away at gunpoint"-surely the Jews wondered the same of the Romans and the Byzantines of the Arabs).
   
   He speaks frequently of his "love for Jersualem" a city he did not grow up in, nor was he born in. For Nusseibeh the 'peace' activist Abdel Khader Husseini, who was a terrorist and ambusher of civilian busses, is "the great Abdel Kader el-Husseini". Nusseibeh, despite his obsession with Islam, marries a western woman named Lucy who he then converts to Islam.
   
   Nusseibeh's life is one of wealth and privilidge. While he was sipping tea as a young boy the Millions of Jewish refugees of the Holocaust and the other million tossed out of Islamic countries were living in cramped apartments in Israel. While he was as Harvard, Israelis were working in the fields and the factories. His was a classic life of a Bourgeoisie and like the children of White Russians who spoke of exotic 'mother Russia' and their desire to return, he too shares the yearning for a time gone by, for a new 1939, for a different outcome to the Second World War and the 1948 war. But his father, Anwar Nusseibeh, helped seal the fate of the Palestinians in 1948, Sari's account would have been more honest if, despite all the other factual errors, he at least noted the truth about his family's role.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman
   



4. If you want to understand the immense gulf between Israel and Palestine even among moderates, read this book.



5. This is a truly important book for anyone wishing to understand fully the Arab / Palestinian - Israeli conflict. It sheds tremendous light on very important events, thus far not fully presented from the Palestinian side, especially that of the non rejectionist Palestinian camp. Sari Nusseibeh is a truly visionary man with tremendous courage and is a highly gifted activist and indeed very clever politician despite his own denials.
   
   I have thoroughly enjoyed, and was often moved by, the first half of the book which dealt with the history of Nusseibeh's family and contained his even handed description of the events leading to 1948 and all the way through the 1967 war and his subsequent return to live in Palestine with his British wife. Nusseibeh's portrayal of the lives of the Palestinians between the wars of 1948 and 1967 was very helpful.
   
   In the second half of the book Nusseibeh hammers in, over and over again, on the tacit unspoken alliance of the extremists on both sides and shows how Israel supported the creation of Hamas as a counter weight to the Fateh and PLO. He coherently and very persuasively presents the thought process that he went through to move from the one state solution to the two state solution and demonstrates very effectively the threats that prolonging the conflict would cause to it.
   
   Nusseibeh was often right at the center of things or at least presents himself as such; we see him as a leading figure in standing up to the Israelis and to the Islamists, we see him as the key engine behind the first intefada, or uprising, and we see him winning the respect and approval of Yasir Arafat. In this, second, half, this book moves from being a truly exceptional account of the personal and family history more into an aggrandizing politician's memoir. This should not reduce nor detract from the tremendous personal sacrifice and commitment Nusseibeh made to his cause.
   
   I have heard of the peace work of Dr. Nusseibeh and read some of his articles and interview for some years and while I admire him more than any other Palestinian public figure, this book troubled me in a number of ways. Unlike the other three Palestinian memoirs, originally written in English, that I have read (Gada Karami, Fay Kenfani & Edward Said) Nusseibeh sought to justify every action he has ever taken, to defend his various historic positions and to settle the scores with those of differing views. Most unlike the other three biographies, the book contained virtually no retrospective sole searching whatsoever and important topics such as his obvious passion and skill for politics vs. his academic eccentric persona were packaged for the purpose rather than thought through. Nusseibeh repeatedly simply presented himself as the reluctant professor, yet left us wondering about his very savvy organizational, political and survival skills. He seemed to know exactly how to deal with wily old Arafat, Hamas, the Israeli intelligence and the various factions of the PLO yet retain the freedom to advance his own agenda as well as build important relationships with Israelis.
   
   The tremendous heights, in which, Nusseibeh holds his father, a former Governor of Jerusalem, ambassador and member of cabinet gives the feeling of an immature biography lacking in the distance to be objective. Indeed the first half of the book contains rework of the some of the father's own unpublished memoirs. Obvious points such as the father's commitment to an idealistic form of pan Arabism, albeit non Bathist and non Nasserist, and Nusseibeh own movement into being Palestinian nationalist, seeing Palestine being in natural alliance with Israel did not cause him to reflect further on the role and thinking of his father. A respectful critique and contrast of the views would have enhanced and not hindered the understanding of his father and need not be disloyal to his memory.
   
   Most grating perhaps is the competitiveness displayed with other Palestinian peace advocates and the various attempts at discrediting them. This was particularly evident in describing the efforts that led to the Geneva Accord, which Nusseibeh referred as the plan by the name of the Israeli negotiator, thus marginalizing the Palestinian partner. At some point Nusseibeh clearly fell out with Hanan Ashrawi and Dr. Barghouti, both articulate advocates of the Palestinian cause and for peace and coexistence with Israel, he made his disdain of them very obvious and has not troubled himself to analyze their positions even in retrospect.

5 comments about Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino.

1. My wife and I earned a compostela walking a portion of the Camino Frances in May of 2004. Since then I've read many books on pilgrimage, including several accounts of other pilgrims' journeys on the same road we traveled. Many are what another reviewer describes: diaries of the interior lives of the author, focusing mainly on their hardships and triumphs, as if to point out how they changed the camino, rather than how they were changed by it. If I felt that this were all to this book, I wouldn't recommend it. Instead, I think this book provides a wonderful balance between soulful reflection and the pragmatism of the all-too-physical journey. Walking the camino does appear to have all the ingredients necessary for earning a 'spiritual experience merit badge', and some seem to walk it just to earn pilgrimage street cred. Even were that Rupp's intention, and I doubt very much that is the case, she's provided a great perspective for potential pilgrims and useful material to aid past walkers. It's true that she does not shy away from describing unpleasantries of the road: dirty accommodations, illness, rude pilgrims, bad food, and bad weather. These are very real likelihoods, and she discusses them very frankly; pilgrims do not float along the road, barely touching the earth, and any idyllic expectations soon come face-to-face with harsh reality. Rupp does not bring up these issues merely to complain, however; the benefit of this book is how she treats these subjects as well as her prayerful introspection as equally engaging points of reflection and provides a useful perspective on integrating even these issues into a larger pilgrimage experience. The subtitle of the book, however, is "Life Lessons from the Camino", and that's the true value of these observations: her effort in showing that much of our day-to-day life is filled with just these sort of experiences and just this sort of potential for reflection, appreciation, and understanding.



2. Reflections of this Catholic sister, as she walks the Camino with the semi retired priest of her parish.
   
   This journey of two people of faith met with all the challenges the Camino can offer. Joyce started out as what I call an overachiever, and Tom as a steadying influence.
   
   A couple concepts stuck in my brain from chapters of this book. Enjoy existential friendships. Return a positive for a negative. Negative things do happen, but Joyce would make a determined effort to see the positive - a concept I accept, but sometimes have difficulty applying.
   
   I enjoyed this thoughtful book.



3. this book was great, talked me out of going, realize that all that heat and dirt was not for me, will go trekking in nepal instead, much cooler temps, author did this to add to her spiritual credentials,alll about herself and her inner thoughts, suspect she had not been out of the USA before.
   
   cheers



4. This is an amazing book about an amazing experience--walking across Spain--and well after midlife. We share the hardships and blessings of this journey and are able to walk, talk and think in a relaxed manner while reading it. There are lessons subtly given that everyone can shsare.



5. Back in the summer of 2003, I visited a former seminary roommate in Leon, Spain. I showed up a couple of days before his wedding after backpacking through Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Madrid. While strolling together through Leon, my Spanish friend remarked that people thought I was a "Pilgrim" because of my clothing and backpack. I asked him to clarify, and he replied that Leon was on the path of the Camino Pilgrimage. Thus began my interest in the topic.
   
   "Walk in a Relaxed Manner" was the first book I read about the Camino. It's newly published, written by a 60-year-old nun who walked the Pilgrimage around the time I was in Leon. She hit the trail with a retired priest, and this book was born from that experience. The subtitle and theme is "Life Lessons From the Camino," and each chapter is based on a way she grew due to the Pilgrimage. For example, the book's title is shared with a chapter where Sr. Rupp describes how she learned to walk slowly and thoughtfully instead of quickly and competitively. Other chapter titles include "Savor Solitude," "Deal with Disappointments," and "Live in the Now." Such topics may strike some as trite. But I found it impressive that more often than not, it was the walk's difficulties that enabled her to internalize these truths.
   
   The author writes in a clear and readable manner. She rejoices in the high points of the Pilgrimage, and is honest about the lows as well. Each lesson is presented in a thoughtful manner, and all are applicable to everyday life. However, like many spiritual insights perhaps some sort of defining experience is required to truly own them. But reading about these truths may be a way to prepare the heart for their eventual actualization. Although a Catholic nun in the Servite Community, Sr. Rupp keeps things fairly ecumenical throughout her tale. In addition, practical advice about the Pilgrimage is sprinkled throughout the book, and a list of helpful Camino resources is included at the end. There's even an authorized website based on Joyce Rupp's name if you want more info about her.
   
   Someday I'd like to do the El Camino Pilgrimage. I hope I don't have to wait until my sixties, but sometimes you have to let things happen in their time. If I do walk it, I'll be glad if I learn and grow half as much as Sr. Rupp did. Recommended for all travelers and pilgrims.
   
   UPDATE 9/7/07: Well, I only had to wait until I was forty to do the Camino. On 7/14/07 I stepped off in St. Jean Pied-de-Port (France), and on 8/24/07 I walked into Santiago, Spain. After returning home to the US, I went through this book again. It was nice reading about familiar places on the Way, and also to identify with the lessons Ms. Rupp writes about. Recommended even more now that I've actually done the trek.

5 comments about The Driver: My Dangerous Pursuit of Speed and Truth in the Outlaw Racing World.

1. As a driver in the last real Cannonball in 1979, I find this book absolutely fascinating in so many different ways. A few random thoughts:
   
   1. At the beginning, Alex tries to set some sort of foundation for the book by creating a monumental amount of double talk in a vain attempt to imply that his father is somehow connected to the real Cannonball. Did he drive in it? Did he apply, get accepted and not go? Did he apply and get turned down? Did he not even apply? No evidence of anything is offered. Given Alex's efforts to document in mind-numbing detail his own cross-country trip, it's a safe bet that his father had no connection in any way, shape or form to the Cannonball. I'd say my grandmother is more connected to the Cannonball than Alex's father. At least she's related to someone who actually did it. Since Alex has the word "truth" on the cover, he might want to consider modifying the beginning of the book.
   2. Alex seems to think that what he does is really "dangerous". That word is also right there on the book's cover. Anyone who knows anything about Brock Yates and the origin of the Cannonball knows that the whole objective was to point out how underutilized our speed-limit-constipated interstate system was compared to more enlightened folks like the Germans with their no-limit autobahns. Alex's "accomplishment" is no different than a German housewife on the Autobahn on the way to the grocery.
   3. Alex seems to feel that his time of 31:04 is just flat out amazing. He conveniently forgets that when the last Cannonball was done in 1979 the interstate system was not yet finished. In Arizona and New Mexico in particular there were numerous sections not yet built. Real Cannonballers that year were sitting at dead stops at red lights and stop signs in countless small towns where Alex now gets to drone along in triple-digit territory on the nearby now-completed interstate. Dave Heinz and Dave Yarborough won it in 1979 in 32:51 with only a radar detector. Tom Hickey and a couple of buddies were right behind in 32:59 and they didn't even have a radar detector. Needless to say, neither had GPS, cell phones, Google Earth, scanners, night vision, gyroscopically stabilized binoculars, HID headlights, airbags or spotter planes. Neither had extra fuel tanks, either. Myself and a couple of buddies did it in a two year old Camaro with a bone stock driveline making a whopping 170 horsepower. Our top speed was therefore limited to around 115 and we finished in 39:45. Dave Heinz and Dave Yarborough had a Jaguar XJS and Tom Hickey had a 6.9 Mercedes, both of which could drone along at 130 to 140 quite nicely. Tougher than LeMans, Alex says? Please. Dave Heinz held the LeMans record for many years as the highest finish for an American driver in an American car in the GT class in a Corvette. He thought of his 32:51 in the Cannonball as a fun, relaxing weekend. Oh, by the way, it took Alex three tries to come up with his 31:04 even with a completed interstate system. His first try was a 34:46, his second a DNF. No real Cannonballer got a "best of three" opportunity.
   4. Alex constantly reminds us of his "multiple trophy wins" in the world of "rallys". One of them turns out to be a "style trophy". That's nice. Real enthusiasts think of things like the FIA's World Rally Championship or the Paris-Dakar Rally when they hear the word "rally". Certainly not hokey, gimmick-laden contrivances like the Gumball or Bullrun.
   5. Alex Roy endlessly tries to give the impression that he is "obsessed" with cross country driving. After reading this book it appears his main obsession is an insatiable need for self-promotion and publicity. Sort of like a Paris Hilton on wheels. I wonder if she's represented by the William Morris Agency, too?



2. All i can say is that this guy is my hero! The book is well written and very easy to read. I really wish it was longer though...



3. A myriad of enthusiastic book reviews tout this book as "the best frickin' book ever" and, suffice it to say, I agree. Wholeheartedly. Thus, to avoid duplicity, I wanted to comment briefly on a less-reviewed aspect of "The Driver," one that seems to often take a back seat (pun intended) to the racing/high-speed/gumball-rallying/party-all-night theme that is the subject of innumerable other reviews: the author's attempt to answer some big questions in a car.
   
   Clearly Mr. Roy can drive. Obviously he is a brilliant strategist. It is axiomatic that he is insane. But some of my favorite scenes in the book did not take place in the lovely M5.
   
   Thus, for those who are thinking of buying this book and, also, in response to those who have taken the time to pontificate, often so carelessly, about Mr. Roy's life, and to judge, all too easily, his passion for racing and the actions he has taken in the exploration thereof, I humbly offer this.
   
   To understand what makes this book so special, it is important to read and understand those passages that do not relate to the garmins, radar jammers and police outfits that otherwise make Team Polizei the wonderful and ridiculous phenomenon that it is.
   
   Indeed, when read holistically, "The Driver" is a fast-paced journey through a world of insane cars, playboys and rally-racers just as much as it is a window into the driver's personal search for that which money can not buy. Meaning. Answers. Passion. "Cadillacs."



4. On the whole, a very good book.
   
   The best parts are the recounts of the Gumball battles and the road racing. However, I think Alex felt the need to tie all the events in the book together with a single underlying storyline - one that I think is fictional. To me, it's too incredible to believe, and I don't think Alex would have believed it at the time either.
   
   This book is really a must for Gumball enthusiasts. While it is accessible to those not familiar with Gumball, I would say it's most enjoyed by those in the know. An excellent accompanyment to any DVDs you have, as it gives amazing tales of antics not seen in the documentaries - both off the road and on!
   
   Some of the stories are so enthralling I didn't want them to end, and this was one book I couldn't wait to pick up again after work.



5. This book is the best book I have ever read, A lot of information in it and still written in a way its easy and fun to read!
   Anybody who is remotely interested in reading just has to read this book!

5 comments about Walking Through Walls: A Memoir.

1. Phillip Smith had a different childhood than most of his peers, and he wrote a book detailing his experiences. A lot of what he has gone through, other people have too. He put into words what others are too scared to let leave their houses. Great book to curl up with. Be sure to give yourself some time. Once you start reading this, you won't want to put it down.



2. This is an amazing book about an amazing man, Lew Smith, who was a psychic healer who communicated daily with spirit guides through automatic writing (famous medium Arthur Ford) and direct thought. The first part of the book which was rather hard for me to get through tells about the early life of the author when his father was a decorator to the rich of Miami and the Caribbean. So hang in there. The rest of it is rather mind boggling, presented by a son who wanted his father not to be what he was, but just a normal guy. I was caught between completely understanding the son's wishes and wanting him to appreciate his father and learn more from his father in order to let us in on things more completely. My worry is that if he did I would just be left with a piercing pain through my skull because much of the healings and methods presented in the book are way beyond my comprehension. Let's just say my vibrational level would have to be raised considerably!
   
   I'm not sure how anyone not of a metaphysical bent or knowledgeable somewhat about energy healing or the concept of thoughts as things would react to this book. Probably as many close-minded people did in the book, walking off and claiming that Lew Smith was just nuts.
   
   If you do have a metaphysical bent, interest in energy healing, spiritualism, psychic phenomena, etc. I would highly, highly recommend this book. It will leave you wanting to read more and see more of Lew Smith's papers published.



3. Since I have a lot in common with the writer (an artist and a writer) I thought Walking Through Walls would be fun and interesting. I was right. Since this is a "memoir", the main subject was not the writer, but his father. You get a lot of information about Philip as well, however. It left me wanting for more, especially about his college days and some of his adventures in NY. Perhaps another book in the future will finish that story.
   
   Lou Smith had a fantastic and varied life and his son does a good job telling about it. For me, it dwelled a bit heavily on the psychic realm; the spirit guides, psychic healings, use of a pendulum, etc. I guess if you are going to write about Lou, however, those things were a big part of his life so to leave them out would be wrong. Perhaps a bit more editing would help in those areas, it's almost too much.
   
   As well, more info about his wonderful mother (almost a charicature herself and worthy of a biopic) would have helped spice up the book. After Philip's parents divorce, you get almost zero info about her and that's a shame since - incredibly - she's clearly even more fun and colorful than his psychic-healer father.
   
   Much of their early days in Miami are truly movie-worthy and I kept thinking "this would be great on film" as I read through those chapters. However, the book lags a bit in the latter chapters and much of what I thought would be great to know was glossed over.
   
   All in all, a very interesting and entertaining read and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in artist's lives, psychic healing, Miami in the 60s and early decorating icons.



4. "Why did you even bother to knock? After all, you are your father's son. Haven't you learned to walk through walls yet?"
   
   Thus begins Philip Smith's book, a memoir of growing up in Miami during the 60s with his father, Lew Smith. A well-established and respected interior designer, Lew comes home one day and announces his family is to start on a diet of brown rice and coffee enemas to purify their bodies of toxins. This eventually leads to an association with psychics and astrologers, and culminates with Lew becoming a psychic healer of the highest degree.
   
   The experience alienates Philip's mother, a Jewish woman who remains firmly planted in a life of fashion, Hollywood, and cigarettes while Lew continues on his path of enlightenment. His parents eventually divorce, but throughout Philip's teenage and young adult years he remains in close contact with his father. Philip relates tales of Lew performing late night exorcisms, receiving messages from spirit guides, and using a pendulum to diagnose diseases over the phone with remarkable accuracy.
   
   Smith's writing is entertaining, heartfelt and sometimes humorous. One can imagine that life as a teenager would be tough with a father who is aware of your every move. And anyone who has visited Miami in the last decade would be surprised to find out how different the city was in 1960's, when the city was more swamp and hillbillies than money and movie stars.
   
   I have a tough time believing everything in the book, but it has at least made me more receptive to the idea that psychic healing is possible and that not all psychics are charlatans. I highly recommend the book to believers and skeptics alike. It might not change your mind, but at least offers a new perspective in an enjoyable read.



5. Well, this book is either proof of a world beyond our own or a real fraud. Either way, it is an interesting read.

5 comments about Deep Drive: A Long Journey to Finding the Champion Within.

1. I bought this expecting it to be worth reading, and was not disappointed in the least. I admire the way Mike Lowell approaches life and baseball, and, now I feel I know the "person behind the jersey" a little better. I enjoyed it, and will definitely reread it.



2. In this book I found a man with character, integrity, honesty, modesty and strong faith and family values. A truly MVP in baseball and in the game of life.
   An inspirational book, a must read for the younger generation.



3. THIS BY FAR IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF READING. FOR ANY TRUE RED SOX FAN, THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ. EVERYTIME I WATCH MY RED SOX PLAY AND MIKE IS UP TO BAT AND HE HAS TWO STRIKES - I WANT TO SAY TO HIM - REMEMBER WIFFLE BALL MIKE, WIFFLE BALL. READ THE BOOK AND YOU'LL UNDERSTAND!



4. I found this book very informative. It gave me a better understanding of just what people will do & go through to become who they were meant to be.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in looking beyond the glamour...



5. The book makes you truly admire Mike Lowell for everything he's accomplished on and off the field. There are moments, where he talks about his cancer diagnosis, and his concerns for his wife and his newborn daughter, and all of a sudden you're on the verge of tears. Then he cracks a joke about Terry "Tito" Francona or David Ortiz, and you find yourself laughing nonstop.
   
   I don't get into books very often, but I thought this one was great!

5 comments about Another Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son.

1. As the father of a child with Down Syndrome I know firsthand what Gene Stallings has been through. It's both tough and rewarding. This book helps the reader get a glimpse of what being a parent to one of these wonderful people is about. If the reader has no experience being around people with Down Syndrome I hope that this story will help them fall in love with these remarkable folks. John Mark Stallings died a few weeks ago but he was a wonderful person and the love that his father expresses in this work is something to behold.



2. Knowing Johnny and Coach, this is a 'must read' for everyone to learn to appreciate life! A tremendous blessing!



3. I really enjoyed this book. A very moving story involving a father's love and football. You can't get any better than that! Great summer reading!



4. I live in alabama and even kind of like alabama football so when we had to read it for summer reading i thought i would like it...i absolutly hated it!!! You could so tell it wasn't written by a pro writer i mean it jumped around from different dates and although i loved how inspirational it was with johnny gene stallings seemed kind of self centered and every time the family was happy moved. i hated how there was no time line and years would pass and then he would go every minute of the next day. i thought it was good how they were so religous and i liked reading it but it is not a book i would really reccomend to anybody just because there are more inspirational books and just better books!! Luv Ya!!



5. There are a lot of great books out there you can read and be entertained in the process. A few of those books will even linger in your memory for awhile after you've finished them. It's more rare to read a book that really touches your heart and mind and provokes a change in your life.
   
   ANOTHER SEASON is one of those very extraordinary books that takes hold of the reader's attention in a powerful way that transcends language. It's certainly a great read--at times, even very enjoyable, as Coach Stallings describes various triumphs on the football field. But, at times, it's also painful, and painfully honest...maybe even gut-wrenching. One admires Coach Stallings for his candor and vulnerability; one envies the deep love between he and his son, John Mark.
   
   Through it all, we get a moving portrait of a caring, honorable, courageous family and get a glimpse into a father-son relationship that sets an example of what any father or son could hope for in terms of love, devotion, faithfulness, and friendship. John Mark Stallings is a heroic young man born with Down Syndrome. He has defied all odds, surviving and living with it, and touching millions of lives in the process. This young man has taught so many people how to live a life filled with meaning, purpose, and love, just like his famous daddy.
   
   This story is personal to me in many ways: I have a close relative who has lived with a particular developmental challenge ever since her birth, and we love her dearly--she adds great richness to our family, despite her difficulties. It's also personal to me because I am a life-long Alabama Crimson Tide football fan, and I lived in Alabama during that glorious 1992-1993 National Championship season. I can tell you that everybody in our state, no matter what football team they followed, was and is a big fan of Mr. John Mark Stallings.
   
   RECOMMENDATION: I cannot say enough good about this book. It will appeal to a broad range of readership; certainly, football fans will enjoy it, but also families and friends who have faced similar challenges as the Stallings family has will find much encouragement and inspiration here. John Mark, you're our hero. We love you, buddy. God bless the Stallings family, and thanks, Coach, for this deeply moving book.

5 comments about Going Gray: What I Learned about Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Really Matters.

1. Some reviewers seem to be reviewing the concept of going gray rather than this book. What is called going gray is really much more--it is about going gray elegantly, beautifully. It is how you can go gray and still be current.
   
   Although I like the concept of going gray in general, I don't like this book, Going Gray. I thought the author made too much of her decision to go gray and how she would be perceived by others. This will sound harsh, but she seemed so shallowly focused on herself! It wasn't quite a memoir, it wasn't quite a psychological experiment in measuring some of the reactions (and in fairness to the author, it didn't claim to be) and it wasn't that interesting. Further, I was really put off by the author pretending to be single to see what men's reaction to her gray hair would be. She didn't lead them on too far and she had her husband's blessing, but it seemed wrong to me.
   
   I think she asked some good questions, but I also think she gave the questions and answers too much weight. She cared too much. Going gray is a decision that a woman will probably think about seriously, but really, life is just so full of too many things to devote this much energy to it. Or this much energy to yourself.
   
   There have been several books written by authors who did something for a year and then wrote about it: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, The Know-It-All, The Year of Living Bibically, Not Buying It, Nickeled and Dimed. It occurred to me that the author, a journalist, wondered if she could turn her decision to give up the (haircolor) bottle into a best-seller.
   
   The book with a similar name, Going Gray, Looking Great did work. It also tells about going gray, while giving encouragement and practical advice so that the woman can still look great.
   
   Brian's wife



2. Going gray has its own issues: for many women, gray hairs grow all over the place AND one's own natural gray color may not always look great, so one winds up having to "color" the gray a nicer gray color so it does not appear too yellow for instance. Some people look washed out in gray. Color is a very personal decision.



3. I am ordering this book regardless of the fact that I do not see an under 40 review. I am 37 and have been going gray for at least 5 years now - not just the occasional one or two grays along your part - an all over gray especially the halo area. I hope this book offers some insight as I have been dying my hair for 8+ years in an attempt to cover my gray. I started early trying to cover the single gray strands. I feel I can no longer keep dying my hair as it is gray at the roots in a week after dying it and I feel untrue to myselfas I am somewhat of an athletic/outdoorsey woman. I like to hike and ride my bike and ski and natural light shows all.



4. I'm 53 and stopped dying my hair around 6 years ago - it's become much thicker than when I was dying it, and is for the most part white. It's not uncommon for me to be stopped by strangers - men and women - who comment on how beautiful my hair is, and sometimes - most often men - will tell me how beautiful I am. Believe me, that never happened when I was coloring my hair! The process of embracing who we truly are allows our natural beauty to bloom.



5. Going Gray (What I learned about beauty, sex, work, motherhood, authenticity and everything else that really matters), by Anne Kreamer, Little Brown, New York, is the sort of book title that the average man would pass on as probably girlish fluff. If a bald man is seen perusing this volume in a bookstore, chances are he's read Nora Ephron and has recently had a pedicure.
   
   And yet, stereotyping aside, Anne Kreamer has, almost inadvertently, written a book that, through the lens of its thesis, offers social and psychological insights into aging Americans of the demographic widely known as Baby Boomers. Today's fifty-somethings grew up in a culture that celebrated youth. With prescription medications now available to restore rosy optimism and sexual potency, what magic elixir might restore the appearance of youth? The elixir is hair color. The question Ms. Kreamer asks is existential: how does the magic in it work? And if there is no magic, what does that mean?
   
   The answer is not immediately apparent; we take our belief systems for granted as valid, and hair color has evolved as a mainstay of middle age. It was not until the author saw a photograph of her dark-haired self next to her teenage daughter that the white lie of hair color began to resound larger implications for her. What is truth and what is illusion, and does one wear the other as a mask in this case? If truth is beauty, then untruth moves us closer on the reality grid to the locus of ugliness, but what person, especially in their fifties, wants to go there? Anne Kreamer pushes that query, hoping to discover new legitimacy for "nature's changing course untrimmed." What does she learn?
   
   Many things: "How we choose to grow old is deeply idiosyncratic, a matter of individual taste and circumstance." Fair enough. But what about other people? How do they see us, how much should it matter, and is it ever valid to make assumptions about what is attractive? To finds answers, this (happily married) author makes excursions through the wilderness of dating web sites, meeting with single men, even contacting contemporary "image consultants," the first of whom was "Ginger, who wore a leopard-print cashmere sweater with caribou feathers trimming the deep V-neck and cuffs, slim black wool pants, and black suede Manolo Blahnik boots--an outfit that would have been less surprising to me if I'd made an appointment with a dominatrix."
   Going Gray is an antic but thoughtful account of her adventures, a report to the rest of us that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder and, past a certain age, it's probably better to look to what wisdom we've earned than in the mirror. Finally, Anne Kreamer's book is about telling "more of the plain truth in small ways, then maybe we as a society and a culture will find it easier to recognize and reward the truth in bigger ways."

5 comments about The Dream Begins: How Hawaii Shaped Barack Obama.

1. We are all influenced in the way we think and act based on our culture and environment. As Michelle says, "you can't understand Barack without knowing Hawai'i"



2. Just finished reading "The Dream Begins" I found it very informative and a good insight into a man that untill recently I had known very little about. Growing up in Hawaii considering it's multi cultural history must have had a very positive impact on Barack Obama's character. In short a very easy and enjoyable read!!!



3. The Dream Begins is a wonderful book about Barack Obama's life in Hawaii. I was a haole then, living and working on the Islands. The authors have captured a unique time - Hawaiian Nationalism was rising, new immigrants were flowing in from Asia, intermarriage was celebrated among all ethnicities. The authors have given us a portrait of Barack Obama that can't be found anywhere else - even in his own memoirs. I was a haole, a distinct minority, which was a new experience for this mainlander. The islands held within them a whole new people and this book shows how Barack Obama was shaped by this beautiful world. This new Eden.



4. 
   This politically unbiased book takes us through the early years of Barack Obama. It also reaches further back to inform us about his parents and grandparents. "The Dream Begins..." is an easy and informative read for both Republicans and Democrats. Stu and Jerry have provided us with a book that doesn't take sides, it tells the story of a man and his families and I appreciate the experience of reading an unbiased book, a book that doesn't berate or denigrate anyone. I found the book fascinating to read and enjoyed every word.
   
   The quote of Michelle Obama on the cover of the book "You can't really understand Barack Obama until you understand Hawaii reminded me of the day to day reality I experienced while living in Hawaii. The remembering of the Ohana spirit of Hawaii, loosely translated, the family spirit and the learning to get along. The authors were able to relay that spirit to us the readers, the spirit of Hawaii. That is the spirit I see emanating from Barack Obama as he winds his way through the political process. It seems to me in the year 2008 the world is now an island and we need the Ohana spirit to stretch around the world, our island.
   
   The authors, long time writers on the Hawaii scene have furnished us with a very in depth understanding of how Hawaii shaped Barack Obama.



5. "Aloo's" review, and the others so far, make me realize what is so fascinating about this book - its very deft description of an amazing multi-cultural place, and how that can have a great (positive) effect on someone growing up there. It's more than a cliche to say that growing up in Hawaii is probably at the core of who Obama is, now that I've been reading the book and read these reviews. I'm from New Mexico, and our multi-cultural society and its effects could be described much the same way, as this book makes me aware. And that "rainbow" effect on someone proposing to lead a multi-cultural country (which, sorry folks, this is!) is critical, in fact perhaps necessary. Obama seems to have internalized an understanding of people at their core, not just dealing adeptly with "constituent groups" or whatever. Congratulations to authors Glauberman and Burris for some very, very thoughtful and sensitive writing about an elusive culture and its positive effect on a young man.

5 comments about Thrumpton Hall: A Memoir of Life in My Father's House.

1. I was tricked into reading this book by the great review in the New York Times. It sounded like a book about a man's obsession with a big old house. It turned out that it was only a very little bit about George Seymour's obsession with Thrumpton Hall. The book was actually about Miranda Seymour's relationship with her father. A lot of it came across as whining. For example, she has apparently been totally scarred for life because her father made her wear a wig for a family portrait because he thought her hair had been cut too short. She describes every event from her own childish point of view and, now that many of the participants are dead, she is free to make as many unsupported accusations as she wishes.



2. I don't usually add reviews to Amazon, but after reading that one person found this book "sophomoric," I had to respond. I don't know which book entitled, "Thrumpton Hall" that particular reviewer is referring to, but it can't be this one.
   
   Ms. Seymour's memoir of her family's stately house is a wonderful story, and she gives it great life. If you like Evelyn Waugh or Nancy Mitford, this book will please you enormously. Books that receive raves on the front page of the Ny Times book review often end up disappointing. This one lives up to the hype.



3. I really enjoyed this book and would have kept reading if it was twice as long. Just a great portrait of one of the last of a vanishing breed of great country home owners in England. Seymour's writing is crisp and clear, as she skillfully interweaves past to present.
   
   My only comment would be that I never fully understood why the author hated her father. He evidently could be a little difficult - not exactly unusual - but he was hardly a monster. To me, he seems to have made the best out of being a man who no longer fit his times. Regardless, a book well worth reading.



4. I couldn't put this book down - although not the best writing ever, the structure that combines a linear life story with present day discussions between mother and daughter is an interesting device that works well here.
   
   I bought the book based on the NY Times review (in fact, one of the other reviews here reads a lot like that review), expecting insights into life in an English country house in the last century, focused around one person specifically. It starts that way, but by about halfway through, it's much more about George Seymour than his house or even his relationship to his house (in the latter part of his life, the house apparently lessens in importance to him). By the end, I realized it's actually a book about Miranda Seymour, the author, and her as yet unresolved relationship with her father. A few days after finishing the book, I've decided that the book is in fact entirely about Miranda Seymour, and her as yet unresolved issues with herself.
   
   Reviews here and elsewhere have portrayed George Seymour as the villain, an unsympathetic character and a deplorable man. But by the author's own testament, short of a few odd episodes such as the one revolving around wigs, her father tried hard to create a close-knit family and a happy childhood for his two kids - exactly what he did not have growing up, and which in part led to his obsession with the only tangible constant in his life, Thrumpton Hall.
   
   I'm left with questions about the father's relationship with his own father (who barely plays in the story, and even his "beloved" mother eventually dies without fanfare), and in turn his son (a conscious choice by the author in respect of her brother). The father's older siblings are also barely mentioned; and after going to the trouble of printing a full family tree at the start of the book, very few of those relationships are explored. One does get the idea that George Seymour felt lonely and isolated - it's a key theme of the book - but at the same time, his passion for correspondence, social visits and parties is well documented, in stark contrast. Thus, I remain curious about this man's relationships beyond his daughter and wife (the latter being rather distorted through the eyes of the former).
   
   On this point, on a personal level, this is perhaps the most important lesson - that our tendency to become angry with loved ones over their relationships with other people is often misplaced.
   
   In the end, if it's supposed to be a book about Thrumpton Hall, then 2 stars, because I want to know much more. If it's supposed to be about George Seymour, then 4 stars, because I feel I now know him, even if left with several perplexing questions.
   
   If it's about Miranda Seymour, then 5 stars, because I think I know her quite well now - to the point that I've had enough and don't want to know any more at all. But since I think the author set out to tell a different story, I'll put it back down to 3 stars.



5. Somewhat sophmoric, both in writing and in content. Not much meat; too many words and florid descriptions--a quite a few low-level grammatical errors. And some of the writing reminds one of high-school diaries: "Oh, Dear Diary, what does this mean? Will I find the answer??" I bought the book with great expectations, based on several print-media reviews; now I am skimming just to finish the book.

5 comments about On the Edge of Nowhere.

1. What a great read! Awe Inspiring, Alaskan all the way. Does not get more raw than that! I grew up in the bush hearing tales of the good old days. This is a story worth every word.



2. I spent time in the village of Huslia and actually taught in the school Jimmy started there. I met Jimmy's brother Sidney, who also wrote an awesome book, SHADOWS ON THE KOYUKUK. This is a beautiful, but harsh country where survival was not a given. This is a marvelous book..... unforgetable........ a must-read for a lover of adventure and the wilderness!



3. Recently, I have been fascinated by Alaska and the people that inhabit(ed) its interior. The life of Jim Huntington is to be admired by everyone. This book was a fast read and a real page turner. It is more adventurous than many fictional tails I have read. Excellent and should be read by everyone.



4. I think I bought the last eight copies, so please order more, Amazon. I teach high school in the Alaskan bush, and it is extremely difficult to find books that my non-readers enjoy reading that also have academic value. This book, and "Shadows on the Koyukuk" by Sidney Huntington, Jimmy's brother, have given my students insight into the transition between traditional Native culture and current native culture with its White influence and inclusion. My copies are going into the Alaska History tub of materials from our district resource center, to be shared by the other schools in our district. We will need more copies.



5. Jimmy Huntington wrote the best read I have seen in awhile--not too flowery, just basic truth. I loved it!!! Bonnie