No comments about Amarcord: Marcella Remembers.

5 comments about Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life.

1. I've been a fan of Steve Martin's since I was a little girl. My mom had the extreme pleasure of seeing him perform his stand up at Universal Studios in the 70's. (opening act was the Blues Brothers) He has always been, to me, full of wonderful humor and as an author is absolutley superb. He is definatley a man of many talents and it shows in his acting, writing, banjo playing, etc. This book was a very intersting peek into the great mind of Mr. Martin's.



2. I will agree with others that Steve Martin knows how to write. But, I am sorry, I thought this book was painfully boring.



3. I adore Steve Martin's work. I grew up watching his brilliantly nonsensical movies informed by classic literature and art. I revel in his physical comedy, and I had a good time watching Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Don't tell anyone, but as kids, my brother and I watched Three Amigos more than Sesame Street, and Lucky Day was our favorite.
   
   I didn't know why until I read this book.
   
   If you want to know more about the history of American stand up comedy and its transition from stages to screen, or Disneyland, or magic shops, or Orange County, California, there's plenty for you in this book. And there's so much more. Martin shares his journey to stardom - which turns out to be a series of peaks and valleys, gaining elevation with each iteration.
   
   Of course, his self-deprecating humor is where it all starts: "persistence is a great substitute for talent" he tells us. And I enjoyed the stories about how he developed and tested material. The real message of the book comes through in Martin's own self-awareness. He writes about his anxiety attacks, his brilliant strategy for handling hecklers (which I will be using in a meeting tomorrow!), his rocky relationship with his father, the healing powers of Carl Reiner, and what is was like to be with each of his parents as they died.
   
   If you only read a few pages (come on, read the whole book!), read the first and last chapters. In the first chapter, you'll hear a clearly-defined writer's voice that is recognizably Steve Martin's, distilling the details of the book into refined, compact punches of truth. In the final chapter, you'll read a little about his resolution with his parents. And if you read the chapters in between, you'll know a little more about how a person makes the journey from an isolating childhood to exchanging words of love with his father as a man.
   
   If he's willing to share, I hope to learn more about the post-stand up years in the next book.
   
   I couldn't put this book down. It was an easy read - I bought it yesterday morning and am writing this review tonight. I think I continue to delight in Steve Martin's work because it exemplifies something he said of Carl Reiner in the book: "He had an entrenched sense of glee."



4. "I DID STAND-UP COMEDY for eighteen years. Ten of those years were spent learning, four years were spent refining, and four were spend in wild success." So begins Steve Martin's biography of himself as he explains it because he feels as if he is writing about someone else 30 to 40 years removed from the time and place. Although I was a fan of Steve Martin's comedy and movies mainly via SNL and his early movies I never appreciated the dedication, hard work, and intellectual underpinnings that guided his rise to superstardom. He covers the early dysfunctional family experience that seems to come with later greatness in enough detail to make the ending very touching where there is reconciliation. Throughout the book you get a flavor for the times (sixties/seventies) from an observer/participant perspective rather than partisan/ideologue. Finally I enjoyed reading it because Steve Martin is a complex and interesting character who can be completely zany and stupid but also recite poetry, discuss art, and find the philosophical underpinnings in making a fool of yourself in front of thousands.



5. I became a Steve Martin fan in college when my roomates and I saw him on Johnny Carson trying to make people laugh by reading names out of a phone book (the way great actors can supposedly make people cry by doing the same thing). Of course, no one was laughing so he resorted to his standard balloon hat, bunny ears, arrow through the head and Groucho Marx glasses. It was so bizarre and crazy, we were in stitches. Of course, we were also pharmaceutically challenged at the time so that helped.
   
   When reading this book, it also helps if you lived through the 60s and 70s. Steve makes many references to those times as he was growing up and his comedy career morphed. If you also grew up during those times, you can relate to so much more of what he's talking about. But regardless, it's really quite entertaining as he pulls you through the 60s and his time as a writer on the Smothers Brothers show and his early attempts at comedy in the 70s.
   
   If you followed Steve's stand-up career, I think you will really like this book. You really get to know the man and his struggles with his comedy career, his family and his love life. This is the first book of his that I've read and I never realized what a good writer he is. I breezed through the book as he has a way of painting a picture and and scene in a very visual way. So many times through the book, I read a sentence and stopped and thought, "You know, that's true. It really is". A few of my favorites were "Thankfully, perseverance is a great substitute for talent", and "Despite a lack of natural ability, I did have the one element necessary to all early creativity: naivete, that fabulous quality that keeps you from knowing just how unsuited you are for what you are about to do".
   
   Every young performer should read this book, whether you're a Steve Martin fan or not. It is inspiring as well as entertaining. If you were born after the Steve Martin phenomenon of the 70s, go to YouTube.com and find some old Steve Martin stand-up clips. You will not regret it.

5 comments about Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History.

1. Maus was a very engaging book. From the beginning I was pulled into the story. Maus is written in a very unique way. Art Spiegelman drew the Jews as mice, the Nazis as cats, and the Poles as pigs. Art Spiegelman told the story from the perspective of his father telling the story through an interview format. It is written in the form of a graphic novel. It is an interesting way to learn about history during the World War II era. Overall I liked this book, except I really didn't like the end. Also, there was a little bit of language.



2. i was one of the few among my peers who had never read one of the Maus books. When i finally got around to it, i was blown away by its excellence. This is a masterpiece (and i do not use the term lightly). Do yourself a favor and don't miss it.



3. I must say that I find this work hard to properly describe in terms of how I feel about it. I think that it was a fascinating look at one man's experience in the Holocaust, but an equally important aspect is Art's interaction with his father during their conversations. This seems like an honest portrayal, especially since Art isn't afraid to include things that may make him look bad (he isn't always the most sympathetic son). I think connecting the story of what happened then, and how it's effects are apparent for the rest of a person's life (although different people reacted in different ways) is interesting. The way this is written is especially effective, because it truly feels like Vladek is telling you his story first hand.
   As for the artwork, although it isn't my favorite style, it seems to fit for this story. The simple, unpolished look is compatible with this story which is honest and raw. Finally, I would like to add that the second installment of this comic is darker, and more depressing and sad at times, but once you read Maus I, you must (and will want to) read Maus II in order to feel any closure with the story.



4. As a Jew Living in Israel, holocaust related books are important to read, but it's hard to do it actually. I can remember several holocaust-era semi-biographic novels which are great but those are the exceptions. Most of the books are a bit bothersome though true.
   Maus just captured me.I consider it one of the best books I've ever read in my life. It was just breath-taking, adding to that the fact that this was my first graphic novel ever, not to say first comic ever.
   I gave it to my wife, her parents, brother and so on. The book came back to me after 6 month. all worn out.
   The book touched me in the deepest levels, and was able to do what many other holocaust books tried to do and failed. Take you inside one of the the darkest eras of human kind. You NEED to read to. You have to read it.



5. Maus, A Survivor's Tale is a son's pictorial version of his father's story of survival during WWII.
   
   Both haunting and mesmerizing, sometimes funny and touching, this is a story of perseverance and about what the Jews had to suffer through at the hands of the Nazis in WWII Poland. Spiegleman never sugar-coats what his father had to endure in order to keep he and his wife alive. A true work of art.

5 comments about Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs.

1. I listened to this books on audio cd. The readers little girl whispery voice was intensely annoying. I did finish it and I would never presume to critize her choices and acts. What I find difficult to understand (spoiler ahead) are her choices outside the "church". She speaks of her mother and father as victims of a "religion" and of their inability to help or protect her as "because of their religous beliefs". The religious belief that one man and one man only talks to God and runs their life. Isn't this a cult? Doesn't she see it as a cult now that she's on the ouside. As a mother, she should have a clearer picture of what her parents did not do. Her constant use of the "love" of her mother is self-deluding. But I cannot question her big heart and forgiveness. Warren Jeffs may be gone, but her sisters are still there. Cults and their victims are very sad things. Editors should have trimmed this book by half. And definitely gotten a different reader.



2. Stolen Innocence was a unique story written about how one woman was able to escape the clutches of the FLDS after a 4 year forced marriage at age 14 to her first cousin who had been known to be abusive towards her as children. When she would not obey him, he repeatedly raped and physically abused her.
   
   The marriage was arranged, in part, as punishment to her and her mother because they had spoken out on several ocassions and were thought to be a "troubled" family. Despite her begging and pleading not to marry a cousin "I hated," she was told she either went through with the marriage or her family would be excommunicated and set out on the highway. She had seen this happen to her brother and others, so out of fear went through with the "marriage."
   
   Although I don't in any way condone her husband's actions, it appears from the book that he, too, was a victim of this order. There was NEVER any sex education: in fact, the word sex was never used, and was a subject not even married women were allowed to discuss. Children were taught to think of the other sex as "snakes," and even casual touching was forbid. Then, suddenly you are married, and all the girls have ever been told is "Your husband will explain your wifely duties to you." Sex is only supposed to happen to pro-create and NEVER for pleasure. In this case, the young man didn't seem to have any more knowledge of what he was supposed to do than she did. A man will have his "pristhood" taken away from him if he cannot control his family. This means he will not be allowed to enter the Celestrial kimdom, so it is a big deal. Fearing he was loosing control of his 14 year old wife, he began to rape her to insure she provided him with children. Unfortunately, she suffered 3 miscarriages and 1 stillbirth with NO medical care.
   
   This religious group believes that Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was correct when he stated Pologamy was a revelation from God. The purpose was to create a family on earth that would be transferred to the Celestrail Kingdom for those who "stay sweet," and take advice from the Prophet, whom they believe are receiving messages directly from God. The men will then be set up as God's of their own "Kindoms." BUT ONLY IF THEY ARE OBEDIENT,and have duitiful wives.
   
   The biggest problem in this story was that a sociapathic man who studied Hittler, manipulated his way into becoming the professed prophet. Because this group had been brought up to believe that anything the Prophet says is coming directly from God, no one questioned his actions. Those who did were x-communicated, had their wives and children taken away, their homes taken, and were left penniless. Under Warren Jeffs rule, the governing body of 12 was done away with, all property individually owned was taken and given to the "church," who then gave out land and houses to the "most worthy" of followers.
   
   Because the people are carefully removed from society and taught that outsiders are evil and will only cause extreme harm, they are afraid to come forward. All the local Police, Judges, etc are FLDS members, so going to the authorities is fruitless.
   
   This women came forward with the truth of what was happening in this isolated town despite death threats to her and her family. She risked her very life to come forward, and as a result has brought knowledge to authorities, who then were able to act on reports by many who had fled.
   
   The book is well written, flows well, and explains why and how this has happened.
   
   .
   What the Kindle version lacks is nice pictures. The pictures are displayed, but black and white and faded.



3. I thought this was an excellent book, very thought-provoking. It was a look into a very strange life compared to how most women live in this day and age. It seems hard to understand how these women and men go along with a "prophet" who makes every decision for them, including who they marry and at what age. Then you look back at history and there were many people who were able to control others like this, eg. Jim Jones, whose followers committed mass suicide. It is hard to believe that this kind of mind control is still in existence. It was a definite eye-opener for me.



4. Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs
   
   A disturbing look at the cult commonly called the FLDS, a polygamy espousing sect with enclaves in British Columbia, Utah, Arizona, Texas and Mexico and ruthlessly run by jailed "prophet" Warren Steed Jeffs. This is the story of Elissa Wall whom Jeffs forced to marry at age fourteen her abusive first cousin, and from whom she later escaped.
   
   Stolen Innocence recounts the ordeal Wall's life was in a cult where women must be subservient to their husbands, and most importantly, to the prophet, or face consequences. Wall describes her ordeal in prose, while not literary, is at least compelling and aptly states her case.
   
   During her horiffic marriage she suffers rape, miscarriages, extreme mental cruelty and takes to sleeping in her truck to avoid the bedroom and her abusive husband. She watches her 18-year-old brother banished from the enclave with her parents doing nothing to stop the action. She witnesses her mother removed from her blood father and reassigned to another man as his fifteenth wife.
   
   She recounts how a former FLDS man befriends her and how that friendship turns to love. And most importantly, you'll read how she got the courage to tell her story and give the testimony to convict Warren Jeffs.
   
   Difficult to read without feeling pity and anger, but an important book in learning about this sect.



5. There is no doubt that Elissa Wall suffered at the hands of the FLDS cult and Warren Jeffs in particular. Her story would have been more engaging had it been more succinct in it's writing. Read: it went on and on and on........While the tone and style are that of a young girl, (and perhaps the author(s) wanted to maintain that), the book simply grew tiresome from redundancy, lack of intrigue, and sheer wordiness. While Wall definitely has a story to tell, she could have told it better.

5 comments about Keep the Faith: A Memoir.

1. Keep the Faith: A Memoir
   I loved this book. Faith definately didn't hold back with speaking the truth even when she could have taken her time and made better decisions. I could definately relate to all the choices Faith Evans made with the men in her life because I have done so many of the same things as well. It was great to see how as we age into our 30's how we overcome adversity so I could definately relate. I loved this book so much I bought it for a friend for her birthday. The 90's were great for those of us who were in our 20's but its great being grown and sexy!!!



2. I have been a HUGE HUGE fan of Faith since she came out. I read this book in one day, I just couldn't put it down. I was finally able to read more than one page about one of my favorite R&B artists. Usually, her interviews were so short. It was well written and I never imagined her to be the type to beat down people. I know exactly where she's from, b/c I am a Jersey girl myself, but where you're from doesn't mean that you act like you're enviroment. But I loved the book, it was very deep. I'm glad that she's happy and living life now. I was always wondering about the removal of Mary from the debut album, now I know. I am lucky enough to have the original with Mary on it. As far as that reviewer commenting on her mistake of the name of the song... 'is it really that serious???' Like you've never made a mistake before with a song or anything else?? Ummmm, I'm quite sure you have. I didn't question any of what Faith wrote in her book, all those years all of the others mentioned in the book were all rah rah about everything and she stayed quiet. Ususally the ones with all the mouth are most of the time, fabricating the story. I loved it, loved it, loved it!!!!! I wanna read it again.... lol



3. I loved this book it was a good read. It didnt have a dull moment.



4. Finally we get the truth after all these years...from the "first lady".I have been a fan since day one....and found this book to be an excellent read from cover to cover.If you're a fan of 90"s r&b like me you will enjoy this book...We finally get the truth on everything that went down between Faith...and Mary,Puffy,BIG,Lil Kim....its all here.I'm not that much of a reader but i read this book in 3 days.A must have....



5. I've been a fan of Faith since she first appeared on the scene and I've always been curious about the whole Tupac/Biggie situation. Her memoir is a vivid account into her life. She shares very intimate details about growing up with her grandparents, being in abusive relationships as a teenager, and her tumultuous relalationship with BIG. Keep The Faith is a great example of what a tell-all should be, because Faith talks about everything. The beef between her and Lil Kim was comical, because I've always percieved Lil Kim as this tough-talking, street chic who wouldn't hestitate to run up on someone. I couldn't believe that she remained with BIG for so long, because he always kept a chic on the side. She also talks about the so-called beef with her and Mary and the reason she had to cut Missy off. This was a excellent read and I would definitely recommend it.
   
   4.5 stars

5 comments about Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran.

1. I read the book and I liked it but I really wished he gave alittle more dirt LOL on the others too. I know this book was about Andy and it opened my eyes as to why he wasn't in the band later on. A must read for all and any duran fans.



2. I'm glad Andy wrote this book as there were many fans who believed he wanted nothing to do with the band and looked down on him for it. Andy has been the black sheep of Duran Duran since the beginning due to his rock-boy personae so it was natural to believe that he was never a natural fit for the group. While I commend him for coming clean and telling us his side, there were so many issues that were glossed over and in reading this tale, it was apparent that he over-handled his criticsm of John, Simon, Roger and Nick with kid gloves; like a doctor performing open-heart surgery. Andy tried to be as fair as he could and tried to present both sides but I, as the reader, ended up having far more questions than I did answers. As I read through each page, I was hoping that one of the other members (if not all of them) would come out with thier own version of events so that I could compare them to Andy's. I also believed Andy underplayed his own demons in Duran Duran and alluded to them instead of delving into them. We know he's no saint, but it wasn't apparent by reading this account. In some places he even sounded jealous and bitter (ie, criticising Red Carpet Massacre)
   
   I'm so glad he gave us the scoop on the rock wives that the fans have long been interested in. In the Sing Blue Silver documentary, Duranies were introduced to Julianne Friedman and Andy confirmed what long-time fans have felt for years: she was no good. (NOTE: If you do a search on the internet for Personal Chefs in Los Angeles you will find a current picture of her and she looks 100% better than she ever did in the 80's.) Reading about Tracey, Giovanna, Yasmin and Julieanne was worth the price of this book for this information alone! Since most of Duran's fans are female, we have all wondered what it would be like to married to them and Andy gives us the scoop in black & white. Thank you Andy.
   
   Finally, Andy made a fantastic case for his final departure from the group with cogent arguments and convinced me that he follwed his heart for the right reasons. He ended the book on a mentally healthy and happy note and gave me the sense that he was at peace with where his journey ultimately left him - on a new path with his family and his music.



3. A very welcome biography. A bit of a mystery why there has never been a proper biography written by the band themselves. Hopefully this will trigger the rest of the boys to start telling the tale. We want to know!!
   A.T's book is a great read where he reveals enough to wet your apetite
   by the page, a must for any DD fan. A story that seems honest and humble as far as I can tell. All of a sudden A.T. comes alive and steps out from the shadows of Simon, John, Nick, you get to meet the man and the musician behind the guitar. Buy it, after all they are one of the greatest band since the 70's, mysteriously overlooked but always there.



4. By way of full disclosure, I am an avid Duranie (as are most of the prospective readers of this book, I presume). Just to get that out of the way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lots of juicy little gossipy stories, but nothing really mean-spirited. He does not get into his adult personal life (marriage, family) too much, but there is ample background on his childhood. Most Duranies know all the basics, and this book has those covered, but there are several stories in here that probably are unknown to all but a very few. Though he certainly isn't going to win the Pulitzer, the writing actually impressed me a bit. Andy can be quite witty when he wants to. Award-winning prose is not what us readers are looking for with this book, and the writing is more than fine for the purpose at hand. Bottom-line? Definitely a must, easy, often fun read for even the most casual of fans.



5. I must say that I am a radio fan of Duran Duran. I purchased this book for my sister who is a TRUE DURANIE!!!!!! I decided to read the book to see what he had to say about the band and other things. I even had to apologize to my sister for doing this b/c it delayed her receiving her book. I must say it was entertaining and it gave me some details I found interesting. I gave this 4 stars because i felt the book to be a bit choppy. In certain places it gave me too much information and in others it left me wanting more. For any D2 FAN, this is a must have.

5 comments about Epilogue: A Memoir.

1. So sad, but beautifully written. If you have ever lost someone important, critically important, in your life, reading this book will help you know you are not alone in your suffering. It is life.



2. Epilogue (HarperCollins, 2008) is a gripping memoir by National Book Award finalist Anne Roiphe, who was forced to recompose her life after the sudden loss of her husband of 39 years. With compelling candor, Ms. Roiphe shares the intimate memories of her happy marriage and the uncertainties of her life as a new widow. In Booklist, critic Carol Haggas writes, "No one can really prepare a woman for this passage in life, but Roiphe's luminous memoir is a beacon of help, and ultimately hope."
   
   
   After reading this provocative book, I mulled over its lessons, some of which touch on female friendships, and was thrilled when Ms. Roiphe graciously agreed to expand on some of her thoughts on that topic in an email interview. See her thoughts on female friendships on my blog: www.fracturedfriendships.com



3. In the aftermath of her husband's death, this still-attractive and accomplished 69-year old writer and mother sought male companionship through an online matching service and a classified ad. Her subsequent experiences and the men she meets are humorously and candidly recounted in a frank and engaging fashion. Sort of like Joan Didion's memoir, but with less emphasis on the grieving process and more on the search for renewal and romance.



4. While Joan Didion's THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING is likely to remain the touchstone for contemporary books about a widow's grief, Anne Roiphe's new memoir is a painfully honest and deeply affecting companion to Didion's work.
   
   In December 2005, Herman Roiphe ("H.," as she refers to him throughout the memoir), a well-known New York psychoanalyst, her husband of 39 years and 12 years her senior, died suddenly. Now Anne must begin her life again as a widow at the age of 69. "Grief is in two parts," she writes. "The first is loss. The second is the remaking of life. This book is about the second. Although the division between the two parts is not a line, a wall or a chasm." With that candid insight, Roiphe launches her account of the 18 months or so that followed her husband's death.
   
   What's striking about Roiphe's situation, especially for such a highly educated, sophisticated woman, is how ill-equipped she seems to be to deal with some of the daily reality of it. Like many widows, she's mystified when it comes to financial matters ("This is his job. But he is not here and now I will do it, badly, but I will do it. Resentfully I will do it."). But she's equally at sea trying to perform even the most mundane of tasks, like fitting her key into the door of her apartment, which she always had left to her husband, or deciding which subway to take in a city where she's lived all her life. It's as if the loss of H. has rendered her disabled in some mysterious fashion.
   
   Granted, some of the challenges Roiphe must confront are hardly the ordinary stuff of widowhood. Claiming that she's forbidden to provide details, she's left to clean up a lawsuit "for a considerable amount of money stemming from something in my husband's past." And she must deal with the blackly comic demand of her husband's ex-wife for an entire month's alimony ("the last drop of honey from the pot") for the month in which he died.
   
   Thanks to a personal ad placed by her daughters in The New York Review of Books, and her own foray unto Match.com, Roiphe doesn't lack for male companionship (the way that e-mail has transformed dating rituals, even for senior citizens, is one of the subtexts of Roiphe's story). From the self-absorbed to the desperate, she chronicles her experiences with these men, even describing with refreshing honesty her sexual encounter with an attorney named M. The most bizarre of them (and the only one to which she does not attach an initial, a style borrowed from psychoanalytic writings) is a man from Albany, New York, who bombards her with email filled with increasingly virulent, even paranoid, right-wing propaganda. Although the two never meet, she seems oddly tempted by the notion of a relationship with him. It's puzzling that Roiphe, a passionate feminist, would have tolerated this onslaught of messages so at odds with her core beliefs for so long.
   
   As befits an author of 15 books of fiction and nonfiction, Roiphe's voice is rich with nuance. At times she's concise and epigrammatic: "It is not a sign of normal life when the takeout deliverymen become fond of you or your tips." "If only there were a camp for us like the camps for the overweight kids advertised on the back of the New York Times Magazine." And yet she's equally capable of expressions of arresting beauty and poignancy: "Think of grief as a river that finally runs into the ocean where it is absorbed but not dissolved, pebbles, moss, fish, twigs from the smallest upland stream run with it and finally float in the salt sea from which life emerged."
   
   By the end of her journey, Roiphe has emerged a different, stronger person. She has enrolled in a class in ancient history in the land of Israel, drawn closer to her daughters, and reconciled herself to the notion that she may never have another intimate relationship with a man. And while there are moments when she fleetingly contemplates leaping from her apartment, like the characters in John Irving's novel THE HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE, she leaves no doubt that she'll "keep passing the open windows."
   
   --- Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg



5. There are few books that look at life, death, and aging squarely in the face, but this is one of them. Anne Roiphe has written a deeply felt account of her experience of widowhood. While the book is not cheerful, it is unexpectedly life affirming. Particularly engaging (and often funny) are her descriptions of many internet relationships developed on match.com. She doggedly continues to seek a life partner, despite the unsuitability of so many of her cyber suitors. She seems particularly drawn to a right-winger from Albany even though his e mails are filled with hate and venom. She recognizes the wounded soul beneath the anger and carries on the correspondence much longer than she probably should have. She continually grieves the loss of her psychoanalyst husband who she refers to as "H" throughout the book. In fact, all the individuals are identified only by their initials as if to both protect their privacy and reveal everything at the same time. The book shows us how we hold on to grief as we try to release it, how we retain our illusions as we try to shed them, and especially how those of us who continue to brave the storms and arrows of outrageous fortune choose to carry on. Let me offer an altered paraphrase of Whitman: who touches this book touches the heart and soul of a woman.

5 comments about When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa.

1. When A Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa is an exceptionally well-written book of Africa telling three stories simultaneously ... a universal, heartwarming story of caring for aging parents, the stark tragedy of the rendering of Zimbabwe / Southern Rhodesia civilization, and the real-time unfolding history of a reluctant father's long distant past.
   
   Peter is an adult white child of British Africa, a competent reporter, a good observer, a good son, and an excellent writer in a remarkable situation with (at least) three major facets. Imagine being a husband / father of a family in New York trying to take care of aging parents who don't want to leave a country whose functioning society is literally being taken apart daily while your father via email is at long last beginning to clear up the mystery of his own ancestry and experiences as a young Jewish (a surprise) boy in 1939 with a different name (also a surprise) from a different European country than you had always been led to believe (another surprise). All over a 10-year period from the mid-1990's to the early 2000's and, of course, the public part of the story continues today.
   
   A very, very good book, very highly recommended from lots of different viewpoints ... !!



2. This was one of the most powerful, absorbing, moving and enlightening memoirs I've read in a long time. The way the author weaves his personal narrative in with an expose of the tragedy of life in zimbabwe under mugabe is masterful. His memoir is rich in details that reveal the complexities of his life, but he never loses the thread of his story. I can't read about southern Africa any more without conjuring up images from this book. I couldn't stop reading, and I didn't want the book to end.



3. Peter Godwin has written a very good follow-up to MUKIWA. His personal account of his family's history in Rhodesia-Zimbabwe is honest and absorbing for a genre that can be self-serving. I hope others will learn from this book that politics are never black or white,just human.



4. Peter Godwin was born in Rhodesia, and in 1996 he published 'Makiwa', a gripping account of how he grew up in that country. He was conscripted into the Rhodesian army to fight against the independence movement, by which time he felt that he was fighting in an unjust cause. He eventually got to England, became a journalist, and in 1981, now based in the United States, he returned to what in 1980 had become independent Zimbabwe, partly because his parents were still living there and partly because he loved the country and its people. But he now had to record that the new government of Robert Mugabe was more savage than the white government had been and was carrying out bloody suppression in Matabeleland - a sign of things to come. Godwin's reporting at that time made him persona non grata and he had to leave Zimbabwe again, though he was able to return after Mugabe had `stabilized' the country with the so-called Unity Accord in 1987.
   
   This second volume, first published in 2006, is an account of several later visits, beginning with one in 1996. In the chapters relating to 1996, 1997 and 1998, Mugabe's dictatorship is not central to his account, though of course he is aware of it; but he is more concerned with the quite non-political aspects of his family's life. At this time Mugabe had not yet whipped up anti-white agitation. Indeed he had for years encouraged white people to stay and help the Zimbabwean economy. In fact, in the year 2000, "78% of white farmers were on property they had purchased after independence, only when that land had first been offered to -and turned down by - the government, as was required by law" (p.56).
   
   Godwin's next visit was in 2000. That year Mugabe wanted to change the constitution to allow him another 12 years in power; and this change had to be ratified by a referendum. To get the new constitution accepted, he inserted in it a law allowing the seizure of white-owned farm land for redistribution to black peasants (though in fact most of it went to his cronies). His instrument for this were the so-called war veterans, and violence against whites now took off, under such thugs as those calling themselves `Hitler' Hunzvi and `Stalin Mau Mau'. When Mugabe lost the referendum, he unleashed violence also against Tsvangirai's newly created Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
   
   In 2001 there was a total eclipse of the sun over Zimbabwe, and, unusually, there was another one in 2002. The folklore expression for this is that `a crocodile eats the sun', and it is considered the worst of omens. Godwin now chronicles in the most graphic manner the increasing horror of Mugabe's appalling regime and the descent of Zimbabwe into chaos and lawlessness: the ruin of agriculture; the displacement of millions of black farm workers; famine; the government's deliberate withholding of food supplies from areas where the opposition is strong; hyper-inflation; casual murders and robberies, with the police either unwilling to intervene or actually participating in them. Among the many grotesque vignettes: cemeteries plundered, patches of maize planted between the graves, and befouled with excrement; the RSPCA being given permission to evacuate tortured animals from farms - when their white owners are not allowed to leave their besieged homes. Godwin is there during the General Strike of 2003 and its brutal suppression.
   
   But this is not only a journalist's book about Zimbabwe. It is also a touching story of a loving family. The scenes with his gallant and now impoverished, sick and aged parents - who, beleaguered as they are, refuse to leave Zimbabwe - are deeply moving. And there is an unexpected dimension. On a visit in 2001, when he is in his forties, Peter Godwin learns that his father, George, now 77, was not in fact the reserved Anglo-African he had always taken him to be, but was born a Polish Jew. Only now can George bring himself to talk and write about it. The revelation has an immense impact on his son, who inserts a couple of chapters to tell the story of George's Warsaw childhood, how, just before the war, he came to leave Poland as a teenager, without his family. George's mother and sister later perished in Treblinka. Peter Godwin had heard of Auschwitz and Belsen, but (somewhat surprisingly for a journalist) he had never heard of the other extermination camps, which he now researched and whose horrors he then describes.
   
   This beautifully written book is a lament for Zimbabwe, but it is also a tribute to his parents, and it is dedicated to his father's memory.



5. Peter Godwin's book, titled above, is a very worth while read. In plain dialogue he lets the rest of the world know what is really going on in Zimbabwe in the most sensitive way possible through his own families lives. The book is beautifully written, I couldn't put it down once I started reading it, more especially after following the last fiasco of an election in June 2008. Why the other African nations let Mugabwe get away with what he is doing to his own people, is beyond me. Farms that were productive have now grown wild and uncultivated, and a country that was the bread basket of Africa is now one of the worlds poorest countries, except of course for the government fat cats. Well worth buying and reading

5 comments about Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics.

1. Puts understanding behind Biden's philosophy. Interesting commentary re what he felt was needed to run for President when he first ran vs Obama's background. Biden has a much better chance of becoming President (his ultimate goal) after serving as VP for 4-8 years & believe this is his plan. Overall good reading and somewhat incitefull--- I would recommend it.



2. Fascinating stories from this champion Senator and solid family man. Amazing how his 1971 campaign's ideas/platforms are still relevant today. Compelling sections on his private interactions with historic Senators, foreign leaders, troops and Presidents Carter, Reagan, Clinton and W. Bush.
   
   Could be improved stylistically. Jumps around chronologically in parts, and some sections are dry. Also, I wish he'd explained what caused his first wife's tragic car accident (no mention of how it happened, just the aftermath).
   
   Overall a very interesting, timely and quick read.



3. First, the book is poorly written. It wanders endlessly at some points, coasting over spans of years where Biden had very little going on in his personal life or political life. Elements of his personal life are captivating and moving, but for the most part it is just a chronicle of a wealthy man's adventures. World travels, fine parties, elite clubs... stories that just turn me off since I can't relate to that level of wealth or lifestyle. A biography can impress in two ways. One, it can be well written and enjoyable to read for its language. Two, it can relate a story that is inspiring, impressive, and full of accomplishment. This book misses on both accounts. A poorly written book on a wealthy man's career which has had very little impact on America or the world. I would not recommend this to a friend since reading it or relating to his life is painful at times.



4. This is a great memoir about Biden's life. He discusses everything from his early days growing up in an Irish Catholic family (and the strong influence of the nuns) to his early adult life, where his first marriage was cut short by the tragic loss of his wife and daughter.
   
   The book is not self-promoting political soliloquy, and is written in an unusually modest and self-reflective tone. You don't get the sense that this book was written as a means to further his political career, but rather that it was a memoir of an ordinary man. I've always respected Biden and I found that this book depend my understanding of him, his character, and his foreign policy acumen.



5. Two Five-star reviews by two absolutely great reviewers (Mr. Bill Emblom, a fellow Yankee fan. His reviews made me add to my list, Ed Barrow: The Bulldog Who Built the Yankees' First Dynastyand a Bobby Kennedy fan (much more than JFK)) The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America. I read books about each of the three oldest Kennedy brothers. The lost prince (died in WWII), JFK and Bobby. Bobby was head and shoulders above and the best of the three. Bobby was the push behind the Civil rights,crime fighting and almost everything else. Ted must have been adopted, I have no respect for him at all. Look at Bill Emblom's 460 reviews, they are very helpful.
   
   Also Mr John Drury convinced me to add to my list, The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York and the Genius of American Life and [[ASIN:0061734950 Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir] John McCain]. His 85 reviews are to-the-point and insightful. We need articulate and brief reviewers with integrity like Mr Emblom and Mr Drury to lead us to great books, and honestly state why we should read them.
   
   This was the first time we didn't connect. The two great reviewers have over 550 reviews between them. Strangely, the other 30 Five-star reviews only have 6 other Books, combined in their reviews. How can I trust a Non-reader? Twenty seven of the 30, have no other books reviewed. This doesn't fit. Too many of the reviews are spurious, and they sound like it also. Confirming my reliance on Qualitative not Quantitative reviews. I hope my analysis is of some help. Thank you for leading me to good books.

5 comments about Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope.

1. This is a touching book about two families caught up in a tragedy that no one should ever have to live through. It is not about the gory details so much as it is about how their Christian faith got them through. Due to all the religious references throughout, those who do not share their intense Christian faith might be disappointed by this book. It doesn't really dwell on the complex feelings that surround the death of a loved one. Their faith is so strong that they don't have time to dwell on much else. And I realize that everyone reacts to death in a different way. Right up front, you need to know that this is only the Van Ryns' and the Ceraks' experience.
   
   There are some technical writing/grammar issues here and there and yet I found the story so amazingly powerful that I was able to ignore that. The way the book was set up was near-perfect. I've read books like this before that sort of wander all over the place but this was very straight-forward and to the point. It begins with the phone call where the Ceraks learn that Whitney is still alive and then it goes back in time to the night of the accident. From there on out, it switches back and forth between the two families as they explain what life was like for them after April 26, 2006 (the day of the accident). The alternating family viewpoints don't always match-up time-wise, but I found the book to be fairly easy to follow. I found the final page of the final chapter to be a moving end to a well-told story of faith and hope amidst unimaginable heartbreak. The final chapter was followed by an epilogue, written by Whitney.
   
   Yes, there were times when I wondered if the family members were relating back to the reader what they were feeling exactly at each moment in time. I kind of wondered if some of what they claimed to be feeling at the time was really what they were feeling as they wrote the book, a year or so after the fact. I can't even begin to imagine what an experience like that must have been like, so I don't want to pretend like I do. All I know is that there were times when I wondered, "Is that really how it happened or is that only how she remembers it now that she's had time to think it over?" I'm not saying this to criticize them. I'm sure they did the best they could to describe what it was like. It couldn't have been easy. Far from it. I just say that because I want to warn people that it might seem unbelievable at times. And it is a story that is unbelievable anyway, though we know these events are what happened. For the most part, I thought they did a very good job describing what it was like to go through the things they went through. But like I said before, it must be hard to describe exactly how it felt and everyone deals with tragedy differently anyway. I think the emotional heart of the story remains intact, even though the book seems to gloss over the complexities of the grieving process. I think it's possible they didn't want to get into the nitty-gritty of everything they were thinking, and you know, if that's the case, that's fine. I respect that. The important thing is that they are trying to make the best of a horrible situation. For that alone, I admire them. I think if you're looking for an honest look at the grieving process, you might question this book. I think what you have to do is take this not as a blueprint to follow precisely so much as an offering of hope and a challenge to reach out to others even when its hard. As Christians do believe, no one is perfect and all anyone can do is try their best.
   
   I don't agree with those who complain about all the religious references. I understand where people are coming from. But remember, this is the Van Ryns' and the Ceraks' story, as they lived it. Not as the reader wishes it to be told. In a day and age when the gut reaction is to sue the pants off anyone and everyone, it is refreshing to read a book like this where the two families had every reason in the world to feel bitterness and anger and yet chose hope over blame. That is really what makes this book the powerful story that it is. It was faith that allowed them to do that. Yeah, you could argue that non-Christians are capable of that too, but they're not writing about a non-Christian's experience. They're writing about their own. Better to write fully about their own than to spread themselves thin and try to write about everyone's. And there's no reason to indulge in all the little sensationalistic details for the sake of satisfying the public's curiosity. And if they'd toned down the faith angle so as to appeal to a larger audience, that would have been dishonest. It's faith that got them through this so why should they pretend otherwise? It's easy enough to keep your interviews neutral when you only have to give a basic summary of what happened. But when writing an entire book, it's a little harder to do that. To be honest, I don't think they could have even really explained how the mix-up happened, beyond giving us the answers that everyone already knew. I think it's one of those things that you just live through and you'll never fully understand how or why it happened. So all we can really say is that it's something that can and should be avoided in the future. And it was very touching to see how these two families saw it as an opportunity to grow in their faith and bond with someone they might not have otherwise. And they used this as an opportunity to reach out to others. They didn't have to. Nobody forced them to write this book. They chose to. They weren't obligated to write it in any way but the way they did. They only had a responsibility to be as truthful about their own experience as they could be. They included everything they could reasonably be expected to include. It's just that you can't please everyone, nor should you try to.
   
   
   I gave it a four but it's more of a 3 1/2. I would recommend it, but I realize there are probably lots of people who wouldn't really appreciate it. I can't claim it will be liked by everyone.



2. Believe it or not, I came to this book through a TV show. What's really ironic about that is I don't even have TV. My boyfriend and I run a bookstore, and most of our time, energy, and focus is caught up with books and the day-to-day needs of our business. Why bother paying for TV when most of it is junk, and we don't have time anyway? We do, however, like "House", and so we rent the DVDs. I saw an episode from Season 4 -- I believe it was the opening episode -- about two young women who worked in an office building that collapsed. I won't give everything away, but suffice it to say, their identities were mixed up. I talked to a friend about how much that episode touched me, stayed with me, had me reflecting on it for days. She suggested this book.
   
   The story seems unbelieveable, as many people have said -- more like a storyline for a TV show or a movie than something that could really happen in real life.
   
   I hate to join in the "circus-for-free" syndrome that we seem to have, almost helpless to turn our eyes away from the accident scene, the smoke pouring out the windows of the burning building, the crumbled buildings and bodies left in the wake of the latest disaster shown on the news. Nevertheless, this story was so compelling. I had to known more about what transpired, what the families went through, how the mix-up happened. I believe and respect that the only reason these families agreed to write their blog, do some media interviews, and eventually do this book was the opportunity to share their faith.
   
   I grew up in the church, but I have often stayed on the perimeter, uncomfortable with so many things done and said in the name of Christianity. I am often uncomfortable with stories as heavily evangelical as this. In this case, I was so proud of the Van Ryns and the Ceraks. They are living their faith, and sharing it beyond "the shadow of the valley of Death", being content in all things because of the One who strengthens them, tested like Job. I was not "turned off" this story by how much they told it by faith. I was deeply touched.



3. i got this book to learn more about this tragic accident and how whitney is dong not but it didn't fufil my expections it was reallg good adn really detaild but almost too much in some areas this book is defintley for evangelicle christans because their is a lot of prayers adn refernces to the bible so be prepared for that. i have osay that i am not one to read books fast and a person that can't put a book down and this is one of the few i couldn't put dowm i read it in 2.5 days



4. The story line of this book is fascinating and intriguing. It evokes many strong emotions as you walk through the events these families lived through. One is drawn into the theme right from the beginning and the book holds your attention throughout. As I read about Laura in the hospital and how many times people questioned many things that did not add up, it baffled me as to how this family could have been so blind to not have recognized that this girl was not theirs sooner. They seemed to be in some kind of fog or deluded state even though they claim to be such strong Christians throughout. Several inferences were made about the discrepancies of the girl not being Laura such as a mysterious navel piercing none of her family knew of, the bag of clothes and type of shoes not being hers that were given to the family very early on and were never questioned. Even when Laura began opening her mouth they noticed her teeth were not the same but continued to remain ignorant. Understandably, she was bandaged and injured when they first saw her, but as she healed and her face became more recognizable, those closest to her seemed to be out to lunch somewhere, still not perceiving all those signs that it was not Laura. It really becomes ludicrous that these people could be so ignorant and prolong this ordeal in such an odd way. The family of Whitney did not go in to identify her body either, so all these behaviors seem a bit askew in the real world. I do not comprehend this kind of behavior given my own personality and curiosity about things. Even Aunt Ruthann, a distant relative seemed to know right away, so how could the closest family members not recognize that this was not their daughter after being with her day and night constantly for five weeks? I will quote the one section that was most profound: "Ruthann scrunched up her face like she had bitten into something sour. I don't care what anyone says, that doesn't look like Laura to me." Even then nobody followed through on investigating this girl's identity time and time again. Their portrayed strong faith in God makes it seem like a bit of a travesty that he would put them through all these things needlessly and they remain oblivious. It is hard for me to believe in their continued concepts of God and their religious beliefs. They do tend to deal with the tragedies they are going through with faith and even humor at times. The way that total strangers showed up to help the family with housing, food and water, even neighbors mowing their lawn while they were away from home was astounding, it really restores ones faith in mankind helping when needed. The book could have been written in a more interesting style; the emotions of those involved could have been more clearly conveyed. Overall, it is a good read and one that really stirs up your emotions and thinking processes, it is almost borderline on being a mystery.



5. Mistaken identity was a story of two women, one killed tragically and one hurt and comatose. I read this book in two days. I couldn't put it down. I think at first it is a story about how trauma can put you in denial and question what is right in front of you, but then once acceptance is obtained, it shows how strength is drawn from faith and friends and love of family. These were two amazing families. I honestly cannot imagine the trauma that they both went through. An amazing story and an easy read. It makes you appreciate every moment of life.