5 comments about The Hiding Place.

1. Readers know from the outset Corrie Ten Boom survived to help write the book but it's such an intriguing journey to get there. The authors include numerous jewels along the way, stories that stick with the reader long after the book is back on the shelf: the train ticket held by her father until the perfect time, the test of faith by not lying about family hiding under the kitchen table, the fleas having a purpose, the heartbreak of the love of her life marrying someone else, rebuilding the radio while in prison, the astounding respect and love for her father and sister while incarcerated.
   
   Each chapter utilizes powerful imagery to flesh out an application of Eternal Truth ready for internalizing.
   
   The lessons may be applied to every day life since these were not merely `characters' but most obviously real people, with extreme trials to maneuver in life and in death. Ordinary becomes extraordinary, utilizing compelling subject matter with a page turning writing style exhibiting firm faith in the Lord. It's one of those classics that affords readers immediate application to their own circumstances since they can identify with her and her family on so many levels.
   
   Finally a work like this inspires and uplifts. I found myself continually discovering the answer (Grace) on almost every page to such questions as "Why did God let this happen?" and "How did she do it?". The Hiding Place is a classic I enjoy re-reading every few years. I'm amazed at the fresh perspective I have each time. It's timeless.
   
   One of my favorite poetic verses from Corrie Ten Boom, who quoted it often (it was by Grant Colfax Tullar), is the following:
   "My life is but a weaving betwixt my God and me;
   I do not choose the colors He worketh steadily.
   Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride
   Forget He sees the upper, and I the underside.
   Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly
   Will God unfold the pattern and explain the reason why.
   For the dark threads are as needful in the Weaver's skillful hand
   As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned."



2. This is an absolutely extraordinary book. Never have I read a book in which the spiritual beauty of the author so resonated throughout the story. The purity of heart that manifests itself in this inspiring saga of a heroic, Dutch family in Nazi occupied Holland during World War II is stunningly beautiful.
   
   This is the true story of the Ten Boom family who, during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands, upon seeing what was happening to their Jewish neighbors and friends, asked themselves this age old question "If not us,...who; if not now,...when?" They answered it, ultimately at great cost.
   
   The Ten Booms were devoutly Christian and lived a simple life. The patriarch of the family ran a watch shop that had been in his family for a century. Some of the family members, the author among them, worked there, selling and repairing clocks and watches. They also lived in the house in which the shop was located.
   
   When the Nazis occupied their country, the reality of what it meant slowly dawned upon them, as they saw the treatment given to their fellow Dutch citizens of the Jewish faith. Moved by their plight, the author at the age of fifty, together with other members of her family, including their father who was nearly eighty, became active in the Dutch underground.
   
   When it became clear to the Ten Booms that Jews were being targeted for deportation and death, they had a false wall constructed in the author's bedroom, thereby creating a secret room. There, they would hide the terrified Jews who were staying with them, in the event of a Nazi raid upon their home.
   
   Eventually denounced by someone to the Nazis, the Ten Booms were arrested and their home raided and torn apart by the Gestapo, in their search for the Jews they believed to be hiding there. At the time of the raid, the Ten Boom home was filled to capacity with Jews in hiding. So well concealed was the hidden room that had been created by the erection of the false wall, that these poor, terrified Jews managed to escape detection.
   
   The Ten Boom family did not fare so well. It was upon their arrest that they learned first hand of man's inhumanity to man, and their faith was put to a test that they had never dreamt possible. It was faith, however, that sustained the author in what was to be her darkest hour of deepest despair. To find out what happened to the Ten Booms, read this book. It is the story of an incredible family, who had the courage to put their convictions to the test.
   
   This book is a masterpiece. The reader is sure to be captivated by the goodness and spiritual beauty contained within its pages.



3. This is a wonderful story and it begs the question: Could I have been that brave and compassionate? A story of true Christians.



4. Great, great book. Inspiring, heart wrenching. Great message about God's faithfulness, but should in no way be boxed in as Christian literature. A great historical book no matter what your faith. Loved it.



5. The Hiding Place is the moving true-life account of Corrie ten Boom and her family who sheltered persecuted Jews in Nazi-oocupied Holland during World War Two. They did this at great personal risk, but they did it because of their unwavering faith in God, and because it was the right thing to do.
   
   Unfortunately, they are arrested and deported to the camps for their acts of resistance against the Nazis. It is a testament to their faith and nobility that they retain their belief in God despite all the travails that await them in the camps.
   
   "No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still" - as Corrie ten Boom believes despite all the horrors that she has endured. A testament to the power of belief in God, and to the courage of ordinary people in extraordinary and horrific times.

3 comments about Let's Talk About Pep.

1. I was looking around Barns and Nobles on Saturday and came across Pepa's Book. I got my copy and went right up to the register to purchase it. I was amazed that she went through the stuff that she did. I couldn't put the book down!!! I was really surprised about her relationship with her first husband Treach as well as her 2nd marriage. behind the smile and music there was much pain. I am happy that she wrote her story and it taught me to keep that dialogue open with young kids to speak up when they are being molested or going through any kind of hurt and pain. Thanks Pep for sharing your joys and pain with us. Continued success.



2. I got this book on the 22nd and finished it the same day . As a woman i can relate to every thing Pep went thru but as a human i am over joyed she over came it all. In reading this book i truly feel like shes my " sister in my head " . I onced worked in the industry and had met Salt and Pepa more than once . Who knew under that pretty smile and great tude was such pain . No one wouldve guessed under the fly clothes , songs of empowerment and fun Pepa was more like most of us than we knew . It takes guts to tell your struggle when every one thought it was all sweet but even more so it takes a Diva like Pep to keep it movin !



3. I saw that this book wasn't available until Aug 26th. Well, I pre-ordered it from Amazon and was pleasantly surprised to receive it on the 19th.
   
   This book was a quick read and I finished it in 2 days. Overall, I liked the book. Pepa starts her story from about the age of 5 and it ends with her in the present. In between that time period, Pepa goes through ALOT with the things she has experienced. I don't want to give things away, but I emphasize ALOT based on here relationships with males, particularly her relationship with Treach of Naughty by Nature. When they divorced, I never knew why, but in this book, she reveals what she went through and why their relationship just had to end. As a matter of fact, I had to skip parts of the chapters that dealt with him because it was too much. I am happy she left, for her and her children's good. It is a powerful testimony.
   
   As for the rest of Pepa's story, you learn about her family, childhood, rise to fame, her gifts and curses, her and Cheryl's relationship as Salt N Pepa and as friends. In the end, you learn how Pepa has grown and takes some responsibility for her life experiences and how she knows to make better choices for herself. She has learned her true worth and to not accept less.
   
   I strongly feel that this book could help other girls and women who have had similar experiences. I was pleased with the book and would recommend it. I take off 1 star because there are times in the book where a story would veer off and not bring closure to that story until later. Also, the events didn't seem to be in order at times.

5 comments about Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood.

1. An amazing book that brings Africa to life. It is a vivid portrait of a family and a continent in a very particular period. Deserves rereading as there is so much to it.



2. In Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller describes her childhood in Africa. Fuller's story, told in graceful prose, is brutal and touching and never overly sentimental. I enjoyed many of the stories Fuller includes in this memoir, but I found certain aspects tedious. Fuller's family moves through many different living situations in numerous countries and confronts various unstable political regimes. After awhile, these places and politics run together and became repetitive. The tedium borne of this repetition somewhat lessens the overall power of this memoir, but Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight remains a worthwhile read.



3. I certainly enjoyed this book. We will be reading this book as a choice for a book club. There is a lot to discuss-from the family life to the unrest that is pertinent to what was once Rhodesia and is now suddenly thrust into the spotlight as Zimbabwe. Ms. Fuller takes you to a place that few in today's world will experience. She is honest in her depiction of her family and one is caught up in each of their personalities. I wish more books could offer such insight and descriptions that will both educate and entertain at the same time.
   
   Gail Boyd, Washington, Ga.



4. Although mostly well-written, this memoir is very depressing. I was expecting more about Africa from this NF book, but it's largely the tale of a highly dysfunctional family that suffers blow after blow, bringing much of it on itself. And no one seems to learn anything from their mistakes. The Book of Job is uplifting reading by comparison.



5. I found this in audio at an audio rental store. The front intrigued me so I read the back and decided to give it a go. I liked it so much that my husband decided he wanted to listen to it too! What an interesting life to have lead at such a young age!

5 comments about Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me.

1. Very good book here. Really good stories of clapton and harrison. The funnything i took away from this was that , even the greatest guys go thru depression and experience the sames things that we all face. Sometimes, in life, what you think you need is not often what is best for you. As patty proves at the end of the book.



2. I was drawn to WONDERFUL TONIGHT--written and read by Pattie
   Boyd--by its subtitle: GEORGE HARRISON, ERIC CLAPTON, AND
   ME . . . I thought to myself that I had heard of those guys; in fact, I
   had grown up listening to much of their music.
   
   Yet I had not followed their personal lives all that closely, nor had
   I known too much about Boyd other than the fact that she had been
   married to both Harrison and Clapton.
   
   It turns out that she was more than just their respective wives . . . she
   was also their muse, having inspired Harrison's classic "Something"
   and "Layla," Clapton's rock anthem.
   
   In addition, she lived a fascinating life . . . WONDERFUL TONIGHT
   explores it in vivid detail, including this recollection of her first real
   encounter with Clapton:
   
   * It was a sweet, turbulent life, but one that would take an
   unexpected turn, starting with a simple note that began
   "dearest l."
   
   I read it quickly and assumed that it was from some weirdo;
   I did get fan mail from time to time. . . . I thought no
   more about it until that evening when the phone rang. It was
   Eric [Clapton]. "Did you get my letter?" . . . And then
   the penny dropped. "Was that from you?" I said. . . . It
   was the most passionate letter anyone had ever written me.
   
   Unfortunately, Boyd had her share of heartaches . . . her
   childhood was interrupted by the divorce of her parents,
   both her famous husbands cheated on her, and she was also
   abused by Clapton . . . to her credit, she managed to turn
   her life around and since has become a well-respected
   photographer.
   
   The author broke a 40-year period of silence with this book . . I'm glad
   she did . . . do read or listen to it if you want to know more about
   the music scene of the 1960s and 70s.



3. I had heard tidbits about how Eric Clapton "stole" George Harrison's beautiful wife, Patti Boyd before, and I was curious about how that happened and...then what? Happily ever after? No, no. Patti gives us the whole story, a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the world of rock and roll musicians. The relationship interplays, the emotions, the disappointment over songs that don't "make it." The stories behind the creation of some unforgettable songs, and the personalities and friendships of the people we see only as public figures. After I read this book, I read "Clapton" and got a perspective from that side of the story. Fascinating and, well, "lovely." Well worth the read.



4. A story well told. Patty Boyd has had quite a life and does a wonderful job sharing her story. I've always wondered what life with the Beatles was like and she gives great details. The rock n'roll lifestyle (life with Eric Clapton) may not be everyone's dream after-all. Her story was well told and left me wanting more. I enjoyed every moment I spent reading her book.



5. I really enjoyed this book about Pattie's life. It starts off with the background of her family which I always find fascinating. She didn't have the greatest childhood, but she sure made up for it as an adult! Thanks to this book,when I hear George Harrison and Eric Clapton songs, I think of the background stories she told about some of these songs. Great insight on what it was like to be up-close and personal with two talented musicians and their friends and family.

5 comments about The Life of Elizabeth I.

1. I was hooked on this book.I could not put it down.Im amazed at the amount of historical paper work that still survives to this day for this kind of biography.I felt like like I eas there.



2. I read this book as part of my interest in the Shakespeare authorship question. It was my first biography of Elizabeth, so I can't presume to compare to others. But I have read some other Tudor/Elizabethan history. I found Weir's book engaging, informative, relevant to my own interests, and colorful; and it seemed reasonably balanced. Take Me With You When You Go



3. I love reading books on the royal family,and this is a great book. Lots of history, very interesting, best book I've read in a long time. She was a great lady. Get ready for a LONG read!



4. Weir does a great job of giving the flavor of the times and the Virgin Queen. However, she gets bogged down in too much detail sometimes. There are hidden bits of humor that are fun to find, as well.
   
   Overall I believe this is a good biography of the Queen, however, it isn't for those looking for a quick or simple read.



5. This magnificent book has me convinced that a woman can rule a complex country. My mind is changed and I think it's time for this country to elect a female president.

5 comments about Celia, A Slave.

1. I was very satisfied with the level of customer service that I recieved from Amazon.com. I also enjoy the opportunity to leave feedback, because I feel that it helps other people to navigate and purchase from Amazon.com with more ease.



2. I feel that the story of Celia is better than the book. I say that because the book can be very vague and too narrow at the same time. The author will go on and on (for pages at a time) about an irrelevant political issue in great detail and frequently makes statements like, "it is possible that..." and "it is unknown what happened..." about Celia's story. To me, it felt like the author was trying to fill the holes left by Celia's lack of historical evidence with other, well-documented events of the time period. I understand some background information is important but that was too much and it happened too often. Despite some of the issues with the book, the story itself is great. I was completely sympathic to Celia and wished that things turned out differently.



3. Everyone! Buy Celia, a slave! She's Celia, a slave! Buy four or five at least!



4. Based on the content and the depthness of the book, it would be a great book to discuss and read in a college course on African American history/literature.
   
   I agree with another reviewer that this book read like a story out of a history textbook. Although interesting, I think this book would have better served its purpose if written as a historical fictiopn. Plus, I got tired of having to turn to the Notes section for supporting details and background information.



5. "Yet the lives of lesser figures, men and women who lived and died in virtual autonomy, often better illustrate certain aspects of the major issures of a perticular period than do (others who achieve national prominence)". The introduction my Melton A. McLaurin sets up a well researched and thought out work regarding the life of a female slave, caught killing her owner for raping her over a period of years. The author does two very important things very well in this book. He demonstates in very real terms the hopelessness of women in particular during this sordid period or American history AND he places in a timeline perspective just before the outbreak of the Civil War when tensions were high, especially in her "home" state of Missouri, where the stakes could not have been higher with the question of the expansion of slavery into newly admitted states was being hotly contensted. While it would be impossible to argue that she would ever get a fair "trial" McLaurin astutely walks us through a real defense team doing their best in a time period where ANY notion of fairness is null and void and, specifically, why this is the case.
   
   This book is a must read for any serious students of the "peculiar institution". It is remarkable how the author takes an "anonomous" life and demonstrates how and individual could be and was treated as property and degraded to the depths of our ability to comprehend while weaving in the fast moving antibellum period and the legislation, politics and emotions of the time.

5 comments about Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia (P.S.).

1. I picked this book up at the library because another I wanted wasn't available. What a break! I love memoirs and biographies that are direct and Hornbacher pulls no punches. Suprisingly, she doesn't blame everyone around her for her problems (although that grandmother was pretty awful). Hornbacher is a truly gifted writer even if her subject here is heartbreaking. As a female, I have suffered from eating 'issues' but nothing compared to Hornbacher. I had no idea the level of suffering these people go through... the laxatives, vomiting so much it clogs the pipes, slow journey into madness... all because of FOOD?!
   
   I do wish that the book were clearer on 2 things - 1) when and why did she stop taking her meds after 1st hospitalization. Does she go on/off with the meds? Stopping her meds cold-turkey may have immensely affected her relapses. 2) Why does she not mention the young boy, Duane, from Lowe House, again after chapter 6? Does she not visit him or keep in touch? It seems he needed her as a friend and perhaps that need could have helped her too... just a thought.
   
   Finally, thanks to Marya for writing this book. I am raising 2 young daughters and I will try to remember how harsh little comments about food can sound to a child with low self-esteem. Where ever Marya is today, I hope she is better and EATING. No one should suffer the way she has!



2. Before I delve into my textual diatribe on why this book fails on so many levels, let me go ahead and issue this disclaimer: I am aware this is no "feel good" treatise. I understand it's "raw, painful & bloody". I comprehend to the best of my abilities the candor in which she constructed every disposable consonant and vowel imaginable, as I am also very cognizant of the fact I no longer have my Barnes and Noble receipt and cannot return this pile of rubbish for a full refund.
   
   Eating disorders make one pretty self-absorbed, but the deluge of pitiful emotions Hornbacher must drudge up on daily bases must be a private Hell to which I have no ticket. In this book, she manages to make bulimics and anorexics look dull, self-centered, sans any kind of emotional or mental intelligence. I see here, or so the Amazon dot com website tells me, she also suffers from bipolar disorder and is, yet again (way to go, Hornbacher), cashing on all the things wrong with her so she may stretch herself naked against the frigid electron microscope of my literary wrath. She owns up to every horrific thing you could ever do to yourself and to everyone around you (bulimia at a precocious age, self-aborted pregnancies, promiscuous behavior on shuttle buses, etc), which I suppose is admirable, however it does not lessen the validity of one's horror thinking that someone can be that truly off from the rest of society.
   
   I am a counselor for girls with eating disorders here on the web, and I would not recommend this tripe to them with the beating of my own heart. This is not a recovery tool. It's a veritable, raving, histrionic account that our society and the generations before us have done a fantastic job of messing everything up for the common person and, shall I say, have given writing contracts to those who only mass-market themselves. Kudos, Hornbacher. You have officially turned my stomach.



3. The book was great. It wasn't at all a phony "inspirational" or advice type book, and the author speaks in a refreshingly honest tone; none of the whiney "woe is me" you might expect. Overall an excellent book, although I will say that I was mildly put off by the ending. But I suppose that no one really picks up this book with the intention of using it to replace therapy. She's not going to "cure" you, or even tell you how she was "cured". As long as you know that before hand, it's a great read.



4. This was exceptionally written. Marya is a girl who suffers from severe anorexia and bulimia and lived to tell about it. When she begins her story and talks about when she first started her bulimia, her observations of things at this young age seemed far beyond her years. Her feelings and thoughts are described in the most intricate detail and intelligence. It isn't a surprise that Marya won awards for her writing.
   I grew up during the 70's and 80's but I can't really relate to the obsession with body, weight and food. Society may play a part in her eating disorder but I think her family, their lifestyle, her relationship with her parents and their eating habits all contributed to Marya's eating disorder.
   I am amazed at how well Marya was able to put her experience, thoughts, feelings and diagnosis into words. Her ability to go back and interpret her disease and why she did the things she did is truly amazing.
   I think all girls, teenagers and adult woman should read this book. Not only for the perspective of the eating disorder but to get a true picture of how everywhere you go women are talking about their weight and the parts of their bodies they hate.



5. Marya Hornbacher is witty, honest, and surprisingly insightful. Marya does not hold back. I can not imagine what it is like to have the truth (pretty much, the bad, the ugly, and the uglier) out on paper, much less published and widely circulated. It certainly takes courage. There is always a little part of the human psyche that does not want to "look in the mirror" to face the self-created and self-destroyed reality. I was equally impressed to find out that Marya was 23 years old when she wrote this memoir, the maturity of her voice, philosophical discussions, and the depth of her experiences do not betray this fact. This is definitely a must read for anybody looking to find out more about life (and death) with EDs.

5 comments about Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return.

1. Graphic novel comes of age. This is the first novel I have seen by a writer trained as a graphic artist. It is wonderful!



2. I loved Persepolis, so when I realized there was a Persepolis 2, I quickly bought a used copy from Amazon. When I received it, I was very disappointed to learn that I had already read it! Although my first book was entitled Persepolis, it contained both stories. Check your copy of Persepolis before you buy the sequel; you may have read it!



3. The first novel in this series succeeded because its childlike graphics and gee-whiz storytelling matched perfectly with this subject matter. We could imagine the infant/child author telling her story in exactly these terms.
   This sequel fails because the issues of growing up and dealing with the disillusionment with one's own culture are much more subtle. The story and the graphics remind us constantly of the nuances that are left out, of the issues of women's rights and humanity that are sentimentalized, of the real conflicts that this child/woman is undergoing that are completely unexplored.
   There are a few quibbles to be explored: the view of vienna is odd and the little vignette of the narrator peeing standing up seems forced. But most importantly, the mismatch between the story and the way in which it is told ends up making for a read that turns boring quickly.



4. I call myself a history buff but in reality I really only know American history with a little knowledge of King Henry VIII. I was 18 when Iranian crisis started. This book gave me a better insight to the overall issues behind this area than any other reading I had done, which I admit is not vast. The difference here was this book laid things out in such an engaging way I was totally engrossed. The author was both straight foward and insightful, along with quite humorous.



5. This is the only book that I have manged to read the entire of it in one day!
   It is a comic book, supper easy read and very educational in terms of knowing different culture.
   I like Persepolis 2 better than 1.
   U may wanna watch the movie, as well. It won and nominated for many awards in 2007.

5 comments about The Wishing Year: A House, a Man, My Soul A Memoir of Fulfilled Desire.

1. I just finished the Wishing Year and my profoundest wish when I got to the end was that it wouldn't be over so soon. I wanted it to go on and on. Spending time with this author is like spending an evening with one of those mesmerizing friends who leans towards you over the table at your favorite bistro and says, "You won't believe what happened to me?" and then launches into a tale of meeting someone fascinating who transformed her life, or unexpectedly being offered a trip to an exotic place that she'd always wanted to visit, or another wondrous occurrence. You're left thinking, "why don't these things happen to me? Reading the Wishing Year is wish fulfillment in itself. You get to live Noelle's life for that year and it was a hell of a lot more fun than my life that year for sure.
   
   The best thing about her approach to wishing was that it made sense of New Agey gobbledygook like the "Secret." I, like her, am an intellectual, skeptical sort who secretly visits psychics and semi-believes in some of this woo-woo stuff but feels guilty about it. Oxenhandler removes the guilt by explaining the ancient roots of wishing and other attempts at magical intervention, and comes up with some scientific theories about why it might work. Hey, even Plato believed it. (sort of).
   
   I'm coming up with my wish list as we speak and will report back whether any of them came true.



2. This is one of the most beautifully written and thought provoking books I've read in a long time. I am a voracious reader, devouring books at a clip of 3 or 4 a week, both fiction and non-fiction. This book had a lot of meaning for me, a newbie to the law of attraction and a devotee of all things positive and spiritual. Noelle's journey is profound and so beautifully written that it made me smile, dream and travel with her and her friends through their physical, emotional and dreamed journeys, always seeking balance. I will not only read this several more times, but intend to buy this book for about 15 dear friends with whom I want to share Noelle's journey. I've also already made a lengthy list of books she quotes from that I also wish to purchase, though Raquelle's might have to wait for the next tax return check! I wish (left hand over heart, right hand over left) that Noelle would continue this journey, taking us with her once again as her life continues to unfold, her man becomes more cleaved to her, her new home transforms (those old vinyl floors have to go) and her spiritual journey is given more insight. I want more and I've said that about only three other authors in my lifetime. I didn't want her year or my reading of it, to end. Buy this book for yourself and for everyone you care about, now - today. Few books you will ever read will leave you feeling more fulfilled, satisfied and optomistic! It will also expand your understanding of how life really can work, will provide a brief study of authors from before Christ to the spring of '06 and will solidly plant a burning 'I must know more' lust in your heart - yearning for Bromeliads and tide pools, hot tubs and burritoes. When Budda said (even though it is aberrated) 'What we think - we are' is the most fundamenal of truths for all of us, for all time. Thank you Noelle Oxenhandler, a thousand Thank You's!!!



3. Noelle Oxenhandler's work -- in the New Yorker or Tricycle or book form -- always knocks me out. Her writing is sometimes referred to as memoir, but I think she's a philosopher who uses elements of her own life, along with her research, to explore the textures and workings of the world. Her books have such a remarkable combination of pleasures: gorgeous, lucid, vivid prose; wonderful descriptions of people and places; philosophical inquiry; a rich, interdisciplinary investigation of her topics; brave but elegant personal revelation; and a feeling for the rich textures and absurdities of life. I loved The Eros of Parenthood (The Eros Of Parenthood: Explorations In Light And Dark), in which she goes into territory that most writers would be afraid to touch and handles it with such grace that she conceals the difficulty of her accomplishments as a writer and a reader.
   
   The Wishing Year is another example of her generosity and originality. The book is funny in a subtle and complicated way, and at the same time, moving. She doesn't shy away from either library or field research (I'm including swimming with the dolphins in Hawaii, or following unlikely wishing practices, as well as delving into history, mythology, philosophy, and even self-help books).
   
   The Wishing Year invites us to examine our own depth-monsters -- anyone who reads it is likely to have to own up to their own desires and their own choices. It's a delicious book to read but not always a comfortable one. Her writing is so beautiful that I think some people may be surprised by how challenging it is. I think it's a book one is likely to love when coming to it with an open sense of inquiry, and maybe it's a book that would enrage those readers who would rather not look into their own areas of darkness and desire.
   
   The book is gripping -- it reads like a novel -- it's more about stirring up the questions for readers than trying to answer them in ways that would invariably be false or reductive. What are the lines between sacred and profane? Where do traditional magic and modern science intersect? What do we allow ourselves to wish for, and how, and why? Are there wishes we should not have? How do we work with the images and desires presented to us by our unconscious minds, even those we find somehow embarrassing or scary? How do we come to terms with our lives, past and present?



4. We live vicariously through reading all kinds of books, but memoir truly gives readers the sense that they understand the writer's inner experience of life. Every once in a while a memoir appears that makes you fall in love with the author's mind. That's how I feel about Noelle Oxenhandler's The Wishing Year. At so many points in the book I found myself appreciating not just her humor and her intelligence but her entire way of being in the world. For example, when I read the account of how the author sat with her dying friend, I felt I was witnessing something essential about simply being with a dying person, about meeting those who are dying on their own terms and not ours. The other people in the memoir are presented with complexity, not as a cast of flat characters. The Wishing Year is a memoir that, among other things, shows us a person who knows how to live life with compassion, openness and grace. It's good to soak up the details of such a life.



5. Having tried to read Eat, Pray, Love and found it so sadly lightweight, I couldn't finish, I was hesitant about picking up The Wishing Year. But, Oxenhandler's book surpassed all expectations. Readable, intelligent, thought provoking, authentic, without going into useless or irrelevant details. It's a wonderful book for starting a conversation about self-limiting beliefs, core religious values (no matter what your religion is), and coming back after a huge disaster -- that you yourself caused and feel the devastating weight of still. This is the book you want to give ALL your book-loving friends this holiday season.

5 comments about Extraordinary Circumstances: The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower.

1. The book is as the title suggests - an ordinary person faced with extraordinary circumstances.
   
   If there is one book that I would encourage every current and potential internal auditor to read it would be Cynthia's book.
   
   It shows the challenges and risks that she and her team had to take and demonstrates why being in Internal Audit is both a huge privilege and a huge responsibility.
   
   I had the pleasure of meeting Cynthia and spending time with her during a recent Australian book tour.
   
   Her courage was admirable but what was more impressive is that - when it mattered most - she stood up and was counted.
   
   How many amongst us can say the same.



2. Cynthia Cooper was a true corporate whistleblower. She became famous, not by choice, but because of the WorldCom financial statement fraud valued at $11 billion. She was the Vice President of Internal Audit at WorldCom, a position that was not easily obtained. She almost single-handedly created the internal audit department at WorldCom, and her book Extraordinary Circumstances: The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower details the struggle to get management to take internal audit seriously.
   
   Things started going wrong at WorldCom very early. The company went on an acquisition spree, and the merging of many small companies, managers, and accounting systems was a disaster waiting to happen. Cynthia says that WorldCom was much better at acquiring companies than integrating them, and that is clear.
   
   From an accounting perspective, it was next to impossible to create a properly controlled system. There were too many small systems being pieced together, and it was easy for numbers and authorizations to get lost in the shuffle. This struggle is well-documented by Cynthia, who no doubt painstakingly researched the various acquisitions in order to give such a complete history.
   
   At times the book seems to get a little off-topic as Cynthia goes through each player's background briefly. Honestly, that information isn't really relevant to the story and, while it was probably intended to make these characters relatable human beings, it really just serves to make the book longer than necessary. It prolongs the process of getting to the real heart of the story.
   
   I was drawn into the parts detailing the background of Bernie Ebbers and his early entrepreneurial ventures. I don't think Cynthia came right out and said that Ebbers wasn't equipped to run WorldCom, but that's exactly how it appears when you're done reading.
   
   Where this book is so good is in detailing the fraud and how it happened. I don't think most consumers know how and where WorldCom's fraud started: all in the "line costs." You don't need an accounting background to understand the details of the fraud once Cynthia explains how things went down. Earnings were too low and management was, quite simply, looking for a place to reduce expenses.
   
   When management realized they were paying too much for capacity that they weren't selling to customers, it became clear. Take some of those "line costs" and capitalize them, which essentially amounts to moving them off the profit and loss statement (decreasing expenses and increasing profits) and onto the balance sheet (increasing assets).
   
   WorldCom moved those line costs into something that the executives called "prepaid capacity." The company's financials instantly looked better, and CFO Scott Sullivan found that this was an easy way to rehabilitate the financial statements each quarter. Wall Street wanted lots of growth, and that's exactly what the executives delivered by the time the fraudulent accounting entries were completed.
   
   Yet the process of uncovering this fraud, as Cynthia and her team would soon find out, was grueling. Their investigation into the accounting shenanigans was long because the accounting entries behind this manipulation of the financial statements were complex. Hundreds of entries were made to a variety of accounts in order to confuse anyone who might later look at them. And the investigation was hard because management didn't want Cynthia and her people looking into the entries, for obvious reasons.
   
   After the fraud became clear to Cynthia and her team, there was a long fight over whether something should or could be done about it. Scott Sullivan was determined to find an accounting rule to justify the fraudulent accounting entries. It is no surprise that there is not an accounting rule that backs up what was done, because it wasn't done with the accounting rules in mind. It was done with only Wall Street in mind.
   
   And WorldCom's audit committee wasn't completely behind the internal auditors' investigation or results. The audit committee should be the independent group of individuals to whom an employee can voice concerns and be taken seriously. Yet Cynthia didn't seem to be given as much consideration as she should have been, and she relates this struggle nicely in the book.
   
   The story of the investigation comes to life through Cynthia's words. I found myself drawn into the story, and I could feel myself sitting there as the internal auditors were going through entry after entry, always watching their backs because the executives didn't want them investigating.
   
   Lots of clichés and heartwarming stories of family interactions are woven into the book. Again, these things aren't really all that relevant to the story and merely provided a distraction from the business at hand: the collapse of WorldCom.
   
   These minor criticisms don't take away from the book as a whole. It is a detailed account of what happened, and digs much deeper into the WorldCom fraud than I ever expected. The detail behind how the fraud occurred is told in a fascinating manner, and I found myself able to picture WorldCom executives sitting around and comparing the company's financial results to the expectations of Wall Street ... and making fraudulent accounting entries to meet those expectations.
   
   Congratulations, Cynthia, on a successful first book. And many thanks for being willing to stand up for the truth and fight to expose the WorldCom fraud.



3. COMPELLING ACCOUNT OF UNCONTROLLED GROWTH AND GREED, AND HOW A DOWN HOME GIRL WITH EXCEPTIONAL UP-BRINGING FOUND HERSELF IN A SITUATION THAT WENT AGAINST ALL HER STANDARDS.
   A VERY EASY READ.



4. This book tells the story of WorldCom's rise and fail from both a human and business perspective. Cynthia does a great job capturing her emotional journey to rise to the top of WorldCom's internal audit, while at the same time explaining the events that led to her teams discovery of one of the nations largest frauds. The second half of the book is a real page turner, not unlike another famous author from Mississippi. I especially appreciate her ability to capture the human side of the story. It is easy to dismiss Bernie Ebbers and Scott Sullivan as greedy corporate titans, but the story seems to go deeper. She also captures the conflict felt by the lower-level employees who were co-opted into the fraud. Finally, she provide insight into the emotions of a whistle-blower confronted with such a significant ethical challenge.



5. Cynthia Cooper is right on the mark. Being a former WorldCom Manager myself, she does a good job setting the scene for those who didn't live through it. Even if you haven't worked in telecom, you will find this interesting as to how a mega-corporation could have risen so high and fallen so low. You may wonder at times if the personalities could have possibly been that eccentric--trust me they were and then some! Great READ.