Biography Books

A good book,I couldn't put it down. A very compelling insider's look at the little known partying/drug addicted world of the NFL. If you are a college or pro football fan who wants to dish a little dirt, this a must read.....Not for the faint of heart!

Great book!

I'd personally never even heard of Jason Peter, but the backstory sounded amazing and I love the NFL, so after reading several reviews I decided to give it a try.

Jason Peter is a prime example of how the NFL spits you out when your no longer worthy of playing, this book in no way puts down the NFL, it just once again brings to light just how harsh the system is, one of my favorite lines in the book best describes it,

"When you put on your team colors, you are no longer a person--you are a cog in a machine. That is how a team operates, and that is what wins games. People are discarded in this game when their usefulness is at an end."

JP's career was in jeopardy because of injuries, then he got hooked on pain killers, the pain killers led to cocaine, the cocaine to meth and crack

his journey thru drugs/rehab is insane, he was an unemployed millionaire with a raging drug problem

good, good stuff!!!!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested reading about the ravages of (and redemption from) drug addiction as it impacts on someone who, to the naked eye, "had it made" as an elite college athlete and highly regarded National Football League draft choice. The book is presented in a raw style that offers the reader a "real feel" for the author's struggle and the impact of drug addiction on his family.

The author did not find the "recovery, 12-step" model to be his treatment of choice, in the end. The extent to which his distancing himself from this form of recovery might dissuade others from approaching this source of help, is the only caveat I have for recommending this book, particularly for those who subscribe to or who might be helped by Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous.

Yes, as the cliche goes "different strokes for different folks," but AA and NA have worked for so many, that his disdain for these models of recovery should be taken, as intended, as only one man's opinion.

Overall, a very good read and fine profile of someone who has bounced back from the precipice of death.

Jason Peter, co-captain of the 1997-98 Nebraska Cornhuskers college championship team, recounts the improbable story of a jock that became a junkie. Peter's story reads as the anti-Peyton Manning story--fitting, since Peter's Cornhuskers crushed Manning in the championship game in 1998. It's part football memoir and part drug memoir, and a gripping read that I read through in two nights.

Peter and co-writer Tony O'Neill write some of the best prose that I've ever read on the game of college football. In several chapters, it's difficult to distinguish Peter's rush from playing football from the rush of legal and illegal drug abuse. His story is all too common in the football industry, where young talent is bulked up, chewed up, and spit out when their bodies start to break down. The only difference is that Jason Peter filled the void left in his life with crack and heroin, whereas few players (and ex-players) ever reach such extremes of addiction.

I picked this book up ASAP after reading Peter King's mention in his superb MMQB column for SI.com. While "Hero" provides unique insights into the world of a college football star, NFL player, and emergent substance abuser following a series of injuries that end his career, the last third of the book drags on. And on. And on. "Are you still reading that thing?" my wife asked me the other night. Like the author, I couldn't quit the habit. It's good, but I honestly think the latter chapters could have been revised into just several. I liked it, but . . .

Mr. Cowell was a reporter for the New York Times when he covered the sensational murder of former KGB spy Alex Litvinenko in London. The book occassionally packs too much information in its attempt to be conprehensive for the "true crime" reader, but otherwise it is quite readable. While the Russians were clumsy in their murder which the author illustrtes with the ease the police unravel and trace the nuclear poison, the book can not say with certainity who ordered the murder (there are no dearth of suspects). A good beach read for the summer.

This is a page turner, a "can't put down" thriller of the London murder of Alexander Litvinenko on November 1, 2006. Thoroughly researched, carefully thought through, all its nuances and angles and dark pockets are explored and analysed leaving the reader satisfied but wide awake at night suffering from the heebie jeebies.

This book really gave me a glimpse into what Justice Thomas felt like growing up with segregation and then fighting throughout his life for equality. He is extremely sincere and honest about his shortcomings in life so the reader really feels as though they got to know him. I didn't understand the rage and resentment that he felt against discrimination because I didn't grow up in that environment. I think this book is a must-read for everyone, especially white people (like me) that don't understand why some people are voting for Barack Obama just because he's part African. I've always believed that should be the least important of aspect of the decision. Thomas' solution to inequality is for all people to be given the same opportunities, not favoring any race, white or black, and that really got the liberals angry with him (and they're still angry at him today) for not accepting their handouts.

As a general rule I take what I read in a memoir with a grain of salt. It is only natural for people to put their best forward when writing about themselves for public consumption. In this case however I found myself accepting Thomas' words at face value. Whether it was his writing style or the way he spoke so openly about his human failings I did not question the honesty of his accounts or the sincerity of his emotions.

His life growing up in poverty was a compelling story. His angry youth was unsettling, but understandable and the struggles of his adult life make him all the more admirable. I always had difficulty reconciling the quiet humble man of the senate hearings with the accusations leveled against him, and though his views reflected my own conservative values I knew that the reality was that only he and Anita Hill knew the truth. After reading this book I no longer have any doubt that Clarence Thomas, with all of his human failings, is an honorable man and was an outstanding choice for The Supreme Court of The United States of America.

Readers looking for a defense of Mr. Thomas's legal theories or time on the bench will have to look elsewhere. The book is the simple, straightforward story of a man's rise from shocking poverty to one of the most prestigious positions in the United States, and those he views shaped him throughout his life. In that sense, it is a useful companion piece to Mr. Thomas's personal friend Thomas Sowell's own autobiography, which the reviewer recommends even more highly.

Where to begin with all the good things that I'd like to say about this book?

1. The prose is very clear, concise, easy-to-read and unpretentious. The entire book comes in at under 300 pages and there are no wasted words. (For a VERY LONG and VERY BLOATED autobiography of a politician, see Bill Clinton's "My Life.")

2. He fills in the missing gaps from Anita Hill's account of what happened. (It was fairly easy to surmise from her writing style in "Speaking Truth To Power" that Anita Hill was/ is a drama queen.) The type of antics that Thomas described (without going too far into detail) were not at all unexpected based on the personality type that I perceived from Hill's writing. The snippets are neither bitter nor abusive. Only discussed in a matter of fact way.

3. There is some interesting discussion of the dynamics of a government bureaucracy and how it starts off to solve some problem but eventually "hardens" into something completely different. There is no long, philosophical discussion of *why* this situation materializes (as you might find by reading the works of Hayek or Milton Friedman), but just observations that it does happen.

4. The thinking is very clear and straightforward. Thomas is not a mindless ideologue, but rather someone who has thought out his positions based on actual *life experience.*

5. He made observations that racism is not a uniquely Southern phenomenon (for example, noting that the first time that he was called a "nigger" happened when he moved up North and not in the South--where the blacks and whites there came to some sort of modus vivendi).

Bad points (only one):

1. The book had no index. That might have been nice when going back over fine points after finishing the book.

All in all, this book was well worth the purchase price of a new hardcover book.

Thomas recounts in vivid detail all the injustices and hardship suffered by his grandparents, parents and himself over the last century and how all of that attracted him to Republican conservativism, which embraced the ideals of racial equality, eradicating poverty and affirmative action - ideals which helped Thomas reach the heights of success. Huh?

He seems keenly aware of the fact that he did not possess the legal expertise or the intellectual depth to sit on the highest court in the land. But after spending time with the other underqualified and highly over-rated justices on the court such as Scalia and Rehnquist, Thomas came to realize that he had nothing to feel bad about. The one regret he has is the advent of C-SPAN, which provides an unwelcome measure of public exposure to the court. He worries that the blind reverence and assumption of supreme intelligence which the public held for the judges for over 200 years has come to an end. Instead, the public now has C-SPAN to show them that the court is really nothing more than a collection of simple-mided political suck-ups with giant egos who do strange things with soda cans and who will approve the torture and dismemberment of their own mothers and children at Guantanamo Bay if it will get them appointed to the court.

Although he still harbors a great deal of anger over his historic and divisive confirmation hearings, he hopes to find the infamous coke can, which he dreams of selling one day for a certain fortune at e-bay.

There are many editions of James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" available, but this is easily the best Kindle edition. The text is based on Chester Anderson's 1964 text. There are also a good number of annotations by Seamus Deane--fewer than in Anderson's Viking Critical edition but sometimes more detailed and aimed at a less scholarly audience. best of all, this edition is a very well constructed ebook, with a good table of contents to facilitate navigation to the beginning of chapters and with an excellent implementation of endnotes. Annotated items are marked witha superscripted number that links to the endnotes. The notes are all placed together, so you can read other notes rather than having to go back to the main text to go to other notes.

All in all, this is the best Kindle edition of Joyce's classic. The text is based on a standard version, the notes are helpful, and the implementation highlight the advantages of the Kindle format.

After having just finished reading Ulysses (and loving it) I decided it would be rewarding if I read 'A Portrait' next in order to delve further into Stephen Dedalus' character. (Moreover, I had also just finished reading Ellmann's famous biography of Joyce and felt inspired to read Joyce's own semi-autobiography). Unfortunately I was extremely disappointed with the dry, tedious narrative tone that Joyce adopted in writing his novel, especially within the overdrawn third chapter in which we learn the terrors of hell and damnation. Yes, I know the sermon sequence had great significance in Stephen's development from the primordial muck of biological existence to the more rarefied air of the soul, of human conscience and (above all) of the powers of artistic creativity. Nevertheless I found my thoughts wandering elsewhere when I was reading this book and many times I had to re-read whole pages because I had realized I was just reading the words without absorbing their content. While Ulysses drew me immediately into the consciousness of Bloom and Dedalus, 'A Portrait' was bland, cold and uninviting. I felt by the end of "A Portrait" that I was solely reading the book because it was Joyce and because it was deemed a classic. Perhaps I ruined A Portrait by reading Joyce's masterpiece first. Even if Ulysses can seem (at times) even more glacially abstract and opaque to the reader than A Portrait, Ulysses at least challenges you in such a way that you want to understand more about the text (its various allusions, its satire, its narrative experimentation, ect). I do not feel compelled to read A Portrait again, in fact (in the process of writing this review) I now feel compelled to re-read Ulysses and perhaps even Finnegan's Wake.

I don't know where to start. It's pretty difficult to review a book in which nothing takes place. This book lacks... well, just about everything. It lacks half a sentence of substance. Nothing in the story is connected; I read the book and wondered, "What is this about? What was the story?" Actually, I have a confession to make: I didn't actually read the book in its entirety; I read the first half and was so disgusted by it that I had to read the summaries for the rest of the chapters online. It is that bad.

Normally I listen to other people's opinions but I am making it a fact in my mind that this book is the worst book I have ever read. If you disagree, you are wrong. That is how terrible this book was. It was a complete waste of my money. It was required reading for school. I always read the books regardless of whether I like them or not, only reading summaries after finishing to make sure I understood the whole story. This is the first book I have ever relied on reviews to finish. My teacher worhips this book but there is nothing good about it. If anybody can explain to me what this book is about in a way that makes sense, I will give them ten dollars.

So far, everyone in my school has failed to explain it to me. This book is everything Flowers for Algernon tries to be (that's not a good thing).

As many do, I read this in preparation for tackling Ulysses, in which Stephen Dedalus makes a return appearance. This has been called Joyce's most accessible work, however I found Dubliners faster paced reading personally.

The style of the book changes as the title character matures from a young child to a young man. The part that affected me most was the episode at school where, after he has fallen to immoral ways, a speech is given on Hell that is as riveting and detailed as Dante's Inferno. The fiery pits are described as an abomination across all the senses, where not just pain from sensory touch is there but in smell, sight, taste, hearing - and quite effectively described.

Stephen's subsequent change after confession and struggle to achieve harmony with God is inspiring even given the eventual outcome of that attempt.

The latter part of the book bogs down considerably as it falls into philosophical debates on questions that many a young (and old) person ponders. The ending is hopeful but uncertain.

"marooned"--an utterly wrenching and boundlessly suggestive term to describe the situation of the young artist.

Anita Jain's "Marrying Anita" has received many enthusiastic reviews. But quite a few readers who were born and raised in India, and steeped in Indian culture, were shocked and pained - her parents among them, I must say - to read this book. In an interview the author has said that her parents were "not happy" when they read the book.

Passages such as this will shock an average Indian not exposed to American culture. "Going to India to find a husband also raised other considerations. I wondered if I would be able to find someone modern enough in his thinking to be comfortable with a wife having a great deal of her own agency, not just in terms of making decisions for the household but in having a full life outside the marriage -- one that included going out with friends, drinking, and smoking. A woman who has had sex in the past -- and not just with those two long-term boyfriends. I wasn't sure what I would find, but I owed it to myself to try."

Written with wry humor blended with wit, and in a sarcastic tone, portions of the book are entertaining and highly readable. But there are many portions that caused me pain, shock and regret, especially at the needlessly snide remarks the author made about a couple of suitors. I think the problem is that even though her name, appearance, and lineage are Indian, she is not an Indian at heart, and she lacks basic knowledge about Indian culture, manners, and etiquette. Here is an example - this is what she has written about Lalit, one of her suitors:
"Lalit worked as a clerk at a shipping company, earning 8,000 rupees, less than $[...], a month. He'd never been to my upscale neighborhood. He greeted my parents -- "Namaste, Auntie. Namaste, Uncle" -- then surveyed the place, clearly thrown by the style in which I lived. I was the last thing he noticed."

I have a different perspective on this encounter because I was born and raised in India and I am steeped in Indian culture. Lalit did not do anything wrong; he behaved most appropriately. He greeted her parents respectfully. Then he surveyed her flat and looked at the furniture. Again he did nothing wrong, because a prospective suitor is not supposed to start gawking at the woman immediately after sitting down. That would be considered impolite in Indian society. He is supposed to look around, perhaps at a potted plant or flowers in the vase, take his time, and sneak a look or two at the prospective bride while sipping coffee. That would be considered polite. Later, after some conversation, if he wishes, he can look at her for a longer time, without the fear of being considered rude. I know this is not the American way, but it certainly is the Indian way. Lalit's main fault seems to be that he did not have a good income.

Anita Jain went to India with an admirable goal, of course: to find a suitable husband. "I was looking for a modern Indian man, someone comfortable with a wife who went out with friends, drank, smoked and had had other boyfriends," she has written. But her actions, the way she behaved with the prospective suitors, the cryptic remarks she made after the suitors left, belie her stated goal. The witty one-liners and the sarcastic two-liners uttered looking down on the men might entertain and elicit a hearty laugh from the readers; but such behavior is not conducive to human understanding. Understanding human heart takes patience, empathy, and that most precious of all human qualities: compassion (not pity). In Delhi, had she gone to a Jain temple and spent some time with ordinary Indians, she would have learnt very quickly how good-natured Indians behave with others, with kindness, respect, a bit of humility, and tolerance. The very nature of the way Indians greet others saying, "Namaste", denotes not just respect - it borders on reverence. If you criticize every thing you see and every man you meet, and think that they are beneath you because they happened to look at the luxurious furniture of your flat in awe, or that they did not speak much, I am afraid you will never find a suitable mate. In a garden with various and abundant flowers, a visiting bee seeks only honey-bearing flowers. The bee will avoid as a waste of time and effort a flower devoid of honey, no matter how bright, rich, colorful or splendrous. Endow yourself with at least a bit of honey, and the bees are bound to follow. Make all the snide remarks if you wish, to entertain and elicit a quick laugh, but be prepared at the end of the day to sleep in an empty bed.

This book is excruitiatingly slow - the narrative just drags on and on and the author and her story are really uninteresting. I only continued reading this book to learn more about the Indian culture and not because the story is good, because it's not. Who is this Anita Jain to warrant a biography/autobiography? Perhaps this book could have been fictionalized and made into chick-lit. The book is about Anita Jain and her search for a husband. Despite the title, there is no marrying and Anita doesn't even actively look for a husband; she spends her spare time getting high and talking about her life rather than living it. Anita ends up in Delhi, India when her attempts to land a guy in NYC fall short. The book doesn't encourage you to take any interest in Anita and I couldn't wait for this to end. The setting is interesting but that's about all.

As a guy, the title isn't something that drew me in; however, I have a keen interest in all things India, so decided to give the book a try.

Amid the amusing and often hilarious anecdotes about Anita and her escapades is a fascinating look at India in transition that goes well beyond the supposedly heavyweight but hopelessly behind-the-curve tomes such as Freidman's "The World is Flat". Jain, of Indian heritage but having grown up in the U.S. is in a unique position to take the pulse of the key demographic in the New India. Her observations are cogent and witty.

This is very good book.

I really did. First of all, the story is so charming and interesting. I was her - only not Indian - I was over 30 and not married and I wanted to be married. She gave a name to many of the feelings that I had during that period of my life.

Second, I absolutely loved her description of India - I've never been there and she made it come alive for me.

Read this book.

I really liked Anita, and enjoyed reading this book. It's well-written, candid, and full of very interesting observations and insights into both Indian and American culture. As I read along, though, I found it increasingly frustrating - and ultimately maddening - that Anita seemed to lack the slightest insight into herself. Specifically, the very traits she rails against the most are the ones she herself exhibits in spades.

The most laughable sentences in the book: "This so-called `fear of intimacy'... what is this? It seems rather unfathomable to me." What's unfathomable to *me* is how Anita can be unaware of how obviously terrified of intimacy she is. She rails against men who declare early on that they're not looking for anything serious. She doesn't seem to realize that it's much more insidious and irresponsible to declare that you *are* serious (and even to believe you're serious) about wanting something real, as she does - and then to have your every action and decision declare otherwise, as hers does.

If a man is married, or has a girlfriend, or lives on another continent, or has taken a vow of celibacy, or is inappropriate for her in every way, or is "just not that into her", or is downright cruel and heartless to her - well, she's all over him. On the other hand, if a man is appropriate, genuinely interested in her, well-intentioned and respectful, she can't seem to write him off or sabotage the relationship fast enough. News flash, Anita: these are classic symptoms of serious intimacy issues.

Case in point: her father arranges for her to meet a young man in whom she has no interest. She's much more taken with his chaperone - a handsome, accomplished, engaging and well-read professional. Unfortunately, he's just the chaperone, and naturally he is all the more alluring for being out of reach. But wait! This attractive and appropriate man calls her and wants to date her. In fact, two such men are interested in her at this time - two age-appropriate, professional, accomplished and courtly men. So what's the problem? She's admittedly too hung up on a boy she describes as a "surly, inarticulate kid" -- someone who actually *hangs up on her* whenever she calls him -- to give these other men a real chance. She even goes so far as to moon about this kid while on dates with her would-be suitors. News flash, Anita: this is not the behavior of a woman who is truly interested in attaining intimacy.

For that matter, seemingly appropriate and well-intentioned men display interest in her throughout the book. If she's not actively sabotaging her chances with these men, then she's disqualifying them right out of the gate, often for the flimsiest of reasons. After her father told one suitor that Anita doesn't do housework, they wrote the guy off for essentially saying that he doesn't do it either. She wrote another man off (a man she describes as attractive, very successful, and considerate enough to make dinner reservations in her honor) because his *mother* was adopted.

Another little hint that intimacy-phobia is at work here: if Anita isn't attracted to someone with whom she's on a date, she drinks slowly and in moderation and asks him questions about himself. In other words, she behaves appropriately. If she is attracted, she gets plastered and reckless immediately. With a man she describes as perfect for her, Anita orders "a double vodka-lime-soda, the first of three at *that* bar," and then, by her own admission, "slurs" and "stumbles" and "yodels" and "grins stupidly" as the date rolls along. News flash, Anita: when a professional, accomplished man of substance is evaluating a woman in terms of a potential wife and mother, he's usually looking for a modicum of stability, good judgment, impulse control and decorum. There's nothing wrong with kicking up your heels and having a good time once you get to know and trust a guy, but why brandish your "party girl" side at someone so relentlessly in the very first hour of your acquaintance? You complain about all the men who aren't looking for anything serious, then you seemingly do your best to not be taken seriously.

Anita, I was once just like you. I was only willing to invest emotionally where a real relationship was all but impossible. It took me years to understand that the fear of intimacy was mine and the suffering was 99% self-inflicted. I really hope you will take an honest look at your choices and your actions and realize how thoroughly they belie your words. You blame nearly everyone and everything around you for your situation: you blame the men, you blame New York, you even blame the entire Western system of dating. Where is your share of responsibility in all this? Come on, you're a Harvard-educated, highly intelligent woman, and this isn't rocket science. The one truly lacking in "clarity of intent" is you. There's still time for you to achieve what you say you want, but you need to wake up to what you're doing. I hope you'll believe me when I say I wish you the very best, because I really do.

The long walk is one hell of an adventure. It is well written and is difficult to put down once you start to read it. I am sceptical whether it is true. Walking across the Kobi desert with no food or water is a bit difficult to believe. I think a bit more research needs to be done to vouch for the veracity of this story. Whether the book is fact or fiction it is still a very interesting story to read.

Rawicz's trek is an amazing story, and a great read. His voice comes through so strongly, and authentically that you find ourself with him almost every step of his journey.

This book has been thoroughly reviewed on Amazon already. I add this review in the hopes on contributing something to the discussion.

This is the story of Slavomir Rawicz, a Polish cadet who was arrested by the Soviets on false charges and sentenced to prison in Siberia for 25 years, and of his amazing escape south, across 4,000 miles past Lake Baikal, through Mongolia, across the Gobi Desert, over the Himalayas, and finally into British India. The book is engaging, extremely well-written, heart-breaking and inspiring.

The problem is that it may not be true. I agree with other commenters that the book loses all of its value as an inspirational story if it was fabricated. My five-star review assumes that it is true.

Critics of the book can rely on two types of evidence: internal and external. (I reject objections that such a journey is impossible. Modern adventurers have retraced Rawicz' steps; granted, they were much better equipped, but they also weren't fleeing for their lives).

The external evidence shows that Rawicz was released from prison and sent back to Poland; that the British (probably) have no record of Rawicz or his companions arriving from the Tibetan plateau; that no one has ever located or identified his companions. The first objection can be met by pointing out that the Soviet Cheka was not necessarily above forging documents, especially if necessary to avoid a humiliating admission that seven prisoners escaped. The second objection is undermined by the history of the book's criticisms -- for years, people pointed out that the Soviets had no record of Rawicz' imprisonment at all. The discovery of his papers is a dramatic illustration that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

The final point is simply a mystery. One would expect that Rawicz's companions would try to contact him after the book was published. But that assumes his companions survived long enough to do so -- they arrived in India in 1942, and the book was not published until 1956. It is possible they died, or returned to their homes in communist countries and never saw the book, or were imprisoned again. Of course, all we can do is speculate.

For me, the more interesting question concerns the internal evidence. Is Rawicz' description of a Soviet prison camp consistent with actual practice? When Rawicz crossed the border into Mongolia, he described a series of signs marking the border -- is his description accurate? He describes the clothing, houses and certain material culture in Mongolia, China and Tibet -- is it consistent with local practice at that time?

Adventurer Peter Fleming supposedly challenged the internal evidence as unrealistic shortly after the book was published, but I have not found a copy of Fleming's specific charges, so I cannot evaluate them. In addition, according to a wikipedia article on Rawicz, Fleming supposedly discovered military records that contradicted Rawicz' claims. One must wonder why Fleming would bother with such external evidence if he thought the case against the internal evidence was so clear.

Well, the story itself may be untrue, and come to a point where it's even farcical in what it tries to put over on readers (seeing a pair of menacing yetis in the Himalayas while crossing the mountains in winter with all of rusty wire and animal dung as provisions). But! This is a moot point, because as a tale, it's first-rate. If you can allow the fraud (and there's no real reason to get upset about it), there are large rewards to be had from The Long Walk. The story of the trek to freedom is incredible and very compelling, page b' page. The prose isn't the best, but it serves its singular point well in keeping the action moving and gripping. It's entirely designed in this way, to be a terrific story, and true or not, it only assists itself with all its narrative tendencies.

After reading snippets of this book for years, I finally got it. The story was interesting and entertaining from the initial captivity in the European prisoner camp, through the trek to the Siberian camp, until the end of the long walk that led from Siberia to freedom.

Kurtz's book is a true journey not TO the heart, but THROUGH the heart of a musician. However, please be aware, non-guitarists need not "fret" (ha-ha). This book is for anyone seeking inspiration, seeking to draw fresh wisdom from their life's experiences, no matter the passion. The reader easily learns from, and cherishes, Kurtz's fluid yet uncluttered prose. This book is a treasure for any age, for any person seeking to know themselves and what they believe in, be it music, the arts, recollections of childhood, family. It doesn't matter. Kurtz's highly personal journey will take you far into the back reaches of your own mind and memory. I will have to read this a second time, slowly.

To previous reviewers: Yes, the book has a lot about the guitar's history, maybe too much. Yes, the book rambles at times. Yes, I wish that he had discussed more about technique and his technical growth; what were some of the "ah-ha moments"? Yes, it does have an unhappy ending. And, yes, in my opinion, Kurtz is wrong to think of guitar as having show-stopper limitations. But, then, we weren't in Kurtz's shoes when he made the decisions that he made, were we?

This is a one-of-a-kind book and if you have a serious interest in the classical guitar then this book is a must read; other kinds of musicians might find it tedious. I found that I could not put it down.

I'm a jazz guitar major at a university, and our semester assignment was to read this book. I found it to be very artful in its descriptions of being a classical guitarist in the modern world. Though I could have done with out the twenty or so pages of guitar history, Dr. Kurtz does a wonderful job of laying down the realities of being a musician in a world that doesn't necessarily need them. However, I wouldn't suggest this book to just anyone. It is more suited to people who love and can relate to art music such as classical or jazz. Overall, very nice writing!

Like the author, I too have hit two playing-ending walls and have regained my ability to practice. I really appreciate the author's insights into the various voices that can inform and jade our ability to play.

I'm so appreciative to have found this book.

Glenn Kurtz' meditation on music, an extended history of the origins of the guitar with biographies of the great composers who wrote for the instrument and even the history of the development of the ancient and modern forms of the stringed guitar, makes for some of the most rewarding reading on a topic of surprising ingenuity.

The 'story' outline of the book is brief: Kurtz recounts his childhood fascination with the guitar, his extended sessions of study and practice as he prepared his career by attending the New England Conservatory of Music, eventually gaining performance time in this country and in Europe, and his decision that his talent was not of the class that merited a successful career in music that brought him to the point of giving up the guitar, to the final reason for writing this book - practicing is not a chore but a means to finding the soul of music and the soul of self in the process.

But such a short 'plot summary' in many ways defeats the purpose of this immensely satisfying book, a book that will not only be deeply admired by musicians of every rank, but a book that is so poetic and elegant in style of writing that it will entertain those whose lives have been touched only tangentially by music. 'Like every practicing musician, I know both the joy and the hard labor of practice. To hear these sounds emerging from my instrument! And to hear them more clearly, more beautifully in my head than my fingers can ever seem to grasp. Together this pleasure in music and the discipline of practice engage in an endless tussle, a kind of romance.'

From his stance as a 'returning musician' Glenn Kurtz has the retrospective edge on restating all the beauties that surround the subject of music and music making. His diversionary paths into many related subjects as listed above make this a book that is not only tender and entertaining, but also a book full of rich information for every reader. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, February 08

Oh please get out the hankie and feel oh so terribly sorry - - and guilty -for this woman and her tribe. If you light skinned, get out the scourge and whip yourself you evil white person. Only white people are bad. Only people of color are abused. I was a white girl in a foreign country struggling to learn the language and get by and I did. Now I am highly paid having gone through the experience. I learned to speak the language and adapt. Cultures change, people change, ethnic peoples are brutalized, citizens are mistreated. Ms Lakota Woman thinks her life is hard, trying being non-hispanic and live in California!

I learnt so much from this book, and felt myself getting angry because of her experiences. good on her for telling her story. L'Ohanna

An autobiographical account of Mary Crow Dog's life, this includes experiencing the events that happened at Wounded Knee, and her relationship with her husband, as well as the politics and experiences associated with the AIM political movement.

A look at the disturbing state and problems these people were facing at the time, very interesting.

An interesting look at the American Indian's struggles in the latter half of the 20th century. The perspective of Mary Crow Dog is helpful for those who have no similar life experiences to compare to it. Very good insight.

The book came in perfect time and is in excellent condition. I have added it to my collection of Native American History

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."

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

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.

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.

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.

Daniel Tammet has penned his account of his life, through his 27th year, as a British autistic savant who has navigated through his life with Asperger's syndrome and synesthesia. He captures with meticulous detail the rhythm and routine of his life and recounts his events and experiences though offers few thoughts about his inner thinking.

His prose (and one has to wonder how heavy or light a hand his editors wielded) is precise and measured--not surprisingly--but the overall story does not crackle with excitement or energy. Hence, Mr. Tammet's biopic no doubt seems oddly dry as he does not rely on embellishment or stray from his point, but tends to present the facts in a straightforward and thrifty manner.

Mr. Tammet admittedly leads an insular, interior life, and that perspective also infuses his writing here. Yet there are surprises along the way: his first experience with tears, his acceptance of Christianity, his falling in love. In some ways, his advanced abilities in math and language are secondary to the rituals of life that he relies on to keep him grounded and functioning.

Yet, I somehow wanted more from this book, perhaps more insights into the inner working of someone with Asperger's syndrome and a bit more detail of how Mr. Tammet's mind functions.

Though I work with autistic students, I was hoping after reading the reviews to find a book that was a bit more reader friendly. It skipped here and there with wild abandon.

Although autistic savants often amaze us with their feats of memory, typically they lack the communication and people skills to be able to share their stories with others. Daniel Tammet, a high-fuctioning autistic savant with Asperger's Syndrome, has lived an atypical life. He was featured in a documentary, "Brainman," and has appeared on numerous television shows around the world. The title of the book comes from David's synethesia. He identifies numbers and words as colors or shapes. Thus his Wednesday birthdate translates to "a blue day" because the word "Wednesday" is colored blue in his mind's eye. If you enjoyed the movie, "Rainman," you'll appreciate reading about this most unusual autistic man.

Having read a little on Synesthesia in Diane Ackerman's ' A Natural History of Senses'.. I did believe Daniel Timmet's visual experiences of numbers and words.. A little into his childhood.. I was scared as to what will happen to him as an autistic child.. But with his diverse experiences in another country.. he has gone way far where he can answer the question of Allie Cone's(a mountaineer character) students "Do you know what its like when the only direction is down?"

Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet is an autobiography that you will either find totally engrossing or terribly tedious. Fortunately, I was one who was enthralled by Tammet and his incredible story.

Tammet is unusual in many ways. First, he was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome (a high level form of Autism), but not until he was 24 years old. He describes in great detail his childhood experiences and how different he was from others. Second, he is a savant with extraordinary abilities in math and languages. In fact, he is so unique that he was featured in a documentary called "Brainman," a take-off on the movie about another savant, "Rainman." And last, what makes him truly incredible is that he is able to express and explain to others how he views his world--something very difficult for people with Autism.

I found Tammet's entire story fascinating--how he sees numbers as colors and shapes, how his loving family supported this difficult but gifted child, his schooling, his journeys to other countries to teach English, the scientific studies that have been done on him and most of all, how he copes as an adult. I found it especially interesting as an educator to see how the Autistic mind works.

How very fortunate we are that Daniel Tammet was able to give us his story in Born on a Blue Day.