Biography Books

This book is the true story about Stephanie and how she battles losing weight at "Fat Camp." I think teenage girls would enjoy this most. I found it somewhat interesting, but it did not really hold my attention in the second half of the book. Not all that bad but nothing great either.

I wanted to love this book. I heard the author on NPR and she sounded interesting. It was also recommended in Women's Health magazine. After reading it, however, I was extremely disapointed.

The story of the fat camp experience was mostly good, but I have to say I was HORRIFIED when the author detailed exactly how she made herself throw up after eating too much. She seemed to recognize bulemia was a bad thing, but then gave detailed instructions on how to do it. Does she not realize that young people will read her book? So MAYBE I could look past that (probably not, but maybe) and then I got to the end of the book and it really didn't seem like the author had actually learned anything from her experiences as an overweight child. I was waiting for the epiphany, the bit about how she got over it and managed to live a healthy life, but it wasn't there. She talked about extermely unhealthy eating habits she still had as an adult, is still blaming her father for insensitive comments he made to her when she was a child, blaming her mother for not showing enough affection and had to be forced to eat more food when pregnant with twins.

Mostly, when I finished the book, I was just thinking that this person was someone I never wanted to know and that I hoped no one else would read the book and be influenced by her dysfunction. I hope her kids turn out okay if she can ever get over giving them butter on their bread, I hope she has a good pediatrician that explains to her that children need fat in their diets to develop properly, but mostly, I hope she doesn't write any more books. I know that I will NOT be letting my teenaged nieces or my daughter ever read this book.

The book definitely shed some light on what overweight children go through. I think Ms. Klein is admirable for not being afraid to expose every detail regarding what she went through at this time in her life.

I wanted to love this book. I heard the author on NPR and she sounded interesting. It was also recommended in Women's Health magazine. After reading it, however, I was extremely disapointed.

The story of the fat camp experience was mostly good, but I have to say I was HORRIFIED when the author detailed exactly how she made herself throw up after eating too much. She seemed to recognize bulemia was a bad thing, but then gave detailed instructions on how to do it. Does she not realize that young people will read her book? So MAYBE I could look past that (probably not, but maybe) and then I got to the end of the book and it really didn't seem like the author had actually learned anything from her experiences as an overweight child. I was waiting for the epiphany, the bit about how she got over it and managed to live a healthy life, but it wasn't there. She talked about extermely unhealthy eating habits she still had as an adult, is still blaming her father for insensitive comments he made to her when she was a child, blaming her mother for not showing enough affection and had to be forced to eat more food when pregnant with twins.

Mostly, when I finished the book, I was just thinking that this person was someone I never wanted to know and that I hoped no one else would read the book and be influenced by her dysfunction. I hope her kids turn out okay if she can ever get over giving them butter on their bread, I hope she has a good pediatrician that explains to her that children need fat in their diets to develop properly, but mostly, I hope she doesn't write any more books. I know that I will NOT be letting my teenaged nieces or my daughter ever read this book.

I read Stephanie's first book and loved it. Her writing style is/was exactly what I look for in a book, especially a memoir. I was waiting for this book to hit the shelves because I was very much looking forward to not wanting to stop reading. My husband bought this for me at Borders, hard cover, and that night I dove in. He mentioned it was in the nutrition section, which kind of caught me off guard. Regardless, I dove into it that night, and was surprised to find myself wanting to put the book down after the first 10 pages. Perhaps the subject isn't for me. After all, I wasn't an overweight kid. I guess I couldn't relate. And it wasn't just that -- I coudn't relate to how she wrote it. It was way too long -- and I know this because I made myself finish it (expensive hard cover that it was).

As I sat reading Ann Rule's riveting book, it occured to me that this piece of crime writing is actually a classic in American literature. Some may not agree. How many people can start to write about grisly murders and find out that a true friend that used to work by her side was the actual killer? This book takes one into the deepest,darkest, sickest recesses of Bundy's mind and lays him out for what he is, a creature that was unstoppable and who really could not stop himself from these horribly gruesome crimes. One even comes, at times, to care for Ted Bundy, and then just in time, realizes that you are caring for a monster, so sick that words can't describe him. I very much like true crime books, but this one is king of all that have been written and Ann Rule is the queen of her genre. Just beware before you read it. You will never be the same.

When you know the ending it is hard to write or read a book without being biased with the knowledge. This book weaves what was known and what was not at any given time so well that in your mind you keep trying to reconcile the two and for those moments you do not want to connect them to the end that is now so well known. The way she introduces Ted in the beginning and the way events unravel, you keep trying to juxtapose the known Ted Bundy and the mysterious and ruthless killer who left a trail of death in his wake, and like her, you simply cannot.
What is also praiseworthy is that the author neither interrupts the flow with personal judgment nor does she glamorize the gore. It was mature and intelligent real-crime storytelling at its best.
There are aspects of the relationship between the author and the main character that wants you to judge not Ted, but herself - did she lead Ted on so she could get a story out of it, all the time backing her actions with moral reasoning? In my opinion that is beyond the scope of this review and the five stars that I think the book deserves.

This may be the best, most insightful biography of a serial killer ever written. Oddly, it was only on my second reading that I realized how short Mr. Bundy's reign of homicidal brutality actually was. From January of 1974 until August of 1975, Mr. Bundy lured, attacked, and murdered young women in Washington State, Oregon, Colorado and Utah. In January of 1978 Mr. Bundy went on his infamous, and rather uncharacteristic, rampage on the campus of Florida State University and, on February 9th of that year, he claimed his last victim. So how many women did Ted Bundy deprive of life? Anne Rule suggests that his first victim was Ann Marie Burr, vanished August 31, 1961, when Mr. Bundy was 14 years old. She also mentions that she believes he killed Katherine Devine in December of 1973 (see p.435), but DNA tests have since confirmed that her killer was a loser named William Cosden. Mr. Bundy himself admitted to killing 8 young women in Washington State, 5 in Colorado, 5 in Utah, 1 in Oregon, and 3 in Florida. The author also suggests that Bundy was responsible for a murder in Vermont in 1971 (his MO) and perhaps in Pennsylvania in 1969 (not his MO). Mr. Bundy also claimed he killed a hitchhiker near the Washington coast in 1973, but apparently no one ever missed her. Rule also thinks Bundy may have murdered a woman in 1966 and likely dispatched two additional young women in Utah in 1975 and 1976. So, if my math is right, Bundy admitted to killing 23 young women total. The author suspects him of 5 additional murders. And Mr. Bundy himself, despite his being a notorious liar, did hint that he had left some bodies in California as well. So much misery and so much pointless cruelty leaves this reader rather sad and rather shaken.

I am 28 and so was only a young girl when Bundy was executed. I had heard of him, but was not familiar with the extent of his crimes. Working in the forensic field, I am fascinated with the stories of true crime and serial killers. I am an avid reader but sometimes it is hard for me to find non-fiction books that really hold my attention. Not the case with this book. I received this book for my birthday and started it as soon as I finished the book I was reading at the time. I couldn't put it down!

The original book ended before Bundy was executed but there are several follow-ups at the end that really carry the story through to today. Because Rule knew Bundy, she is able to provide much insight and goes above and beyond just the facts.

I highly recommend this book if you are at all interesting in knowing more about one of the most notorious serial killers of all time.

Being friends with and trusting a man who is actually a serial killer is very creepy. It is also sad to know that Ted Bundy took the lives of so many young woman who were just starting live on their own. I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone interested in true crime.

The wind sucks the breath out of my mouth, even though covered. Ice crystals form on the outer layer of my sock-mask. If I did not knock the crystal off I fear that I would no longer be able to fear. As I wander endless white do I dream or hallucinate of summer at the lake. I have never been so cold and oh so alone..............
Though I read this book 20 odd years ago I still shiver when I encounter this book on some lost shelf in some back alley bookstore. Sajer glares at me from the cover with his scruffly sunken cheeks. The fear in his eyes tell me he is at an end and I should leave him as fast as I can. Alas I cannot. We had fought together and now we must survive. I am haunted.
This book is touted as a work of fiction, which clearly bases it plot in the reality of the Eastern Front in WW II. Yet the writing style could almost best be described as an autobiogrphical account of one man's suffering. Few authors have the knack of drawing in their readers so intensly, i.e. Remarque,Manchester,Shiver,Rand even Silverman. If the story is true then I feel more sympathetic for Sajer. Be it fiction then I have been duped, but quite happily had I gone along toward my embarrassment.
I had heard that this book had been produced as a movie, but as of yet have been unable to confirm that claim. The conseus being that a movie would not prove worthy of the book (unlike say "The Sand Pebbles")
any student of WW II, owes it to him/herself to read this story and to seek out similar such books. For they reflect war on a deeply personal level of suffering other than the ultimate suffering of non-existence. We read the history, the oral historys, the "big picture" analysis books and we say oh, wasn't that terrible. Seldom do we think that those are people suffering and dying in those sentences. With "The Forgotten Soldier" we can see and if you concentrate, hear and feel what a true, tired warrior felt. You can walk away from this book and if you are lucky you may be able to forget this book. But the book is a ghost, eventually you won't be able to escape - and then Winter sets in.

What an amazing book. The author's luck in surviving nearly 3 years of combat as a conscripted 17 year old is eye opening. He describes in detail how his training and first missions went as a supply soldier attempting to rescue Stalingrad. The difficulties in logistics in providing food, shelter, and sanitation in the vast open Russian steppe is clearly made.

The author also describes how he and others in his unit were recruited as "volunteers" for the Gross Deutschland Division as infantry soldiers and the training they received as replacements. The difficulties of survival, the mental and emotional toll that war has on people is also described.

Also noteworthy is the personal impact war has on families where he meets the parents of his best friend, who was killed by a fighter plane strafing run. The impact of years of Allied bombing on the German civilians, their ability to provide food to themselves and their army, is also described from the ground level perspective.

This book is a first person account and avoids "armchair analysis" of senior leader decisions. The author describes how those on the ground, in the mud, endured the extreme cold to fight against the Soviets reclaiming their country in executing senior leader decisions.

For "armchair analysis", after reading this book, one wonders how the US Army would have fared fighting in Russia if Patton was allowed to battle the Communists in 1946? Would the American supply system been able to function in the road-less and open steppe?

A humbling book, we are so very fortunate to live in peace, not having to endure the suffering of total war.

This is a good read. Most people don't know this, but this book is required reading at the US War college at West Point.

Yes, he may get some of his facts mixed up a little, but hey.... it's WAR! Many people have trouble remembering the small stuff through the haze of war.

I've quite a few excellent WWII histories but this one is one of the most visceral and savage accounts I've ever seen. Your feelings about the universality of the foot soldier will never be the same.

This book is very involved and a joy for WW2 history buffs. Unfortunately, after conducting a little side research, I discovered a great deal of skepticism leveled at Guy Sajer and his account of his "experiences" on the Eastern Front during WW2. His critics provide specific instances of discontinuity, fabrications, or deliberate gray-areas detailed in The Forgotten Solder, and one must take this into account when wieghing it's authenticity. I found these accusations downright troubling and didn't rate the book quite as high as a result. If you can overcome the skepiticism associated with it and consider the book a "partial" fabrication, you'll probably enjoy the storyline none the less.

This book was an easy read and has the experiences of a WLS patient goes through before and after surgery and an example of the 'dumping' episode one hears about pre-surgery. I have travelled internationally extensively in my career and I fully understand what the Author is saying about her great travels, eating, spending etc. and because she can do them now as before she felt prohibited to do so, she inturns shares her experiences. I didn't take this as a 'look at how great I am' book, rather a look at life and your eating life after surgery. Her receipes look easy and most ingrediants can be purchased at your store. It is not a surprise that the author has a website of product one can purchase. I do find them extremely high in price and the average income person would only be able to afford a few items.

Good book for anyone that wants to get a realistic view of Bariatric (Lapband) surgery and the food you can eat.

It was great to read about how she went thru the transition after the surgey and also the meals suggestion recipes are helpful to.

I have to admit, I found this book disappointing. I am pre-surgery, in the qualifying stages, and have done a lot of research. I hear about dumping and emotional changes and mood swings and changes in relationships with people, as well as with food. So I expected this book would give me a realistic view of what to expect ahead.
I know each person's experience is different, but I got tired of the diary of what gourmet food she was able to eat each day after surgery...plenty of ! points throughout the narrative, like a pre-teen's diary, but not a lot of useful information. I was also disappointed she went right on eating absolutely everything pre-surgery to say goodbye to food, and then found she can still enjoy gourmet delights, just in tiny portions. Most of us are not gourmets, and it is not a healthy approach to weight loss surgery to have your last supper three times a day every day before surgery. You need to get your head in the right place first, and for me, it is breaking the food addiction. Susan obviously is able to continue her love affair with food without skipping a beat, just tiny portions. There's very little about the emotional changes to expect, etc. - her life seems perfect, she can afford the plastic surgery afterward, etc. There was nothing about the psychological aspects involved, just the good times with friends and sharing delicious food and being loved. It just wasn't the kind of book I'd hoped for.
On the positive side, though, I will say the recipes are good, and are broken down into WLS portions and normal portions.
I guess I was expecting a "real" person with real issues, but instead this book is about someone who has her cake and eats it too.

I really enjoyed this book. Unlike some other reviews I don't think that she came across snobby or stuck up or full of herself. I think she came across as a woman who had finally gained confidence and was finally getting a chance to experience life! Yes, she has money and therefor has the means to travel and go shopping and throw parties, but that shouldn't be a reason to not like this book. Susan Leach worked hard to achieve her goal, and I think her story was very inspiring. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because I wish the book had been longer. Half of the book is recipes and I think she should have maybe only had 1/3 be recipes, and then most of the book devoted to her weight loss story. I think the only reason people don't like this book is because they are jealous of her life style. But I for one, really enjoyed it and it inspired me a great deal. I recommend it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who had interest in the New Jersey Campaign. It gives a good background view on the disaterous New York Campaign and the retreat across New Jersey. Sometimes the book seems to drag a little bit, but that is only becuase of the great detail in the book.

This is a masterful account of one of the most trying times in the nascent American revolution and Washington's miraculous campaigns at Trenton and Princeton (1776-77). It's a book I still appreciate four years after first reading it. The text is lucid and the volume (hardcover) lavishly illustrated.

Washington, given a questionable legacy in the Colonial War - the peacetime death of Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville and over ten others (28 May 1754), the surrender of Fort Necessity (3 July 1754 to Jumonville's elder brother Louis Coulon de VIlliers), and his role in Braddock's defeat at Monongahela (9 Jul 1755), his elder brother Lawrence and Lieutenant Governor Dinwiddie's role in the Ohio Company - wasn't worthy of banking odds (this is not part of the text - read Fred Anderson's `Crucible of War' et al).

Washington proved audacious and unrelenting in his winter campaigns against his mother country. Despite all odds (and not without cost) he defeated them at Trenton (26 Dec 1776 and 2 Jan 1777) and at Princeton (3 Jan 1777). That is the tale of this volume. Without those victories, the United States wouldn't exist.

This work is as enjoyable as the author's `Paul Revere's Ride' (1994).

Well worth reading and highly recommended.

This was a very well written book, it was easy to follow and it's maps were of great help in following the battles events. I'm a new reader to the revolutionary war and since I was able to follow this book, I would definately recommend this work to others who are new to this subject. From start to finish this book kept my interest every word of the way!

This was an absolute joy to read. The book is not only about the crossing, but gives a good background of the events, politics and emotions that surrounded the American Revolution. Then it gives eyewitness accounts, from diaries, about the actual events that happened. It also gives details on aspects of the army, culture, political background and important figures that fill in the gaps and make the whole story read like a motion picture or documentary. The book tells how all the parts fit together. Truly a great book.

This is a truly great piece of historical writing. Over the past several years, there have been three outstanding books about Washington and 1776: McCullough's "1776", Ellis' biography of Washington, and this book by Fischer. Fischer's is by far the best and deserved the Pulitizer Prize.

Modern Americans have always been able to identify more with Lincoln than with Washington, the latter being more aristocratic and less modern in outlook (not to mention being a slaveowner) and seemingly austere and rigid. What Fischer is able to do is to capture the enormous problem Washington faced in trying to manage a completely unmanageable army and politics, plagued by geographical and cultural differences as well as by the lack of central political authority. Once one fully appreciates the daunting challenge faced by Washington -- as daunting as that which faced Lincoln in 1861 -- one can fully appreciate Washington's success in managing it.

Fischer spares no punches in showing Washington's tactical failure in New York and his frustration with being unable to make a rag-tag army of mostly New Englanders function like a "real" European army. But he gives credit where credit is due in showing how Washington was able to create a different kind of army -- an American army functioning in a uniquely American kind of polity. Washington is not the rigid aristocrat we imagine. He is able to appreciate the democratic nature and impulses of his army, and he leads by consensus. He takes pains to build consensus among his subordinates and to involve and respect ordinary citizens in building better intelligence gathering.

Added to this is Washington's larger-than-life charisma. He is physically imposing, a brilliant horseman, and a man of great physical courage. This earns him the respect necessary to lead the army -- and the ability to build consensus without looking weak.

The completely desperate circumstances of the New Jersey campaign in 1776 are vividly portrayed and add to the drama of the story -- as well as add to Washington's luster in handling it so well. Tactically, Washington is brilliant in how he managed the campaign, and Fischer destroys the myth that all Washington did was to surprise a bunch of drunk Hessians sleeping off a Christmas binge.

Fischer's concluding chapter summarizes his work and does so in a moving way that points Americans, in the present dark times, toward recapturing the better angels of our nature -- the American insistence on placing a high value on life, treating even enemies with humanity, and building national strength through consensus. This is historical writing at its best -- as a form of literature.

In her book, "Thinking About Memoir," Abigail Thomas vanquishes a lot of preconceived notions of what a memoir should be. After reading her little book and doing some of the exercises, I went back to my memoir which I had started ten years ago with renewed energy and perspective. Her book is a great release and shows how to make it a true accounting of your life.

I expected more. I learned just as much from the review/excerpt in AARP magazine as I did from the book.
Vincent

This book was not what I expected or wanted. It's too basic and not very inspiring! It's not a book I'll keep and use. I was really disappointed.

I was a little aprehensive when this book arrived in the mail and it was so small. However, I'd read an excerpt from it in a magazine and was curious, so I gave it a go -- and I'm glad I did. This author shows that you don't have to multiple a lot of words to get the point across, and by being so succinct in her presentation I found myself becoming actively involved in the process to make the book very meaningful for me. I've marked up my copy of the book with notes and will return to it as I start writing my own memoirs.

Although a small book it is more thoughtful and deeper than the recent Natalie Goldberg tome. Thomas is a completely honest writer, very affirming for those of us who aspire to this style. When she gives the instructions at the end of each chapter it is clear that they are ideas and not the main point of the book.

wonderfully written. if you put a gun to my head and ask who was a better writer, patchett or her friend lucy grealy, the friend that makes completes this companionship, i'd say grealy. much more forceful, passionate and wild writer, hence grealy is not alive now, but patchett is. good book however. check out grealy's writings too.

I don't like memoirs, but I read this one in one day. The two writers Anne Patchett and Lucy Grealy meet at Sarah Lawrence and later are roommates while pursuing Master's Degrees at the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Fate deals them both great success as writers, yet their personal paths take completely divergent courses. The bond of friendship spans two decades and countless heartbreaks. Anne Patchett does portray herself to be the 'saint' in this friendship but you would almost have to be to endure the suffering that being friend to Lucy Grealy demanded. The themes of friendship, art, loneliness and love are rendered with realism and depth. Patchett's obvious love for writing and her poet friend is shared in this gift of a book.

I'm giving this book 3 stars because I like Ann Patchett's writing very much, but the story isn't as interesting to me as a woman in my mid-40s as it would have been had I read this in my 20s. In my 20s, this would have been a grand sweeping tragedy - a life changing book, a standard by which to judge loyalty and friendship. In my 40s, I went "eh." I read this as the story of two highly dysfunctional people in a suffocating relationship. It feels like Patchett wrote it as a way to exorcise her grief; and also perhaps examine her own less than healthy behavior. It did make me want to read more of Patchett's fiction. I picked up a copy of Patron Saint of Liars and am going to give that a try next. Part of me wants to say, Ann just forgive yourself already. We've all been there and done that. Maybe not in such an extreme way or for so many years... but we've all been sucked in by a charming selfish user. Learn a lesson and move on.

The reason I even looked at reviews for this book is so that I could gage how trustworthy other book reviews on here are and how seriously I should take them. Now that I look at the negative, totally ridiculous critiques of Truth and Beauty, I'm never trusting another sour review on here again! When somebody asks me, "What's your favorite book?" I used to say something by T. Capote or M. Angelo, but now I reply, without hesitation, "TRUTH & BEAUTY by Ann Patchett!" Seriously. This book is awesome and I'm annoyed even reading other bad reviews on here about it. Patchett writes in a way that makes me stop, re-read the page, and then say to myself, "Damn, this is great stuff! Why didn't I think of something like that?" I think if you are an aspiring writer, or just somebody who appreciates intelligent, well-written prose, then you should read this one. Do not trust the other reviewers on this page - they're probably the kind of people who'd give a Harlequin novel 5 stars.

Readers will likely recognize the author's name from her previous novels, including Bel Canto, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award, and The Patron Saint of Liars, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Readers also may recognize Ann Patchett from her articles that appear in such publications as Gourmet, the New York Times Magazine, and the Paris Review. No doubt, some readers will recognize Patchett's friend, Lucy Grealy, as the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Autobiography of a Face.

Truth & Beauty is the story of the friendship shared by Lucy Grealy and Ann Patchett. It is at once tender, heartwarming, heartbreaking and complex. Truth & Beauty is neither the story of Lucy nor the story of Ann, but of the parts of each life that were shared. What one lacked, the other offered for the relationship. What one shared, the other reached out to receive.

Ann and Lucy met in the early 1980s while attending college. At the Iowa Writers' Workshop, they began a friendship that would become a lifelong process. This is no ordinary friendship. It is one riddled with emotional upheaval, creative successes and disappointments, health crises, and ultimately the lecherous hold of drug abuse.

This is a phenomenal look at the way in which two exceptionally creative people lived, loved, wrote, and grappled with the realities of life. It is also an extremely sensitive description of the way a woman wrought with illness, despair and depression can one minute create beauty and the next minute search for ways to destroy herself.

Truth & Beauty is the story of two friends who loved one another through the best and worst of times. It is a portrayal of loyalty and devotion over more than twenty years of friendship, and a haunting, heartbreaking portrait of the belief in the invincibility of one who lives so largely despite their diminuitive size. Only to find that no one is invincible...no one.

by Lee Ambrose
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

This is a truly excellent reference book for anyone interested in the history of Biblical interpretation. Indeed, the book might more accurately be called "How the Bible has been Read," since for any given section, it gives an overview of traditional readings, both Christian and Jewish, followed by recent scholarship and biblical studies. The latter includes advances in linguistic and archeological scholarship. Kugel writes in a clear conversational style, the product, no doubt of years of university teaching.

Though I have only read about a hundred and fifty pages, I have found Kugel's scholarship outstanding and his writing clear and easy. As a catholic priest it has been a wonderful exposure to good Jewish thought and scholarship. I have found the contrast between the ancient inperpreters and modern scholars extremely helpful. I would be more conversant with modern scholars and not so clear on the more traditional. It is a great help to interpret sections of the Hebrew Bible.

Rev. Joseph Madden

This book attempts to integrate both traditional and modern views of the bible. It does this well. It creates layers of meaning that transcend the theological and is well worth reading for those not immersed in a particular theological approach to the meaning of this complex book

Well researched and written book. Understandable by layman as well as biblical scholar. Most enlightening and informative.

Thank you James L. Kugel. I have longed for guidance in understanding the complexities of the Old Testament. Very informative and readable.
Highly recommended.

You know this is not a subject that I know a whole lot about...though I do profess some interest and curiosity about the reasons why people choose gender reassignment surgery. Mostly I was interested in exploring the why's and if's about gender and the myriad of choices and ways of being that people encounter and deal with or embrace in their lives. I wasn't sure what to expect...and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this book, but I've finished reading it and it's time to write down my thoughts about it. First and foremost, this is a book that doesn't just rehash the same debates one sees nearly everywhere these days about how little Tommy can play with dolls and Sally can play with cars or how Molly can be a doctor and Biff can be a nurse...this goes beyond what's considered politically correct or "allowable" excursions outside the comfort zone of the tribe. In Gender Outlaw Borenstein really tries to examine why we need gender at all and how gender is really determined in today's societies, she looks both backward and forward with regards to this issue in a way that is both informative and entertaining. Gender Outlaw is a strange blend of biography and gender theory written with a theatrical flair. The author is really not looking to redefine gender so much as she is looking to toss it out altogether, in favor of a gender model that is more dynamic and fluid. Now for what I didn't like about the book...well, I do understand that the author is an artist and performer at heart, but I read because I LIKE to read and while I like most of what I read to be entertaining and informative, I DON'T like to have to struggle to read it because the author thought it would be interesting and creative to create columns and make the reader have to read from side to side skipping about on the page. There is a serious lack of continuity in the format of the text that makes it a bear to read. Everything does not have to be performance; everything does not have to be art. Sometimes a book should just be a book. Outside of that, I enjoyed reading Gender Outlaw, I think the author wanted to reach the mainstream and this book is certainly readable and accessible to the general public...now if we could just get them to read it and open their minds to the ideas presented. Borenstein certainly got there with me, as I had no quarrel with the gender I've been assigned, but it certainly gave me lots of food for thought and I'll probably never think of gender the same way again. I give it a 4 stars (3.5 really, but since Amazon doesn't allow ½ stars, I'll settle for 4, round up instead of down).

I so wish I had read this book at 30 years of age. I so wish everyone would read this book.
Kate Bornstein is right. There simply is no gender. Anima, animus.
Sometimes we do need to have our ideas challenged. I am happy to have had my old ideas changed by this book. It seems to have given me answers for so many vague questions I had in my mind.
Valuable book for heterosexual ppl and homosexual ppl. Valuable book for ppl.

Gender Outlaw is considered a classic and a step forward. And it is, annoyingly.

A lot of her fearless theory, proto-GenderQueer, I believe is totally right on - and certainly harmonizes with my ideal of Permanent Transition. Yet Bornstein, with her conventional SRS, might not the most compelling proponent of smashing the binary chains. Like Trotsky, Bornstein has a populist (often gimmicky) style in which to place her epistemology and, like Trotsky, Bornstein is a tireless self-publicist: Just how many times does the reader need to know she appeared on the Geraldo Show?

Kinda the right book, by the wrong author.

This is an amazing, amazing book. It's easy to read, engaging, and the tone is casual but the content is rich and nuanced - both accesible and intelligent. If you only read three books in your life, this should be one of them. I'm not exaggerating.

The format of this book makes it real hard to read and detracts greatly from the content. Your eyes have to dart from one side of a page to the other and back again then to the middle. The content is important but on the edge of the spectrum which makes it even more difficult to read at times with the far fetched concepts. I'm not a big fan of this one.