Biography Books

As an educator with both parents still together after 50+ years, this book is a HUGE insight into what more and more young men face growing up without a male role model. Often our words reflect our own experiences, which can alienate those we are trying to help.

Even for those had a father growing up, there are still things a human father will fail at. Miller helps us to comprehend the greatness of the word "Father".

To Own A Dragon is, I believe, one of Donald Miller's best books. He is more well known for Blue Like Jazz and Through Painted Deserts, but I think this one is one of his most insightful. He has always been very honest about the fact that he grew up without a father and this book dives into that story much deeper. As one who grew up with a distant father the book was very healing and spoke to me by someone who knew what it was like.

This is a wonderful and healing book for anyone, male or female, who is struggling with a father never present.

In his typical laid-back style, Donald Miller explores the effects that growing up without a father had on him. To Own a Dragon must be understood within the genre of "memoir." It is not meant to an exhaustive exploration, only what the author felt and dealt with while going through the event he is writing about.

I appreciate Miller's honesty, his straight forward approach the what a child experiences. I grew up without a father in the home, and found this to be an enlightening and encouraging read. I found myself constantly saying, "I am not alone! I am not the only one who feels this way."

I highly recommend this book to anyone who struggles having grown up without a father. It will not answer all the question...it may not answer any of the questions...but it will let you know that you are not the only one.

To be perfectly blunt--this book is just full of religious stuff. And, it is coming from some guy who brags about breaking into someone else's house to steal a book he could have purchased on Amazon for a few dollars!
I feel that more practical advice should have been dispensed. If your father is missing and if your mother is independently wealthy, totally frazzled from supporting the family, totally ineffective, or also missing, the half orphan should realize he/she is now totally responsible for his future. In today's Christian record keeping society, you need only step out of line once to insure you will never obtain a job that will support you or enter a good college. Societal infractions are only possible when you are descended from a "good" and wealthy family. You are on your own and will only succeed if you take positive steps to insure an adequate future.

While the story is bizzare, disgusting and pathetic; the apparent fact that this person did not have the "Heart" to fight off his aggressors, does not rationalize the nightmarish environments he had to endure. Talk about a meat grinder: white trailer park trash becomes white sex slave and then finally becomes an apparent healthy male with wounds. I think for me there is this feeling , however slight it may be, that this could happen to anyone of us and the subject therefore should not be so easily dismissed as it has and will be. If you have the stomach for it , this book is a glaring indictment of our less then perfect culture.

Sorry, this is more of an emotional release than a fully fledged review.

What a twisted prison system in a seemingly civilized society!
What a brave young man that has succeeded in beating the odds and coming back from it!
What a beautiful first love story that has an inevitable sad ending like it always does!

I'm not a native english speaker, but I believe the power of any good book is beyond languages.

As soon as I finished reading this book, I went back to the beginning and read it again. I was blown away by Parsell's experiences and his courage to come forth and tell the truth. He made me realize how ignorant I was about life in prison. I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed his writing. Highly recommended!

I suppose my title is strange for a book about this subject---but it was really wonderful and I see everyone else liked it too. This is going to be a book I KEEP on my shelves, usually I get rid of the book after I read it. I couldn't wait to pick it up again. Most autobiographies I don't like, they don't tell the whole story, but T.J. Parsell really, really bares his soul to us and I thank him. And he's really come so far in life since his prison days.

There was just about every emotion and feeling there can be in this book. Love, hate, tenderness, violence, understanding, friendship, rage, openness, awareness, brutality, isolation, confusion, sadness and maybe even a little bit of joy.

What a book!! I'm going to write T. J. I'm so glad he turned out alright. The letters at the end made me cry.

I read a great review of this book on a writer's blog & couldn't wait to read it! It truly is a courageous story and I admire Parsell for sharing such difficult memories. Bravo!

I think it was cute for parents of the child, but not really worth purchasing, I expectsd a graft project book. Waste of money.

An amusing introduction to the artist Matisse that I highly recommend. Written as though it's an 8-yr-old's school report, it is accessible and very informative. It includes reproductions of Matisse art and biographical information. Loved it. And it was useful as a teaching tool.

Cute, but not as substantial as I would have liked.

A brief history of Jamestown and a very sketchy and alomst contentless discussion of Powhatan and the Powhatan Confederacy from the "perspective" (scare quotes intentional) of Pocahontas.

I learned a couple of new facts from this but on the whole I can't reccomed this book. The author tries to get in the head of the legendary Indian Princess but the authors very poitically correct assumptions of what Pocahontas would feel are far from convincing, interestingly enough I had never previously believed in the John Smith-Pocahontas love story at all until I read this, but her disavowal of it was so unconvincing I am now not nearly so sure... The same can be said of several of her other psychological insights which have a very shallow basis, that seem to reflect the author's own feelings without any appearance of critical reflection.

On the positive side it is nice to see such a sympathetic view of John Rolfe, who the author seems quite taken with, but by this point I was rather weary of the whole thing. Luckily it was very short, and even though I actually spent a fair amount of time checking endnotes and even checking a couple of sources, reading the book took only a few hours. I bought it at lunch and went out to dinner that night having finished it.

I have finally come to the end of this fine book and am delighted to share my views. Unlike the one other reviewer here at Amazon (Mohroy), I found the book to be richly rewarding on every possible level. Camilla Townsend's academic background is well known and she is highly respected in her field. Her ability to write a compelling narative is smartly coupled with a rich list of footnotes, so many of which come from original documents. In some cases highly academic books can be a bother when you are flipping back to the footnotes; not with this book. Each note was worth the attention and always added a deeper dimension. When you consider that Townsend was building a picture of these people that was not always the mainstream her reliance on her reseach more than convinced me of her perspective.

What is the overall impression of the story she paints? I'll tell you, that when I first discovered this story, through the lens of the very emotionally moving movie, "The New World", I had very little knowledge of the real story. In following up on my initial reactions to the movie I endeavored to read what modern historians have to say. I read one book which I can also highly recommend and then I found Townsend. The first was "Captain John Smith: Jamestown and the birth of the American Dream" by Thomas and Dorothy Hoobler, November 2005, published by Wiley. This was a sensational revelation and spurred me on to know more. Townsend has filled in the missing pieces and is essential in my view for anyone who wants to know the story shed of all of it's mythology.

"The New World" is a fine movie and entertainment and I will always treausre it. But, it is about 50% fiction, which is a shame, because Malick had all of this material available just about the time he wrote the script. Oh well. The real people, the real story is so very much more tragic, depressing, sad and dark. The first successful European settlers to the East Coast of the USA signalled the beginning of the destruction of much of Native America. Those that did not die of disease brought by Europeans that they had no immunity to, died as a result of wars with the Europeans. Townsend's insight into this is interesting to consider. The much longer development of farming among Indo/Europeans had better prepared them on a technological level to successfully take America away from Natives. She attributes this line of thought to the book "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond. It is worth consideration; the Powhatan natives took too long to realize that the founders of Jamestown had outgunned and out-equipped them by many factors. When Uttamatomakkin came back from his trip to London with Pocahontas and he reported that it was hopeless to fight the white man he was scorned and ignored by his fellows. This resistance to reality lasted far too long before they were finally demolished in several devastating wars.

The real Pocahontas? Much younger at her introduction to Smith than all films or other books portray. Probably had not reached puberty yet. She was so young that when in the Jamestown fort would do hand cartwheels revealing her naked torso for all to see. When she had reached puberty that would have stopped completely. Did she have a romantic relationship with Smith? Not a chance, it would seem. Even more, she had already been married off to a native from another village; nothing much is known of his demise and it is assumed that he died after only a few years of marriage. It is also not known if she had born a child by him, though Townsend thinks it less likely. Pocahontas was no fool and knew that she was being used by her father in a delicate series of political chess, some of which were with the English, some with other native communities. She learned rudimentary English and carried herself with the dignity she felt the English were expecting of her; they viewed her as the daughter of a King and she accepted the role as princess. Townend scores an important point by showing us clearly how little we really know of this woman; someone who did not leave a word of her own in any manner. We imply and infer and guess based on so little. She cautions us throughout the book about this tendency.

What of her father, Powhatan? Already experienced with other white men from Europe before John Smith lands, he already knows that they are dangerous but makes one tragic blunder: he underestimates their resolve to make a permanent place in America until it is too late. He sees the colonies start up and then watch as the ill equipped Europeans fall sick and die, time after time. He sees Smith and company as just another botched attempt at racial transplanting and is not too worried. He is wrong and his people eventually pay the price. What could he have done instead? The hot heads among his people urged him to kill all the white people in Smith's group before they turned against them. He refused. From the native perspective it was a mistake. From the European perspective it would only have bought time and would have enraged them more. In due course, white Europeans were going to come and that was that.

John Smith is both given his proper respectful acknowledgment and is also taken to task as a teller of tall tales. Smith embelleshed for his English audience and without a live Pocahontas to ask whether this or that fact was true, Smith got away with the story he painted. Were the main facts of his being saved by a nubile Pocahontas beliveable? Probably not, given the place of young girls in the presence of adults in her society. It is not impossible but much more improbable than Smith tells us.

This is a book that strips away layer after layer of myth, poor or incomplete research and hasty or prejudiced conclusions. Her work is constantly referred back to urtext sources and where she does not know something she says so right up front. If the real story of Pocahontas is so much fuller, complicated and sadder, it is a story that is entirely integral at the dawn of white society in America. It is also integral to the beginning of the end of native people across the same landscape. A tremendous scholarly achievement, not to be missed.

One of the best works of nonfiction we have ever read and a truly inspiring story of what genius + boundless caring can accomplish.

Loved this book, and especially loved the subject. Tracy Kidder is, not surprisingly given his track record, an accomplished and skillful writer. He tells the story of Paul Farmer and, while he is part of the story, he is careful to never become the story. The focus is always on Dokte Paul.

Paul Farmer is a character who will haunt you, if you have any inclination to serve others. He does so completely and thoughtfully and, at the same time, irrationally. He treats his patients in Haiti with dignity and passion.

I highly recommend this book. It's hard to resist the combination of a compelling subject and a masterful writer.

a really wonderful look at the work of Dr. Paul Farmer an amazing physician who has contributed greatly to help treat Aids and TB in parts of the world where noone believes they can be treated. This book will make you reexamine some of your beliefs about access to healthcare--both for the poor in this country and around the world.

An excellent story of the impact one dedicated person can have on the world around us.

Tracy Kidder's brilliant biography of Dr. Paul Farmer is at once disturbing and exhilarating: disturbing, as it points out all the inequalities in living conditions and health care between the rich and the poor and the staggering statistics about disease and the lack of available medical aid in many parts of the world, and exhilarating to read the selfless commitment of one man to change these situations. Not only is the information in this inordinately readable book fascinating but also the superb writing style of Pulitzer Prize winning author Tracy Kidder is some of the best to be published in recent years.

Kidder concerns his book with one Paul Farmer, a poor lad who grew up nearly homeless (unless one calls living on a riverboat a home) in Alabama, a gifted thinker who climbed out of his beginnings to discover the inequities in the big world, went to medical school at Harvard, and then proceeded to commit his life to changing the pitiful poverty and disease-ridded Haiti, establishing not only viable medical centers but also spreading his warm personality into the hinterlands of that little country making day-long walking housecalls for the poor families who as human beings deserve as fine a quality of medicine as those who live near the wealthy comforts of the major city medical centers.

How Kidder accompanied and observed Farmer as he sought funding and supplies and training not only in Haiti, where the diseases of tuberculosis and AIDS were decimating the population while the world just silently watched, but also extending his beneficence to Peru and to the prisons of Russia, attack tuberculosis and AIDS with the same ardor is the basis of this book. Farmer's accomplishments created the Partners in Health organization that in turn stimulated the World Health Organization to wake up to the disasters that reign in the third world countries, eventually supplying the much needed medicines, cash, buildings and personnel to begin to make a change in the world health care.

Kidder's gift as a writer lies not only in his detailed and well researched biography of a modern saint, but also in his ability to allow us to get to know the very human creature named Paul Farmer. He touches on his personal life, his struggles with his own diseases (he nearly died from hepatitis), and his indomitable spirit in facing a bureaucratic conundrum that prevented the poor of the world from receiving care. It is a touching story, it is a superlative investigation into one man's spirit and selfless commitment, and it is a book that demands our attention on many levels. Tracy Kidder's sharing of Dr. Paul Farmer's life is a poignant reminder that the individual CAN make a difference: it is a matter or devotion to an ideal that can become a reality despite obstructions the world places in the path. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, December 06

It is a good book, the stories are cruel, but not so detailed. Kids need to know about what happened, and this is a good way, but definitely not for kids under sixth grade.

This book is awesome it is very sad but it allows students today see the horror of the Holocaust

This book should be read by everyone that is emtionally mature enough to handle it. I am writing this review as a warning to parents that might purchase this book for a younger child based on the "Reading Level: 9 - 12" rating and the fact that it is a Scholastic book. My 4th grader's teacher recommended this book but I am glad I took a look at it first. Here's an excerpt from the book taking place as one of the children is being smuggled out of a ghetto by her father hiding her under his coat. The following exchange takes place between the guard and the man ahead of them at the gate:
"Hurry up!" shouted the impatient German guard.
"It's here somewhere. I know it is."
"You don't have a pass, do you?" snarled the guard. "You're trying to sneak out of the ghetto, trying to fool me."
"No really, I have - " The man never finished his sentence. The guard shot him.
Hearing the loud bang, Luncia jerked. Her father wrapped his arms tight around his coat to keep her still, but her whole body trembled uncontrollably. He's going to shoot us all, I know it.

I know that my 4th grader is not ready to read this kind of material but this is an excellent book to be read by everyone that is ready for this type of material. Very well written information that we all should know and never forget.

I purchased a class set for my 6th grade class. I feel this book was very appropriately written for this age. Of course there are parts to the stories that are "unbelievable" and sad to read, espcially for me as an adult. However, children these days are exposed to much more by media and often with less sensorship and thought. These are wonderful stories that teach history, empathy, and human strength.

an excellent collection of true stories of children of the holocaust. each story captivates your heart and keeps you reading to end. It will inspire you to do more to keep horrific things like the Holocaust from ever happening again.

Yes, I love Laurie. But not in a girl-on-girl love way... more like she's the kind of woman who would fit right in with me & my sisters on a girl's night out. Her stupid stories can stand up to ours. We are kin.

Hilarious book. It had me laughing out loud. As soon as I finished reading it, I ordered more books by the same author!

A friend told me about Laurie Notaro's work. I could not believe that someone was able to write about so many different things that I have also struggled with. While she weaved humor throughout the book, she still could have a serious tone at times. I would recommend this book to almost any woman 20-40 years old.

"We Thought You Would be Prettier" by Laurie Notaro, © 2005

Laurie is growing up and becoming more normal. She is still worried of her size and her social calamities. The spin is still funny, but she has friends who have babies, who move far away, etc. In fact one of the best stories is of an old bar she and her friends frequented. It was closing, mostly due to urban renewal, so there was one last blow out party. All the old friends get there for one last time. Laurie remembers all the good times and some bad times, embarrassing times and the after hours parties, all of it. The times change and she has not been there for years, nor have her friends, but the memories are still there and for one last time they will have some fun, then they will go home and continue their lives. She does not even go to the after hours party.

I thought I was going to LOVE this book as it appeared to be hysterical and had me oddly intrigued when i read the description and the back of the book. However, I could BARELY get through this book and literally had to force myself to continue reading it sometimes, hoping it got better in the next chapter. It didn't. I admit there are some stories that had me chuckling, but most of it was just boring and stupid. I agree with some of the other reviewers that it just seemed she was trying to hard to be "clever" and funny. It just didn't happen for me. I finally gave up and tossed the book before I even finished it.

The Olde English Writing Style made this book quite painful for me to read. Although the content is very interesting, if this was not required reading I don't think I would have mustered through it....

One needn't have read Mrs. Dumas' first book, Funny In Farsi, to enjoy this take on the ethnic translation into American culture, but it would certainly help to get you into the mood. Knowing a bit of the family and its ways means you can start smiling, even chuckling, before the stories unfold. An occasional outburst of pure laughter also happen. Mrs. Dumas, in this sequel, shifts the terrain a bit, with a heavier focus on Iranian ethnic life amidst the bits and pieces of American life. An occasional downward spin on some of our habits and mores is fair game, but doesn't spoil this never-ending story of confused Iranians coping with the "New World." After all, this "New World" is now Mrs. Dumas' as well.

While not laugh-out-loud funny it is amusing, enjoyable book. So many of us can see pieces of our own family dynamics in her stories of gifts that you pretend to like, food you serve they won't eat, and those incidents you laugh at only in hind-sight. Her last chapter where she spends time with one of the Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days is wonderfully poignant.

I heard the author on NPR and immediately wanted to read her book. She did not disappoint. She provided a much-needed antidote to the current stereotype of people from Iran. She is smart, sensible, and very amusing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how her family has successfully adjusted to living in the United States.

This is a fast reading book with lots of humor about an Iranian family that comes to live in Southern California. It contains universal lessons of life and humor. Everyone can feel the love that Firoozeh has for her family, her birth country, and her new home in America. After reading Laughing Without an Accent, I felt as if Firoozeh's family were my own. I was fortunate to be able to meet this charming author in person. This book will lift your spirits!

This book is hilarious. As an Iranian-American with a large family who immigrated from Iran, i found myself reading them passages so they could laugh with me. I have re-gifted this book again and again so that my entire extended family can join in. I absolutely loved it and know that you will too!

This book was way too long. The tale of the missing money and the subsequent tracking of a faceless hacker could have been told in 200 pages. What I found really tedious were all the phone calls - calls to try to track the hacker and to various government agencies to try to get help to catch the intruder. Phone calls can only be so interesting. Yes, it is real life and real life is never (I hope) as interesting as fiction - but by the time the hacker was caught, I was just happy to see the book end.

This was a required book for a computing ethics class I took, and I felt it covered a lot of material and was entertaining at the same time. I would have enjoyed reading it for recreational purposes and I highly suggest it. Some level of technical understanding might help with some material, but is not needed.

All in all, very well written book.

This is the kind of story that you have a hard time putting down. My son, husband, dad and I all read it. Two of the readers are very much into computers, the other two not so much. We all enjoyed it. It is also great to remember in detail the days before internet and gave my son a better understanding of how far we have come with this technology in such a short time.

This book was VERY well written considering it was a reconstruction of a log book....that sounds kind of cheezy but it was an awesome book. Each chapter keeps you digging deeper into how this guy did what he did to catch the hack. Half way through the book it seems like it's over and he has the guy, but a few twists, turns, a visit to NSA and CIA, and your still waiting for the guy to be caught. EXCELLENT play by play, great humor (tire factory in a microwave, HA HA), and all around closure on the last page. 100% recommendation.

As you can see from the reviews here, many people also love this book.

I love the trip down memory lane that this book provides. Sure is fun to go back to a more innocent time and remember what it was like before the internet became huge. If you remember archie, gopher, kermit, then this is a book for you.

Even if you're too young to remember this time, it would be quite fun to watch WAR GAMES and then read this book. I love the writing style--this is a real page-turner.