Biography Books

What were you doing when you were 19 years old? That awkward in-between time when you're no longer a child, but not quite an adult. As a 19 year old, I was a student at Penn State University who couldn't quite organize myself to get to my first class on time. Mind you, this first class didn't start until 11 o'clock in the morning! I've heard it said that young people need to go through a carefree stage, however, I was more responsible academically at 16.

As a parent of school aged kids, I sometimes wonder what should be expected of children and Farrah Gray author of Reallionaire: Nine Steps to Becoming Rich from the Inside Out has me still contemplating this idea. Farrah wrote this book as a 19 year old millionaire.

I first saw Farrah Gray when Reallionaire was released in 2005. The young entrepreneur was a guest on Tavis Smiley's show on PBS. During the show, Gray talked about the building blocks to his success.

At four years old Gray would dress himself in his Sunday best and make business cards out of cardboard. For a make believe briefcase, he'd empty out a box. At six years old, Gray went door to door selling lotions he'd mixed himself from old lotion bottles he found at home. At seven Farrah started a business club with 15 other inner city children. When he was 14, Farrah started a teen-oriented food company, which later made him a millionaire.

According to Farrah, the nine steps to success include: understanding the power of a name, building an all-star mentoring team and having the ability to move forward despite failures.

After reading Gray's book, I believe he is in fact a prodigy, still I'm in a quandary about whether Gray's natural gifts--thirst for success, self-discipline, curiosity about the adult world and the uncanny ability to follow directions--could and should be instilled in other children as early as pre-school.

Or perhaps we should just let kids be kids.

The answer, I think, lies somewhere in between. While I'm glad I had a childhood, full of long days outside playing (unsupervised) in the summer and sledding in the winter, by 19 although I was in college, I wasn't exactly setting the world on fire. In my 20s I had plenty of ambition to go around, but limited direction. Perhaps some life skills training early on would have helped me along in life.

One of the keys to Farrah's success was in the fact that he was exposed to so much. His mother and an older brother were both entrepreneurs. So perhaps the best word of advice for parents, is to simply set a good example. Blaze a trail and the children will follow.

Visionaire - to follow your vision to become a millionaire (at any age) - now that's real. Farrah is an inspiration and I can directly relate to the story. Great book, it's not all about the money but being the best person you can be, learning and growing along the way. Motivation gets you going but Determination see's you thru...
Highly Recommended...!

Say this kid speak at a Conference. He is a nice guy and appears to be pretty well grounded.
However, this book stinks. I bought it thinking I could share it with the youth group I'm involved with. Thought it may be interesting. The book is a major bore. A Sleepeer. Picked it up several time thinking it would get better and more interesting, but no substance ever evolved in the chapters. Do not waste your energy or time on this book!

I purchased this book for my son after seeing Farrah on TV a while back. He was very impressive during the interview. I bought the book in hopes that my son who was 11 at the time would actually read it. To my surprise, he blew threw it and told me that it was his favorite book. With that endorsement, I would recommend other young men to read the book as well. Good food for the soul.

OK, I'm not tryin' to hate but it seems that if you are not a cute, very ambitious 8-year old who happens upon a mentor with the desire and the resources to help you out, then this book is just a heart-warming, rags-to-riches story, period. This is more of a "how it happened to me" than a "how to" book. I am pleased to see what can happen when intense, focused desire is aimed in a positive direction...and glad that he is reaching back to help others.

Great book to introduce Van Gogh - nice reproductions and storyline, but then I'm biased as this is my favorite artist!

My five year old was so inspired reading this that she went to the basement and proceeded to make her own copies of his works. It is nice and simple, but with a decent amount of info and great pics.

My 5, 6 and 8 yr old kids are entranced when I read them the Smart About Art books. After reading one, I came back to Amazon and ordered as many as I could.

They are written as a student would write a book report, but are humorous, touching and extremely informative with plenty of examples of the artists' work. I attended Art School 20+ years ago and it was a refresher course for me as well. It includes background/personal info about the artist, but only as much as a child can comprehend and as it pertains to his art. These books have just the right amount of info on the artists and their work.

I wanted to share the world of art with my kids. Though my youngest two still use coloring books and my oldest reads chapter books without illustrations, these Smart About Art picture books are the perfect mix where they all can gain something from them--this series is neither too young nor too advanced.

After years of reading picture books, my kids often ask "can that really happen?" or "is that person real?" I wanted a break from the imaginative world of children's lit and now I'm happy to finally answer "Yes, this person really existed, this really happened!" after reading the Smart About Art books.

I wanted something to spark my 6YO son's interest in art. This book sure did. He asked me to read it to him a 2nd time right on the spot. He also spotted a Van Gogh print that I brought home. This is a fine series. I also got the Degas which wasn't quite as interesting but he still liked it. I just ordered Picasso and a few others. Get the Van Gogh and if your child loves it, try some of the others. (I also liked that this mentioned Van Gogh was very depressed once at loving a woman who didn't love him back.)

This is what my daughter called the famous painting when I first bought her this book. She is almost 4 and has owned this book for about 9 months and it is regularly a favorite that she likes to read...well, more often she likes to look at the pictures and name the paintings. This is a great intro to art book for young children. I highly recommend as a first book for your little art-lover, or art-lover-to-be.

I've read many books over the years about the Beatles. It was fascinating to learn from the inside how all that wonderful music was created. The true Beatle fan will enjoy this book. Songs that have literally been a part of my life for over 30 years were explained with precision. I never knew about Paul's expletive in Hey Jude!

I read a tremendous amount and haven't read a book through twice since I was 13. I cannot recommend this book any higher for a Beatles fan. This is an incredible read with so many gems. My favorite quote from a good friend who read the book: "So what were you doing at 19? This guy was engineering REVOLVER."

There are so many gems in this book that you'll find yourself going back many times just to reread how a recording was done. I'm a musician, but this will be a great read for any fan of the Beatles. To hear how they recorded things back then with such limited equipment and with some pretty insane politics at the recording company EMI gave me a much greater appreciation of just how the Beatles broke the mold. Geoff was the unsung hero of these albums and is humble in his recounting of the recording sessions.

I couldn't recommend this book any higher. If you're bothering to read this you are definitely a Beatles fan, and you need to buy this book!

This was a thoroughly fascinating look at the working life of The Beatles
at the Abbey Road recording studio. It gives an interesting and detailed
first-hand account of their ideas and execution in the studio, as well
as their personalities, and how they interacted. The book also provides
a great background on the tremendous social and economic changes in
Britain in the 1960s. What was it like for a mere teenager to get a job
working as an assistant engineer at Abbey Road? What was it like to
rise through the ranks of recording professionals and work with The
Beatles as they took the world by storm? This book answers those questions,
and many others, in a charming and engaging manner.

Few voices ring more true than someone who has been there and seen it first hand. That is why Emerick's book is so important. To hear the words of someone who helped record some of the greatest Beatles masterpieces...wow. His style is autobiographical without skimping on details. The writing is entertaining, honest, and carries authority.

I was very excited to get my hands on this book. So many volumes about the Beatles have been written about the Beatles by people who were far removed from the phenomenon. Many more are just general histories that seem to repeat the same worn out chestnuts. This book, though, is neither.

Geoff Emerick was right there in the studio helping to record the music from the ground up. He saw the group in its beginning stage, creative middle, and cantankerous end. His love of the Beatles pours through without ever becoming sappy or revisionist. He tells stories that are both flattering and warty for the fab four...Emerick does not hold back.

One interesting aspect to this book is that while 80% of it is about the Beatles themselves, the other 20% is about Emerick's life, his relation to EMI, George Martin, and Apple. While this might seem like a detriment, at first (who buys a Beatles book to read about someone else's life?) in Emerick's case it strengthens what he has to say. His aside story gives perspective on what it was like to work at the monolithic EMI studios, and how different it was to work at the carnival that was Apple Studios. These pieces of information round out the story and present Emerick as a character worth of appreciation in his own right.

Emerick describes some of the new techniques that were developed to get the kind of sound the Beatles were after, and some of the major obstacles that came from trying to do so in a studio as stuffy and antiquated as EMI. This was still a world where everything wasn't digital...it was possible to actually rip things apart, monkey with the wiring, and get a new sound. Emerick was a master of this.

Reading this book gave me perspective on how many people were there to help the Beatles develop their musical vision. It is easy to see "the boys" as the creative geniuses pouring talent in to EMI and to forget the support system that helped that to happen. Emerick's book reminds the reader, through eye-witness accounts and expert descriptions, that the Beatles phenomenon was the coming together of more than just four young men...a total pool of talent all came together at the right place at the right time to work the magic.

This book has great stories, details, and humor. Emerick's voice is apparent and this book never reads like a manual. I recommend it to anyone who wants to hear stories about the Beatles from someone who was actually there and shared in the creative creation of Beatles music.

I have read many Beatles books (from the massive BEATLES ANTHOLOGY to less ambitious works, to downright obscure titles), but in all honestly I must say that Geoff Emerick's HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE is by far the best Beatles book I have ever read.

Emerick's story is almost a dream come true for any Beatles fan. Imagine landing a job at the age of 15 at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in 1962, just in time to witness the launching of the Beatles' recording career. To add to this unimagineably wonderful situation, imagine being hired to be the assistant engineer to Producer George Martin just as the Beatles are about to shoot straight to the statosphere! Without a doubt Emerick was blessed with talent, ingenuity, and a lot of luck to land (and maintain) such a marvelous job.

HERE, THERE & EVERWHERE is beautifully written with rich, vivid details of the Beatles as they recorded their exquisite, timeless music from 1962 until their break up in 1970, and beyond. Through Emerick's recollections and insights, not only do we get an insider's view as to how the music was produced and engineered, but we get to re-live the days and arduous nights that the Beatles spent at Abbey Road and other recording studios. We get to see the good times and the bad times, the endless takes and dubbings, the fun and the fights within the hallowed confines of EMI Sudios / Abbey Road.

Geoff Emerick was there, from the Beatles' early recordings, to SGT. PEPPER, to the WHITE ALBUM, to the mess at the Apple offices, to Paul McCartney's recording of BAND ON THE RUN in Africa, and much more. I heartily recommend this book, you'll learn so much from it!

We are using this book with our Literature Study. The girls have enjoyed all of Thomas's creativity. We have also gotten to experiment with several of his projects. They are lot of fun! Great book to learn to be more creative in life.

This book is wonderful for ages 8 - 12 who want to read about Thomas Edison's childhood and important things about his adult life. Each chapter has exciting stories that happened to this inquisitive boy. He was a very curious boy who would always ask questions. His parents, mother in particular, are very supportive of his curiosity. There are interesting events that happen like when Thomas gets his first ice skates and when he rides on a steam engine train. If you are interested in the world around you and maybe interested in science, then this is the book for you. It's fascinating to read about Thomas Edison as a young boy and as he grows into an adult because the only info I had before was a listing of his inventions. By the way, it would be very fast reading for an adult, and it might be nice if your child is reading this that you read it, too.

Thomas A. Edison is about a boy who likes to ask questions. He came into his gooses nest and sat on her egg. Isn't that weird. He wanted the egg process to go faster. Tom is a good boy. You would like this book if you read it. It is funny and it is exciting. While you are reading it, you won't even know that you are learning. I was supposed to read it as a book report and I am glad I chose to read it. Tom was dedicated to make what he is working on come true. He messed up a couple of times like the time he told his friend to drink these two chemicals mix together so his friend could fly like a bird. Instead, hisd friendf got sick. I laughed. I give this book 5 points!

Have you ever tried to sit on an egg and hatch it? Thomas Alva Edison did! He was a young who was curious about the world around him. He was born in a city near New York City. His family did not have much money, but they made a great effort to send young Thomas to school. At his first school that he attended, he was expelled for asking too much questions to her teacher. At his other 2 schools that he went too, he was also expelled for asking too many questions. At a young age Thomas would sell newspapers at a railroad. At the young age of 23, Thomas invented the phonograph, which is the grandfather of the Compact Disk. Then a couple of years later Thomas after 7 attempts invented the Light bulb. Years after inventing the light bulb, New York City was entirely lighted by light bulbs thanks to Thomas. He was even called "The wizard of Menlo Park".
This hilarious biography will make you want to keep reading and reading. The only thing that can stop you is the end of the book! The author, Sue Gut ridge, really makes you feel like if you were really Thomas Edison and by the way she describes him, you feel sad when Thomas is sad and you feel happy when Thomas is happy. This book is for someone that likes to laugh and feel really emotional at the same time.
Thomas Edison is a motivating biography that makes you feel better about yourself. When I read this book I felt muck better about my family and myself. I realized that I could be anyone if I wanted to by just closing my eyes and having a good imagination. Read it, buy it; you will have hours of unstoppable fun while you read this marvelous book and it has a marvelous ... price.

Me gusto mucho el libro al punto que no queria que se me acabara y no lo podia soltar

Isabel Allende siempre ofrece un deleite literario, este libro es la continuación de "Paula", que pasó despues y como sigue la Familia que Pula dejó,,, o ¿sigue con ellos?. Una novela entre la realidad y el toque ficticio de la escritora. MUY RECOMENDABLE

As much as I like (actually adore) Isabel Allende's writings and style, La Suma de los Días is not in my opinion up to Isabel's standards. It felt weak and repetitive. But at the same time maybe that it is exactly what she was aiming for. Inner family matters and things of the heart and emotions tend to be weak and repetitive with a twist of hope and eternity. Having said that, I read the book in 3 days hoping until the very end that the next line would become the starting point for the ususally turn-page reading Isabel always brings to her readers. But this is not a worry at all. I consider myself the most common and ordinary of all her fans. Likely one that she will never meet but always will be with her waiting for her next master piece.

If you dreamt about meeting Isabel, look no further! Her book is warm and realistic. There is no need to try to imagine how she is in real life because the book allows you to meet her in the most profound way. With her extraordinary writing Isabel becomes your best friend, mother, daughter, son, or as she calls it "a member of her tribe". I am looking forward to her next book and wonder, what could be better than, La Suma de los Dias!

I have read every single book written by Isabel Allende who is one of my favorite authors. This new book is wonderful, as usual.

The service was very professional and I received the product in great shape and right on time. I was very satisfied!

All of Doreen Virtue's books, angel deck cards & cd's are outstanding. These cd's are a great introduction to the Angel world. Doreen is by far the expert & wonderful guide to helping you understand and utilize God's wonderful gift of the Angels.

I loved all the meditations,very well done,very relaxing. Ideal for anyone on the spiritual path.

I bought this set a couple of months ago and I have listened to all 4 CDs.
Every CD places something good back into your life by reviewing past lives, breaking neg patterns, or visualizing what you want. Doreens voice is very soothing and calming. While I have had issues in the past with going into a hypnotic state with guided meditations, Doreens voice set my mind at ease. I don't believe anyone who chooses to buy this set will be disappointed.

I love this collection of CD's. I have had them for a couple of months and listen to them on a regular basis. This is the first time I have purchased anything other than a book by Doreen Virtue and I love it. Doreen's voice is so soothing.

Nathan's McCall's book is an extremely well written autobiography. McCall discusses the deep turmoil that many young Black men face. If you are looking for true answers about the young Black male psyche this is the book.

McCall is unfiltered and selfless trut his past. He shows how a young Black man from a working-class family goes from a straight A student to a gang-member, drug dealer who runs trains on different girls etc.

Does McCall make excuses--NO He only gives explanations to his actions.
Does McCall talk about how deeply racism effects the Black male? YES
Does McCall touch on how White privelege effects the Black Community? Most definitely

Because of this book I understand why there are so many young Black men behind bars and on street corners. I will be purchasing this book for many of my family members and friends.

I read this book while a passenger on a drive to Florida. It was so compelling that I found myself reading sections to my husband as we drove. This was about three years ago. We STILL mention issues from this book. Should be mandatory reading for young people....especially those from Portsmouth, where the writer grew up, and where we live today.

although this book consists of parts where i thought i was going to puke (especially things done to girls), it still captured my attention. mccall delivers a personal REAL MESSAGE......this is the kind of talk some troubled teens need now a days instead of trying to be so politically correct all the time.....i read this book many years ago and i can still remember very vividly the events, thus it is an impacting book!

First of all, if you start this book, you really should push yourself to get through the first half. That part is brutal, and unfortunately, if people stop there, it might only confirm some shallow stereotypes about black men. McCall and his crew were very dangerous, destructive teenagers. However, in recounting the later part of his maturity, McCall makes clear that there are still powerful societal influences that instill frustration, rage, and self-hatred in black people, forces that can make it difficult to resist lashing out or crumbling inward with compulsive, abusive, and self-destructive behavior.

America costs itself so much talent by continuing to abuse its non-white people, subtly beating them down in countless ways, rather than building them up so they can see, live, and act the good that is in all of us. (The obvious disparities in black and white school systems is only one of the more obvious ways that this collective beat-down still goes on.) McCall shows how he managed to draw on a solid family background and his own willpower to push away the negative messages and temptations of his environment. He also does an excellent job of showing how an instilled self-hatred prevents so many others from living up to their potential. Thank you Mr. McCall for showing us your exemplary self so honestly, warts and all.

Whether you admire or despise the author, this is an outstanding book. I bought it for my library (large international school in Switzerland) and read it when it first came out in the early 90's. It moved me in a way few books ever have, and I read a lot. I've just re-read it (March 2008) and it is as powerful to me now as it was over a decade ago.

Lots of reviews on amazon judge this author one way or another, but I leave it to the reader to think critically and honestly about the book's message.

I just purchasd this book for my current library (large school in Hong Kong). I recommend it for high schools as the issues of adolescence and personal growth are very relevant to teens, it supports humanities curriculum and introduces debate on human rights, civil rights, racism, responsibility, and much more. I especially recommend it for public libraries in North America as everyone at some point has encountered dilemmas and frustrations such as McCall's (though perhaps not for the same reason or in the same situation). His message is so powerfully positive and hopeful and so brilliantly written, that this is one of my all-time favorite books.

I enjoyed "Cohn Head" very much. I found it entertaining and fun to read,
I couldn't put it down. I recommend it to everyone.

I read her 'Cohn Head' and found it less then inspiring, infact it was casual reading at a book store. I learned not about her struggles as the book was advertised but her propensity for cheap stunts, the hot tub gimick, and her backstage groopie mentality at Reo Speed Wagen concerts. In fact I was so 'unimpressed' with her 'struggles' that the part where she allowed a palm reader, a cheap, fake, and an obvious joke of a mystic, let her determine the course of her 22 year marriage, disgusted me. I agree with her in one respect, that it's good her husband moved on, away from this person who claim to fame is a Reo Speedwagon groopie and an affair with Shinjo. Adrenalin junkies aside, she found it mor beneficial for her to examine her wild side then be loyal to her marriage. Cohn-Head: A No-Holds-Barred Account of Breaking Into the Boys' Club

Fascinating read Reveals the difficulty in banacing individuality and perserverance in a man's world in a man's field...where women still are not entirely welcome...A gripping page-turner! Couldn't put it down!!!

What a great read! I recommend this book for non-sports fans too. This book is written in a style that is very enjoyable and Linda's personality shines through. It was interesting to read how she got to where she is today. She shares insight and guidance, and clearly wants to help others achieve their goals as well.

I've watched Linda Cohn on ESPN for years and always had the impression of the consummate professional. Not only did she know sports, but she fit right in on the male-dominated screen. Linda was the first female sportscaster I watched on a regular basis, so I decided to read the book to hopefully go beyond the figure she presented on TV. I must say, I was shocked by the engaging, funny, honest, down-to-earth person I found between the covers of this book. The style is easy and flowing, her humor left me with a smile on my face, her honesty was so refreshing; Linda was equally as open with her failures as she was with her successes. I truly felt that I "met" Linda in this book; I heard a voice that went so far beyond the professional voice I hear on TV. Linda became a friend who made me feel that it's okay to fight for what you want and to fall down along the way as long as you pick yourself back up. While this is an inspirational book for younger women who may be filled with hopes about where they want to go yet harbor doubts about how far they can go, it is also enlightening for women like myself who have "grown-up" but still feel there is much to achieve. Men and women alike, young and old, will be doing themselves a favor by reading this book, spending time getting to know Linda, and learning about themselves in the process.

Well, even in the tenth revision, it is one of the classics one photographer needs to have in his bookshelf.

It is not "how-to" (albeit it is how-to) but to get the idea of having that image created in your mind and then banned on chip of film.

Galen Rowell writes clear and deep essays about what his heart touches.
It does help if the reader has a broader knowledge about art, painting, and especially "construction techniques" to frame a picture with your camera.

Highly recommended!

Galen's images are inspiring, but the real value of this book is the wealth of topics, inspiration, and creative thinking presented in the articles.
This is NOT a coffee-table book. It is one you should take the time to read and digest. If you're an outdoor photographer you will appreciate the energizing effect of Galen's writing. A rare gem among countless other "pretty pictures but not much substance" offerings.

This is a must read for anyone who likes to shoot landscape photography. This book doesn't go into a lot of technical details, and the author assumes the readers have a basic knowledge of how SLRs operate, but rather it deals more with the "why" of photography and "when", which I found to be very interesting and thought provoking. Galen Rowell shares his insights about mountain light and how his mind works when he is out with a camera along with what photography meant for him, and it changed my approach to landscape photography. He also shares his unsuccessful stories, which is not very usual for these types of books, and it's good to see that even for photographers of his level things have never come easy. Luck is a big part of it all, and he has a great essay there on how to be in a better position for its appearance. In addition, this book is full of his outstanding landscape art, and that alone is worth whatever the price you will pay for it.

It's a great book ! you'll find all you need about photographing up in the mountains ! Galan Rowell was a great person ! A book worth reading by anybody who enjoys photography at high altitude.

This is a book about making meaningful landscape photographs. This is not a book about which f/stop to use or how to adjust your depth of field or exposure. There are a ton of those types of books on the market. This book is about vision, learning to see and connecting personally with your images.

If you're comfortable with the mechanical aspects of your camera and are struggling with "technically well executed but lifeless images" this is your guide.

I highly recommend it.