Biography Books

What are the qualities of a successful hedge fund manager? To answer that question, Katherine Burton profiled industry leaders who have outperformed their peers over time. Her book provides readers with a sweeping introduction to the hedge fund industry's top performers. You will discover how these investors got to the top, what strategies they employ, how they learn from their mistakes and what characteristics they find necessary to succeed in this very competitive environment. Burton profiles an impressive group: Mark Yusko, Michael Steinhardt, John Armitage, Marc Lasry, Craig Effron, Lee Ainslie, Bernay Box, Boone Pickens, Brian Bradshaw, David Meaney, Michael Ross, Alex Szewczyk, Josh Friedman, Mitch Julis, Jeffrey Schachter, Burton Weinstein, Dwight Anderson, Roberto Mignone, Bruce Ritter, Julian Roberston, Jim Chanos, Richard Perry and Daniel Loeb. While Burton provides a rare glimpse inside the world of these hedge fund managers, her very readable interviews are too brief for those searching for inside knowledge about hedge funds. Those seeking in-depth discussions of investment techniques and trading strategies may wish that she had dug a little more deeply. Nevertheless, getAbstract likes this quick, easy-to-read set of profiles from the world of hedge funds, and recommends it to anyone who wants a peek behind the curtain into this elite domain.

This book is a list of 18 case studies of successful hedge fund managers. Unfortunately there are few common themes tying these stories together. According to Burton, the basic mechanics of money management can be taught, but that "special sauce" that really successful managers have can't be, and this is what she attempts to uncover in this book.

Each of the fund managers interviewed talk about favorite "values" relating to risk-taking, hiring, using (or not using) leverage, etc, and about their historical strategies: how they chose markets, how they handled the dotcom bubble burst, their biggest successes and failures. But most of their stories are anecdotal, and focus a little too much on their "boy genius" beginnings. They don't give any actual advice, nor do they disclose any current strategies. And why would they? This would likely jeopardize their current positions.

As a middle class worker with decent savings and an active interest in investing, I found this book a bit frustrating: no actionable investing advice is given, and while I really liked the style and strategy of some of the fund managers who were interviewed, I am not rich enough for investing with them to even be an option.

I stopped reading this after I saw the cover where the author advertises that she is from bloomberg 'news'... which in my personal experience is notoriously loose with facts.

In my view the author should de-emphasize her background at bberg 'news'.

This book listed a lot of the players and how they got started and what decisions made them money. A straightforward read.

I'm as a Vine Voice reviewer who received an advanced copy of this book I feel obligated to review it. I was expecting it to be a book about investment advice. I only gave it a cursory reading because it wasn't what I was expecting and I found it hard to follow.

I found this book to be incredibly moving and it had me thinking about so many things I hadn't thought about before. This is by far the best of John's books.

I think John Edward is genuine, and I loved "One Last Time." But I found this book to be a little tedious. It contains too many long transcripts of his readings. They go on and on and on. I've been reading it when I have trouble falling asleep.

John Edward talks about his gift in a very down to earth manner. I love the topic and I loved this book!

For those who are skeptical about life after death or heaven/god, this book is probably only going to annoy you. For those seeking some comfort for a loss, this is probably a very good book for you.

I've been a nurse since "Moses" and have worked in ICU, the ICU float pool, and PACU in a university hospital for most of that time. I finally had to stop doing it, because I found that I had exhausted my capacity to deal with the dying. I love equipment, drips, and the complexity of the patient with multi-system failure. The intellectual challenge of navigating a patient's course through the tumult is--or was--very satisfying for me; sort of a tug of war, with me pulling in one direction and god in the other. I can honestly say that in all my years of practice, I could count on the fingers of one hand with fingers to spare the number of patients I've "lost" who didn't have a doctor's order permitting it. Even with children, I could handle the concept of death. A child is a human being like other human beings afterall, and human beings die; therefore children also die. What I couldn't handle--and why I finally quit doing such intensive work--was the emotional "dying" of the family at the bedside of their loved one. When the patient died, the pain and suffering was over. For the family, it was just beginning. There was so little I could do for their anguish; no magic words that would provide real comfort. Sometimes all I could do was cry along with them.

Mr. Edward offers some real comfort to real people. Say what you will about spirits, heaven, god, etc. I figure if I can believe in the things that theoretical physicists tell us may be true of reality, which I do, than what's so difficult about god? If one were to apply Occam's Razor to both, god would win hands down! But it doesn't really matter. It's the comfort that's provided the family of the deceased that matters. Not everyone is up for this type of comfort, admittedly, and those that aren't will have to chart their own course to the shores of meaningfulness. At least for those that do believe, he provides a service. From what little I know of him, while he benefits financially from his work as does any service industry individual, he is not taking advantage of anyone. I feel he is sincere in what he undertakes, and that's what is most important to me. There are many ghosts wandering the dark corridors of my mind, but they're not the ghosts of the dead. They're those of the living, and I can hear their questions echoing in my head: "why my son," "why my wife," "what did my mother ever do to deserve this?" As a health professional, I can do little to help people who have lost a loved one; if Mr. Edward can, and the book suggests he can and does, then more power to him.

John's book is written as a collection of transcripts from various places and times in the
John - .."
Client- .."
John - .."
format, and as you read through them you glean all manner of answers from the afterlife. If you're reading them in conjunction with current research on past life therapy, life between lives regression, and even ancient writings, the cases that John presents support the theory of the immortal soul, Karma and pre-destiny for soul growth. Otherwise, if you're reading John Edwards for comfort and reassurance that the soul personality exists indefinitely and stays in contact with this human existence, his case studies more than satisfy. Read Gordon Jones and Michael Newton as well and they'll change the way you view death and the afterlife.

With all these politicians screwing around on their wives these days, why exactly do we need to know the gritty details of one from like a century ago? I guess because he's FDR and he became a super important president, and one personal decision of his might have changed A LOT of things from a historical perspective. The bulk of what I know about the Roosevelts came from History class. My teacher mentioned once that FDR supposedly died in the arms of his mistress, which I found kind of interesting, so I decided to see what the big deal was about. At the time, I definitely felt for Eleanor being the wronged wife who did all this crap for her husband and that was how he repaid her? Of course, the story is never that simple. It's never just one person's fault.

I guess the first thing is this Roosevelt marriage that seems to puzzle a lot of people. How they got together in the first place is kind of a mystery. FDR, in his youth to middle age, is always described as kind of a McDreamy-- really handsome, rich, charming, good pedigree, etc. Eleanor, as much as I love all that she did, was never much of a looker even in her younger days. On top of that, she was passive, shy, and had serious self-esteem problems. It makes you wonder how these two ever got together and what they had in common other than a distant relation. The book mentions that FDR had quite a few love interests before Eleanor and probably could've picked any girl he wanted, yet somehow he ended up married to her. In retrospect, knowing what eventually happened to their marriage, perhaps he should've just stuck to his beauty queen debutantes. Or maybe he should've waited a few more years before getting married.

It's not until about 10 years into the Roosevelt marriage that Lucy Mercer even appears though she's billed as the female lead in this. The fact is, there just isn't enough known about her to garner her that role. If this were a movie and they were allowed to embellish/play with the facts, maybe it would work. But since they're going on hard evidence, there's not much out there. However, it's hard to deny that they had a genuine love affair. And I agree with the author that they probably had sex since they were two attractive people who were in love and alone a lot. What else would happen? Still, in the end, FDR chose to stay with his wife. If this were such an all-consuming passion, I would think he'd just go for it. And other than her physical beauty and apparent "niceness", there isn't really that much that distinguishes Lucy Mercer. What exactly made their relationship so special and long-lasting? Other than the fact that she was young, pretty, available and he wanted sex.

I can kind of see why people think stuff went on with Missy Lehand but it's all too much speculation. Who really knows what they were doing on that boat? It wasn't like the Lucy Mercer thing where the consequences were an almost divorce and eternal separation from the marriage bed.

And while I did feel for Eleanor, I can't help but give her a little blame on this too. Okay, so FDR probably didn't love her as much as she loved him to begin with.. but what did she really expect after they stopped having sex? That just "talking" would be enough to sustain a marriage? Sorry but she shouldn't have been that naive. And while it totally sucks how she found out about his death, she was the one who essentially gave up on marriage. They could've used a good marriage counselor.

Joseph Persico's "Franklin and Lucy" (Random House 2008) is a shallow collection of anecdotes centered around FDR's affair with, and later relationship with, Lucy Mercer. The stated theme of the book is the women in FDR's life, but Persico's theme ends up as nothing more than idle conjecture about how certain women, including his mother, Sara, his wife, Eleanor, and his faithful assistant, Missy LeHand, might have affected FDR as a person. Most of this has already been covered ad nauseam in prior books on FDR, and this effort ends up as a weak series of gossips, such as whether FDR's relationship with Missy LeHand was amorous.
In addition to its failure to bring any new information to the table, the book is filled with factual errors. For example, Persico has Theodore Roosevelt's first election to the presidency in 1902 (p. 51), FDR's second inaugural on March 4, 1937 (rather than the correct date of Jan. 20, 1937) (pp. 227, 249), and the Roosevelts' 20th wedding anniversary on March 17, 1926 (p. 164). This is very disappointing from an author who is well respected and who has authored a prior book on FDR, "Roosevelt's Secret War" (Random House 2001). Admittedly, these are minor errors, but one has to wonder whether this lack of attention to detail infects the entire book.

Having read but a single work by author Persico prior to this (Piercing The Reich), I was unsure of what to expect in a book ostensiby about a man and his relationships with women. Having read a number of books on Roosevelt describing his disingenuous, Byzantine, unforthcoming dealings with men, I was not surprised that he ran true to form with women. However, this book broke some new ground.

First and foremost was the particular stress on FDR's being crippled and unable to walk and how that worked out to be both a hindrance and a blessing. Here the narrative was extremely productive.

Second, this book discusses FDR and his female entourage from the point of view of a very sympathetic woman. One wonders if this book was actually written by Persico or by his wife or daughter. For example, considered this discourse on page 246: "Schiff's fascination with FDR further displayed the superiority of women in their attitude toward men in that they consider the whole man, his intelligence, power, (wealth??) humor, and charm as producing attractiveness, not simply physical appeal, an approach that cannot always be said of male attitudes toward women." Wow! Who wrote this? Gloria Steinem?

Nonetheless, this books brings together FDR's relationships with those women close to him into fascinating focus with but a passing mention of the world around them. Persico presents the facts carefully, particularly when it comes to "Did they or didn't they?" -- very much in line with the motto of Fox News; "We report -- You decide." Sometimes he begins to moralize as "... Missy was all to ready to ....", but then draws back without passing judgment. I liked that.

There are two negatives in my opinion: a number of facts and dates are incorrect, and he fails to draw a sufficiently complete portrait of Missy LeHand, Lucy Mercer, Daisy Suckley or Dorothy Schiff for the reader to fully relate to them. These were all actresses with staring roles yet their characters remained clouded in mystery. Perhaps he ran out of time, perhaps out of sources. In these cases he needed to indicate where the reader should go to draw in the missing lines.

In this book FDR is truly as Holmes said; "A second class intellect [with] a first class temperament." Eleanor, the lady who loved the Tartars but not herself is summed up by, "...[she had] great compassion for the masses... but not much interest in the individual."

All in all, a valuable read.

In this biography, Persico paints an intimate portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt through the lens of his relationships with various women over the course of his life, including his mother, Eleanor, Lucy Rutherfurd, and others. I came to this book without much information about the Roosevelts, and I was pleased to find an assessable and thoroughly entertaining biography. Persico approaches his subject with sensitivity and balance, as deserved by this great family, but he does not avoid the tough issues.

Persico clearly has done his research but has refrained from overburdening the book with details. Although Persico remains focused on his theme throughout the book (FDR's relationships with women), the book is not a narrow treatment of FDR's life. All of the important events are included, along with the less well-known events that give us a glimpse into FDR's true character. This book's only misstep is a strange first chapter that seems to have been plucked from the middle of the book and stuck on the front, probably as a clumsy editor's last-minute attempt to force a "catchy" beginning.

Biography is a form of archeology. Over 60 years after Franklin Roosevelt's death, new information is still coming to light, including recently discovered correspondence with Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd. Persico, who authored the superb "Roosevelt's Secret War", uses this and previously discovered documents (including the diary of Margaret "Daisy" Suckley, FDR's cousin) to draw a portrait of a man whose Byzantine personality has baffled researchers and biographers for decades. FDR preferred the presence of women over men, not only romantically but for ordinary company. Perhaps because with women, he did not feel the need to prove anything, perhaps because he loved gossip, FDR revealed himself and the workings of his mind more to women than to men. Previous biographers have referred to the sinuosity of FDR's thought process and his "feminine" mind (this is not meant as an aspersion against his essential masculinity, but reflects a flexibility of which many men are not capable). Persico reveals much of that by detailing his relationships with several women, including his mother Sara, Eleanor, Lucy (truly the love of his life), Missy LeHand, Daisy Suckley, Dorothy Schiff, and his daughter Anna. He also details Eleanor's relationships with Earl Miller, Lorena Hickok, and David Gurewitsch (the latter a younger doctor on whom Eleanor had something of a schoolgirl crush on during her later life.) Persico is impartial, and neither tries to obfuscate nor sensationalize the nature of these relationships. He presents the facts as they are and lets the reader draw the conclusions.

Now the bad news...

There are so many factual errors in this book it's hard to keep track of them, errors which could have been easily avoided with some quick fact checking. Persico refers to FDR's half-nephew, James "Taddy" Roosevelt, as Sara Roosevelt's stepson - - he was her step-grandson while Taddy's father, James "Rosy" Roosevelt was her stepson. He states that Eleanor suffered a case of hives during her honeymoon - - it was FDR who came down with hives. FDR's second inauguration is stated as having occurred on March 4, 1937, it took place on January 20 of that year - - the first January inauguration to happen after passage of the 21st Amendment. (Persico repeats the error with the 1941 inauguration, claiming that as the first January inauguration). Persico also misstates the circumstances under which Harry Truman learned that FDR was dead and Truman was President. Most of the above are so well documented it's hard to fathom how these mistakes were missed. Well, perhaps not: In the acknowledgements, Persico credits his wife and daughter as research assistants. But an impartial, unrelated editor, might have caught these errors.

I've read many biographies of rock personalities and other famous people. This one is better than most. It provides a balanced viewpoint with input from varying sources. A good read for Gram Parsons fans.

A superb book on Gram Parsons. It probes the genius and vulnerability of this great talent. I, for one appreciate the authors in-depth telling of this man's life. One can only imagine the even greater impact he would have had on the music world had his life not been cut so drastically short. It is a true loss for everyone.

This book starts REALLY slowly!!! It digs really deeply into Gram's family ..... generations before he's born. I'm sure the stories about his well-to-do family was meant to add background to his own messed-up personality. But it was really boring. The book picks up when Gram finally gets out and starts making music.

This is an amazing book for anyone who is interested in music from the 50s - 70s.
While reading I suggest you listen to the music discussed to truly appreciate the details and evolution of Gram's contribution to American music. enjoy!

I've already read the Ben Fong-Torres bio, as well as the Sid Griffin bio.....now, while I am not a Gram-o-phile, I am most definitely a Nez-head. And based on the countless errors I am reading about Mike Nesmith, I wonder just how much research went into this book?

1) "Nesmith...the iconic Monkee, the one who could actually play his instrument." Never mind that Peter Tork was a clasically trained pianist, French horn player and FAR better guitarist than Nesmith...

2) Red Rhodes was "a regular contributor to ex-Monkee Michael Nesmith's country-rock First National Band." Hmmm...seems he ought to have been *in* the band with all of those contributions....oh wait....he was.

3) David Barry "played piano on Michael Nesmith's Country Time Records recordings." They served a lot of lemonade during those sessions, apparently. It was Countryside Records.

4) Red Rhodes "played on Elvis Presley's records." Let's name them:

5)Red Rhodes was the CMA's "Steel Guitar Player of the Year from 1965 through 1968." Close...but Red did not win in 1966. Ralph Mooney and Tom Brumley shared the award that year.

That many omissions on some sidebars to the main story make me wonder how many omissions are in the main story itself.

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.

Never thought that Mark Twain would have written this book. It shows his admiration for Joan of Arch. It is a great portrait of her life. Excellent reading for our youth now a days. With God on our side, we can conquer the impossible!

I am not sure what got me interested in joans' story but i was pleased to find that twain had taken on the subject. the genius of this book is twains narrative gimmick; a translation of a fictional characters first hand account of the life an times of 'the maid of orleans'. the use of a fictional narrator allows him to stick to the bones of the story without endless digression and and scholarly citation that would have dried up such a wonderful story. while staying true to the important historical facts(except the physical description of joan) the trick allows twain to cobble together several years of research into a story that is readable and moving. some complain that twain made no issue of joans' divine visions, believing that the events the book describe become uninteresting to those who are of a skeptical nature. i too am skeptical but if she did have visions the story is amazing if on the other hand she made them up the story is all the more profound...

The master storyteller, Mark Twain, used his immense talent to create this fictionalized account of Saint Joan's life. Even though it is fiction, it is still very historically accurate and stays true to the story of Saint Joan of Arc. Because it is fiction, Twain is able to bring out Saint Joan's personality in a way that reminds us that she was a beautiful, vibrant, passionate young woman who sacrificed everything to serve God and save her country

I think the very fact that Twain would even choose to write a biography about Saint Joan is a further testament to her greatness. Twain was personal friends with U.S. Grant and could much more easily have written a biography about him. He also lived at a time when some of the greatest military leaders ever lived like Lee, Jackson, etc., so if all he had been looking for was a famous military leader he could have also chosen one of them. Obviously, he was looking for someone even greater to write about. I think his own words probably explain why he chose Saint Joan when he said that: "She was perhaps the only entirely unselfish person whose name has a place in profane history."

Whether you are a Saint Joan devotee or not I think you will enjoy reading this book. It is well written and easy to read and covers one of the greatest stories in world history. If you already know about the life of Saint Joan, I also think you will end up loving this account because of the way Twain brings her to life. Definitely one of the best of all the biographies written about Saint Joan of Arc and considered by Twain himself to be his greatest work. Five stars are probably not enough.

This is one of Mark Twain's best books, in my estimation. It was the last book he wrote. He also wrote it under an assumed name, for fear that his reputation as a humorist would detract from the seriousness with which he hoped his readers would approach the topic. Moreover, it is a highly spiritual book written by a self-described atheist.

The book is narrated by Joan's aide-de-camp, and childhood friend, as an old man telling a story to his grandchildren. And what a story he tells. Of the transformation of a poor village girl into the military savior of France from the English invasion, while hardly more than a child. A transformation which not only resulted in the military hero of the century, but which is at its center based on Joan's love for God and trust in his miracle. My book buddy Marcia Makepeace read Joan of Arc, as her 21st book, in this the 30th day of our 60 day readathon. I'm close behind with 18, reading furiously in San Francisco.

How amazing it is to find the usually sardonic, faithless Twain so moved to write a work as glorifying, uplifting and devoted as this novel! In fact, I read this book just to find out what Twain's angle might be. There is no angle, no slant to the story.

It is told in beautiful and moving prose, with Twain using his skills to their utmost, proving by eyewitness the sanctity and goodness of a peasant girl raised to the level of a saint by the blessing of God. Twain, inspired, is quite unmatched in his use of imagery and emotional appeal. The novel is quite stunning in places.

On a historical note, though the words Joan speaks and the events are true, Twain takes liberty with minor characters and their lives in order to follow Joan more closely and give some much-needed comic relief.

Also, on the flip side of the story of the beautifully pure maiden turned warrior, is an indictment against the church who allowed an archbishop to carry out an evil scheme in order to further his own career, and against the King of France who failed to save the girl who saved him.

I will never forget this story, or the faith and courage of Joan of Arc that shone so brightly against the corruption and sin of the church in that age. I am so glad I read this novel.

I bought this book as a birthday gift for a young lady who has a heart for orphans as a ministry to the Lord Jesus. Her faith has gone way higher and her heart is more secure in her calling in this direction as a result of reading this book. I was a little disappointed in the size(which i didnt check before i bought it) only because it was a gift. The contents way outshine the cover!

This book is an encouraging book of a man who lived a life of faith. Because of his vision, many orphans were cared for and saw God moving in miraculous ways. We need more men today to live by faith and walk with God.

I was so encourage by George Muller's life. Some real person like you and me lived a life so faithful and God also faithfully treated him. When our motivation is right with God, we can wait with assurance for his blessing.
Wish more Christian be encouraged by this book.
Wonderful book! The Binding is not so good though. Pages started to fall off after one read.

This book is a challenge on every page. It challenges you to pray expecting. It challenges you to pray. The answers to pray Mr. Muller saw is incomprehensible. I am moved by his committment and time spent in prayer. A must read.

George Muller set the example of how to depend on God and live by faith. Many of us ask God for monetary help and then set to work out our own deliverance. Churches and individual Christians could benefit greatly by reading this book.

I have read and liked other books by this author, most notably his work on the Cali Cartel. This book was obviously rushed to meet a deadline with the movie on Frank Lucas and as a result it was poorly written, contained many typos, and added little content beyond a google search or wikipedia. If you have read his other books you probably appreciate the level or research but this book only offers a few tid bits of speculation that are not well substantiated. Its too bad that he rushed it out for what must be commercial reasons at the expense of his integrity as a writer.

This book was poorly written with many grammatical errors and misspelled words. The content was somewhat interesting, as it appears to contradict some of the movie "American Gangster."

What moron looked at the text before it went to print? Parents: Don't let your kids see this mess.

A great book that reveals the truth about Frank Lucas.

Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson I would also advise readers to check out Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson to find the true story of the REAL American gangster, Bumpy Johnson.

After seeing the movie American Gangster, I was really interested in learning more about the story of Frank Lucas and finding out what details of the movie were true or false. Unfortunately, this book was a big letdown. This book seemed to be fairly well researched, but the way that the author presents the information, he seems to have a personal dislike towards the story of Frank Lucas. However, worst of all, this book is very poorly written, with many grammatical errors. You would think that it would have been proof read before it was published.

You want to know God's love and mercy then read it.... I have not finished the book but i am excited to read the rest....

I love the content of this book.

However, I agree with Don--another reviewer: the print in this book is VERY SMALL. I find it difficult to read such SMALL PRINT.
Unfortunately, I didn't take Don's warning into account when I bought this edition. Avoid making the same mistake.

By the way, the only glasses I use are safety glasses, at work. And my vision is excellent.

It's just a matter of comfort. I dislike struggling reading such small print and feel the need to buy a different edition with larger print (I probably will.)

Other than that, its content is a joy. Plus, due to its smaller print, the size of the book is smaller as well. That is good if you are traveling with it or if you take it with you to read throughout the day, outside your home.

Remember: if you're are going to read it at home solely, you'd be better off buying an edition with larger print.

This is a beautiful & eye-opening book! It changes your way of thinking and your life!! I absolutely love it and can read it over and over. It helps understand God.

The print in this book is quite small making reading difficult. I would recommend searching for a copy with normal size print.

This is my all-time favorite spiritual book. By reading about St. Faustina's growth in holiness, I learn about growing in holiness and above all, God's endless mercy. I've read this book probably a dozen times and I everytime I hear something new and grow more deeply in my relationship with Christ. By this book for yourself and everyone you know! Spread the hope of God's awesome mercy!

Nice read--a bunch of short stories--so you can read one, not pick the book up for a couple of days, read another...however, relative to other augusten books (esp. running with scissors, dry, magical thinking), it is not QUITE as good.

...and though it left me less-than-amazed (as a friend promised I would be), I am mostly definitely intrigued when it comes to this author now. I can see myself reading some of his other works, even if this collection of memoir/essays are simply "okay".

All right. "Possible Side Effects" is a pretty good book. It's light and serious simultaneously, at times downright hilarious, and sometimes kind of boring. Fact of the matter is, it's pretty disorganized. Some of the story/essays made me grin, others grimace, and some were just kind of pathetic. At times, Burroughs managed to create the perfect mood - light, but important. Other times, stories were kind of scattered and pointless. Understandable in a memoir, but still somewhat annoying.

This seems like the kind of book you could really like if you just like reading other people tell you semi-funny, semi-sad stories about their lives. And while this memoir is humorously written, it's at times a bit... boring. And while lives are great and all, too much is just too much. Maybe I shouldn't have started here?

It's a pretty good book on the whole, but it's still not all that much. I'm sure I won't detract true Burroughs fans nor those curious about this author as I was, but keep in mind that this is not a stunning memoir, simply an okay one.

Excellent book! Loved everything that I have read by Augusten so far. Not as great as Running with Scissors, but still a really good book that held my interest the whole time.

Possible Side Effects

Augusten Burroughs has the ability to to tell experiences at all stages of his young life and turn some not so great memories into side-splitting laughter. Who doesn't embellish (a little) once you have grabbed the attention of your audience? Well that is what he does, just enough to make the story humorous. If you need a little laughter READ THIS BOOK. After my eyes would dry, I had to go back and read that paragraph or page again - only to have the same result. These are all short stories so you don't feel (too) frustrated having to put the book down. My favorites were "The Wisdom Tooth", "Getting To No You", and "Moving Violations" . I loved this book and will soon be reading his others. I am glad my first read was "A Wolf at the Table" as it explained to me more about his quirky family - immediate and extended - although "..Wolf.." does not have the humor this book does. Not a book for youngsters - maybe not teens either. A few stories are quite liberal with language, but it is not offensive in the sense that it works with that particular experience. Would I recommend this book to my twentysomething son or daughter? YES.

Augusten Burroughs has a way of making mundane events laughable. Possible Side Effects has no plot. It's a series of recollections, but it's his cynical/naive/self destructive point of view that makes the work even more addictive than a continuous storyline.