Reviews (2)

With a forward by his holiness, the fourteenth Dalai Lama
With a forward by his holiness, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, Glenn Mullin's The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy Of Reincarnation showcases the sacred mythology associated with six hundred years of the Dalai Lamas who stood as the principal spiritual leaders of Central Asia. here is to be found a magnificently presented spiritual and political history of these amazing men who stood as gurus and spiritual advisors to Mongolian Khans and Chinese emperors, as well as the millions of peoples inhabiting the dozens Central Asian kingdoms spread over more than half a millennium. The Fourteen Dalai Lamas is an essential, core addition to any personal, academic, or community library collection on Buddhist history, beliefs, and biographies.

History of the Dalai Lamas
Glenn Mullin has written several books on Tibetan Buddhism, biographies of several Dalai Lamas, has been trained in Tibetan Buddhism by many senior spiritual masters and has known the current 14th Dalai Lama since the 1970's. With this as a basis he has produced the first history of the Dalai Lamas, in terms of them as an institution, as a beacon of spiritual leadership as well as showing the unique personalities of the Dalai Lamas and their close associates. This remarkable work should be of interest to anyone who likes a great story, whether they are Buddhists or not, religious or not. It shows a view of Tibetan history from the political intrigues of medieval Asia, the Great Game of Britain and Russia, to the genocide of Tibetans and their culture at the hands of the Communist Chinese. Its a fascinating look at one of the world's great spiritual traditions. It provides insight into one of the world's great tragedies - the refusal of the Chinese government to allow the Tibetan people their right to self determination. And it shows that the Dalai Lama is a not only a supreme credit to the Tibetan Race - but to the Human Race. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One night, at a Los Angeles dinner gala, Walt Disney gave a rare public statement about his older brother, Roy: "We started the business here in 1923, and if it hadn't been for my big brother, I swear I'd've been in jail several times for checks bouncing. I never knew what was in the bank. He kept me on the straight and narrow."

Although Walt wasn't quite that ignorant of the numbers, it's true that Roy handled most of the finances for the Disney empire. It was Roy who kept the studio running in the early years, Roy who put together the financing deals for Disneyland, Roy who oversaw the completion of Walt Disney World in Florida after his brother's death in 1966.

Building a Company provides plenty of anecdotal details about the Disney entertainment empire's rise to power. Don't look for juicy scandal, though: Bob Thomas's fully authorized (and, ultimately, Disney-financed) biography steers clear of any controversies, such as Disney's attempts to get out of a contract with ABC in the late '50s, before they can cause a blight on the success story. Useful primarily to those interested in the details of business and entertainment history. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Insightful!
Bob Thomas presents a fascinating history of the Disney entertainment empire, with a special focus on Roy Disney's role in the company's growth. While Walt Disney was the creative genius (although he never drew a single picture of Mickey Mouse), Roy Disney provided the solid financial foundation, got the loans and made the deals that made Disney profitable. Thomas mixes the Disney brothers' personal history with an overview of the Disney Company's creative and financial expansion, as they balanced creativity with practical business fundamentals. This personal and corporate saga illustrates the value of a company's commitment to both a central driving purpose and core values. We [...] recommend this lively, engaging, entertaining read. Just one note: The Book's publisher, like so many other entities in the entertainment world, is a Disney subsidiary.

Most Significant Disney Book in 20 Years
It was essential that this book be written. Bob Thomas has done a masterful job of telling the story of Walt Disney's older brother, Roy O. Disney. The life and work of this man has gone under-reported and under-appreciated for too many years. The book is filled both with wonderful stories of the early years for the Disney family, and of the struggle and hard work involved in establishing one of the most influential American companies of the 20th Century. Roy's story is told through the first hand accounts of both his family and co-workers. An absolutely fascinating read. Don't be surprised to see a television mini-series grow out of this one!!

The one who believed in the dreamer.
What an interesting read! I had never heard of 'Roy O Disney', and perhaps that's the way he wanted it. Great insight into the man behind the man at one of the most well-known and well-loved companies in the world.

This book will help you understand the difference between visionary leadership and organizational leadership. One without the other is all but irrelevant! Plus some interesting theories on money and risk-taking. Current self-absorbed (and overpaid) CEO's should read this book and take notes. Any comments Mr. Eisner?

Finally
Finally someone who wrote about equally important, 2nd pilar of The Walt Disney Company. Its cofounder is greatly described in this book. It has many comparisons with his more famous brother Walt, but Roy's business affairs genious was equally important for the company, as Walt's creative genious. This book is a must read!!

LOVED THIS BOOK!
This is the first book that I read on the Disney's and I really LOVED it! It talks about them before they were who they were. It talks about Walt's obessions and Roy's devotion to his brother's dreams. God! If I had a brother who did this for me... the accomplishments I'd have made already in life. It's really a good book if you want to see a little bit of the mind set going on. I really want to find other books that talks about them. I liked how it explained the human side of these two guys. I think that's very imporant for a anyone in a small business with big aspirations to read and understand. ... Read more

Book Description

Whenever Joe DiMaggio appeared at Yankee Stadium after retirement, he was always introduced as "the greatest living ballplayer." In the career-spanning Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, Richard Gilliam puts together the inspiring story of how he achieved that distinction when baseball was truly the national pastime and how he stayed in American hearts long after his departure from the game. DiMaggio's legendary status is more than his unbeatable record of a 56-game hitting streak in 1941 and his gliding greatness in the outfield as "The Yankee Clipper." With his supple wide-legged swing, DiMaggio batted in more runs per game than Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and Hank Aaron - the third highest R.B.I. this century - and he struck out fewer times than any other power hitter with his home-run record. "Joe was the pride of baseball," said Cardinal outfielder Stan Musial, and rival Ted Williams admitted, "He could do it all." Joseph Paul DiMaggio possessed a dignity on and off field that carried him through not only thirteen seasons with the Yankees - and ten World Series - but also his famous marriage with Marilyn Monroe, his success as a pitchman, and appearances in works by Ernest Hemingway and Paul Simon.

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio combines the best of new writing about this great sports legend, along with rarely seen classic essays from newspapers, magazines and books into a comprehensive view of one of the Twentieth Century's most fascinating celebrities. ... Read more

Book Description

22 of Dylan’s greatest hits for easy guitar. Includes: All I Really Want To Do, Blowin’ In the Wind, Don’t Think Twice It’s all Right, Gotta Serve Somebody, A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, Highway 61 Revisited; Hurricane, I Shall Be Released, It Ain’t Me Babe, Just Like A Woman, Lay, Lady, Lay, Like A Rolling Stone, Maggie’s Farm and more. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A mixed blessing...
This book is an adequate representation of Dylan material, with many songs missing that one might want (forcing the purchase of a second book).

I didn't like this book for several reasons:
1. When I was first learning guitar, I purchased it and was dissapointed by Dylan's complex chord phrasings. I couldn't play them, and at the level of a beginner, there were only a few songs that I could play.

2. As I got better, I yearned to learn how to play the songs like Dylan played them. As this book was written primarily for piano and vocal, it only has the guitar chords, and many of his songs contain wonderfully complex fingerpicking patterns and arpegios. Once I got to the level of playing where I could play the chords appropriately, I wanted more than this book could give. I pulled it off the shelf recently to play a few of the oldies that I remembered from many years ago, but put it back quickly for the same reason.

3. The book has a standard binding, so if you want to lay it reasonably flat on your music stand or piano, you will have to split the spine.

Dylan is never really easy.
"BOB DYLAN Made Easy for Guitar" is more title than description. Featuring 22 songs ranging from the well known (Tangled Up in Blue), to the obsure (Man Gave Names to All the Animals), Dylan Made Easy doesn't give any hints or suggestions to accomplish that promise. This is simply a songbok featuring Dylan's material in their orginal keys; however, the songs are notatated with chords and rythm slashes. The songs themselves are not necessarily easy. Most songs quite often contain barre chords or would be easy to play with barre chords or capo's. I was hoping that this book would explain simpler, easier, methods to obtain the melodies and rythms that pervade Bob Dylan songs. This book is good is a fairly good songbook if your looking for a variety of Dylan material. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The Best Biography of Walt Disney Hands Down
Easily the best biography out there on Walt Disney hands down. It will never be topped. It neither kisses his hiney as Bob Thomas' studio sanctioned biography does, nor does it discount him as merely a low brow populist (as Richard Schickel did), nor lies about him as some sort of communist spy in order to sell books. Not only is this biography even handed, but Mr. Watts makes brilliant connections between Walt and his time that no other biographer had the insight to do. This is a fair, balanced, well organized, incredibly entertaining biography that really brings the real Walt Disney to life. Steven Watts is a genius biographer.

Walt Disney would have approved it!
I have read 4 biographies about this man ("An American Original," "The Disney Version," Mosley's "Disney's World: A biography," Eliot's "Hollywood's Dark Prince") and now I realize that I should have acquired this book before, so I wouldn't need to read all of the above stated books.
This book provides Walt's personal story, studio development, good and bad critics, Disney's place in history and his shaping of American culture. It is not biased, but gives a balanced view on a man and his company. It made me believe in this book, since I was very sceptical towards "truths" written in other Walt Disney biographies. In those, Walt was portrayed as either a perfect person, or a villain of the 20th century.
The Magic Kingdom is the balanced truth and the best biography of a man that shaped American culture without a doubt.

most in-depth biography yet
far and away the most in-depth biography ever written about a truly great great man. While reading it, you get the sense that you are there, shoulder to shoulder with Walt Disney while he and his brother, and his employees build an amazing company. Also provides the context wherein the company was being formed, and the trials and trevails that preceded building this great company. Any Disney fan would NOT be disappointed.

And now the Disney-sanitized academic view
I've probably read every book on Walt Disney. Most are carefully vetted by the studio and manage to tell exactly the same story. There's nothing wrong with that--there are no lies, just spin. Some of the books that are less "controlled" are more fun, however, like Jack Kinney's memoir "Walt Disney and Other Assorted Characters." Some that shake off the Disney thought police do so out of malice--Marc Eliot's "biography" of Walt Disney was deliberately mean-spirited and inaccurate, in my opinion.

In the last 20 years, we've seen a new breed of Disney book emerge that puts Walt Disney in context of the larger cultural picture. These volumes are dense and uninviting, but their view in general is that Walt was an uneducated slug and the people who bought his schlock were no better than he. "Disney Discourse," for example, or "Vinyl Leaves." Well, this book appears to be the Disney people's answer: An imposing academic look at the cultural history of the Walt Disney machine by a bona fide academic who has been lavished with information from the studio's archives.

Personally, I think the truth is inbetween. If all you read are this book and Bob Thomas' excellent biography, you'll have the facts and the current Disney Company spin, but you'll be missing the healthy cynic's view. Leonard Mosley's biography, "Disney's World" or Richard Schickel's "The Disney Version" supply that, while still admiring their subject. Or, for an academic view of the creation of Disneyland that's less Disneyized than Watts, try Karal Ann Marling's "As Seen on TV."

If You're Only Going to Own One Disney Biography...
...This is the one. This biography does an incredible job of placing Walt Disney the man (and his works) in historical, social, and cultural context. Not only does Watts provide a balanced examination of Walt Disney--something that many biographies do not in their attempts to paint a picture of Walt as either a perfect saint or the ultimate evil--but he doesn't discuss Walt in isolation of the world in which he lived. Instead, Watts places Walt Disney in relationship to time periods and social movements.

For example, the writing on Walt's early years consider the influences of his mother, father, and his small-town/rural upbringing. Many other biographies have done this as well. But Watts also considers how Walt was raised at the cusp of the Victorian era and the rise of modernism, then considers how this affects Walt and his decisions for the rest of his life. Such writing not only helps the reader to better understand the "whats" and "hows" of Walt Disney's life and accomplishments, but attempts to understand the "whys" and "so whats". In this way, the reader gets a sense of how Walt was shaped by the world he lived in and, in turn, shaped that world.

Watts performs this delicate balance between biography, history, and cultural significance throughout the book. He deals with Walt in terms of the Depression, WWII, the shaping of the Hollywood Film Industry, the Cold War, McCarthyism, and the emergence of postmodern culture. This provides the reader with a deeper insight into Disney *and* these important moments.

Because the book covers so much material and makes so many connections, this is not a light read. The material is accessible but the book is hefty in terms of pages and ideas. It's something to be digested slowly, savored. It's well worth it. ... Read more

Book Description

The biography of the thirteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet--full of stories, anecdotes and conversation. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Sir Charles and the Great Thirteenth
Sir Charles Bell was a career diplomat in the service of the British raj, the personification of the grandeur of an empire that spanned the world. The Great Thirteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet was the spiritual and temporal leader of a remote and isolated theocracy in the heart of the Himalayas. Sir Charles represented the power and limitless potential of the new century. The Dalai Lama was the literal embodiment of an ancient lineage, an incarnation of the Buddha of Compassion, the ruler of one of the most inaccessible and forbidding places on earth. That the two men should find so much in common and develop a bond of deep and lasting friendship is a wonder that does credit to them both. 'Portrait of a Dalai Lama : The Life and Times of the Great Thirteenth' is the story of that friendship.

Sir Charles takes us into a bygone Tibet, fearful of and hostile to outsiders. He brings to life the cold and dusty streets of Lhasa, a capital hundreds of years out of step with the modern world, and introduces us with remarkable sensitivity to a culture that is so alien to our own that it could easily belong on another planet. He describes the hardship, the inconvenience, the discomfort of life on the cold, arid Tibetan plateau in a way that emphasises the dignity of the people who flourish there. That hygiene in Tibet at the turn of the 20th Century was low by the standards of a cultured European is not ignored; but through his eyes we see that the comparison is unimportant in a near arctic climate; the dustiness of a noble's home is insignificant when measured against the hospitality and warmth of a noble spirit. We see that what Tibet lacked in material development it made up for in a level of ethics and philosophical sophistication that might have been the envy of the world.

The Great Thirteenth (The present Dalai Lama of Tibet is the fourteenth emanation) brought his country to terms with the new age. He modernised government, the judiciary, and Tibet's tiny army through sheer hard work and unflinching determination, in the face of fierce opposition from monks and aristocrats. Sir Charles shows us a lonely man driven by a powerful vision. The Dalai Lama desperately tries to redefine Tibet's relationship with its powerful neighbours, Russia, British India, and China, which looms menacingly on the horizon. Both men clearly saw the impending Chinese onslaught, and both recognised the tragedy of what was to befall Tibet.

Sir Charles Bell gives us a unique insight into the personality of the man behind the ritual and pageantry of the Dalai Lama's high office. He shows us a man of profound intelligence and sensitivity, a man of wit and humour, a man quick to anger, a man of compassion. This man, who ruled with absolute authority and was revered as a living god, gave Sir Charles Bell his friendship; and, through his eyes, we see a man of warmth and charm, who loved his dogs and his garden. This is a moving book one should feel very privileged to read. ... Read more

Book Description

A unique oral portrait of the Dalai Lama, published to coincide with his 70th birthday

The Dalai Lama is one of the world's most beloved religious leaders, a man whose devotees include millions of ordinary people as well as celebrities such as Richard Gere, Goldie Hawn, and Patti Smith. Drawing on more than 50 interviews with the Dalai Lama's family, associates, and followers as well as with politicians, religious leaders, and critics, this revealing oral history explores the Dalai Lama's public career as well as his personal life-from his childhood in Tibet and his exile in 1959 to his role as a worldwide spiritual leader and human rights activist-and reveals the secrets behind his enduring popular appeal. ... Read more

Book Description

Now considered a classic, this is an eloquent and compellingly told account of the Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet after its conquest by China. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A tragedy easily confirmed
This book tells the sad history of Tibet under chinese rule through personal histories. This is not a difficult story to confirm. "Tears of Blood" by Mary Craig, "Whispered Prayers" by Steven Harrison and regular international media tell the same story of an opressive Chinese government. Read this and visit the official website of the Tibetan government in exile www.tibet.com or chick out www.tibetanphotoproject.com for a beginners introduction to Tibet. This story is relevant as we make decisions that will make China richer, or rather make a select few leaders richer and more powerful. If you truly want to understand the nature of what it means to deal with the Government of China read any of the above books and this one or go ask a Tibetan what it means to do business with the government of China? Genocide, torture, forced abortion and sterilization...This is an important book towards understanding the nature of the Government of China and what it means to do business with it.

Riveting and realistic
A must read to truly understand the complex story of Tibet, although it may disuade you from ever going there. This is the story of the destruction of Tibet, told through a narrative of political history and a few well-chosen personal stories. Internal squabbling contributed to the Tibetan's own downfall, but in the end this small underdeveloped nation could not have withstood the Chinese without significant support from the rest of the world, and that support was shamefully lacking in the 50's. The destruction that followed was unbelievable. I've always thought it would be fascinating to go there, but I now realize that the treasures of Tibet are probably now in China or in the hands of private collectors after the Chinese sold them off, and what's left is part of a carefully constructed show for tourists. I agree with the reviewer who says that Tibetan independence seems a long shot at this point, but the world should keep the pressure on until the Tibetans gain some measure of cultural and religious freedom. My only criticism of this book is that it ends in the mid-80's, and the newer edition that came out in the late 90's contains a rather feeble attempt to update the story through a chronology. Interesting though is the interview with the Dalai Lama.

Not easy to take
If your serious about learning about Tibet and the Chinese take- over read this book.Some of the more explicit chapters made me really angry and kept me questioning "How can humans treat each other this way"?

The Time for Dreaming is Ended
If you have had any Shangri-La type illusions about Tibet, this book will soon blow them away. Not that that is a bad thing, but just be warned. This book will open your eyes, make you laugh, weep, clench your fists and probably curse before you're done, but it will not leave you unchanged, either in your opinion of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, and especially of China.

This is a very balanced account from the Tibetan perspective of the period roughly from the end of WWII until 1990. In addition to an unvarnished account of Tibetan bravery, desire to retain their homeland at all costs and credulity, and unlimited Chinese brutality and treachery, there is a great deal of social insight woven in. This is not a "feel-good" story to garner sympathy for the Tibetans, this is a tell-it-like-is book whose message is so daunting that I'm not sure most of the world, much less the Tibetans themselves are ready to face much of it.

This is not a book so much about religion, although you cannot write about Tibet without writing about Buddhism, as about world politics thundering down on a small, isolated nation. It is about the bravery and resourcefulness of the Tibetan people and the greatness of their leader. And it is about the utter shameless cupidity and determination of the Chinese to lay hold of this strategic bit of real estate and anihilate its native population. This book should serve as a powerful reminder of what the PRC is capable of and just how much their talk is worth.

After reading this, I believe (and HHDL must realize) that the chances for any kind of an autonomous, much less independent, Tibetan region are slim to none, but that the facade needs to be kept up for political and morale reasons. None the less it is a bitter truth that the Chinese have done the rest of the world a favor: by driving the Tibetans out of Tibet, they have released a great force for peace and good to the rest of us in the form of Tibetan Buddhism and the presence of HHDL.

I do highly recommend this book.

Truth
Books Like "In Exile from the Lands of Snows and Movies like "Seven Years in Tibet" and "Kundun" destroy the myth of Shangri-La while portraying Tibet as real through participation in the production and giving advice on the historical accuracy of both movies and book giving Tibet complexity. The myth of Shangri-La as laid out by James Hilton in "Lost Horizon", as far as the West is concerned, is as real as any Homeric myth can be. Westerners, mired in the irony of losing a fantasy, do not have to deal with real flesh and blood issues. Deconstructing by examining the power relations lifts the veil of fantasy and offers a more authentic discourse. Read this book with an open mind and be ready to discard old notions of myth, fantasy and construction. A resounding 5 stars! ... Read more

Book Description

In May 1995, a seven-year-old Tibetan boy and his family were taken from their home by Chinese security forces. They have not been seen since. The boy's devotees believe him to be the eleventh incarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second most important incarnation in the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy. Isabel Hilton tells the gripping inside story of how this child became the pawn in a battle between the Chinese regime and Tibet's exiled religious leader, the Dalai Lama. In revealing the political intrigue that accompanied the race to choose and enthrone the eleventh Panchen Lama, Hilton "clarifies a great deal about the nature of Tibetan culture and history and the complexities of Tibet's relationship with China" (New York Times). 21 b/w photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

If you want every possible detail, read this book. If not..
Just a small bit of contrary opinion, to balance out all the enthusiastic reviews. In particular, I wanted to disagree with the reviewer below who wrote "This book is a must read if you're the least bit interested in Chinese-Tibeten (sic) relationship."

Fair warning: this book will tell you all you every wanted to know about the relationship between China and Tibet, and much, much more. If you aren't likely to be overwhelmed by details and a lot of rather complicated and dry history of Tibet, then this is the book for you. If you want more of an introduction, then perhaps better is HH the Dalai Lama's "My Country, My People."

If You're the Least Bit Interested in Tibet-China Relations
A number of people have written excellent reviews of this book so I'm just here to say that they're all right! This book is a must read if you're the least bit interested in Chinese-Tibeten relationship of the past, present and future...

The fate of Tibet
This is a wonderful book to introduce some of the basic issues and history that lead to the current state of Tibet, its government, its people and its religion. Hilton walks you through some historical passages so that by the time she is delving into the search for the 11th Panchen, you have a good sense of the urgency of the situation and why both the Tibet government in exile and China were desparately trying to control the outcome. The fact that Hilton was privy to some top secret information and met with a variety of other key figures allows her to provide more emotion and intimacy to the story than perhaps otherwise. While we all now know the terrible outcome of the search, reading the details and chronology are still suspenseful and gripping. I felt so hollow at the end, knowing that little has changed in Tibet and wondering if it ever will. Where is the true Panchen (I can't believe China has not been forced to free him) and what is the fate of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism after the passing of the 14th Dalai Lama??? Reading about China's cruelty made me wonder if Tibet can survive even the next thirty years but yet, there is hope when thinking of the courage Tibetans have demonstrated thus far.

Mousewitz
Find out what U.S. based traitors er traders are supporting in this book. Especially the entertainment & media industries. Disney, MGM, besides Amazon.com. While building lucrative careers for entrepreneurs who relocate to the U.S.A. Like John Woo, Chow Yun Fat, and Jackie Chan.

Outstanding, and Much More Than the Title Suggests
This outstanding book covers not just the search for the Panchen Lama - currently the biggest struggle in Tibet/China relations, but offers an extensive history of Tibetan Buddhism's struggle with the Chinese communists. Isabel Hilton has become a trusted correspondent of the Dalai Lama, and has gained his confidence in accurately reporting his conflicts with China. Thus Hilton not only gets many interviews with the big guy himself, but also extensive access to the intricate world of Tibetan Buddhism.

The search to find the current Panchen Lama, the reincarnation of the previous Panchen Lama who died in 1989, is not covered in detail until you are two-thirds through the book. In the meantime, Hilton interrupts descriptions of her travels through Tibet, China, and India (which serve as an enjoyable travelogue in themselves) with extensive forays into the history of the numerous Dalai and Panchen Lamas, as well as Tibetan Buddhism itself and the Chinese invasion and continuing suppression of the religion. The late Panchen Lama is covered in great detail, and his lifetime of persecution by the Chinese government occupies much of the book.

Hilton delivers many keen revelations about the current situation. She debunks the view of our American celebrity Buddhists that Tibet is a shangri-la in which everyone deeply meditates in pure devotion, and a serene life of deep thought is enjoyed by all. We learn instead that they have their factionalism and infighting like everyone else. We also learn that the Dalai Lama does not have the universal devotion of all Tibetan Buddhists (there are some dissidents), and that he may be losing his spiritual grip on his people, from his continuing exile in India.

The heartbreaking conclusion of the book reveals the cruel fate of the little boy who was found by the Dalai Lama to be the reincarnated Panchen Lama. He was taken into custody by the Chinese and hasn't been seen since. The Chinese have spent the past fifty years suppressing all religious activity, but now are trying to convince the world that they are better able to perform a profoundly religious ritual, the search for the Panchen's reincarnation, than the spiritual leader himself (the Dalai Lama). The actions of the Chinese have lead to scorn and derision from the rest of the world, as they have imprisoned one small boy indefinitely and installed another boy as the spiritual leader of a religion that doesn't accept him, and condemned him to life as a puppet. Yes, the Chinese government has egg on its face, but that doesn't alleviate the sad fate in store for those two young boys. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A Riveting Account of a Troubled Genius
I love the World That Walt Built beyond all reason. I've studied Disney corporate history, I own stock in the company, and I read anything about it I can lay my hands on.

That said, I know how difficult it is to get a true account of Walt Disney. The company has offered up his image of sainthood for years, making it increasingly difficult to get past that glossed perfection. Disney will do anything to protect its image (understandably so) and this applies lavishly to whitewashing Walt.

I found this book a very moving account of a man brutally abused as a kid, who went through life striving through his unique genius to create and secure the childhood he never had. The book charts Walt's many heights of seeing his various visions to fruition, and the subsequent depression once a dream is realized--the cycle of creativity for us all. And if the book dwells on his considerable darkness, well, there's plenty of room for that. Something needs to balance out the company's, and other writers' God-hype about Walt. His shadow is laid out compassionately in these pages, and Walt Disney stands all the taller for it.

Tabloid Trash!
Plain and simple: Eliot's perspective of this classic American icon resembles more of a supermarket tabloid trash heap than an actual work of literally fact! While I'm certain that "Uncle Walt" was just as human (and erred like the rest of us,) I couldn't imagine him to be the psychological nightmare that Eliot described.

Noone wants to envision Mr. Disney as anything less than the ideal sqeaky-clean role model. But Eliot's depiction of Disney oozes with a distasteful tone which reads as nothing more than a personal vendetta residing deep within his subconscious mind. There's very little information supported by facts or references and it's blatantly obvious at times that Eliot's making this stuff up as he goes along!

If you really want to read a more "authoritative" biography on this great Hollywood legend, look to Bob Thomas' book: Walt Disney: An American Original.

As for "Dark Prince:" it's going to take a lot more than a spoonful of sugar to get this one down!

Utter Discust!!
This Book makes me want to vomit. Not only is it unauthorised, it is untrue. Marc eliot is a well known un-credibul author, If your looking for a book that tells the Truth on Walt, dont pick this one. try "The man behind the myth"

Quite reptillian!!
I cant believe people actually believe this trash. The recipe for writing these kind of books are simple and vulgar. Take a whole bunch of unrelated twisted and distorted truths,sprinkle it with half baked lies, garnish it as an expose and present it as fact. Eliot is another example of a a sad individual who has a serious axe to grind, overtones of a serpentine agenda abound!! Obviously no concept of karmic recompense!!,apparantly is perfectly ok to market lies as truth. By all means take pot shots at the disney corperation if it is justified. But manufacturing lies about an individual to reinvent history while being clever, is at its core quite reptillian. Socialist acedamia wave it around universities as if it were some kind of bible. Pathetic!

Once upon a time...
...there was a shy boy who loved to draw and turned out to be one of the greatest icons of the Twentieth Century. This is the story of Walt Disney told by Marc Eliot. The book tells us about Disney's youth, his relationship with his parents and later his wife (Lillian) and children. It also tells how he started his company and how important his brother Roy turned out to be for Walt's achievements, because Walt Disney wasn't a businessman, but an artist who, ironically, couldn't draw so good himself. I don't claim that Walt Disney had no drawingtalent, but I regard that his greatest "gift" were his fantastic ideas (e.g. about what a story/tale successful makes)and his perseverance. Anyhow, Eliot has written a credible book which is fun and easy to read, although he emphasizes the "negative" trait of Walt's character, but Eliot doesn't judge Disney on that, that's something the reader should do. I found this book refreshing and it made me eager to learn more about a true genius, Walt Disney. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

The best Dylan book ever writen
A master in the day, Bob Dylan's story of his early coffee shop day up untill about the mid-80's. Robert Shelton in 1961 wrote a article for Dylan that help his music take off.Dylan went from the Village folk scene to performing in front of large crowds of people. This book shows the transition from a coffee shop to the big stage. While telling you a blow for blow story of Dylan's life right up untill the mid-80's. The story starts out close to Dylan and over the span of the novel it come more of a distant observer. This book summerizes the whole time period and makes Dylan's personality better known. His songs have more impact now that you understand his motives. I recomend reading it.

Detailed and yet Personal
You must be interested in Dylan, as both a folk artist and a renegade, to take on this lengthy biography. If you are though, Shelton provides you with almost a Bible of Dylan from 1941 in Duluth, MN to 1985 in NYC - through all his different stages, his changing emotions, his passions - and of course his music. Getting into Dylan can be intense but he'll rumble your soul and twist your head a couple times so you get to see whats all around you. His influence on music and society is absolutely far-reaching. This book is excellent!!!

All sides and aspects of a cherished and popular figure
Expertly written by Robert Shelton (the New York Times music and popular culture reviewer generally credited for "discovering" Dylan in 1961), No Direction Home: The Life And Music Of Bob Dylan is a faithful and definitive biography of the talented artist and his unforgettable music. An extensively detailed chronicle which explores all sides and aspects of a cherished and popular figure in American music, No Direction Home is a welcome addition to 20th Century Music History Studies collections and "must" reading for all Bob Dylan fans.

Not the Place to Start . . .
. . .start (of course) with the albums, of course, especially "Freewheelin'," "Highway 61 Revisited," "Blonde on Blonde," and "John Wesley Harding," "Basement Tapes," "Blood on the Tracks," "Bootleg Series Vol 4," and maybe "World Gone Wrong." Then check out "Don't Look Back" on DVD. Shelton's book has a lot of great information about Dylan, but it's not the best organized or most concise biography you'll ever come across (maybe it's the editor who worked on the book's fault [?]). It's also now a bit dated, published in 1986. Clinton Heylin's "Man Behind the Shades" (1991) and Howard Sounes' "Down the Highway" (2001) are both more up-to-date and easier reads. Greil Marcus' "Invisible Republic" (1997)does a better job of placing Dylan's music in a historical context. "No Direction Home" is a sprawling collection of interview excepts, biography, oral history, the author's personal recollections of Dylan, musicology, and literary criticism that never really connects the dots, but there is a lot of great information for the experienced or semi-experienced Dylan enthusiast to wade through

Good Not Great...
Whether or not this is the BEST Dylan biography is hard to say, there are millions of them out there...certainly it has to be the best-researched, and one of the most heartfelt; Shelton gave Dylan his first great review, "discovered" him, in effect, and though he critically assesses Dylan's subsequent works there's never a doubt that he's Dylan's biggest fan. A midnight conversation on a private jet between Shelton and Dylan in the mid-60's is the best thing in the book, fascinating reading...but there is such a concept as too much of a good thing, and the minutae Shelton indulges in gets tiring. He apparently went to every concert and every party Dylan did, and his insistence on inserting himself into the scene makes me wonder about his objectivity. Maybe Shelton thought he was one of the new journalists. I don't know. But less Shelton would've been helpful. Also, Shelton insists on punctuating almost every paragraph with a hidden line from one of Dylan's songs; for awhile it's clever, but it gets old fast.
The book was out of print for a long time, and that's too bad. I hope it stays in print. It's incredibly packed with facts and interpretations and long quotes both from Dylan and those close to him. It's just TOO MUCH, that's all. But good. A worthy biography of the most potent force in popular music since Sinatra. How's that for a name out of left field? ... Read more

Book Description

Bob Dylan has had a profound influence on the shape of modern pop music (folk, rock, blues) and as a modern literary figure. He has also attracted enormous attention from both professional and amateur "interpreters".

In this book Gilmour offers a thorough study of Dylan's reading of scriptures. He explores the ways in which Dylan transforms biblical images and concepts when he incorporates them into his literary world; it is an attempt to listen to the echoes of scripture in his published works. Gilmour closely reads Dylan's poems and songs and provides commentaries on several themes found in Dylan's work: the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus; apocalypse, justice and judgement; oppressive religion and religious irony. Through these readings, Gilmour calls attention to the various ways Dylan uses scripture both in an explicit and an implicit manner. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The abduction of teenager Elizabeth Smart by a fundamentalist Mormon preacher placed a renewed focus on renegade offshoots of the Church of Latter Day Saints and the culture surrounding the religion in the state of Utah (which, like the church, formally opposes polygamous marriage, though state and religious leaders both seem well aware that the practice continues, and they often turn a blind eye toward it). Like Natalie R. Collins's 2003 novel SisterWife, Dorothy Allred Solomon's Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk couldn't seem more topical, but it is an even more powerful book because it has the weight of truth behind it. "I am the daughter of my father's fourth plural wife, twenty-eight of forty-eight children—a middle kid, you might say," her frank memoir begins, and Solomon (a freelance writer who now lives in a happily monogamous marriage in Park City, Utah) maintains a similarly gripping and poignant tone through the book. Her family's story is a fascinating one: Her father, the physician Rulon Allred, was also a fundamentalist preacher and a closet polygamist who went to great lengths to keep his plural marriages and sprawling family a secret from society at large. In 1977, he was shot to death by assassins from a rival fundamentalist sect, the bloody end to a misguided lifestyle that had already taken a severe emotional toll on many around him. His daughter does not hesitate to expose the violent and sexist behavior that permeates many of these cultish offshoots of the Mormon Church, but she does not reduce the believers to one-dimensional caricatures, either, and in the process of sharing a very personal tale, she often steps back to place it all in the much broader context of religion and society, charting the history of the Mormons and the contradictions between ideals and actions on the part of both church and state. --Jim DeRogatis ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An empathetic journey into the world of the other Mormons
I thought this book was fantastic. In a very human way, it fills a huge gap in what I knew about Mormon History and present-namely, what happened to the tens of thousands of polygamous families when the church shifted from pro-polygamy to anti-polygamy, and who are the tens of thousands of modern-day polygamists and what is their relationship to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The mainstream church teaches that Joseph Smith wrote down a revelation regarding polygamy in 1843, but that he had started practicing it well before then, but never recorded who his "wives" were, nor when they were "married." Then Brigham Young and the Saints in Utah had a whole bunch of wives and were honest and upfront about it. The federal government had a massive clampdown on the lifestyle, and in 1890 the church issued a "manifesto" stating that the church no longer taught nor encouraged the continuance of the doctrine. The way the church teaches it, the people who were in polygamous marriages simply ceased to exist as soon as the manifesto was decreed.

We learn in the book that a few days before the manifesto was issued, the president of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, called Dorothy's grandfather into his office. He gave him a calling to move to Mexico and establish a colony there were Mormon Polygamists could legally live their religion. Her grandfather went, but between the lawlessness of the country and inhospitable climate, they could not survive and were forced to return to America. A few events transpired were his viewpoint collided with that of the mainstream church-in addition to having abandoned plural marriage, the Church had drifted away from the spirit of the United Order and Law of Consecration. You see how her grandfather changed from a leader in the mainstream church to a fringe member to an excommunicated Fundamentalist.

Dorothy does a fantastic job of showing you the world through the eyes of a child born into fundamentalist sects of Mormonism. It shows her religious heritage and how it connects to the religious heritage of mainstream Mormons. And it shows the life of a child who loved her mommy and daddy, but obviously wasn't cut out to carry on the religious tradition that she was inheriting. The reader can clearly see the follies of Mormon polygamy and the flaws in the various adherents. But the focus isn't on the follies and flaws. Rather, the focus is on the humanity of the children, women, and men who find themselves indoctrinated in a religion of outcasts.

Unoraganized & Boring
I didn't grow up in, or around polygamy (thank goodness), but I am interested in what compells women to chose a polygamist lifestyle. (Because, frankly- yuck!)

This book didn't enlighten my quest for understanding. It was terribly unorganized! The chapter's bounced around from past, to present, to family members the reader had previously gotten to know,to random fourth sister-wive's (creepy term)third grandaughter, never previously mentioned.

I didn't care about any of the people, except for some of the sad, sad women who were sucked into the 'lifestyle' by naive choice mixed with force.

Making things even worse, the book was so dreadfully boring most of the way through- the history of the Mormon's fleeing to Mexico was confusing, (so many wives to keep track of) & tedious.

What does Solomon really think about the polygamist lifestyle? She chose not to stay within it- but her thoughts on it are as riddled as the messy narrative.

I gave it two stars, instead of one, because I do admire her bravery- I'm sure she angered a huge amount of her brethren.

Overall, the book made me feel creepy, sad, and bored. I don't recommend it.

I agree with "Rosy Memories"
I thought the book was disappointing. She is a good writer but the overwhelming whitewash of her father was a turn-off. The focus of the book seemed to be simply the surface of her life and the surface of the religion, and near the end I started skipping pages to get to something interesting. I really didn't understand if she wanted sympathy for this lifestyle or was trying to explain it.
Her fathers wives certainly needed sympathy, but I could find no real hardship in her growing up despite her whining about not getting enough attention from her dad.Unfortunately I know too many folks whose childhood would make hers look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm to have any sympathy for her at all. Strange it may have been, deprived it certainly was not.

Very good read
I could relate to Dorothy's perceptions of her life and I admired her deep powers of observation. I did feel some disappointment over what seemed liked resistance to tying the cruel life experiences caused by her father's inability to care for his wives and children wholly into her picture of him. She keeps insisting throughout the book that he was such a kind, gentle and magnanimous soul. Yet he had wives and children that lived in isolation and near starvation and that experienced the under-belly of life. Her feelings toward her father seemed almost worshipful at times and I wonder how much of that is the residual byproduct of her polygamous environment, this being just what is encouraged in such a patriarchal culture and how much of this is maybe resistance to fully incorporating these truths into the greater picture because she is simply not ready to bring her hero down from the pedestal and view him as a member of the human race. She does touch on the darker issues and tells truths but somehow they become a side story, not a part of who her father was to her. Ultimately though, when I consider that we all move through life one step at a time and as I think of what Dorothy has accomplished, of the levels of awareness she has achieved based on what her homelife was as a child, I admire her tremendously for what she has been willing to see and for the truths that she has been willing to embrace and act upon. If this is where her development stopped it would a huge leap of progression for her family. Every now and then a child is born into a family who is destined to break abusive and harmful family patterns and it's obvious that Dorothy is that for her ancestors and future generations.
I would highly recommend this book. For me, it pushed some buttons regarding partriarchy because I was raised mormon, not in polygamy but in many ways the flavor of my home life paralleled the lives of those that lived "The Principle" as described by Dorothy.

Rosy memories
Ms. Solomon's quest for identity takes half-steps and wears rose-colored glasses. Hers is a unique story for those of us not raised by a religious fundamentalist committed to hierarchy, progeny, and lack of responsibility. She keeps reassuring readers that this man is devoted to love and God, although he ignores the needs of his family to gratify only needs of his own. The fact that his children have to rummage through dumpsters to find food for wives and children while he schemes against polygamist rivals is OK with her. She can't get past "us" against "them," the chosen--this happy little band of outcasts--against the great unwashed. I read the whole story with increasing disappointment. ... Read more

Book Description

Revised and updated edition of the hugely acclaimed document of Dylan's pivotal 1966 Manchester Free Trade Hall show where fans called him Judas for turning his back on folk music in favour of rock 'n' roll. After years of notoriety as the most famous bootleg of them all, the concert recording finally received an official release at the same time as the book's first outing.

"For any fan of Dylan, this is quite simply essential."-Time Out

Reviews (8)

Well researched and insightful
We are often told of how musicians and singers touch their audience with their work. But this book puts that sort of insight into a historical context which is quite compelling. We learn much from oral history and the author's own experience, but the author obviously did more than scholarly homework for this project. There is an authoritative command of the subject matter. I would recommend this book to any Dylan fans or those studying popular culture in general. For better and for worse, Dylan is a historical figure and shaped a generation with his move from folk to pop. His contribution to popular music should not be underestimated. Dr. CP Lee of Salford University gives this subject the serious study it deserves.

Disappointing
For some reason this was a disappointing read. Of course any information about Bob Dylan and especially this concert is great, but the way it's processed in this book is distracting. The best parts are the stories of the people who were there. The least effective were Lee's cultural analyses and song analyses. The more he writes the more he gets further and further away from Bob Dylan, it seems. The music from this show is so great, and deserves better. That those great songs are trod through local cultural suppositions is distasteful. Scrounge around for Eat the Document, listen to the Live 1966 album, leave this book in the dustbin.

Redundant, overpriced, and poorly written
You can buy Bob Dylan's LIVE 1966 in any self-respecting record store, and it comes with liner notes superior to this book.

It used to be like that, now it goes like this...
Well, what have we here? Only the best book yet written about the 1966 Bob Dylan world tour, and by focusing on the crucial Manchester 5/17/66 concert (now officially released), and by providing fascinating background detail surrounding the events leading up to this particular concert, Lee has demonstrated in a very entertaining way the reasons why we should care about Bob Dylan and the direction his music took in the mid 1960s. It's hard to believe now, after listening to the recently released Live 1966 double-CD set, that this music was dismissed as trash and the tour itself considered to be a disaster. In fact, the music created by Dylan and the Hawks at Manchester (and other venues in Europe in 1966) has proven to be more influential and longer lasting than most other contemporary music of the time. 1966 was truly the year that the music changed, and Dylan was there leading the way. C.P. Lee's eyewitness account shows us why music fans still talk about this amazing concert 33 years later.

Lee proves 1966 was Dylan's and rock's quintessential year!
I am a Dylan freak if ever there was one. For numerous reasons, 1966 was my favorite year. Not to have lived through (I was only four) but historically speaking. This was Bob Dylan at the height of his writing and performing powers, most Dylanologists/fans would agree, made even more amazing and controversial for the fact that at this stage of his creative genius, he was barely twenty-five! In addition, BLONDE ON BLONDE was, and still is, my favorite album, and the European tour of said '66 is undoubtedly rock's crucial moment. The songs that threw audiences and journalists into a frenzy that has not yet, to this very day, let up, were mainly from the most famous one-two punch in popular music's short history; HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED and BLONDE ON BLONDE. CP Lee's LIKE THE NIGHT is a book I've been waiting on for twenty years. This is not just an historical account of a moment in history which had enormous impact on music and culture in general, but a recollection from the author and a group of individuals who possess a real passion and heart-felt affinity for a man who became a hero not only for his artistic genius, but as much for his courage. Like so few artists before him, and even fewer after, Dylan spent the better part of two years doing things his way, regardless of how any other soul in the whole world felt about it. This book will entertain you, educate, surprise, and inspire you. It will take you back to a split second in popular music history when it actually mattered what kind of music and what kind of words an artist presented to his public. In 1966, rock and roll was twelve years old, still breast feeding on the teet of its public's expectations. Bob Dylan was perhaps its one-and-only rebel with a monumental cause: artists' rights/poetic license. LIKE THE NIGHT is a crystal clear snapshot from Bob Dylan's march on Manchester and the world of rock and roll. Read this book, and join the march. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Reality-check - read this book
Need a reality check?Feeling sorry for your life?Then read Sorrow Mountain and experience life at it's best and worst.It will lift one out of ordinary existence into the realm of compassion and tolerance.One will begin to experience the essence of the Tibetan region and the mystical struggles of one held prisoner by torturous bandits who tried to steal the Heart of Compassion and failed.Turn off the tv "reality" shows and experience the real-ness of Ani Pachen and her Sorrow Mountain.I guarantee it will become your Sorrow Mountain too.

Inspiring story, beautifully written
I just finished reading this book and didn't want to put it down.The story of Ani Pachen is both horrifying and inspiring, how she against all odds not only survived but kept her faith, battling against her own anger at her captors to try to reach a higher spirit of generosity.The writing of Adelaide Donnelley is gorgeous and poetic, capturing the inner spirit and the mystical beauty of the land in words that lift this book to a high literary level.This book deserves to be widely read over many years. But it!Read it!It will move you.

Two Women of Genius
Sorrow Mountain is both a novel and a woman's life story.As Adelaide Donnelley explains in an afterword, "It is as much narrative as strict biography."Stories of the "life" of Ani Pachen, including her spiritual power to transcend torture and twenty-one years of imprisonment, and to transform destruction into hope, were the BASIS for this remarkable book.Ani Pachen wanted to be a nun, living peacefully and not killing (many Tibetan people have a religious calling); the circumstances of her birth forced her to become a warrior against the Chinese (again, this echoes the history of those of her generation).Captured, imprisoned, and tortured, she preserved her spiritual beliefs and her integrity (again, read the story of many her generation; the difference is that so many did not survive). Ani Pachen survived, made it to Dharamsala, and finally lives a life of meditation and spiritual focus. Thousands of Tibetans have escaped; many of those now live in northern India with His Holiness.The spiritual example they set: certainty of impermanence, compassion, forgiveness, and detachment--works for everyone on the planet.All of this matters.

But there is something more which matters.This book, like the story of its subject, transcends and crosses boundaries:in form, in approach.It is a novel, a spiritual guidebook, a history of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism.The tone is mythic: "My country was once at the roof of the world, a place where the great spirits lived." The tone is cinematic: "In a darkened corner of my mind, a small patch of green appears. I watch it grow brighter, larger, until a vast green meadow stretches out at my feet.The meadow is dotted with clusters of flowers and is treeless, except for a willow or two."The tone is intensely personal, acutely descriptive: in prison, "The lice were so bad that I could see them crawling all over the heads in front of me.So thick I could sweep them off with my hand and not make a difference in their numbers."

The story is woven of dreams, memories, Buddhist teachings, horrors re-lived or imagined, and above all details that give it taste, sound, texture, and breath.As a work of art, it breaks all prior boundaries and should be studied by all writers who ever consider telling life stories--their own or anyone else's.If there is any drawback to the book, it is only that we cannot know what is Ani Pachen's voice and what is Adelaide Donnelley's.A Buddhist would assure us that the illusion of separation is unimportant, temporary, superficial.A Buddhist would tell us that Ani Pachen's story, and Adelaide Donnelley's storytelling genius, have become one voice for all of us.As the editor of another woman's life story, I come to this book to learn.I look back at my work and see how much trouble I took to leave Mpho Nthunya's voice exactly as it was, to be merely a secretary, taking dictation from her.I tried to keep my white privilege and sensibility out of the way of her African experience and her African ways of seeing.I think that was a good thing to do.But I deeply admire the merging of voices in the Pachen/Donnelley collaboration.It is a miracle to read, to study, to learn from.I am deeply grateful for it.

Sorrow Mountain: The Journey of a Tibetan Warrior
Ani Pachen & Adelaide Donnelly(2000), Sorrow Mountain: The Journey of a Tibetan Warrior-Nun, New York:Kodansha International, pp 293.Foreword by the Dalai Lama and preface by Richard Gere.

Some people live lives of such difficulty and suffering that it is hard to imagine how they carry on.Other people live lives in which they inflict so much suffering and difficulty that it is hard to imagine how they carry on.This book is a story of both kinds of lives.

It is primarily the story of Ani Pachen: a Tibetan woman born to a privileged life who lost everything when the Chinese invaded, became a resistance leader, was captured, tortured and endured 21 years of horrific imprisonment.When finally released she took part in protest movements before fleeing to India where she became a nun.

It is also a larger story of the Tibetan people and their Chinese oppressors.Invaded, oppressed, mistreated and murdered, the Tibetan people have endured for almost half a century their own holocaust in which 1 million of their 6 million people have been killed.This book puts a personal face on their suffering.As such it is a moving monument to the courage and forbearance of a person and a people. A moving foreword by the Dalai Lama and an equally moving preface by Richard Gere add further perspectives to the book.As Richard Gere concludes "May this book help to dispel the darkness of this darkest night of Tibetan history and be of benefit to all beings everywhere.May the hearts of our Chinese brothers and sisters be opened and may they quickly come to their senses."

History does repeat itself
Whether it is the plains of frozen Siberia in the Soviet Union or green pastures of Oswiecim in Poland, better (or worse for that matter) known as Aushwitz - history has been brutally repeating itself in the mountainous hights of Tibet in the current decades, outplaying itself right in front of our own opened (or shut) eyes.

This time the Red Chinese yet again dramatize the same vile and satanic scenario - ruthless homicide, destruction of an ancient culture of highest value to the humankind, brutal denial and annihilation of one of the most profound religious creeds of this planet, and thus prove and warn of their continuing disregard for all life.

If there is a difference, and an uplifting one, between the crematoriums of Aushwitz and those exiled who died in Syberia and that of the Tibetan destruction - the Tibetans uniquely defy their oppressors in life and death through their high and most advanced religious beliefs and their practice thereof.

The warrior nun is the most beautiful example of this truth - thanks to her sublime spiritual background and training, as well as a lifelong following of the holy example of lamas and gurus of her indomitable nation - she does have the truths of reincarnation and karma not only in her vocabulary but first of all in the deepest depths of her heart.

Such spiritual aristocracy is supremely prepared to face satanic oppressors with the legendary Chinese torturous twist. She has the unique mental and spiritual wherewithal to be able to suffer, survive and conquer. She has the body, sustained through her happy childhood on the best diets of the advanced eastern adepts, and the mind trained to perfection by the Buddhic practices of her holy faith, to be able to come out of the 21 years of the Communist hell and continue her life and service to the cause of freedom at the feet of the Dalai Lama in his (and hers) forced exile in India.

This book is a must reading for all informed and open-eyed Western readers - those who see the signs of the times and wish to do something about the probability, if not possibility, of the Tibetan scenario repeating itself in the West. Beware of the complacency and comfortability of our times - Ani Pachen, though raised according to the highest aristocratic lifestyle of her beloved Tibet - was never spoiled, indulged in or undisciplined but otherwise supremely prepared to face the challenge. And she did, victoriously.

Would you? . . . ... Read more

Book Description

Matching folio to Dylan’s 2001 album featuring 12 songs. Arranged for Piano, Vocal and Guitar. Songs include Mississippi, Po’ Boy, Sugar Baby and more. ... Read more

Book Description

He was told Mickey would never work-a giant mouse on the screen would terrify women! Fascinating Walt Disney tells the thrilling tales behind virtually all of Walt's most famous creations. You'll hear how Disney dramatically acted the story of Snow White in front of a tough-minded banker to raise the money he needed to complete the 1937 picture. Discover the surprising story behind the creation of Mickey Mouse and the huge emotional price Walt paid to have a character he could call his own. And find out the real story of Disneyland which he built despite the fact that Fantasia, Pinocchio and Bambi all failed in their first releases.

Fully orchestrated bac