Book Description

A collaborative effort of Christian scholar Lewis Baldwin and Muslim scholar Amiri Al-Hadid, Between Cross and Crescent details the interconnections between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.: their faith claims, their perspectives on culture, and their visions of the ideal society and world. The authors reject two common tendencies: to reduce Malcolm and Martin to "misguided, angry Muslim imam" and "gentle, harmless Christian preacher" and to treat the two men as polar opposites. The result is the most comprehensive and detailed work in print about the two leaders and the first to bring together a Muslim and a Christian scholar in dialogue about their relationship to such significant issues. Particularly original are the insights into how Martin and Malcolm viewed each other, family and children, and women (an entire chapter is devoted to the "character of womanhood"). "Al-Qur'an and Sunnah" offers a new and creative interpretation of Malik El-Shabazz as a Sunni Muslim and statesman. Of special importance is the skillful delineation of the historical and cultural forces underpinning the two leaders' religious and cultural perspectives--not the least being their common roots in traditions based in the American South. The authors also turn a careful scholar's eye to their perspectives on religion, interfaith dialogue, and the relationship between the African-American struggle and global liberation movements. There is no more detailed resource about the relationship between Martin King and Malcolm X. The depth of scholarship in this volume extends even to the extraordinary amount of information relegated to footnotes, themselves a gold mine of documentation for all readers interested in the interface between faith claims, politics, and social and cultural transformation. A collaborative effort of Christian scholar Lewis Baldwin and Muslim scholar Amiri Al-Hadid, Between Cross and Crescent details the interconnections between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.: their faith claims, their perspectives on culture, and their visions of the ideal society and world. The authors reject two common tendencies: to reduce Malcolm and Martin to "misguided, angry Muslim imam" and "gentle, harmless Christian preacher" and to treat the two men as polar opposites. The result is the most comprehensive and detailed work in print about the two leaders and the first to bring together a Muslim and a Christian scholar in dialogue about their relationship to such significant issues. Particularly original are the insights into how Martin and Malcolm viewed each other, family and children, and women (an entire chapter is devoted to the "character of womanhood"). "Al-Qur'an and Sunnah" offers a new and creative interpretation of Malik El-Shabazz as a Sunni Muslim and statesman. Of special importance is the skillful delineation of the historical and cultural forces underpinning the two leaders' religious and cultural perspectives--not the least being their common roots in traditions based in the American South. The authors also turn a careful scholar's eye to their perspectives on religion, interfaith dialogue, and the relationship between the African-American struggle and global liberation movements. There is no more detailed resource about the relationship between Martin King and Malcolm X. The depth of scholarship in this volume extends even to the extraordinary amount of information relegated to footnotes, themselves a gold mine of documentation for all readers interested in the interface between faith claims, politics, and social and cultural transformation. ... Read more

Book Description

This three-volume work constitutes a comprehensive scholarly edition of the correspondence of the English economist, Alfred Marshall (1842-1924), one of the leading figures in the development of economics and the founder of the Cambridge School of Economics.The edition fills a long- standing gap in the history of economic thought and contains hitherto unpublished material.Notable for their frankness and spontaneity, Marshall's letters provide much new information about his views on economic, social and political issues, his struggles to promote the teaching of economics at the University of Cambridge, and his relations with colleagues there and elsewhere. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Questionable... Read with a grain of salt.
Ted Jordan may have been, as he claims, the most important man in Marilyn's life.However, he offers very little supporting evidence of this.He tells many interesting stories about Marilyn, and what it was like to make love to her.However, when it comes to illustrating the woman herself, he is somewhat less than generous.According to him, she had absolutely no talent.This is something that anyone who has ever seen Bus Stop or The Misfits knows to be false.Perhaps she did sleep her way to the top, as so many of her generation did.I cannot deny or affirm this.All I know is, for someone who claims to have been Marilyn's best friend, Jordan has not been particularly generous.On the back of the book, he promises a catalogue of Marilyn's strengths and weaknesses.I see plenty of praise, but only in the form of Marilyn's body and sexual prowess.This is not exactly new information.He also attests that Marilyn despised hard work and refused to go to any classes, which is completely against fact.He completely ignores one of the saddest parts of Marilyn's existence; her desire to be a real actress, and her fear that the world was laughing at ehr for her sexuality.She stopped doing films for a period to attend public acting classes, which Jordan makes absolutely no mention of.Jordan seems more concerned with expressing how, if Marilyn had only listened to him in every respect, all would have been better.The book is an expanded outlet for gossip and self-exaltation.What truth may be in it seems slanted.Read with caution, if you must read.

Truth and Love
I was deeply moved by this book and would like to thank the author somehow for 'putting it all out there'. Behind every great man is a great woman. Thanks Ted!

Norma Jean: MySecret Life With Marilyn Monroe
I have read this book when it first came out. As I know Ted Jordan (Eddie Friedman) He was a great guy, his father was the brother of Ted Lewis.Knowing he was acting in Hollywood during the period of time in the book, I do not doubt the verasity of the book. I think it is well written, and my wife and I both enjoyed it. We feel that the wild "goings on" back in those Hollywood days are well documented in Ted's book.

an unkind portrayal
This particular biography of Marilyn Monroe sometimes seems plausible in dialogue and description, but a few of the events seem exaggerated and contrived.Ted Jordan is another person who claims to have been Marilyn's lover, secret boyfriend, and confidant throughout her entire career.I can't help comparing it to Robert Slatzer's_The Mysterious Death of Marilyn Monroe_ because he claims EXACTLY the same things in his book, portraying himself as the most important person in her life with even less corroboration than Ted provides.In fact, the two books often directly contradict each other.For example, Bob claims that Marilyn had no interest in finding her father because she knew him to be her mother's former husband Ed Mortenson, who died in a motorcycle accident; Ted writes that Marilyn (or Norma Jean, as he calls her all the way through-- without the "e") knew the identity of her father to be her mother's co-worker, C. Stanley Gifford. Both men say they knew her so well... is one or both of them lying?(I think it is more likely to be Bob Slatzer who is lying, as his book reads as one long fantasy that he created in his head. ) And if about that, what else?_My Secret Life_ makes a lot of outrageous claims, including Marilyn having a lesbian affair with his stripper wife, Marilyn aborting their baby, and Marilyn calling him on the night of her death.The uncomfortable thing to me is how Jordan portrays her as a horribly ambitious, mentally ill prostitute, repeating several times that she had no talent and used everyone to get what she wanted.Maybe some of that is true, but in a book such as this one (as well as _The Mysterious Death of_), the reader never knows WHAT to believe.

Phony baloney
I don't believe a word of this book. Ted Jordan "claims" to be close to MM but he offers no supporting evidence. He even claims to own MM's diary, but he offers no proof. Unfortunately, when a star such as Marilyn dies, many unknowns get on the bandwagon to make a quick buck. Don't waste your money or time. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Vincent - An Early 20th Century Poet Defined
This portrayal of Edna St. Vincent Millay is not only a solid biography, but a finely crafted novel in itself.Bringing you through her artistically bohemian childhood through to her wildly aware college years and beyond, this is a book filled with a most vivid depiction of the poet's life while attempting to recreate her views of growing up on the east coast in Penobscot and attending school at Vassar.I would suggest it to anyone who enjoys biographies, literature, Millay's work, or early 20th century history. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The affirmation of blackness: The life & words of Malcolm X
Jack Slater begins his book on "Malcolm X" for the Cornerstones of Freedom series by letting the black leader explain in his own words his message to African-American young people.One of the strengths of this juvenile biography of Malcolm X is that Slater quotes his subject as often as possible, not only on the major events in his life but his views on race in the United States.This book covers how the Malcolm Little ended up in prison and was transformed into Malcolm X, Minister of the Nation of Islam.However, while it does underscore the differences between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., I think it underplays the causes of the break between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad.Malcolm X's pilgrimage to Mecca is covered in some detail, as is his assassination.So while the book may not be as clear on some of the issues as other juvenile biographies, it does make excellent use of Malcolm X's own words.As Slater says in the author's note: "While he lived, Malcolm X's influence was broad.In death, his influence is beyond measure."I have found the Cornerstones of Freedom series to be an exceptional source for additional information on important historical topics that goes well beyond what students (and teachers) are likely to find in standard American History textbooks. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Nelson Mandela walks the long road to freedom
"Peaceful Protest: The Life of Nelson Mandela" is a collaboration between folk artist Malcah Zeldis and her daughter, author Yona Zeldis McDonough. Of course Mandela is one of the most respected figures of the last twenty years, having been a "prisoner of conscience" in South Africa from 1963 to 1990 before being released and becoming the first black president of the democratic Republic of South Africa. For his dedication to a peaceful solution to the apartheid policy of his native land, Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize. This biography for younger readers covers Mandela's entire life, from the childhood when Buti Mandela was given the name "Nelson" by a schoolteacher to his retirement from public life in 1999. Arrested for his anti-apartheid beliefs and activities, Mandela was offered his freedom if he would leave the country, a condition which he refused. When Mandela became South Africa's first elected black leader he was committed to true democratic ideals rather than simply reversing his country's policy of apartheid. Throughout the book the focus on Mandela's life does reflect the title's idea of "Peaceful Protest."

The biography is both informative and respectful, although it does gloss over some of the problems in Mandela's life; his divorce is mentioned in a chronology of his life appearing in the back of the book, but there is no explanation offered. The artwork by Zeldis is quite colorful and done in the primitive style of folk art. I agree with the comment that providing the characters with different colored noses (Mandela's is orange) at the very least looks quite strange. The fact that not all of the white characters appear with different colored noses (usually reddish when they do) does bring up some troubling questions, but my concern is that this artistic distinctiveness makes the blacks in these paintings look less than human. However, that idea is most difficult to reconcile with the book's text. Then again, maybe young kids will not bat at eye at this artwork and see it as similar to something they themselves might do. In that case the worst thing that might happen is that it causes a spirited class discussion or an interesting talk between parent and child. For now I will give the artist the benefit of the doubt and resolve my judgment in favor of the text. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Interesting and easily readable, but quite dated now.
I am rather surprised to be the first person to review this book, since Donald Creighton's biography of John A. Macdonald is considered a classic in Canadian history.The book was first published in two parts, in 1952and 1955, and both parts won the Governor General's award for these twoyears.At that time its topic was relatively new, since there had beenonly a few detailed biographies on Macdonald written in the half centurybefore Creighton's (such as the one written by sir Joseph Pope, Macdonald'sliterary executor, who had at that time control over Macdonald's papers --which were donated to the Public Archives of Canada in 1917) and even fewerbooks on the great politician have been written since Creighton's.Butwith all this new wealth of information now available to historians,Creighton was able to shed new light upon this famous Canadianstatesman.

But Creighton's book is more than a conventional biography. It tries to make history come to life.Indeed, Creighton wrote Macdonald'sbiography in the shape of a novel, which means that the only quotations inthe book are either from newspaper articles or from letters written by, to,or about John A. Macdonald.No secondary work is quoted in the entirebook, even though it appears that Creighton read extensively on the subjectbefore writing his book.The book includes endnotes, but it does not readlike a conventional history book.The novel-like approach used byCreighton makes the book a pleasure to read.Creighton succeeds in makingCanadian history interesting.

However, Creighton's book is alsorepresentative of its time, and representative of Creighton's personalbeliefs.Creighton, who died in 1979, was known as a Canadian nationalistwith strong anti-American tendencies.His choice of John A. Macdonald as asubject rather than, for example, William Lyon MacKenzie King (anotherfamous Canadian Prime Minister), might be explained by the fact thatMacdonald was himself a nationalist.Macdonald once declared: "ABritish subject I was born, a British subject I will die," and hisfamous National Policy, which favoured the development of the Canadian Westand which introduced high tariffs on American goods, is still considered asone of the most nationalistic policies ever applied in Canada.Creighton,therefore, chose Macdonald as topic because of the similarities betweentheir political positions.Therefore, Creighton is sympathetic toMacdonald throughout the book. Creighton's position regardingFrench-Canadian nationalism and Quebec separatism (he saw them asdisruptive elements that weakened his beloved Canada against the UnitedStates) also had an impact on how the book was written, which isparticularly evident when he writes about the two Metis rebellions in arather unsympathetic way.

Also, the novel-like type of writing does havea disadvantage: it only allows the reader to know a single view onMacdonald.Historical books written in the conventional manner ofteninclude different positions on a single event, but in the case ofCreighton's book, the narrative strength of the novel simply cannot includemore than one version, since the sweeping narrative would otherwise bebroken up by different views, and the book could consequently lose all ofits appeal.

In summary, because the book has a clear bias in favour ofMacdonald, and because it has not aged well (this style of writing is notused anymore by historians, because of the limitations it creates, thesacrifice of impartiality in favour of a continuous narrative form), Ibelieve it does not deserve a full mark.On the other side, Creighton'sbook is interesting to read as an example of the historical research methodof its time.And I must also admire Creighton's skill for making historycome to life.We must thank him for his use of a writing style that makesCanadian history accessible to the larger public.And the caricatures bythe Canadian cartoonist Bengough, that are present throughout the book, arean extra treat. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Incomplete Last (kind of) Sitting
The difference between Stern's Last Sitting and Complete Last Sitting is the inclusion (in the latter volume) of recently restored proofs, the majority of the session, that Monroe herself had rejected- destroyed with pin and permanent marker, with "x"s to her face.

The Barris book (truly the last photo session)is a skinny volume, mainly composed of similar shots of Marilyn at the beach in her mexican sweater. It's also inferior to Stern's due to the dubiously "remembered" confessions that fill almost every page, information that turns out to be common knowlege.

If it's' a massive, intimate super-fan's only photography book, spend the extra $ on the Complete Last Sitting... and enjoy!

A mixed bag
I have owned this book for many years and don't really know the difference between this book and Bert Stern's other listed book, "The Complete Last Sitting." When I bought this book, I considered this one of the best on MM, but now it seems a bit ghoulish because Stern published pictures that MM had rejected. She had even used a pin to destroy the negatives, but Stern published them anyway. In hindsight, this is disrespectful to MM. He even publishes a photo of MM dropping her scarf, looking nude and very vulnerable. He also calls this sitting MM's last sitting. However, she posed for George Barris a couple of weeks after Stern's sitting, making Stern's allegation untrue. More importantly, Stern really doesn't get to know her at all so his "insights" are superficial. However, if you love MM (as I do) and can ignore these defiencies, you will enjoy this book. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Finally the truth about Marilyn Monroe's family
This is a very enjoyable book. I'm so glad Berniece Miracle finally came out with the book with help from daughter Mona. The photos are wonderful, as you watch the transition from Norma Jeane to Marilyn, get to see her wedding photo to Jim Dougherty and hear words of Joe DiMaggio and learn some of the insides of Hollywood as Marilyn shared them with her sister.

Sadly, the book also describes how Berniece was hounded by the press and had a hard time leading a "normal" life. No privacy. I was hoping the book would give more insight into Marilyn's death, but Berniece and Mona are as much in the dark as anyone. Interesting is the denial of any relationship with President John F. Kennedy or brother Bobby. That seems to be a given in most books about Marilyn. However, if you read between the lines here, Marilyn doesn't deny a relationship, she just smiles when Berniece asks and says "they're just boys." There could be a lot Marilyn doesn't share with her sister!

But what comes shining through in this book is how loving and lovable Marilyn was, and how much she was loved by her sister. The idea of a mentally ill mother explains a lot of things, like Marilyn's obvious depression. The sisters not even knowing about each other until Marilyn was 12 and Berniece 19 is sad, but at least they had each other through the rest of Marilyn's life.

This is a lovely book, beautifully written, tragic as it must have been. It shows Marilyn as more of the earthy woman her family knew, which is a refreshing perspective from other Marilyn Monroe biographies!

Not at My sister Marilyn's house today,I have a modem again
Ok I admit it Im weird...now onto the review...

So many biographies have been written about MARILYN but if you are interested in reading one by a person who knew and loved her,I'd suggest this one.Written by marilyn's half-sister and neice(Berniece and Mona Rae),this doco-with never-seen-before photos of Norma Jeane,reveals a nice young girl who loved children and dogs.Anyone who likes dogs is ok with me.It also appears that the belief that Marilyn was promiscuous may be debatable.Although,Berniece did seem determined to keep her beloved sister on a pedastal,even going so far as to say that MArilyn was always pleasant on set whereas we know that isn't true.
Berniece revealed also that Marilyn was never in an orphanage(except as a baby)and was never in foster care.She lived with a few different families,all of whom were related to her or knew her mother.Her life WAS sad and disturbing,but she wasn't shuttled around even close to as much as has been believed.According to Berniece,and I don't see the reason why Berniece would lie in this instance.However it is true that her mother was severely ill with schizophrenia and that Marilyn was fatherless.The book is written a little like a novel,Berniece and Mona Rae exercising just one of the talents that abound in the bloodline they share with Marilyn.I wish Marilyn had written even one book of her own,a novel,an autobiography,it wouldn't matter.But I know she could write and it would be cool if there was something.Overall it is a very interesting book and the photos reveal that,at least in my opinion,Marilyn was more stunning with dark hair than with blonde.It also tells us about a sweet girl with a good heart.

Well written and insightful
I recommend this book to anyone vaguely interested in Marilyn Monroe, not merely the die-hard fan. I do not fall into that category, , but am aware of her enduring presence as an icon. This book lived up to its intriguing promise of providing ANOTHER viewpoint about Marilyn – other than the myriad biographies which have been about Marilyn by ‘outsiders’ and those enriching themselves on the proceeds.

This is very much the biography of Norma Jean Baker as she came to be known by her sister.

The picture of ‘private Marilyn’ depicted here does an enormous amount to restore Marilyn’s humanity, her connection with her family and peers, the person behind the impenetrable Goddess Icon that she has become in the decades since her death. This is the uncommodified, unexploited Marilyn, a person who loved and was loved. It’s a great corrective to the hagiographic or shallow tendencies of most Marilyn-abilia and I thoroughly recommend it.

Short On Scandal, Long On Genetic Sensitivity
Please buy this book instead of one written by someone who didn't know Marilyn...

Berneice Miracle was Marilyn's half-sister. They shared the same mother, a fitfully employed lab worker at a Hollywood studio during the silent film era. When Marilyn aka Norma Jeane was seven and didn't know Berneice existed, their mother bought a house in Los Angeles, a daring move for a divorced woman at the height of the Great Depression. But Mom became mentally ill a few months later and spent the next fifty years as a revolving door mental patient and old-folks-home resident.

Berneice's father seems to have been a stable man who abandoned the liberal lifestyle of California for the Kentucky of 1926, a different planet. Whoever Marilyn's father was never claimed her as his daughter unless you count a phone call that C. Stanley Gifford supposedly made to her out-of-the-blue a year before she died. Even if Gifford was a dishonest stalker, we still know Marilyn's real father kept quiet, likely out of guilt and sensitivity.

That point brings me to Berneice. While she adds little to her half-sister's previously documented fights with Twentieth Century Fox, Arthur Miller and Patricia Newcomb, she nonetheless shares her sisterly information with sensitivity. Possibly without meaning to, Berneice demonstrates that Marilyn's amazing sensitivity, a requirement for all the artists who share her degree of fame (Billie Holiday, Georgia O'Keeffe, Elvis, Andy Kaufman, etc), ran in the family. The reader experiences Berneice's thin skin in every sentence. The reader witnesses mother Gladys' fragility overpower her, shattering her dream of becoming the new Norma Talmadge (the silent film star after whom Gladys named Norma Jeane). The silence of Marilyn's father echoes with meaning throughout this and other books.

I will close by segueing to the money issue. If you assume Berneice inherited big bucks and she hates everyone who profited from her half-sister's death, then remember the old saying about what you do when you [assume]. The abundant love in Marilyn came through when she made major provisions for Berneice in her will, but the suddenness of her death and the huge debts of her Estate blocked Berneice from getting a penny for fifteen years.

During that time Norman Mailer famously made money from a sloppy investigation into the Kennedy brothers sleeping with and killing Marilyn mixed with a pseudointellectual portrait of his beloved stranger as "the Stradivarius of sex." Mailer's attitude didn't exactly thrill Berneice, but she still wanted very much to know how her sister had died. She had no money to hire a private investigator. To this day Berneice harbors suspicions of foul play. If she, with her genetic sensitivity in the same league as Marilyn's, entertains these thoughts, then a lot more people should. Not just nerdy JFK researchers.

Please buy this book. Berneice, born in 1919 and alive as of this writing, deserves a little money and empathy. As Arthur Miller wrote in "Death Of A Salesman," "attention must be paid to such a [person]." If Berneice's grandchildren are out there reading this, please give her my love. If things sometimes stretch her or you to the breaking point, please remember the love.

different
the book was okay but I don't think Marilyn and Berniece were that close so there wasn't a lot of information through Marilyn's point of view but it a lot better than some stranger that Marilyn didn't even explioting her.There are some personal information that only Berniece would know so that's what makes it unquic. ... Read more

Amazon.com

An incredibly compelling fictional biography of one of America's most familiar icons, Marilyn Monroe. Kathryn Hyatt, in telling this story in the comics medium, creates an atmosphere not possible in a prose biography. Here Marilyn speaks for herself--to her psychoanalyst, to a reporter--and ultimately to the reader of this book. Beginning where her unstable mother leaves off, Marilyn begins to dream of fame in early childhood. The reader follows Monroe's rise to stardom, progressing through the lower depths of Hollywood into the hard realities of stardom. Seen through the prism of Marilyn's inner world, her achievements and failures take on a new complexity and poignancy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Just when you thought you knew everything...
You know how someone says of a book "I couldn't put it down"? Sometimes it's hyperbole, and sometimes they're talking about this book. After all the tell-all books and the innumerable tv movies and mini-series, this simple comic book manages to capture something new of Marilyn/Norma Jean Baker. Her soul. ... Read more

Book Description

A loving look at the life of the best selling author of Anne of Green Gables by people who knew and loved her. Not only does this book uncover fascinating sides of the author and provide fresh anecdotes, but it includes many photos that are published for the first time. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Maud Montgomery Comes to Life!
Where to begin? Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote one of my favorite books, "Anne of Green Gables". A book that inspired many lovely childhood dreams. The dreams became a reality when I went to Prince Edward Island in 1998 - Searching for Anne, Green Gables and all the magic of LM Montgomery!

While on the Island I bought a number of books and visited many Anne related sites. All of this made me want more! The other books I read were well written and informative; but, this book about Maud by Alexandra Heilbron grabbed my attention from the very first page. I enjoyed her question and answer approach. This way we got the actual thoughts and feeling of the people she interviews. We did not get the authors (AH) thoughts and feelings on LMM. Once I started reading it was very hard to put down.

I like the fact that Alexandra Heilbron actually went to the Island to do her interviews ; it provided such authenticity to her writing. To actually show pictures of the people she interviewed was something new. And, there were new LMM pictures , a delight to see; when so many other publications use the same photos over and over again.

Towards the back of the book there are examples of some of Maud's ( she preferred being called "Maud") poetry. Charming. There are reviews of Maud's work written at the time of her books publication. There is even a published review that Maud did herself about writing and other authors! As I said, I found it hard to put this book down.

It is obvious from the way the book was written that the author (AH) is well acquainted with her material, many small details add to the charm of the book. I like the physical size of it, too. Large, soft covered and easy to hold when reading.

On a scale of 1 to 10; I give it a 9 1/2. Why not a 10? Because if I give it the highest mark, Ms. Heilbron might not write another LMM book. I sincerely hope she does, this one was a delight! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Marilyn would be turning in her grave if she read this book!
Yet another book by authorswho are utterly unfamiliar with theirsubject. With all the great books on Monroe out there, why, oh why doauthors with absolutely no intimate knowledge of Marilyn keep turning outthis drivel? I recommend that you don't waste your time or money on THISone!The pictures are rehashed oldies that we've all seen a million timesbefore, and so are the stories. Poor Marilyn, will they ever let you restin peace and stop inventing new insanities about you? ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Book
Thurgood Marshall was a remarkable man and his contributions are equally remarkable. Although he was handed the baton by other leaders of the NAACP, he ran just as fast as they and achieved much more. I liked reading this book largely because I am a future lawyer and am interested in this sort of thing. This book was also written by lawyers and the quality of writing is a bit dull. However, if you are into reading this sort of book, I do recommend giving it a shot. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The story of Beethoven's music in the context of his world
One of the inherent problems with juvenile biographies of famous composers like Ludwig van Beethoven is that you only get to read about great music, you do not get to listen to it unless you happen to have a CD handy of the composer's greatest hits (although I am sure there are some books out there that come with their own CD that is cued to the text, which, it goes without saying, is a great idea). Wendy Thompson finds a way of dealing with this problem by including extracts from some of Beethoven's most famous works--the Third, Fifth, and Ninth symphonies, the "Emperor" piano concerto, and the "Moonlight" sonata--in simple keyboard arrangements. Of course, you need to have a piano nearby instead of a CD player, but you still have to appreciate the effort.

Thompson not only tells the biographical details of Beethoven's life, but she puts his music in historical context as well, presenting it as reflecting the Age of Revolution with its violence, passion, struggle, and upheaval, as well as the quest for personal and spiritual fulfillment, of those times. This explains why the inside front cover has a map of the Napoleonic Wars. The book is also illustrated with lots of historic etching and paintings. But the more important part is that Thompson takes pains to talk about the uniqueness and importance of Beethoven's key musical pieces. This is important to me because beyond the biographical details of where he lived, and what he wrote, and who he ticked off, I am most interested in being able to better appreciation Beethoven's music. Therefore I like an above average dose of music appreciation in such books. This Thompson provides, all within the context of Beethoven's world. This book is for students age 12 and up and is certainly one of the more analytical juvenile biographies of Beethoven out there. ... Read more

Book Description

First published in 1936 ... Read more

Amazon.com

The first white man to cross North America, Scottish-born Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820) was typical of his generation of explorers: this bold adventurer who surveyed the untamed wilderness with impressive accuracy was also a hardheaded businessman who ventured into unknown Canadian territory in search of profits from fur trading. Canadian historian Barry Gough admires Mackenzie's toughness and daring without glossing over the towering ego and knack for self-promotion that won him a knighthood from England in 1802. First Across the Continent is another enjoyable entry in the University of Oklahoma's WesternBiographies series. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Factual narrative
Pretty good book.Gives a rather matter-of-fact account of MacKenzie's life.Not alot of detail or passion in either of his 2 great voyages.Interesting in all the other people brought into the story.Now I want toread about Peter Pond, MacKenzies' predecessor.Short and a quick read. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A POIGNANT STORY OF A TRAGIC ACTRESS
I originally read this book when I was 12 years old. I loved it then and I definitely love it now. The book is a very tender and poignant book about Marilyn Monroe. I was pleasantly surprised because so many books make her out to be so sleazy. The book is easy and fast to read. I liked that he included little poems that she wrote. The book shows a woman who was much more than that sex symbol. It shows her as a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. The author tells one story about how Marilyn was so gentle with his daughter. The book is definitely written by someone who really cared about her. If you are a fan of Marilyn Monroe, you will definitely love this book. Forget about all of those other bios read this one first. Some Marilyn bios I would definitely not reccommend are by Lena Pepitone, Norman Mailer, Donald Spoto, and Gloria Steinem UGH!! Norman Rosten's loving tribute to Marilyn Monroe is the best! I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so glad that I rediscovered it.

Through the Eyes of a Friend
"Help I feel life coming closer, when all I want to do is to die," is part of a poem written by Marilyn Monroe that begins this book, written by a close friend. Never could a statement be more true of Monroe, for people who knew her say she wasn't happy with her stardom and wanted just a simple life. She wanted a happy marriage and a baby. She took numerous medications and overdosed a couple of times unsuccessfully in her life -- but most people who knew her say these were accidents, and that she knew her medications well enough not to take too many.

It appears to readers of books on her life that although she was a fairly suicidal person, she really didn't want to die. She just wanted to live a different life than she lived.

This book is a very fast read and a very interesting perspective. The author definitely believes Marilyn meant to kill herself, despite all the hype and investigations into her death.

Marilyn, with her depressions and moodiness, was probably very difficult to understand for someone who hasn't been there. On the outside looking in, it DOES appear that her death was by her own hand. But other accounts show Marilyn to be at the best health and close to being very happy when she died.

Anyone interested in Marilyn should read this book. ... Read more