Book Description

This digital document is an article from Children's Digest, published by Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc. on January 1, 1996. The length of the article is 959 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Tiger Woods.(golfer)
Author: Judith P. Josephson
Publication: Children's Digest (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 1996
Publisher: Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc.
Volume: v46Issue: n1Page: p24(4)

Article Type: Biography

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Amazon.com

"If we were killed, at least we had done everything in our power to bring help to our shipmates. Shackleton was right. Our chance was a very small one indeed, but it was up to us to take it."

The voyage of HMS Endurance is legendary in the annals of polar exploration. In August 1914 the ship set sail for Antarctica, where she became trapped in the pack ice and eventually sank. The last of her stranded men were not rescued until August 30, 1916. Originally published in 1931, this tale by F.A. Worsley, captain of the Endurance, captures all the tension of the doomed expedition. Written in the first person, Worsley's prose makes you feel as if you were struggling alongside him as he watches two icebergs plowing their way through the pack ice toward their camp; desperately slides down an icy mountainside in pitch darkness, traveling some 3,000 feet in less than three minutes; and wrestles with the admiralty bureaucracy when trying to rescue the remainder of the crew. His relief is palpable when, after a series of setbacks, triumphs, and narrowly avoided disasters, all hands survive the two arduous years.

While this book is filled with adventures, its real strength is the highly affectionate portrait of Sir Ernest Shackleton, leader of the expedition to cross Antarctica, by his "good old Skipper." In Worsley's words, Shackleton "did the most dangerous things but did them in the safest way"--and his leadership and careful planning saved the lives of his men. Patrick O'Brian, author of the popular Aubrey-Maturin saga of the 19th-century English navy, has written a new introduction for this edition. Worsley's tale of survival against all odds will thrill sea dogs and landlubbers alike. --C.B. Delaney ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Overcoming the odds
Without a doubt the best adventure book I've ever read. I found myself reading section after section of this incredible story out loud to my wife. Part of the reason this particular book is so compelling is that it is written by the Captain of the Endurance and not someone removed from this epic by decades of perspective. A truly inspiring story.

An almost unbelievable story of courage and perseverance!
You'll be embarassed to read this fantastic story of tremendous hardship and longsuffering hope as you sit in the comfort of your favorite chair or curled up under the covers in your bed. What a great accomplishment for these adventurers! How tough these men were! What a different era that was not so long ago!

I cannot imagine how they made it through the mess they were in. How is it possible to survive in perpetual cold and wet? The length of time they lived in the various components of this adventure, the amazing visual perspective and the power of nature at her worst which they experienced, and the strength of character and courage all these men exhibited combines to make a most inspiring tale --and it is all true!

I have always been attraced to artworks from that time that depict the frozen parts of the earth. Specifically, Frederick Church's painting of "The Icebergs", "The Aurora Borealis", and many other paintings of ships, ice, and wrecks by a variety of artists, as well as stories of exploration which have influenced me since my youth. Worsley's account of the Endurance has been a remarkable journey for me as well.

Skip the preface and foreward which give too much away --but read this book if you have any spirit of adventure within you! Prepare to be astounded at what we can do, at least what some of us can do when the need arises.

Jack Anglin

Excellent Chapter on Survival and Will
I read this book because I had a passing interest in the story of the doomed ship. What I found was a great tale of will and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. This book sparked my interest in polar exploration and the explorers. Shackleton's story is a great one that should be read by anyone with an interest in Man's triumph over nature.

Note, the reader should have some prior background of the Endurance, since the book starts with the ships destruction.

6 Stars - Incredible strory, A Great Book
An absolutely unbelievable expedition and survival story. Cleary the greatest exploration of all times. Fantastic and gripping description of the hardship that the Endurance crew of 28 men had to face for one year in the harshest terrian in the world.

There are many books written on the epic voyage of Edurance. This one written by F A Worsley, the captain of the ship, who was constantly by Shackelton's side is definitely a thorough description of the entire journey, their troubles, their struggle, their joys and hope thru the voyage.

A must read for everyone. especially those interested in adventure travel, exploration and expeditions.

Also a great book on leadership lessons.

The Captain was also a great writer
Captain Worsley was not only one of Shackleton's right-hand men and experienced each part of this incredable adventure, he was a fantastic writer. He has captured all of the special moments in his detailed accounting. All readers will "re-live" the entire Endurance narration as I did. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A TIGER IN THE TANK!
Macnow, who is a popular radio personality in Philadelphia, captures the amazing life of golf great Tiger Woods. Written with children in mind, this book is an intelligent and complete account of the rise of an American sports legend. I found Macnow's insight as refreshing as any adult-oriented book on the same subject. Fore! ... Read more

Book Description

Frank Sinatra forever altered American art and culture. His life and work is mythified in countless books and essays. This book offers a much-needed fresh approach to The Chairman of the Board. Artists from all varieties of media have used Sinatra to create their own works and, in many cases, their own Sinatras--his shadow, his aura, and his mere existence helped to inform the lives and works of generations. Gigliotti's study is an unusual and fascinating look at the influence of a major American figure. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Few things are more fun than reading a book from a writer who's got an ax to grind, an unhidden bias and an argument as sharp as his blade. John Feinstein, who is as prolific and authoritative as any sportswriter sharpening a, uh, pencil these days, takes a breather from the usual in-depth reportage of big books such as A March to Madness and A Civil War to tee off on Team Tiger in what is essentially a long magazine essay stuffed between book covers. The First Coming may be short, but like a wily par 3, it's loaded.

Feinstein makes this clear from the get-go: he is awed by what Tiger Woods can do with a golf club, and he detests the way money rules sports. Thus, his beef isn't with the phenom of the fairways, regardless of how surly and capricious and self-inflated he can be; it's with Tiger's entourage--his father (who's likened the son to the Second Coming), his management company, and his endorsement sponsors, all of whom seem bent on extracting every pound of flesh they can in pursuit of the almighty dollar. In Tiger's case, the number comes to a very dividable stack of about 100 million of them. Feinstein declares a holy war on Tiger's team. The journalist is extremely tough on Earl Woods, for example, comparing him to one-time tennis hopeful Jennifer Capriati's father. He argues convincingly that, with Tiger's financial den secure, the golfer should forget about burning himself out by chasing every cent he can rake in for them and take dead aim on only one target for himself: the majesty of chasing Jack Nicklaus's seemingly unsurpassable achievement of 18 major tournament victories.

"The most important question that remains unanswered," writes Feinstein, "is this: Who is Tiger Woods? He's not the messiah, that's for certain." At this stage in his life and career, though, the positive side of that answer remains hidden in the rough, even for a scribe of Feinstein's provocative daring. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

AN AXE TO GRIND
Of all of the Tiger Woods books that have been written this one is the worst I have encountered. Why? Instead of giving a thought provoking analysis of Tiger Woods as a player and his personal impact upon the sporting world, you end up reading a personal vendetta that the author has against Team Tiger.

John Feinstein starts out with the question of who is Tiger Woods and then proceeds to break the myths surrounding the personality. There isn't anything wrong with breaking myths except Feinstein has nothing good to say about Tiger (except for his game). He accuses Earl Woods of exploiting his famous son, he castigates IMG for being Tiger's management agency, and shows his hatred for Tiger's agent, Hughes Norton. He paints a portrait of Tiger being immature, greedy and totally insensitive to his fans. If that is the case, why bother slapping together a work dealing with the greatest player in the golf world?

In all fairness to the author, he does expose Tiger for what he was at the time; a young immature player who makes mistakes. He also shows the myths that the media have perpetuated about the young man. He also points out how greedy sponsors and management agencies can ruin the careers of young players. That is good information in understanding Tiger Woods the icon but says little about him as a person.

What is lacking in the book is Feinstein not really knowing Tiger personally. His diatribes against the player and his cohorts have prevented him from getting to know the other side of the young man who will make a great contribution to golf. Feinstein is caught up in an axe to grind against Tiger's handlers and misses the champion. You don't gain any insight from his musings. If you are a Tiger fan and want to collect books about him regardless of what is said about Tiger by all means pick up a copy. Otherwise leave it on the shelf.

A strange filter, this one.
I submit Feinstein would be better served to consider Woods' family dynamics, rather than skewer them. And no, you can not consider them by skewering them.

A blatant self-serving scribe.
If Mr. Feinstein thought this deliberately self-serving effort to drag Tiger's name (and his family's) through the mud would gain favor throughout the sporting world, and throw Tiger off his game, he thought dead-wrong. Tiger's string of top-10 finishes in 1998 (his worst year, when this book was released), his $7-million 1999 season, and now the biggest blowout in majors history (winning by 15 strokes at the 2000 U.S. Open, the only one under par), is an absolutely fitting response, by Tiger, to Feinstein's effort to manufacture scandal from almost nothing. One guy said it best when he said that there are other golfers on tour who are no different, if not worse. Amazing, it seems, that we haven't heard from Feinstein since Tiger's 1999 PGA Championship win. His crow is getting cold.

Typical hatchet job by Feinstein
Another hatchet job by Feinstein on a prominent African-American athlete (see his ridiculous crusade against John Thompson). Compare his take on Tiger Woods to his "A Good Walk Spoiled" where he practically worships all of the other (read: white) golfers on the PGA Tour, all of whom are as flawed as Tiger Woods.

Just wish it had been longer....
Like one of the other reviewers (although for different reasons), I hope John Feinstein reads these reviews. Why? Because I thought the book was a superb and (finally) reality-based examination of the over-hyped phenomenon that is Tiger Woods.

Feinstein is an excellent writer, and I have enjoyed all of his previous books. Unlike the ridiculous adulatory press that is usually given Tiger (for an example of this phenomenon, one need look no further than Jim Nantz of CBS and his breathless and embarrassing descriptions of Woods), Feinstein simply chose to expose some of his subject's very human foibles; he only wrote about things that actually happened but which most people have never gotten to hear about. By so doing, Feinstein provides some much-needed balance to the volumes that have already been written about this talented, but at times immature, player.

My only complaint is that the book is so short. What Feinstein needs to do now is write a full-length treatment, along the exact same lines as this one. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

P.S. By the way, as I write this in the Fall of 1998, Feinstein looks even smarter than when he originally wrote the book, given that the "can't miss kid" hasn't won a major since the 1997 Masters. Maybe the hype's gotten a little out of hand? Just check out what Jack Nicklaus had accomplished by this stage of his career and you'll see what I mean. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Ed O'Brien is a work of art.
Ed O'Brien (as always) has done a magnificiant job on another Sinatra book ... Read more

Amazon.com

Quirk and Schoell's rehashing of the biographical details of Frank Sinatra and the rest of his crew is only intermittently able to disguise its contempt for their personal and professional lives. If there's an opportunity for a pot shot, rest assured this book will take it, from the admittedly deserved (Cannonball Run II, anyone?)to the probably uncalled for (a charity performance for a halfway house for ex-convicts is dismissed with snide comments about Sinatra the wannabe gangster). Much of the source material is drawn from Quirk's footwork as an entertainment reporter in the 1960s; interviews that he conducted with Peter Lawford over the years also provide some juicy tales of sex and drugs, as well as the inside scoop on his ouster from "the Clan" after brother-in-law President Kennedy backed out of his planned Palm Springs vacation at Frank Sinatra's home. (The same stories, with much less venom and some more pizazz, can be found in Shawn Levy's Rat Pack Confidential.) ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Save your dough
The only reason I give this book one star is because zero stars wasn't an option. It took two guys to write this tripe? One monkey could have done a better job. This book is lazy and poorly written and I am ticked off that I wasted my money on it. The definitive book on the Rat Pack has got to be Shawn Levy's. After reading the first two pages of Levy's book I was hooked. The difference between a real writer and a couple of hacks.

CLIFF "RAT" NOTES
Here is the deal. If you are just starting to get into the Rat Pack or any of the players individually. Then this book is a good start. I would call it the Cliff notes of the individuals and their movies. If you have seen all the movies including the Matt Helm movies or if you have already read books on Dean, Frank, Sammy's biography then you are way ahead of this book and pass it by.

But if you have not seen the movies and want to learn the basics of each man and then from there search into each one of them seperatly then this is a good starter. There are some great books on all the guys but you will finded Sammy's Biography to be the most fun. Remember to check out deanmartinfancenter.com for more info on the Rat Pack. For the guys who wrote this you could have given us some fun facts or answered some questions, instead they read everyone else book and put together their own version.

Ratty
The blurb on the cover of THE RAT PACK says "They had fun" but there's precious little fun to be found here. This book is a tedious listing of (mostly negative) events. It lacks any sparkle and vigor, and if I believed half of it, I'd have to wonder just what the appeal of this group of overgrown adolescents could be. There had to be more.

The Chairman of The Board is the centerpiece as an egomaniacal bully who uses his star power to make the world feel indebted to him. His reported temper tantrums seem utterly absurd. Anyone who used his fists or threats of mob violence as much as the authors claim Sinatra did, should have and would have been locked up, "different era" or no. The Frank Sinatra in these pages wouldn't be a "King of Cool". He wouldn't be anything much.

The rest of the boys orbit around Frank like some kind of an inebriated solar system. The boozing and skirt-chasing is leaden, so where's the thrill? Where are the laughs? If this book is at all accurate (and it isn't, listing Dean Martin's date of death incorrectly), it means that this group of supremely talented entertainers valued nothing, not even themselves.

The bulk of the book is made up of mostly scathing summaries of the Rat Pack movies. Nary a word is said about either Frank or Dean's musical careers. Sammy Davis Jr. is dismissed as little more than the Rat Pack houseboy. Peter Lawford is depicted as a sexually confused drug addict craving the attention of the others. Joey Bishop is virtually forgotten. The Rat Pack Mascots (Shirley MacLaine and Angie Dickinson) get barely honorable mentions (MacLaine far more than Dickinson). One has to wonder why Shirley MacLaine would continue to associate with The Rat Pack after being assaulted by mobster Sam Giancana twice in their company. The book begs an answer. MacLaine is no slouch, so obviously more and better was happening with the "Clan" than this sordid book deigns to tell us. (...)

Save your money
This book is a waste of money. It is a collection of movie reviews starring Rat Packers strung together and pretending to be a book. Only the very most die hard movie fans should consider checking this out of the library but save your money.

What about the music?
I've always heard about the rat pack and wanted to know more about them. The only thing I learned is that this is not the book to find out anything about the "kings of cool." The aspect of the book that I found most disturbing (perhaps the most telling) is that the authors mention the music of the three main men only in passing. You'd think that the music that three of the great popular singers of the last half century would merit some discussion. Instead the authors concentrate almost entirely on the movies, and then they only seem to care about Frank and Dean bedding so many women during the filming of the movies. A typical chapter mentions that Frank decides to make a movie, all the guys are more interested in partying than in making the movie, the movie is finished and stinks despite an occasional funny moment or glimpse of talent from one of the rat pack or the supporting cast. And by the way, Frank and Dean and Sammy sure had a lot of women during the filming. This is not a good book, and I don't know why I even read the whole thing. I'm ashamed of myself. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This is a gem
I first read this book when I was eleven years old. I read it twice that year, and I'd sometimes read passages from it to pump myself up before a basketball game. Living in Australia, and without the Internet, I didn't know much about the NBA, but this book taught me a great deal.
I'm re-reading it now, and I'm surprised at how much I am enjoying it. Shaq has come a long way since then, and reading his comments on how he saw things when he first came in is interesting and illumining. The tone is relaxed and chatty, and there are plenty of funny and insightful anecdotes. This book is a gem, and at less than a dollar (second-hand), it's a must read for any basketball fan. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document, covering the life and work of Martha Stewart, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thomson Gale. The length of the entry is 3536 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author