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In 1995 Gopnik was offered the plush assignment of writing the "Paris Journals" for the New Yorker. He spent five years in Paris with his wife, Martha, and son, Luke, writing dispatches now collected here along with previously unpublished journal entries. A self-described "comic-sentimental essayist," Gopnik chose the romance of Paris in its particulars as his subject. Gopnik falls in unabashed love with what he calls Paris's commonplace civilization--the cafés, the little shops, the ancient carousel in the park, and the small, intricate experiences that happen in such settings. But Paris can also be a difficult city to love, particularly its pompous and abstract official culture with its parallel paper universe. The tension between these two sides of Paris and the country's general brooding over the decline of French dominance in the face of globalization (haute couture, cooking, and sex, as well as the economy, are running deficits) form the subtexts for these finely wrought and witty essays. With his emphasis on the micro in the macro, Gopnik describes trying to get a Thanksgiving turkey delivered during a general strike and his struggle to find an apartment during a government scandal over favoritism in housing allocations. The essays alternate between reports of national and local events and accounts of expatriate family life, with an emphasis on "the trinity of late-century bourgeois obsessions: children and cooking and spectator sports, including the spectator sport of shopping." Gopnik describes some truly delicious moments, from the rites of Parisian haute couture, to the "occupation" of a local brasserie in protest of its purchase by a restaurant tycoon, to the birth of his daughter with the aid of a doctor in black jeans and a black silk shirt, open at the front. Gopnik makes terrific use of his status as an observer on the fringes of fashionable society to draw some deft comparisons between Paris and New York ("It is as if all American appliances dreamed of being cars while all French appliances dreamed of being telephones") and do some incisive philosophizing on the nature of both. This is masterful reportage with a winning infusion of intelligence, intimacy, and charm. --Lesley Reed ... Read more

Reviews (123)

Reflections on the city of light
I enjoyed Gopnik's book, primarily due to the mixture of personal reflection and careful observation that make up these essays. The essays about French cooking were certainly confirming in that the history of cooking is grounded in peasant fare and a return to those roots is a central theme in understanding good cooking foundations. I was most impressed however not by the essays on French government and culture but by the soft personal loving sections of the book on Gopnik's young son. Gopkik and his son swim at the Ritz pool in Paris where they meet two young girls. Gopnik's son's playful love for one of the female children was written so well and so transparently that I was amazed. The boy responds like a puppy, abaze with attraction and energy, swimming fearlessly in the deep end of the pool, like a magnet, a duckling, a male. Gopnik, the wise father, perfectly reads the situation, seeing eros engulf his little child, and supports the situation so that his son fully experiences this first taste of the honey and sting of the beautiful other.The children order expensive hot chocolate every day after swimming, which Gopnik endulges. It is Gopnik's wife upon discovering the VISA card balance that brings reality back into the picture. I would say to Gopnik "Your choices were correct, as you yourself know. The good father allows a child to experience the pull of beauty in the world, aware of the risks, aware of the rewards." I expected thoughtful essays because I have been a New Yorker/Gopnik fan. However, the passages on his relationship with his young son were sublime.

Fin de sicle finery
Humor! Pathos! Sports! Food! Shopping (or not)! Wine, women (the heavenly Cressida) and song!

Not to mention, just plain life a la Parisienne.

This book is a modern sentimental sojourn through Paris which is not only a delight for the senses, but truly captures the essence of the French in all their guises. Having recently fallen completely in love with Paris on a short visit, I was longing for more and this book gave me that "You Are There" feeling I sought. Not only does M. Gopnik bring the Paris of today alive, but in the storyline dealing with all things human- his family, his adopted community, and the costume of French nationality which he endeavors to don- we see a glimpse into the Paris that generation after generation has attempted to make its own.

This book was so enjoyable that while reading, I was overcome with the desire to return and have already booked another trip. How lucky is this man to have had 5 years in this most sublime city!

Tres charmant! Merci beaucoup, M. Gopnik!

A Must If You Love Paris
This book is a wonderful memoir of a New York family that moves to Paris for a period of 5 years with a young son in tow.

Adam Gopnik writes this book in a style of short stories or essays that weave into one great book. He offers a well thought out idea of what must be said from an American in Paris. His comparisons are very real, some light-hearted, some blatantly profound. Gopnik shows his vulnerability many times as a fish out of water, but he tries harder than the average American to blend into his surroundings and take on some of the easier characteristics of becomming French like developing a fondness for a life of profound beauty, a taste for well prepared food, relaxing into the dining experience of the cafes and brasseries, showing his son the art of the carousel rather than the brainlessness of "Barney", and eventually creating another child born a Parisian.

The best chapters in this book are the ones that Gopnik writes about his son discovering himself in Paris. His favorite food becomes croissants rather than ketchup fast food burgers, his puppy love with a young French girl in the Ritz pool, how he would rather play at the Luxembourg Gardens than with a television and most importantly how he adapts to becomming a childish little Frenchman. With this said the one chapter I would skip is "The Rookie" a portion in the book that somehow just dosen't fit. From the elegance of the French life back to the world of baseball? Personally I would have just left the entire chapter with an editor and walked away.

Gopnik shows how well he has adapted to French life in the portions of the book that he dedicates to the cafe Balzar. This cafe becomes the victim of a corporate buyout and is almost lost until a band of dining brothers glue themselves together and form a secure fortress in pure French flair to save the cafe in its original form, garcons and all! It is an interesting look at how easy and yet how complicated life can be in Paris, all that French discussion can lead to something good.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Paris and craves a walk down its Rues. Gopnik makes little things seem absolutely important and accurately describes all of the large and small nuances between the French and Americans. His wife, Martha, says it best, "We have a beautiful existence in Paris, but not a full life, and in New York we have a full life and an unbeautiful existence." This must be why Paris remains in the minds of most Americans who walk along its streets but slowly find themselves returning home, to the rush and bustle of America with an over-inflated heart.

If You Like The New Yorker Sensibility...
...and think that "The New Yorker" slant on everything is the apex of Western thought, then you'll love this book because you're the kind of person who goes to Paris and experiences it and notices it the way Mr. Gopnik does. If you detest "The New Yorker"/"New York Times" Manhattan-centric provincialism, you'll hate this book. If you're somewhere between these two extremes, well, you'll love and hate "Paris to the Moon."

Gopnik is a fine writer and observer it's always gratifying to read well-written expatriate tales. (I lived in Asia for years and am still looking for competent contemporary expat memoirs of Southeast Asia). Some of what he writes is engaging--he takes you inside the national library, demystifies the Ritz, describes everyday rituals that become something else overseas. Some is mundane--if you're not a parent or you loathe (your) children, your eyes might glaze over reading about his son and daughter and wife's pregnancy. Some is excruciatingly precious--the occupation of a restaurant (such revolutionary, soul-shaking activism!), the explanation of how super-expensive French restaurant cooking really is about peasant roots, one person's outrage over a perceived misuse of curry powder.

In short, my reactions to Gopnik's book were pretty much my reactions to Paris. It's hard to tell sometimes if Gopnik is just reporting or really finds all he writes about momentous, but it's refreshing to read contemporary accounts of urban life that aren't layered in irony or polemics.

A good companion piece is Lawrence Osborne's "Paris Dreambook", a fantastical account of Paris's underworld that is feverish and lurid where Gopnik's book is measured and polished.

A father in Paris
Paris to the Moon follows the relationship of a new father with an old city. The book's anicdotes describe Parisians and the awkward curiosity that Americans have with the Gallic personality. Gopnik is a Paris romantic, but doubts that the city remains the international capital of culture.

Gopnik is a New Yorker at heart, but has a tremendous desire to understand and to fit into Paris. This dilemma never resolves itself, but Gopnik's struggle is a journey that is unique to contemporary America (and Paris). The desire to be separate from New York, a romanticism for Paris, and the uncertainties that come with being a father mix for a touching description of an American abroad.

As a casual speaker of French, a new father, and a lover of Paris, I found the book insightful and meaningful. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (75)

Excellent....
I picked this book up one day with no clue as to what it was. After having read it I've concluded that it's the best story that I've read concerning animals (excluding animal farm). It also helped me understand life as a veternarian (at least some fifty years ago!) I've also come to the conclusion that Herriot has created a brilliant novel in his first try that have taken so many others years to complete. Synopsis: A heart-warming true tale of a veternarian named Dr. James Herriot in the late 30s in Yorkshire, England.

classic works!
James Herriot's books stand out in modern writing as absolute classics, evocative of an earlier, more innocent time, and more wonderously, by the skill with which these deceptively simple, entertaining, moving stories are written. Beneath the entertaining text and characters lies absolutely beautiful, artful writing, with craft and skill that ties all these chapters and stories together in a pattern of one country vet's life in England in the 1930's and 40's. These are so much more than animal stories. I am biased; these are my favorite all-time books, read and re-read since my youth. Increasing age has not diminished their charm. History will write James Herriot's name large. If you haven't read these books yet, you owe it to yourself to start with "All Creatures Great and Small". Whether or not you care for animals, you will fall in love with a gentler time, the escapades of a trio of young men, and the laugh-out-loud as well as very tearful events this author writes about so beautifully. Absolutely timeless and a classic.

Best Listening Book Experience Ever!!
James Herriot is a wonderfully gifted writer. The way he can describe a scene with the exact perfect wording and phrase is simply uncanny.

You are THERE on the Yorkshire dales living the lowly daily life of a young vet.

Add to that Christopher Timothy's truly masterful performance and this audio book should be in the hall of fame. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

A breath of fresh air. Genuinely hilarious, heart warming, uplifting.

Give yourself the best gift ever. Listen to this book.

The beginning of magic
This is where it all started with James Herriott for me - a paperback tucked in with 3 or 4 other books I received for my birthday a long time ago. I couldn't tell you what the other books were, but this book, and its sequels, have become dear friends. I can tell you the stories from memory (and from my heart) and I have read the paperbacks so often I've had to replace them with hardbacks just so they'll last longer.
James Herriott was a vet practicing in Yorkshire (England) from the end of the Depression until about 20 years ago.
The stories are charming, happy, glorious, tragic and tear-jerking. It was a wonderful but brutal time to be practicing veterinary medicine. It was before many of the surgeries we have now and Herriott was there for the introduction of antibiotics and many other medicines. Think about it - how often have you had your cat or dog treated for infections - 60 years ago there was nothing to kill the bacteria that brought death to so many. How impossibly hard it must have been for him to lose so many of the animals he treated, and how wonderful when he knew he saved them either for the farmers who needed their stock or the families who loved their pets. And the people he writes about! What characters!
I have pets and love to read the stories about cats and dogs and horses. I teach medical students and use more than a few examples from these books about the PROCESS of thinking which is so essential to any practice of medicine. His stories here and in later books about diagnosing hoof and mouth disease or husk or heatstroke or nettlerash are fascinating reading about the mind of a physician as it works while the seconds of life tick away.
This book is great, the series of books is great - curl up somewhere and get to know them.

A great book
You have to be dead not to enjoy this book. I just wanted to register my five stars. ... Read more

Book Description

"It’s all devastatingly true — except the bits that are lies" — Douglas Adams

Upon publication Don’t Panic established itself as the definitive companion to Adams’s life and work. This new revised edition comes up to date, covering his later work and untimely death in 2001, and including a new introduction by Neil Gaiman.

Acclaimed author Neil Gaiman celebrates the life of Douglas Adams who, in a field in Innsbruck in 1971, had an idea that became The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — the radio series that started it all, the five book ‘trilogy’, the TV series, almost-film, and everything that followed. Don’t Panic also tells the story of the other projects Douglas worked on, including his posthumous collection The Salmon of Doubt. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A great tribute to a great man
This is part a biography of Douglas Adams, and part a description of how the different versions of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy came to be. Douglas Adams was a very interesting and intelligent man whose life was cut tragically short. The story of how his most famous work was created is almost as funny and capticating as the Hitchiker's Guide itself. We get some examples of his early work, which can be incredibly funny ("How many kamikaze missions have you flown?" "Fourteen Sir!" "Shouldn't it be just one?"). He was involved with the Monty Python group, and wrote some material for them.
I think the book should be essential not only for Hitchhiker's buffs but also for wannabes in any creative profession.

Funny and Informative
Neil Gaiman does an excellent job of capturing the style and mood of Douglas Adams, and reveals the man behind the books revered by many.This book is enjoyable, and interesting, and a definite read for anyone who loves the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.The only sad part is that it's a bit short - like Adams' life.So that's a bit depressing.Otherwise, a good read!

Sort of a biography of Douglas Adams
Don't Panic is sort of a biography of Douglas Adams. But it concentrates almost exclusively on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the events and circumstances in Adams's life that contributed to the creation and development of the Hitchhiker-phenomenon. It was originally published back in 1988, then revised in 1993, and now revised again, after the untimely death of Adams.
Don't Panic is written in the same style as the Hitchhiker novels, and is at times quite amusing. There are no less than 31 short chapters (the first one is chapter 0) in the book, dealing with various distinct subjects. This is followed by five appendixes. There are a lot of direct quotations from various people surrounding Adams, and from Adams himself, but there is never any information given about when or where these people said these things, which is a major drawback.
There is a lot of trivia here, but a lack of depth, and the book does seem to repeat certain myths (for example, the well-known one that Adams first got the idea for Hitchhiker while lying drunk in a field in Innsbruck). Still, if you're a fan of Adams, this is essential reading.

A must read for Gaiman and Adams fans
Years ago, while browsing in a book shop, desperate for something to read during lunch, I stumbled across this little book.I was a big fan of Adams but had never heard of Gaiman but decided to pick it up and give it a chance.It was well worth it as it was a great read.

Some time later, I spotted a new hardback on the shelves at the same book shop.I knew the name Pratchett and had to think for a while as where I knew the name Gaiman from and then recalled that he had written that little book called Don't Panic, so I picked it up.Haven't looked back since. ... Read more

Book Description

"This book is an episodic log of some of the more memorable of the author's nearly ten thousand hours aloft in peace and (as a member of the Air Transport Command) in war. It is also an attempt to define by example his belief in the phenomenon of luck--that 'the pattern of anyone's fate is only partly contrived by the individual.'" (The New Yorker)

"This fascinating, well-told autobiography is a complete refutation of the comfortable cliche that 'man is master of his fate.' As far as pilots are concerned, fate (or death) is a hunter who is constantly in pursuit of them...there is nothing depressing about FATE IS THE HUNTER. There is tension and suspense in it but there is great humor too. Happily, Gann never gets too technical for the layman to understand." (Saturday Review) ... Read more

Reviews (69)

The most exciting and inspiring book I have ever read.
I have read and re-read "Fate is the Hunter" so many times that the pages are loose and falling out. You are not just reading the best aviation book of all time, you are in the cockpit behind the master himself, as he savors the illicit thrill of a zero-zero takeoff from a fog bound Presque Isle airport in a C-47 during the war, taking a load of steel girders to Goose Bay. Just after takeoff, the girders break loose and slide to the rear of the aircraft, which starts a climb so steep that the plane is shuddering in a stall. As Gann and his co-pilot are pushing the control column forward as hard as they can with their feet a crewmember is trying to move the girders back up the near vertical floor.

Gann's writing so inspired me that I wanted to become an airline pilot, but my flying ability was just slightly better than Bixby, his inept co-pilot that almost collided with the Taj Mahal, another fascinating story later on in the book. I became a dispatcher instead, an occupation I truly loved, which was also inspired by Gann's interaction with the dispatchers of his line.

I wrote Ernest Gann at his home in Friday Harbor, Washington and tried to convey just how much I enjoyed "Fate is the Hunter" and what an impact it made on my life. I received short note from him. It was very gracious and humble, and is one of my greatest treasures.

I also highly recommend "Hostage to Fortune", a chronology of Gann's incredible life from a rebellious young man that could never follow his father into business and be chained to an office, through a lifetime of adventure, to his retirement on Red Mill Farm, on an island in the Pacific northwest.

Easily the best book I've ever read!
First off, I am an aviation nut. I am a student pilot and aspiring ATP. For me, finding a good book let alone a good aviation book is nearly impossible. So many books are chocked full of technicalities that I either already know or don't care about. Finding a truly interesting aviation book is a rare treat. After about 2 pages of 'Fate is the Hunter' I was truly hooked. This book puts you right in the cockpit with Mr. Gann as you venture the world from the start of his flying career on the DC-2 to flying across the endless Pacific during WWII when airlines were called to help the war effort. Mr. Gann is truly a talented writer and in my opinion one of the best in Aviation right up with St Ex. If you are as engrossed in aviation as I am, this is one book you wont want to put down and will wish would never end.

My Great-Grandfather Knew Him
I am finally reading this book, after so many people in my family, both flying and non-flying, have. This book is almost a mecca for us, because it mentions my great-grandfather, Thomas J. Reid, who died in 1952 when the instrument approach to Newark went down, and he ended up in an Elizabeth, NJ, apartment complex. I now appreciate the kind of conditions my grandfather must have flown in, and can only hope that he is looking down on my own beloved brother, who has himself chosen a career as an airline pilot. But as a reminder, almost all of us have the same picture, framed somewhere in our houses: a picture of T.J. Reid in his uniform.

The Iliad and Odyssey of Aviation
Speaking from a background of 36 years as a pilot of small aircraft, tactical supersonic military aircraft, and Captain of a number of modern day airliners, including the Boeing-747, I regard "Fate is the Hunter" as an aviation classic that is not only a "must read" for every aspiring pilot, but a "must have" in his/her library, to be read over and over again, as I have. Gann's book provides a unique insight into the origins and challenges of the trial and error development of the procedures that have now become the rule in modern transport aircraft operations. For anyone who has an interest in the developmental history of aviation in America or, as in my case, anyone who wants to know more about the forces behind the phenomena of "when you pull back on the yoke the houses get smaller and when you push forward on the yoke, the houses get bigger," "Fate is the Hunter" is the place to start.

Epic pilot stuff
I'm amazed that so many of my friends who are military and/or commercial pilots don't know of this book. This book should be every pilot's bible. Epic stories about flying mail in pre-war NE U.S., and then overseas during WWII.

Thumb's up all the way.. a must for aviators.

Mike Zinsley
author of The Rapture of the Deep ... Read more

Book Description

Brazen, incisive, and outrageous as ever, Hunter S. Thompson is back with another astonishing volume of his private correspondence, the highly anticipated follow-up to The Proud Highway. When that first book of letters appeared in 1997, Time pronounced it "deliriously entertaining"; Rolling Stone called it "brilliant beyond description"; and The New York Times celebrated its "wicked humor and bracing political conviction."

Spanning the years between 1968 and 1976, these never-before-published letters show Thompson building his legend: running for sheriff in Aspen, Colorado; creating the seminal road book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; twisting political reporting to new heights for Rolling Stone; and making sense of it all in the landmark Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. To read Thompson's dispatches from these years -- addressed to the author's friends, enemies, editors, and creditors, and such notables as Jimmy Carter, Tom Wolfe, and Kurt Vonnegut -- is to read a raw, revolutionary eyewitness account of one of the most exciting and pivotal eras in American history. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Like A Steakknife Into the Heart of Journalism
Thompson's style illuminates his letters to freinds, creditors, debtors, associates, and enemies. This collection of Thompson's letters to the above showcase his unparrelled talents and imagination. No one rages or praises like Hunter S. His vitrolic rants are both scary (you can practically taste the bile) and engrossing (never have I heard the words ...; used so appropriately and w/ such abandon). This collection encapsulates the time Thompson wrote the letters ('68-'76), everything from the end of the hippies to Nixon to the music, and is loaded w/ political and pop culture references. The Proud Highway showcased Thompson's budding talents and raw prose, here his Gonzo style comes out clearer w/ each writing, and though, like The Proud Highway, wanes on certain letters, it will regain your interest in just a few pages. It's an insight into his life at that period, argueably his most brilliant time, when he wrote the now classic (which he predicted) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegs; The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved, and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72. It also tells of Thompson's tale to run on the Freak Power ticket for Sherriff of Aspen, his strokes of humanity when dealing w/ people, and the backlash that is Thompson when he's treated poorly. A must for any fan of Hunter S. Thompson.

Fear and Loathing in the Heartland
When I started to read this book - I must admit, I was disappointed. Having read everything that Hunter Thompson had written, I was a lttle under whelmed at first. However, I started to warm to the book as the years ran by. I could picture the events described in his letters - the Vegas book, the 72 campaign trail, fall of Viet Nam, the fall of Richard Nixon thru his eyes - it brought back my own memories of the events. In the end, the Gonzo style of prose took over and I found myself devouring the book in big chunks. For anyone who wants to remember the crazy, wild times of the late 60's - mid 70's, there isn't a better book.

I again can not think of a title
Fear and Loathing in America is mainly for hardcore fans or people who after reading Fear and loathing in Las Vegas wanted to know what Thompson is really like and if all the strange myths and terrible legends they heard about Thompson are true or not, I myself am a big fan of Thompson and I enjoy this book quite a lot, I did not like it at the beginning, for two months is stood their on my bookshelf and one day, I gave it another go and I loved it, I was so surprised at how much I liked it, these days, I pick it up to a random page and read it. Long live Dr. Thompson

Some of the funniest reading ever...
...'course you'll have to work for it. This is a massive book that in my opinion isn't meant to be plowed through, but rather enjoyed from time to time.

A complition of his letters written over a decade or so (during his rise from a relatively obscure journalist/writer to cult hero) most every letter is interesting in one way or another, some are so funny that you'll be laughing about them for days.

HST's humor is unmatched in my opinion by any writer I've read. This book is an extraordinarily private, very insightful, often hilarious glimpse into one of America's most interesting social figures.

Enjoy...

More caustic ranting & opinions
I was a big fan of volume 1 of his letters- it was new and fresh and unlike anything I had read before. It seems as Hunter ages he sours rather than mellows, which for someone of his ilk isn't surprising. However it doesn't always make it for compelling reading either. He is so proud of his opinions, so righteous, with each letter trying to outdo the previous it gets like a one joke movie.
I also wish he would write what he knows and leave out the letters with personal opinions that aren't relevant, only there to wound and lift his pedestal a little higher. Specifically his anti-Christian tirade on page 55 in a letter to a reader of his remarkable "Hells Angels". Hunter explains that the Angels had no attitude toward Christianity, fine, he knows. However, not enough just to report, he puts down the pen and picks up his sword and writes, ". . . they (the Angels) have been spared the millstone of one of history's greatest lies." Really? Why? Couldn't leave it at just answering the question? Ego rules over reason again.
Read his first collection, its fresher and energetic. This collection is like visiting with a bitter old man who believes his opinions on everything are "breaking news". ... Read more

Book Description

This Companion consists of 14 essays by leading international scholars. They provide a series of new perspectives on one of the most enigmatic and widely read American writers. These essays, specially tailored to the needs of undergraduates, examine all of Dickinson's writings, letters and criticism, and place her work in a variety of literary, cultural and political contexts. The volume will be of interest to scholars and students. It features a detailed chronology and a comprehensive guide to further reading. ... Read more

Book Description

In this "honest and searching look at the perils of growing up a black male in urban America" (San Francisco Chronicle), Washington Post reporter Nathan McCall tells the story of his passage from the street and the prison yard to the newsroom of one of America's most prestigious papers. "A stirring tale of transformation."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., The New Yorker. ... Read more

Reviews (128)

most profound book i've read
Reading the other reviews of this book, and seeing that many reviewers wondered where McCall's self-judgement or remorse came in, I don't think this book would be the same if McCall spent 400+ pages whining about what mistakes me made. He lets the errors of judgement and difficulties of life stand out glaringly clear to all of those who should choose to read them.

This was one of the most profound, important books I've ever read for several reasons. One, it helped me understand the black male psyche from one point of view (mccall's) but when paired with other "prison" writings (cleaver, malcolm x) can help a non-black person understand the difficulties that black males go through in this society. Two, I teach in a poor neighborhood in NYC and this book helped me understand a lot of the mental stress and strain young children are under. When living amongst an oppressed people, where money/status/power/priviledge/mobility are slim, the tricks and games humans will play on each other to get ahead/survive may seem crazy or illogical to those of us who don't live that life. To those that do, it is real. I was better able to understand the pressures of being black, and the different masks black men wear, by reading this book. Three, this book shows how difficult it can be to turn around from past mistakes/actions, but how one must continue. McCall's life could've turned out so differently. He kept fighting and made it so he could have a "piece of the pie" and actually provide something to his children, and show his parents all their help was not totally lost, and prove to himself that he could do it. He said, after serving three years in prison, that he believed he could do anything if he made it out alive. That belief was tested at times when he went through difficulties at various workplaces, with his women, or in the transition back into society from prison. He even went so far as to think for a second that prison was an easier place to be (monastic) because there he could focus entirely on himself, and all threats were known entities. Four, this book helped me at a time in my life where i felt (feel) the walls are closing in on me. My problems are not so deep as McCall's, but i know what it feels like to feel that there are NO options, or the few you have are all bad, and you must simply do the best you can, keep thinking, keep struggling. This is a story of a spirit unwilling to throw in the towel, determined to carry out the strength that miraculously keeps it alive, striving, growing, despite all odds.

I will never forget this book. For those who say it ought to be required reading, I agree. It is an amazingly honest memoir. I'm not disappointed in McCall for not showing "remorse" or appearing contrite about what he's done. He lets his words speak clearly to us, showing us that he has learned from his mistakes, otherwise he'd be unable to sit down and write a book as honest and powerful as this one.

A well-written book about BM hypocrisy!!
I am an African American female.

I have very mixed feelings about this novel. What was GOOD -- explaining the criminal mind while engaging in a crime, high school rivalries, prison life, post-prison life.

What was SAD -- McCall's anger/hatred/violence directed at black women, the girls he gang-raped in high school, the one he planned to kill after sex in a car, his crazed criticism of his wife, his illegitimate children (again blaming their mother alone as if he himself never heard of a condom).

Also, SAD -- McCall had no problem committing crimes against black people in his own community yet he admitted that he would dare not challenge a White police officer's authority on the street! Also, this lying, raping, stealing excuse of a Black man gets caught by America's justice system and now he cries "racism" the way his female victims tried to cry "rape." Like them, no one hears McCall's cry. Next, McCall lies to get a job and is upset over getting caught! He steals and is upset over being watched by others! DUHH! -- MCCALL, YOU ARE MISSING A FEW FRIES FROM YOUR HAPPY MEAL!!

The worst part of this novel is that McCall grew up in a decent home with a father/stepfather. Yet McCall criticized everyone: his stepfather working for white people, Blacks who travelled, white people (yet he confessed having sex with a white woman was some kind of Black male rite of passage).

This is a well-written book by a very disturbed criminal who happens to be a black male. (The book's subtitle is a complete misnomer!!) The only time McCall claims "Blackness" was when he got himself in trouble and needed a way out.

The author should NOW write about victim compensation.
I read this book some years ago and was more impressed then than now. Unlike most authors, Mc Call actually admits that he was a an active participant in a gang rape. To actually have such a violent and humiliating crime published in one's own autobiography, the author would have to be very honest, insane or a liar.

As hideous as some parts of this book, I still gave this book to my nieces, daughters and other young Black impressionable females who seem to mindlessly believe anything a Black man tells them. Some months after my adolescent niece read McCall's works, she confessed that she completely broke ties with a young man she had been dating because he showed a lot of Mc Call's tendencies. Some years later, this same young man has impregnated several different women, 3 of which gave birth to his children in the same week (while he was unemployed). Today, he is doing a life sentence in prison for violent crimes.

As disturbing as Mc Call's work is, I have used it for good. Every mother should know where her son is at night. Also, blaming white people for your problems is no reason for McCall commiting the same sins (color casting, rape and robbery).

Finally, if Mc Call committed all the crimes he claims, he should now publish a NEW novel covering his efforts at some form of victim restitution to the individuals, businesses and others he has violated in his past. Well, how about it, Mr McCall?

Makes me wonna scream!
I read Nathan McCall's book when it came out in 1995. On the one hand, here's a guy who became a gang-banger, thug and all-around menace to society, eventually serving time in prison for armed robbery, but eventually got on the right track and is now a reporter for the Washington Post. Good story. When I first read the book I was impressed. Not anymore.

McCall describes a life growing up in a solid, lower-middle-class family. In his early teens, he joined a gang. Soon, he participated in the gang-rape of a young girl. Eventually, he graduated to burglaries, holdups and gang fights, shooting a loaded pistol at unarmed teens. His political conscience awakened by the Black Panthers, which ultimately led to his racist hatred for white people, which he uses as justification for the barbaric acts perpetrated by him and others against whites. For example, he once fired a sawed-off shotgun into the suburban home of a white family watching TV, and then ran off without knowing (or, apparently, caring) whether anyone was hit.

Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, admitting to his mistakes, and trying to warn impressionable young black men NOT to make the same mistakes that he made, McCall tries to show that it was "racism" that caused him to make the choices he made. By the end of the book, it seems he wants to reader to be impressed with his generous decision to "forgive" white people. Forgive them for what? What did "Whitey" ever to do him to make him become a gang-banging, gang-rapist thug? How did that white suburban family provoke him into firing a sawed-off shotgun into their home, possibly seriously injuring (if not killing!) someone inside?

It is obvious that McCall was an angry young man. However, instead of delving into the real sources of his anger and dealing with it in a constructive way, he uses his anger, as well as his racism (let's call a spade a spade) to justify his criminal past.

Negro, Pu-LEEEZE!

I would have had more respect for him had he just owned up to his mistakes, as opposed to trying to justify his actions via "Whitey." "Makes Me Wonna Holler" makes me wonna scream.

Makes Me Wanna Holler : A Young Black Man in America
this is a geat book for anyone how wants to know the truth of how people were really treated in lif in this book nathan mccall really gives birds eye view of his life once u start reading this book u just dont want to stop ... Read more

Book Description

Celebrated author Ellen Gilchrist has played many roles---writer and speaker, wife and lover, mother and grandmother. But she never tackled the role of teacher.

Offered the opportunity to teach creative writing at the University of Arkansas, she took up the challenge and ventured into unknown territory. In the process of teaching more than two hundred students since her first class in 2000, she has found inspiration in their lives and ambitions, and in the challenge of conveying to them the lessons she has learned from living and writing.

"The Writing Life" brings together fifty essays and vignettes centered on the transforming magic of literature and the teaching and writing of it. A portion of the collection discusses the delicate balance between an artistic life and family commitments, especially the daily pressures and frequent compromises faced by a young mother. Gilchrist next focuses on the process of writing itself with essays ranging from "How I Wrote a Book of Short Stories in Three Months" to "Why Is Rewriting So Hard?"

Several essays discuss her appreciation of other writers, from Shakespeare to Larry McMurtry, and the lessons she learned from them. Eudora Welty made an indelible impact on Gilchrist's work. When Gilchrist takes on the task of teaching, her essays reveal an enriched understanding of the role writing plays in any life devoted to the craft. Humorous and insightful, she assesses her own abilities as an instructor and confronts the challenge of inspiring students to attain the discipline and courage to pursue the sullen art. Some of these pieces have been previously published in magazines, but most are unpublished and all appear here in book form for the first time. ... Read more

Book Description

On March 31st 1993, while "The Crow" was in its final days of filming, in a strange accident on the set, its 28 year old start, Brandon Lee, was shot and killed.

For the first time, The Making of "The Crow", in first-hand accounts, describes in detail the bizarre chain of circumstances which led to the tragic death of its talented lead actor. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Such a wonderful Book~!
I really enjoyed reading "The Crow -Story behind the film"...every chapter,every page,EVERY WORD was exciting to read on through this book.Perhaps because I am such a Brandon Lee fan and still 'til this day do I believe that The Crow was arguably his best work ever..and this book tells it ALL~!......from its origins as first starting out being a comic book,trying to make this gothic love story into a film,the struggles of making the movie,of course the hugest tragedy which took the life of the young star,the cause of his death and how the movie was finished without the late Brandon Lee......the best part about this book was how the author got so much information from different cast and crew members who were all once part of the film....this was the best part about the book since I was so curious to know how each and every person who was responsible in making this film felt about making it and how they reacted to that fateful nite of the shooting .....as well as how they or if they ever learned to cope with this difficult experience.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to every CROW/Brandon Lee fan or anyone who once saw this film and became interested in what exactly happened on the set to this promising actor who had such a promising future .......I have collected many Brandon Lee memorabilias in almost the past decade but I must say that this book is definitely the most treasured one I have since it closes the ending chapter to the person I admire so much.

Better than expected
I bought this book because I'm a big Crow (the first movie) fan. And since it not easy to get some real info on this movie where I live, this book gave me a really good look at the movie and the tragical accident of Brandon Lee. After all these years there were questions playing in my head, but by reading this book, most got answered. I really recommend this book to all people who want to know more about this film...

The Crow
I love the Crow.....It is the greatest movie of all time and this book lets you know even more about what really went on during the making of it. You must check it out!

The Crow: The Story Behind the Film
The Story behind the film was very sad the they were filming the movie, they though that he was acting, but he wasn't he was real hurt badly. That part was the saddest part. I think some one real wanted to killed him so they can have the part and get money. I think because of someone in the film was so jealous and put bullet in the gun and let the guy to shot it and so they won't get busted. So I think they should try to find that guy and put him into jail. And I heard no was put to jail, I was real mad be he wasn't white.

To Find Out What Really Happened . . . .
As a longtime Crow fan, I was interested in finding out exactly what happened behind the scenes during the production of the film. Baiss' book does an excellent job of providing this information, through the use of quotes taken from several crew and cast members. My only criticism is how poorly the book was written. I am not sure who the editor is, but the book is riddled with grammatical and typographical errors to the point where I don't understand how it made it to publication. Her flow is also a little difficult to follow in places, although this may simply be a result of Baiss being a first-time writer. Also, most of the major individuals involved in the production of this film, including the director, would not speak with Baiss, so the account is mainly from the view of several cast and technical crew members. I would, however, recommend it for those interested in what really happened during production of "The Crow." I came away knowing more than I had before, even if I had trouble wading through all the typos. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Amy Tan begins The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings, a collection of essays that spans her literary career, on a humorous note; she is troubled that her life and novels have become the subject of a "Cliff’s Notes" abridgement. Reading the little yellow booklet, she discovers that her work is seen as complex and rich with symbolism. However, Tan assures her readers that she has no lofty, literary intentions in writing her novels--she writes for herself, and insists that the recurring patterns and themes that critics find in them are entirely their own making. This self-deprecating stance, coupled with Tan’s own clarification of her intentions, makes The Opposite of Fate feel like an extended, private conversation with the author.

Tan manages to find grace and frequent comedy in her sometimes painful life, and she takes great pleasure in being a celebrity. "Midlife Confidential" brings readers on tour with Tan and the rest of the leather-clad writers’ rock band, the Rock-Bottom Remainders. And "Angst and the Second Book" is a brutally honest, frequently hysterical reflection on Tan’s self-conscious attempts to follow the success of The Joy Luck Club.

In a collection so diverse and spanning such a long period of time, inevitably some of the pieces feel dated or repetitious. Yet, Tan comes off as a remarkably humble and sane woman, and the book works well both to fill in her biography and to clarify the boundaries between her life and her fiction. In her final, title essay, Tan juxtaposes her personal struggles against a persistent disease with the nation’s struggles against terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11. She declares her transformative, artistic power over tragedy, reflecting: "As a storyteller, I know that if I don’t like the ending, I can write a better one."--Patrick O’Kelley ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Witty, Engaging and Well-Written Gems
Amy Tan is without question a gifted writer.In this book of essays/musings as diverse as the erroneous interpretation of "The Joy Luck Club" by Cliff Notes or Tan's debilitating and horrifying bout with Lyme disease, the author writes with zest, humor and insight, and she engages the reader from the first page.In some ways, writing essays about one's craft is more difficult than writing a novel because essays are generally less creative and inspiring than fiction, and the reader usually suffers as a result.But Tan's "The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings" is like O'Connor's "Mystery and Manners" and "The Habit of Being" in that both authors are able to inform their essays with clever and profound insights that are contained in their works of fiction.Above all, this book is about the relationship of mother and daughter that is at the core of Tan's works.A must read.

The good stuff is good, and the rest is...
As a few others have indicated, there are some really moving pieces here about family and memory, as well as some good looks at the life of a writer in many arenas (at the keyboard, on tour, etc.). Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to have been enough of that stuff to fill a book, and so we get a lot of filler, including e-mails that are not that riveting and the essay she wrote about the library when she was 8 (no, I'm not kidding). There is a LOT of repetition; many of these pieces were written and published previously, and that's fine, but when you sit down to edit them into a collection that hangs together, you really need to go through and make sure that things like her father's and brother's deaths, moving to Switzerland, first boyfriend, etc. are not repeated 15 times.

I still love this book for the good parts, but would have been just as happy checking it out from the library.

Really nice
I enjoyed reading Amy Tan's essays, the same enjoyable style of writing, although I think her essays are a little more complex than her fiction and this is not a criticism.Observations, some personal history, although this is her thoughts and experiences, it is not "all about her."She isn't full of herself at all.Her experience with Lyme Disease is horrific.And informative!Amy Tan seems to be a very nice person and I am glad she wrote this book.It is one that I will keep on my book shelf and re-read.

Many enjoyable essays
I've read and enjoyed all Amy Tan's fiction and was very excited when Opposite of Fate showed up at my local bookstore.I love reading autobiographical pieces from my favorite writers.It's so intriguing to find out where their magic comes from and how they go about tackling the writing process.Amy Tan truly invites us into her life with the essays in this book, with subjects ranging from her thoughts on writing, her upbringing, her favorite author, battling Lyme Disease, hanging out with Steven King and Dave Barry, and (my favorite) turning the Joy Luck Club into a movie.She also gives us background information on some of her novels, which any fan of hers will find interesting.

This book appeals to the side of me that enjoys the candid celebrity photos in People Magazine--the side of me that likes to see personal, private glimpes of how the most wealthy, famous, and successful people live.But this book is guilt-free.No paparazzi stalked Amy Tan to give us this intimate portrait--she voluntarily offers it to us.I recommend.

Setting the Record Straight on Amy Tan
I would highly recommend this book to anyone, and not just  writers, women, North Americans with Asian heritage or people with any such specific demographics. A charming and well-written book that is true to the memoir genre where you get to know the author rather than the events of his/her life. There are enough interesting stories from Ms Tan's past, especially the cultural and cross-cultural ones - the former involving her Chinese ancestry and the latter involving her American and Chinese heritage. The reader knows plenty about the events of her life, but only the ones which matter to her, which, ultimately, are the ones that really matter in getting to know someone. However, Ms Tan's goal and focus was to set the record straight on Amy Tan, what she's like and where she stands on many issues, and that she did. There are many enlightening essays with Ms Tan's views and questions on a variety of interesting topics, with notes on how they've impacted her life. The writing style, vocabulary and organization of stories are very typical and symbolic of Ms Tan's ways. I feel like I partly know her now, as in having a feel of the gist of what she is like, how she thinks and sees the world, and that I would find her very amiable if I met her. I only wish every memoir could tell me as much about the writer. PS If you are writing essays on Ms Tan's books and/or her, take her advice and avoid using Cliff's Notes. Cliff never met her. Net sources are even worse! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The greatest American poet is portrayed in this monumental biography as an essential American, not an isolated mystic but a man formed in large measure by his rapidly changing society.Drawing on his diligent research, and on his experience writing the monumental work Beneath the American Renaissance, noted scholar David S. Reynolds conclusively demonstrates the profound impact the popular culture of his day had on Whitman's awakening as an artist. The fascinating and compelling story of Whitman's life vigorously illuminates how a schoolteacher turned journalist became the robust and exuberant man who changed literature and single-handedly created modern poetry. This copious (nearly 700 page) volume tells the story of 19th-century America as well as the story of the Whitman himself. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Whitman Poetry Lovers only
If you are a Whitman poetry lover (or aspire to be), this is an interesting book.The author explores the manifold influences on Whitman's writing, from Opera to Phrenology (and all the other letters of the alphabet), and uses snippets of poetry to prove his points.

I had not explored Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" before reading this book, and was looking for a portrait of Whitman and his times, not a compilation of "influences," A to Z.In short, I found it dull.The author's writing style doesn't help either, which is straightforward at best, pedantic at worst ("No other biographer has noted...").

If you love Whitman's poetry, by all means buy and read this book.However, if you are looking for a more straightforward biography or a picture of America in the age of Whitman, you might look elswhere.Please, tell me what you find!

exhaustively researched , from an impartial biographer,
I found this work extremely entertaining. It was like being back in mid-19th century America. Itseemed to make the era come alive with real personalities and real historical character. Tounderstand thecomplexities of this genious and his time, this book is a must. It seemedto berefreshingly candid and forth-right without the usual bias oneexpects on the subject. There was much more to the man and histimes thanhis sexuality. This book reveals the other sides of Walt Whitman. You canfeel his pain with him as you share in his America

Walt Whitman As If He Really Walked on this Planet
Reynolds' Walt Whitman is a fellow who absorbed his culture, tried to save it, but finally sold himself to it.The other Whitman biographies I've read always had a scholarly ax to grind; this one seems, not to cut away Walt Whitman to a one dimensional person, but to find Walt Whitman living a multi-dimensional life in an urbanizing, industrializing, upwardly literate American society. I thorougly enjoyed the chapters on mid-century American Culture; but was looking for an itinerary of hospital visits that Whitman made. It appears that the author appropriately limited himself to what Whitman reported of his own activity as a hospital nurse and to what few recollections of patients. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

One of the most moving books I ever read
World of Yesterday is an unforgettable classic and it should be mandatory reading in high school. In this autobiography, Stefan Zweig not only tells his life story and how he became a successful writer in Vienna, but he also paints the most vivid picture of Europe in the beginning of the century, with heart-breaking detail of the consequences of World War 1 and Hitler's rise to power on his life and the life of all Europeans. What touched me the most is his suggestion of a free-thinking continent with symbolic borders and no passports, and his definition of peace. Reading this book reminded me of the meaninglessness of war. How one's friend and neighbor living across the river can become his "enemy" once war is declared. Its message is still 100% valid today. Just watch the world news...

A sensitive and intelligent view of 20th century Europe
This book puts you behind the observant eyes and inside the thoughtful mind of a man who lived very much in the world -- the world being that of Europe in the first half of the 20th century..

An Austrian Jew born in late 19-century Vienna, Stefan Zweig came of age in a city that was the capital of a centuries-old empire and one of the cultural centers of Europe. He died by his own hand 61 years later in exile from a Europe in the grip of Hitler's savagery. Through his astute and urbane eyes we see the optimism of pre-World War I Europe, the division of Europe into two hostile sides during World War I, the collapse of the German and Austrian economies between the wars, and the rise of Hitler. Zweig was a pacifist. During World War I, he and his friends (most notably the French author Romain Rolland) met in neutral Swtizerland to publish a dissident journal which they hoped would transcend the government propaganda that labeled nationals of the opposing countries as "the enemy." Nonetheless, he recognized that the rise of the Nazis was something very different and had to be opposed.

Zweig was a well-known and popular author before the Nazis banned his writings. His many books and plays were translated into 30 languages. Sadly he is almost unknown today. This book is a wonderful introduction to a man who must have adorned any group fortunate enough to have him as a participant.

Simply wonderful
It is one of the best books I have ever read. Unfortunately, some people trying to get some knowledge about the history of that time, are not satisfied with this book. But, it is NOT A HISTORY BOOK.
Zweig is not trying to give information about those times. His observations are not his object but his tools to illustrate his great humanistic messages; and he does this in a very kind and as simple as powerful language.

Remarkable autobiography.
Zweig's aim was to compose an eyewitness report on the first part of the twentieth century in order to save the horrendous truth for the next generations.
It is a shocking report about what he calls the 'Apocalypse': terror, war, revolutions, inflation, famine, epidemics, emigration, the rise of bolshevism, fascism and the most horrific plague of all: nationalism.
He gives us a compelling story of contrasts: the soldiers in the trenches and the arms merchants with their luxury life; English unemployed in five star hotels in Salzburg because they could afford a luxury life on the continent with their unemployment benefits; the brothels and the suicides because of syphilis (Eros Matutina); and the desertion of the Kaiser as a thief in the night at the end of the war, after driving millions of his compatriots into a certain death.
He also relates his encounters with fellow writers like Gide, Rolland, Rilke or Verhaeren.
A moving, outspoken, penetrating and emotional report.
A masterpiece.

history assignment
I had to read this book as a history assignment at the University of Connecticut. It was awful. The author is incredibly long winded and it takes him several chapters to make any type of point. If you are looking for an informative, brief and tactful book concerning the time period before WWI then this is not the book for you. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his long-time surfing companion, Patrick, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Patrick's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend.

In Search of Captain Zero is, according to Outside magazine, "A subtly affecting tale of friendship and duty. [It] deserves a spot on the microbus dashboard as a hell of a cautionary tale about finding paradise and smoking it away." ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Kerouac goes for a surf
First off, you don't have to be a surfer to enjoy this book. It's a well written account of a man looking for answers to life, a friend, some adventure, and some good secluded surf spots. The story will bring you out to the line up where you will experience first hand how beautiful and moving something as simple as being propelled by a wave on a surfboard is. It is more than just a surf book however, it is a document of a life lived on the road and on the sea, for better and sometimes for worse. A definite must read for anyone that loves travel, adventure and a good sea story or two.

Loved This Book
I've been waiting for this book for some time, since i read Cosmic Banditos, the last one written by this author. I got my hands on an advance copy, and I read it in two days. It's a book that really speaks to my generation, the one that sat up and took notice when The Endless Summer hits the movie screens so many years ago, the one that took On the Road as its bible, the one that took so long to grow up. Unlike most of us, the author stuck to the road and to the waves, and this book is a great adventure through the years, as well as through the landscape of central america, as the author sets out in search of his old friend and surfing buddy, Chris. It is a real gift to those of us who loved Cosmic banditos so many years ago, and worth the wait. It's a cinematic kind of book, while at the same time a book of musing on life--not in a pretentious way, but in a real, intimate style that was witty and melancholy at the same time. Brilliant, funny, and a kind of sociological profile of the kind of baby boomer who never sucumbed to the lure of a regular salary and a daily cappucino at starbucks.

More than the sum of its parts
First let me say that I have never surfed, and other than watching Point Break, am ignorant of surfing culture. Likewise, I have never journeyed south of the border, and I certainly never was an international drug smuggler (though I have been known to inhale). That said, Mr. Weisbecker's writing put me right there, and made me feel that I was participating in these adventures. He vividly and viscerally described surfing to the point that I felt the rush, and almost tasted salt water. His recreation of a sense of place when describing Mexico and Central America reminded me of Mark Twain's best travel writing. And his recolections of his outrageous adventures in his youthful bandito smuggling days made me cry from laughing.(Even if these tales are exagerated, as well they may be, only someone who knows what he is talking about could exagerate so effectively.)
Beyond all the surfing, adventuring on the edge, and bandito hilarity, this book has a strong undercurrent of melancholy, a deep sadness that adds depth and realism to this rollicking adventure. Someone has complained that this book is just about a self indulgent mid-life crisis. The author himself has admitted as much in his book. Yet the emotions and circumstances that bring a man to what we have chosen to call "mid-life crisis" are real, and nearly universal. Weibecker's genius is in the brutal honesty in which he communicates his own ambiguous emotional turmoil. Past a certain age, we all must find a way to live with the choices that we have made, and the bridges that we have burned, and that, at its core, is the heart of this book.
In Search of Captain Zero is engrossing, envigerating, hilarious, and sad. It is a swift read, and I was sorry when it was over. All in all, it is more than the sum of its parts, and I highly recommend it.

Great story
This an awesome story!, Alan tells a great story of travel thru Baja, Mexico and further south, If you surf you must read this book and if you have ever traveled through Mexico or down Baja you will appriciate this book as well.
Great Job Alan!!

Great Disposable Writing but Nothing Profound Here
Zero is one of those titles you pick up when you want mindless rambling to distract you from the complexities of life -Weisbecker's biggest worries in life are finding the perfect wave & reuniting with long lost surfer brother, Christopher. We should all have a life this "complicated." I found the surfer lingo exquisitely trite however the storyline was amusing. This book is perfect if you're suffering from a male midlife crises and want to relive the endless summer days of your youth when chicks still found your saggy surfer body attractive. ... Read more

Book Description

A memoir of astonishing power, savagery, and ashen lyricism, Storm ofSteel illuminates not only the horrors but also the fascination of totalwar, seen through the eyes of an ordinary German soldier. Young, tough,patriotic, but also disturbingly self-aware, Jünger exulted in the Great War,which he saw not just as a great national conflict but—more importantly—as aunique personal struggle. Leading raiding parties, defending trenches againstmurderous British incursions, simply enduring as shells tore his comrades apart,Jünger kept testing himself, braced for the death that will mark his failure.

Published shortly after the war’s end, Storm of Steel was a worldwidebestseller and can now be rediscovered through Michael Hofmann’s brilliant newtranslation. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The best memoir of WWI
Ernst Junger was there for the duration. He was wounded sixteen times, he lost his brother. He experienced the trench war in all its hellish glory. That's the difference between Storm of Steel and other WWI memoires like Farewll to All That, Memoires of an Infantry Officer, No News from the Western Front, etc: Junger is not anti-war; he loved it! Do not expect some dreaming idealist though. Junger was a harsh realist. Nothing is to horrifying for him to tell (and believe me - there are a lot of horrifying detail!). He took part in the major combats on the western front, so we get a rare first hand glimpse of the war, The style is vivd, yet sober. He comes across as a Prussian gentleman, not cruel, but he does what he has to do to survive.
Junger later became one of the finest authors of the twentieth century. He is sadly unknown in the Anglo-Saxon world, in much due to his refusal to distance himself from Hitler (he did not embrace nazism though either). He lived an interesting life; he stopped doing LSD when he turned seventy, and he wrote a major treaty on the role of bugs in heraldry. More of his work deserves to be recognized. ... Read more