Book Description

"Readers who enjoyed Storm's classic Seven Arrows, an exploration of Native American culture, will especially treasure the engrossing reading experience provided in this magnificent volume."

--Body, Mind & Spirit

In this gripping spiritual autobiography that begins where Seven Arrows ends, Hyemeyohsts Storm chronicles his life and how it has been enriched by the power and intricate sophistication of a discipline that reaches back tens of thousands of years to the Mayans and beyond.

As a young Cheyenne-Sioux-German mixed blood--a metis--distrusted by white and "full blood" alike, Lightningbolt is a "reservation kid" bitterly obsessed with poverty and warfare. He seems destined for a tragic end until he meets Estcheemah, one of the most powerful Medicine Chiefs who has ever lived. Moved by her power as a Healer and Self-Teacher, Lightningbolt begins his initiation, learning of the old temple-schools, the discovery of the eternal Zero, and the myriad interlocking Medicine wheels which mirror Sacred Life and the Universe; the balance of Female and Male; and the Circle of Law, the first democracy created by humans. These teachings are shared with the reader not only through words but through full-color Medicine Wheel illustrations, breathtaking nature photography, and fascinating re-creations of Mayan art and artifacts.         

A rich blend of spiritual adventure, lyrical beauty, profound wisdom, and love, Lightningbolt delivers a courageous and timely message--that the Medicine Wheels are an inheritance that belongs to all of Earth's peoples. They have the power to transform not only each individual but also the course of humanity. The legacy of the Medicine Wheels renews our understanding of the true intelligence of our Sacred Mother Earth, and teaches that without healing of the Self there can be no healing of the world.

... Read more

Reviews (7)

More than a tale - a beginning
This is a book about more than the guru-guided personal search for self-understanding of a half-breed, more than a remarkably profound exposé of the life-philosophy (not religion) of the native american peoples. More even than a confirmation of the inner validity of other ancient systems of thought and knowledge to be found in other parts of the world, for example in Scandinavia. This book is exactly what it claims to be: the revelation of A WAY, an approach to life and the problems of identity, balance and peace, second to none, and applicable to everyone, where ever in the world they may live, and whatever religious and cultural tradition they may formally adhere to. Something that if widely spread, and attended to in the right way, might just ... just ... (to coin a heavily misused, but in this context really appropriate phrase)"save the world". In other words, not without subversive, but highly life-enhancing social and political connotations. My advice: Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. And then practice, as best ye may. Good luck, and may the Spirit give you strength in the quest for yourSELF.

Cosmic Mirror to the Searcher in all of us!
The Red Road curves through a parallel universe with only tenuous ties to contemporary reality. Storm speaks to the wanna-be warrior in all of us, with humorous vignettes spiked with hidden awareness, as he looks back at the valiant fool he was, beginning his quest before he even knows he was on it, missing all the clues to his personal Grail. (The sign said "Stop", he looked at it, but he couldn't see the message for the word...) Conservative Native Americans shun this guy for letting the cat out of the bag...But for the rest of us waschisus, this is as close to understanding life on the Res as we'll ever get. No matter what your path to personal enlightenment has been, any spritual trekkie will enjoy this guy's experiences. Great read!!!

Saving your Self
This book speeks to me about the inner turmoil and multitude of voices that haunt the uninitiated and estranged males in our society. To not belong, to be cut off from community is a plague on our youth and spirit. The feeling of isolation leads to antisocial behavior, unhappiness, stupidity and violence. Herein is the story of a disenfranchised man and how, with a mentor and female partner, he finds strength in the Self to command and conquer the demons of a disfunctional conformist society. This is a primer on taming the destructive, finding peace and living with beauty. Great insights for all!

Where Spirituality and Psychology merges.
This book is brilliant. The spirituall depth is immense, and the culturall innsight it offers are very valuable. But what really struck me was the Zero Chiefs psychologicall innsight into the human mind. This wisdom has the potential to put Freud and his flock out of business.

Lightningbolt will change your life.
This third of Storm's works catapults him into the catagory of Literary Giant. His mastery of the device of Oral Tradition should end, once and for all, the discussion of his "Indianness". This book is so traditional and true that there can be no doubt of the author's authenticity or genius. ... Read more

Book Description

For more than forty years Miles Davis has been in the front rank of American music. Universally acclaimed as a musical genius, Miles is one of the most important and influential musicians in the world. The subject of several biographies, now Miles speaks out himself about his extraordinary life.

Miles: The Autobiography, like Miles himself, holds nothing back. For the first time Miles talks about his five-year silence. He speaks frankly and openly about his drug problem and how he overcame it. He condemns the racism he has encountered in the music business and in American society generally. And he discusses the women in his life. But above all, Miles talks about music and musicians, including the legends he has played with over the years: Bird, Dizzy, Monk, Trane, Mingus, and many others.

The man who has given us some of the most exciting music of the past few decades has now given us a compelling and fascinating autobiography, featuring a concise discography and thirty-two pages of photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (51)

An important work of history and honest soul searching
Miles Davis, with all his faults, flaws and laughable quirks, was still one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century. It takes a book like this where he leaves no stone unturned to make clear the debt we all owe him and his contemporaries, as well as the restless spirit that lead him beyond what he helped to establish as modern jazz. In many ways he shows himself to be, ironically, the archetypal and sterotypical artist simultaneously. Yet his telling of the profound friendships he had with Max Roach and Coltrane, his deep awe and respect but dispassionate eye for the genius and addictions of Charlie Parker, the loves of his life- and what he put them through, and his brutal, courageous hoonesty in general, gives us a gift of his haunting humanity.

But above all, this about the music. His own telling of his style, the true creators of the form in total and the actual environment where it was produced, and how he created so many styles of his own is enough to make this book worth having.

You will never find another human being who can make curse words sound so beautiful!

If you love jazz, or are a jazz musician, this book will remind you why. And why you love Miles. Everybody does.

Collaborator occassionally but never politically
Miles' words match his music. That revolutionary sound burns, subverts and takes you to a whole new space. If you read his life story you'll never question whether he put himself into his sound. The book doesn't pander to anyone. ( A mild way of stating he writes raw and real.) He was a sinner but did not succomb to the pressures of the establishment press. Who else would turn his his back on the audiences, and terrorize influential interviewers?
This volume, like all his work, totally his own; proves him an intolerant bully, certain drug addict, chronic
irreverent often seething with universal contempt. The section of Cicely Tyson's extravagant 'Tribute to Miles' is too good for me to spoil it here. Miles surely demythologizes Tyson, whom he claimed he never loved. But he also gets a few jabs in at Trane, and we all know the pantheon wherein he presides.
His childhood is interesting and not the typical po' boy refrain. His father a dentist, comfortable but surely not wealthy. Still, on the whole, Davis had it better in St. Louis than most black folks.
This book is a "must read" for jazz lovers and people who seek liberation from the ordinary. Hear Miles talk about how good he looked and sounded. Nobody else could have written this book. Nobody would dare.

A didactic "Must-read" for Jazz lovers and music historians!
As a Jazz lover, I can't help but consider this book a time machine into the past of jazz. I just finished reading it entirely for the second time (April & May of 2004). The first time I read it was 12 years ago (Spring of 1992). I have collected 3 Miles Davis box sets and a lot of his compact discs
in those 12 years, so reading the autogbiograpy this time around was much more like watching a movie.
I, myself, have also become much more of a musician in the
past 12 years, so I found the book to be very didactic when Mile's shared his thoughts on musical subjects such as the Egyptian mode, the modal conceptualization of songs (all the songs on "Kind of Blue"), using the Fender Rhodes electric piano to cushion his sound, and more.
For those who love John Coltrane, this book makes you feel even the slightest sense of knowing him a little; his extreme dedication to practicing and his repenting reassessment of his own life. Miles became good friends with Coltrane after he hired him into his band, yet they didn't spend much time together where
music was not concerned. Miles describes Trane's death as if it happened yesterday and it's extremely interesting to "hear" Miles
tell where Trane was musically right before he died in relation to the racial & social strife that the United States was experiencing in the 60's (this is even more poigniant when you have heard Trane's music from that period [read my review on "John Coltrane The Classic Quartet-The Complete Impulse Studio Recordings). I find it ironic that later in the book Miles mentions that he couldn't stand Trane's quartet at this period.
This is another major exciting thing about the book; it gives insight on other music greats that Miles knew personally,
like Charlie Parker (especially), Gil Evans, drummer, Philly Joe Jones, Billie Holliday and many others.
The part where Miles tells what he went through as a heroine
junkie is really heart-wrenching, and when he overcame that addiction, you really see and feel his cold-turkey withdrawl; he
overcame it out of self-determination.

The last chapter of the book is a look into Miles' thoughts on life, women, racism, etc. He is quite the activist;
he never hated white people out of racism. He had an aversion to
white people because of all the racism that was enacted upon him.

This book is musically and historically tremendous!!!

Caveats
Not great literature, and not exceptionally insightful. Miles' public persona was a construct, affecting intentionally coarse language and simplistic, conflicting views. Lest you haven't gotten your share of that in the numerous interviews he gave, you can get your fill here. One might say that Miles in his own words is just being "direct"; one might also say that, in terms of this gutteriffic book versus the man's incredible music, his crudeness is hugely disappointing. The best things Miles ever said were thru his music. For measured commentary on his life and work, you'll have to turn elsewhere.

Speaking of which, the highly recommended Milestones by Jack Chambers, in its 1998 edition, detailed several passages of Miles autobio that were direct rips from Chambers' own texts. Anyone who thinks Miles' book is the bomb should at least glance at Chambers' recent forward to Milestones, which should raise an eyebrow or two. (Milestones itself is probably the best Miles bio available, in any case.) It's kind of fitting, though; Miles wasn't exactly a stranger to assigning his own name to someone else's music, so why would he be above plagiarizing words? Especially when there's a book advance already doled out and a deadline approaching?

I don't mean to demean the musician, though; Miles was obviously a giant and one of the most important visionaries of the 20th century. But again, it's the music itself that tells that particular story. What you get here, in Chambers' words, is "self-inflicted tabloid journalism." The sleazy parts are not worth detailing, and the questions regarding authorship and originality can be distracting to the discerning reader.

Miles lets his beautiful but imperfect soul speak.
Wow! I recently inhaled this book and felt obliged to review it. It is captivating and unapologetic, even brutal at times... and REAL... I loved it for this.

Great works of art can easily appear larger than life when they are displayed in museums or remastered in handsome packaging for the world to enjoy... It's easy to be rightfully consumed by their beauty and forget the harshness of life that beats down on us all (artists included).

Miles Davis's music for me is the ultimate escape... the ultimate adventure into a relaxing, interesting aural universe. So I must admit it was a quick jolt to the system to read autobiographical tales of neglect, addiction, jealousy, financial stuggle, broken relationships, boastful egos, clashes with authority, poor health, disposable relationships and racial unrest in the United States... the writing here is REAL. The 400+ pages here have potential to "push buttons" and have you shaking your head in disbelief. In today's homogenized Brittany Spears world of image obsession and greed, it's a pleasure to read a book by someone who just "doesn't care".

Miles lets his beautiful but imperfect soul speak. I wouldn't want to read otherwise. ... Read more

Book Description

In "Behind The Scenes", Elizabeth Keckley tells of the 30 years she spent in slavery, how she gained her freedom and of her remarkable friendship with Mary Todd Lincoln for whom she worked as a seamstress in the Lincoln White House. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Elozabeth Keckley's Diary
I really had a hard time reading this. It's one of the worst diary writings I have ever read. I can understand why a publisher would think this book would be important.
However, even if a book is someone as interesting as Mary Todd. Some things quiet honestly should never be published.
There were a few interesting moments about Mary and Abraham Lincoln in the diary. That is really the only reason why I gave it two stars.
The person who published this book. Makes it seems like there is more info on the Lincoln's then there acutely is.
It's more about the hard times of slavery. I don't have a problem reading about such things. However, there are a lot better books out there written about the subject.
If your really new to learning about the Civil War, slavery, and the Lincoln family. Then this book would be relatively of help to you.
But for any long time Civil War book. skip this.

Beautifully Written!
I got a copy of this book from a book fair not on purpose. As a non-native English learner, what strikes me is the ability of Keckley to express rich emotions in very simple words and sentences. I always like reading first person narratives, fictions or true stories, but seldom find one as captivating as this. A five-star from me and it's a pity she didn't seem
to have written other books.

LOUSY !!!!!!!!!!!
This book was VERY,VERY DISAPPOINTING!It had only 2 chapters on 30yrs.of being a SLAVE(if you can believe that!) and 13 CHAPTERS
on 4 yrs. in the White House!!
GO FIGURE!!!!! I am SO SORRY I had my daughter get this book for me for Mother's DAY!

Intersting...
The story/diary it self I found wasn't written very good.However I found Ms.Keckley's relationship with Mrs.Mary Todd Lincoln and her family intersting.
She gave some insightfll thoughts about Mary and Abraham that was quite a treat to read.

Stepping back in time
I was enthralled by every page of this book. I couldn't put it down and was disappointed when it ended. As I was reading the book, I felt like I was stepping back in time witnessing the ordinary, human, day-to-day life behind the historical events we studied in school.

The story was simple and yet it presented a very intimate glimpse into the genuine personalities of Abraham and Mary and the life the author shared with them. Elizabeth Keckley was not writing to impress anyone with her "insider" position in the White House, she was just sharing her story.

The stories about her life as a slave also offered the reader an opportunity to experience slavery through the eyes and heart of a slave.

How lucky we are that she wrote this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Superstar Deion Sanders tells his powerful life story and reveals how power, money and sex could not satisfy the void in his life—a void ultimately satisfied by his relationship with Christ. A photo section included in this national best-seller.

Reviews (14)

Depicts how Sanders grows out of adolescence into manhood.
For any man who has ever had problems with "power, sex or money," this is a must-read. This book covers the trials and triumphs of one of the NFL's most controversial - yet entertaining athletes of all-time. Find out where Deion receives the necessary strength to play in both the World Series and the Super Bowl. You'll be amazed!

Prime Time's Quest to Christ
Wow! The life and times of Deion Sanders is most definitely a most unique and touching story. Who would think that a man with so much going for himself: fame, fortune, women and much more would want to commit suicide? It just goes to show the public that material gifts don't bring happiness without those who love us in our lives on a daily basis.

Due to hearing the numerous testimonies of Sanders (and others outside of pro sports and the entertainment industry) on ESPN and Christian networks, I am trying to take those extra steps to put Christ in my life full time.

I must admit, I loved the non-religious Deion Sanders. He was so conceited and filled with so much arrogance, and my goodness was he entertaining! However, by seeing the new Deion Sanders, I admire him even more because it takes lots of courage to make the transformations and sacrifices he has made.

I've read a little over half of Deion's book thus far, so I'm informed about part of his journey to spirituality. Now, it's time for me to read the other half of his book and get the complete story of how Deion found "The Big Guy In The Sky."

Job well done by Deion and his editor, Jim Nelson Black on bringing us a most uplifting story for all readers to take part in.

Finally, I just want to say: Keep doin' what ya doin' Deion and don't change. Keep safe and God bless!

Prime Time's Years of Slime Time
Let me start off by saying I like Deion Sanders, otherwise I never would have purchased his book. And I admire the fact that the man has come a LONG way and overcome many obstacles to accept Christ into his life.
However, I do have a major complaint - well, two to be totally honest.
One, Deion seems to blame all his past problems on others. Even though Deion admits he was hell on wheels and self destructive for a time, he still doesn't take responsibility for many of his actions in this book. The time in Cincinnati, when he played for the Reds, when he got into an altercation with a security guard while he was riding around in a golf cart. Everyone knows Deion made that situation worse than it ever could have been, but in Deion's retelling of the story, the security guard provoked him. There are several more stories like this one, where Deion was involved in something that escalated because the other party in the dispute was out to "get him". I'm not going to say that everything that has happened to Deion is his fault, but let's be real - a lot of it is. I'm surprised, as a christian, that Deion hasn't stepped up to the plate and taken a little more responsibility for his past actions. I'm not judging Deion, but I must admit my disappointment.
The other problem I had with the book, and this is most likely not Deion's fault but rather the authors, is that his "escapades" are glamourized, instead of downplayed. I've read several biographies written by famous people - athletes, politicians, actors, etc - and they all are guilty of this. I understand the risk you take as a writer, explaining the past deed and attempting to unfold what happened, but doing so in a manor that is interesting to the reader. When this happens, it's every easy to glamourize the story, instead of exposing it for the bad thing that it was.
Overall, an entertaining read, albeit somewhat short to my surprise.

My Review on Deion's Book....
Overall, I really enjoy Deion and I was looking forward to reading his autobiography, but I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. It wasn't as 'thorough' as I thought - and his cockiness and self-centeredness really showed. I still enjoy him, and I wish him the best on his journey with Jesus.. I just pray that he's sincere.

Deion has always been a class act
I've always dug Deion Sanders.To Me he has been the Most Complete Athlete of His Time.cuz He is a Good Baseball Player&A Great Football Player.but More Importantly The Brother is Very Honest with Himself&His Surroundings.he has come full circle&has Inner Peace.this is a Great Book. ... Read more

Book Description

In a restaurant family, you’re never just hungry—you’re starving to death. And you’re never full—you’re stuffed.
Patricia Volk’s family is as American (background: Austrian-Jewish) as “Rhapsody in Blue.” They came to these shores determined to make their mark; each of them is a piquant morsel of history. Great-grandfather Sussman Volk brought pastrami to the New World. Grandfather Jacob was known as “the Most Destructive Force on Wall Street” and was memorialized by E. B. White as “the greatest wrecker of all time” for his innovative method of demolition. Uncle Albert was the first man to stir scallions into cream cheese. The last of Grandfather Herman Morgen’s fourteen restaurants was a famous garment center hangout. One grandmother won the 1916 trophy for “Best Legs in Atlantic City.” The other was a three-hundred-pound calendar girl. Ms. Volk’s handsome, demanding restaurateur father invented the Six-color Retractable Pen and Pencil Set and the Double-sided Cigarette Lighter (so you never have to worry which end is up). For three generations, just about every Volk and Morgen (with the exception of Uncle Al, who had an eleven-year affair with Aunt Lil and then refused to marry her because she wasn’t a virgin) has, no matter what the circumstances, exhibited a terrifyingly positive attitude. With a cosmic disdain for the status quo, all of them—the tyrants, do-gooders, lovers, martyrs, and fakes—lived at full tilt.

Stuffed is a wildly funny yet unsparing look at how families work. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Wit, wisdom, familial weirdness, and a great, great read.
The earlier reviewers have one thing about right--this book is a lot more than a semi-food-based memoir about growing up Jewish in Manhattan in the middle of the last century. It's really about nearly everybody's family: the terrific characters, the loonies, the distinguished, the pathetic--you name it, they're in the book. Volk's style is an amazing balancing act, dancing between opposites. Sometimes when you're expecting a laugh you get a tear, or vice versa, or both at once: her farewell to her dying beloved father is so absurd and so moving that you'll never forget it. (Or his ashes, which of course get caught in an ocean gust and blow all over his children.) For my part I was often laughing at the parade of eccentricities when I remembered again how every family I know is like that: outsized in a way, outlandish in a way. Among Volk's other virtues, I don't know another writer who has so subtly and ruthlessly and hysterically exposed the small casual meannesses we tend to visit on the people we love. And still the book is full of love, running over with it.

A wonderful book
As a deli owner's daughter with a big quirky family of my own I was predisposed to love this book before I even turned the first page. Patricia Volk shows us that life is really in the details as she paints vivid, strikingly honest, funny and always loving portraits of her immediate and extended family. She also captures and preserves for us a time and culture in New York City that is fading into memory. Her stories about her family's elders makes you want you want to reach back into the past and pull forward all the grandmothers and grandfathers, and aunts and uncles and mothers and fathers who've left us already, so that they can walk through our lives and down the streets of NYC
one more time. Her chapter about her father's illness and death will resonate deeply with anyone who has accompanied someone they loved through the process of dying. My mother always said "As long as you can laugh and cry at the same time you know you're OK". This book strikes that balance beautifully.

What a Waste of My Money!
This is the first time I have ever regretted spending money on a book. Someone in my book club chose this book so I tried to read it for the upcoming review. I can't imagine why anyone would enjoy this book except the author because it would be of interest to no one else except her! This is also the first time I ever reviewed a book online; but I am hoping that I might let people know that not everyone thought this book was wonderful!

Need a sorbet to cleanse my palate
If you are into self-indulgent narcissism, this is the book for you. I'm only half way through, and I already feel nauseous from being force-fed one family's over the top ego. There isn't a chapter where I didn't say to myself "yuck". I'm only finishing the book to try to better understand the person who recommended this book as a wonderful read.

Reality Novel of a classic American Immigrant Family
Patricia Volk's memoir, 'Stuffed' is much less a culinary memory than it is a recollection of what, to some readers, may seem like a simultaneously wise and dysfunctional Jewish-American family which happened to be instrumental in the shaping of the Jewish delicatessen in America.

When I picked this book out to read, with it's title and photograph of the giant Morgan's restaurant dining room on the back cover, I was expecting something like Ruth Reichl's two memoirs. This book is different in many regards, although it has its own charm making it equally worthy as a light read.

The first difference is that there is very little in the book about food itself. The blurb by Eli Zabar, who may have known the family business better than he knew the inside of the book, reinforces the impression that the book is about food. The book is simply about people whose business happened to be food. The fact that the author is a writer of fiction rather than a culinary journalist should have been the clue that gives away the game. The chapter titles, named after major foodstuffs (including bacon, of all things for a Jewish family) maintains the ambiguity long into the middle of the book. I kept looking for the recipes (not really).

The second difference is that the book is much less about the author (and her parents) than it is about the entire Volk / Morgan / Sussman / Lieban vereinshaft (extended family in Yiddish).

Three themes permeate the book. The first is the success at various endeavors, primarily the building demolition business and the restaurant business of various male family members. The second theme is the great beauty of the women in the family. One look at the photo of the author is enough to get the sense of the quality of the Volk / Lieban genes. The third theme is lack of logic in some of the family members' life choices.

If you love reading about people who simply had a very full life with the intensity one may find in fiction but with the added cachet that this was all real, this is a book for you.

By the way, there are two recipes on pages 80 and 81 for chocolate cake and icing. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

A Personal Glimpse at a Favorite Author
This is a most enjoyable book allowing a glimpse into the life of one of my favorite authors. It was interesting to learn about the situations that molded the life of James Herriot (Alf Wight).

The Real James Herriot
-James Herriot was a country animal doctor who recanted his life into stories, which became All Creatures Great and Small and other books and audios. His son, Jim Wight, upon his father's death, composed a tribute to a man we all thought we knew in The Real James Herriot. The abridged audio version is narrated by TV's James Herriot, actor Christopher Timothy. His familiar tramping of the characters and Herriot's words makes him the perfect choice to read this veneration. ... Read more

Book Description

BiographyLarge Print Edition*A Bestselling AuthorFans of James Herriot will relish this affectionate biography . . . A must read for both Herriot admirers and animal lovers.BooklistAll things bright and beautiful,All creatures great and small,All things wise and wonderful,The Lord God made them all.This is the story of James Herriot, the most famous and deeply loved veterinarian the world has ever knownfrom his unknown early days in Glasgow to the fifty years he spent working with all creatures great and small.  ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Very Disappointed with this Book
I bought this book after having read and re-read all the Herriot books for the past twenty years. I was eagerly looking forward to seeing pictures of a young James Herriot, a young 'Siegfried' et al. We fans already knew that the characters names were pseudonyms but did Lord really have to go to so many lengths in almost calling James Herriot a liar ? Why did he feel it so important to reveal so much ? I felt he and Eddie Straiton collaborated in trying to destroy what James Herriot had spent so many years building - a little corner of the world where we can all escape to in our hearts and minds. I wonder how many people will ever be able to enjoy re-reading James Herriots books again after reading this unnecessary 'expose'. Shame on you Graham Lord !

He didn't know the man well enough to write this book
Graham Lord is not a hack or a fraud, but he clearly wrote this book without any cooperation from the family of James Herriot (Alfie Wight), and it shows in an abominable lack of actual information about Herriot's life before meeting Lord or of Herriot's life as a vet. He also makes far too much about the fact that Herriot was writing compelling stories based on actual incidents rather than serving only as a journalist, but since his connection to Herriot was only through his books and some occasional personal contact, there was little else he could write. The book is infuriating in the extent to which it substitutes information about the times in which Herriot lived for actual information about Herriot: knowing nothing of Herriot's life growing up, Lord talks endlessly about the life of other people who grew up in the same neighborhood as Herriot, and historical records and newspapers were obviously his primary source, along with people who didn't live in Thirsk and who had limited contact with Herriot.

The inadequacies of this book inspired Jim Wight (Herriot's son) to write a truly revealing biography entitled The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father, and Lord is to be thanked for that. He did his best with what little information he had, but there is no escaping the fact that he had too little information, and having read the son's memoir, I quickly found Lord's book unbearable and started skimming after a couple of chapters in the hopes of finding SOMETHING I hadn't already learned from Wight's book. I was not successful.

Appallingly bad writing
The most positive thing about this book is that it shows you what Jim Wight (James Herriot's son) was up against when he wrote his memoir. I highly recommend Jim Wight's memoir for anyone who is interested in learning about James Herriot (Alf Wight).

I think Mr. Lord may have been well-meaning when he wrote James Herriot: Life of a Country Vet but the book is really appallingly bad. Mr. Lord has no feel for the WWII period, has done no practical research, seems to have little to no perception of human character and relies almost exclusively on gossip and word-of-mouth. One gets the impression that Mr. Lord decided before writing his book what he was going to find and proceeded to twist or ignore any information to the contrary. He relies on those "witnesses" who will tell him what he wants to hear without taking into consideration the inherent complexity of human beings. Witnesses do not always tell the truth--it is a gross error in judgment to think that one person can fully, and accurately, explain another person.

The lack of reliable facts results in Mr. Lord relying almost exclusively on guesswork, and the assumptions inherent in Mr. Lord's guesswork are almost all negative. For instance, he assumes that because he, Mr. Lord couldn't find evidence that Alf Wight's parents were musicians, ergo, they weren't, therefore Alf Wight was lying when he referred to his parents as professional musicians. The point may be debatable but in the interests of good writing, the assumption is not enough. If Mr. Lord wasn't willing to do the required research to prove the point conclusively one way or the other, he should have left it out.

Mr. Lord strikes one as the kind of man who is continually surprised by the inconsistencies of human nature. He reports with something like glee that Alf once told someone that his father died in 1961, instead of 1960. This becomes evidence for . . . the mind boggles. I'm not sure Mr. Lord himself has a clue what he is trying to accomplish in this book. Whatever it is, it suffers from an utter lack of scholarship and is therefore deeply insulting both to Alf Wight's memory and to the reader.

Not a Bio After All
Whoever called this book a bio should take a course in library science. Its pages ought to be ripped out and distributed inside those trashy celeb magazines under the label of Gossip. I enjoyed Jim Wight's book about his father much more so and not only because it was naturally a warmhearted look at Alf's life but because there's honesty in his words. Not so with Graham Lord. You'd expect more of a slant with Jim's book than you would Graham's but that is not the case. Graham's research reminds me of National Enquirer-style publications and their anonymous-source dissing, except that Graham does provide their names. But so what? It only made me think less of some of his sources. I've met their kind in offices and at cocktail parties, dime-a-dozen personality hackers running off at the mouth about so-and-so. Graham insults our intelligence with shovel-fuls of similar dirt. And his motives for doing so are unclear. He seems to want to burst bubbles but what bubbles are they?

As a reader, I instinctively knew that Alf Wight's books came from his life and were based on his experiences, irregardless of Graham's pathetic attempts to prove them fiction. The stories were meant to entertain and they no doubt were entertaining for Alf to write. No crime there. Alfs' characters are well portrayed. Readers are given a good look at vetting in that time and place.
Stepping away from the books then and looking at the life of the author ought not to be made into some grand disillusionment. So what if Wight's wife, Joan, put her foot down on certain issues and her husband followed her lead from time to time - or if Alf himself grew a little testy with the effects of fame? Is Graham and his holier-than-thou sources trying to tell us that Joan was a shrew and Alf got too full of himself or that he was just acting a part of modesty? All human beings run a gamut of emotions and try out certain roles within their lifetimes. Shall we focus on the more unpleasant ones and snicker over them? No thanks, Graham, not with your type.
Alf and Joan were a successfully married and hardworking couple. They raised their children well. Like many, they encountered hardships in the way of finances and they probably acquired some eccentricities and personality flaws along the way. So? The only thing Alf owed us, upon publication of his books, was an entertaining read. Judging by its' sales, that is exactly what he delivered.
On the other hand, Graham's book, 'The Life of a Country Vet' (deceivingly titled, by the way)was a skim-through. If you must read it, rent it.

Should have passed this one by
I bought this book while visiting the Yorkshire Dales, after lapping up the James Herriot series years earlier. I was sooo excited to find the book and had romantic visions of reading about the real James Herriot while visiting his homeland.

Ohhhhh, how I wish I had picked up the book, soaked up the photos, and put the book right back on the shelf.

A classic case of raining on my parade; bursting my bubble; toss out ANY fitting cliche. It shattered all my illusions about James Harriet's life, experiences, and loved ones. If you are a sentimental fool like me and have read Herriot's books, pass this one byyyyy. ... Read more

Book Description

Evelyn Fairbanks grew up in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s along Rondo Avenue--the heart of St. Paul's largest black neighborhood. Her book tells the warm and human stories she recalls from those years in the then-vibrant community that was doomed to disappear with the coming of the freeways in the 1960s. "It is important for me to tell these stories, because I want others to know some of the people, events, and places that made up my neighborhood."--Evelyn Fairbanks ... Read more

Book Description

A revealing study of the Queen and her court--their daily lives, concerns, topics of conversation, meals, living condition, travels, successes and failures--that places them firmly within the historical context of 16th century Britain. "...gives us the most intimate portrait...An outstanding and fascinating book."--Punch.


... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Fitting Portrait of England's Greatest Queen
A truly excellent book for someone who, like me, wants to find out not only about the events of Elizabeth's life but also what Elizabeth was like as a person. The writing style is clear and very enjoyable and makes Elizabeth seem alive again. As a schoolboy in England, I studied the Tudor Period, but this book goes way above and beyond what one is taught at school level. I learned so much more about Elizabeth's life and personality, that it has given me a whole new level of respect for someone who I had already held in high esteem. Highly recommended.

Great Elizabeth.
This excellent book paints an unforgettable portrait of Elizabeth I, "Good Queen Bess" to her loving subjects. Her fascinating life and vibrant personality are caught with great truth and clarity. Elizabeth Regina-LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!

Delightful summary of a great life.
This book is not a 'life and times' volume. It is single-minded in its telling of Elizabeth's life. I found the book to be captivating. I keep it on my desk at work for those rare days when I don't go out to lunch. I know that I can always open the book to any page and find an interesting story ahead.

Know your Elizabethen History before you begin.
After reading "Feast In The Morning", I found I was hooked on these real people and this era. I just had to know what happened after the death of Elizabeth's brother. This biography covers the entire lifetime of Elizabeth, at times it is very difficult to follow. As a persons name and place names were often the same, and in many cases the author would be talking about Lord Robert Dunley, then later she may refer to him as the Protector or as the Earl of Leicester, or as Leicester or The Earl. As you can see this can get confusing to follow who is who.

This book really gives you the feel of the Queen and her times. Her nemisis Mary Queen of Scots was present throughout Elizabeth's lifetime and had a big influnence on her. Many times I wondered what I would do if faced with Elizabeth's problems, she was very creative.

Many importaint parts of history may have been left out or hardly mentioned, while other unimportaint events were exponded on.

It was interesting to read about the Earl of Oxford and his relationship with the Queen, as now there seems to be a camp of people who believe that he was really Shakespear. The author was recounting their relationship without the knowledge of this controversity. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

meaningful, emotional and mystical
i continue to feel a sense of awe as i read. what ever was in the background of the story, the truth on the surface is that, motown's blessing was berry gordy. consider being locked in a destiny filled with certain failure and uncertain success. your vision emerges beyond your wildest dreams to change the landscape of the music sceen. memories of yesterday and statements of today are still reflected in the music of motown. magic or god? determination or wisdome? for a black man, this was uncharted teritory. for the white man it was thought to be protected. there was no sense of invasion or conquest as fun and joy mixed with sorrow and sadness. the success and accomplishment mingled with struggle and desension. survival slowly became the motto of the day. the reality of the entertainment world and the almighty dollar loured conflict like vultures to rob the safety of the domain. berry gordy was chosen for this at birth and only god understands for surely god has been and is with this man and his vision. the music has been and still is a wonderful and joyful pleasure.the world has become a wonderful place full of riches and promise for so many people because of how god used and still is using this man. i pray god will always be his strength.

Interesting, though a little self-centered.
It is always hard to believe autobriographies, especially in the music-biz where people are fighting others constantly for power, money and all those things. Since Berry Gordy is a controversial figure, we have to doubt it.

Doesn't take away the fact that is interesting seeing the rise of his Motown label through his eyes. He discoverd many acts and also wrote and produced many hits in the 50's through 80's. Jackie Wilson, Martha Reeves, Mary Wells, The Supremes, Four Tops, Temptations and Miracles all are very much part of the Gordy legacy.

He started as a boxer, admiring Joe Louis before turning to music. One of his earliest friends was Smokey Robinson, someone who he also admired and who never turned his back to him. Something the Jackson 5 did, though they were almost part of his family.

His familymember were often married to people from his company. Jermaine Jackson and Marvin Gaye for example. He himself married often and had more than 8 children with 4 different wives, including Diana Ross.

It is very interesting to read about how he felt about the music business and Motown, but doubt the honesty

Awesome Book
This was one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. I couldn't put it down. So many awesome characters and people that everyone knows. Definately recommended. Highly

Oh please
I'm amazed at the almost uniformly positive reviews of this book by other readers here. Berry Gordy accomplished a great deal by founding Motown Records, no question about it (what he did for African American culture in general is immeasurable); what I object to is his (predictible, but no less shocking) glossing over of many unpleasant facts in this book. The fact is, Gordy was a mean and ruthless businessman who stomped on countless others in his rise to the top (the part he played in the downfall of Florence Ballard alone is unforgivable); his warm and fuzzy recounting of his and Motown's story simply reads false to me. Better books on this subject are J. Randy Taraborelli's Motown book, his biography of Diana Ross, and the two Mary Wilson autobiographies. Those read quite a bit more convincingly.

A GREAT BOOK
Glad to hear from the man who made Motown. If you are a fan of the music than this is a must read!!!!! ... Read more

Book Description

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith narrates this authorized biography of the band The Chieftains. The Chieftains career and music virtually defines traditional Irish music and culture and here, for the first time, is the bestselling recording act's story told in their own words.This program features audio interviews with band members and the musical superstars who they have worked with (including Sarah McLachlan, Tom Jones, Marianne Faithfull, Jackson Browne, Nanci Griffith, etc.). (approximate length: 4.5 hours; 3 cassettes) ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great access but absurdly disorganized
Mr. Glatt appears to have enjoyed carte blanche access to these fabulous musicians but his book reads like he spilled his notes and put them in the book in random. One moment he's praising founder Paddy Moloney for his computer-like brain, the next we're supposed to laugh that Paddy is five hours late for a major recording session.

There's some fun stuff here, but the weeds are thick!

Nanci and the Chieftains
I purchased this CD because of my interest in Nanci Griffith as a songwriter, musician, and performer. Nanci does not disappoint as she breathes life into the narrative of fellow musicians and collaborators, the Chieftains. It is her familiarity with them as friends and musicians which adds to the excitement of the performance. Nanci has already won three grammies, been nominated for seven, and this should have been her fourth.

Nanci the Narrator
Nanci Griffith does a fabulous job narrating the audio version of the Chieftain's autobiography. Her voice is as sweet and flowing as the melodious tunes she sings.

The Royalty of Irish Music
Irish music is very hot. It is amazing how many successful Irish bands (of all types) have emerged from this tiny Island of 5 million. Yet in no small way can they all point to a single pioneering band that helped put Irish music on the map.

The Chieftains are more than simply a successful collection of great musicians who have toured the world for over 30 years. When they started, in the mid 1960's, there was little interest in traditional music in Ireland. In Ireland, Irish music wasn't considered to be "hip" and broadcasts were limited to relatively unimaginative ceili music. The most famous Irish musicians of time, the Clancy Brothers, were not even living in Ireland when they began.

The Chieftains took traditional Irish music and infused it with a new energy and style. They soon developed a cult following, but after doing the sound track for the movie Barry Lyndon (early 70's) their popularity exploded. Even after upwards of 30 albums, they and constant touring, their popularity never falters.

The Chieftains : The Authorized Biography by John Glatt tells the story of how it all happened. If it weren't all true, it would sound wildly improbable.

For anyone interested in Irish music, this book is a must.

audio book disappointing
The story of the Chieftains is fascinating, but unfortunately, I don't think the audio book version does it justice. I found Nanci Griffith's reading of the story to be very rushed and lacking in feeling and emotion. At various times, interviews with different band members are inserted. Many of the interviews are full of background noise, sounding like they were conducted at a party. I really don't know much about the editing process, but it seems that some of this superfluous noise could have been removed to make the speaker's voice more audible. I found it hard to believe that this recording was nominated for a Grammy. I was eager to listen to a great book, but was disappointed. I recommend sticking to the print version. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Thumping good read
A great book. After you read this book, you will have more sympathy and respect for Elizabeth I. A neglected early childhood, loved and protected by faithful servants to whom she was loyal until they died. Finally accepted by her Father at heiress at the age of 10, she came to love and admire her distant father. Her mental capabilities were prodigious and her wit and learning allowed her to die an old woman beloved in memory. She may not have been perfect, but she was remarkable. ... Read more

Book Description

The fifth book in the bestselling Penguin Lives -- Penguin Lives pairs celebrated writers with famous Great writers on great figures individuals who have shaped our thinking.

With all the earthy sensuality and majestic storytelling that have made her one of Ireland's preeminent writers, award-winning novelist Edna O'Brien paints the most passionate, personal, and sensuous portrait of her fellow countryman yet written.James Joyce is a return journey to the land of politics, history, and the saints and scholars that shaped this creator of the twentieth century's most groundbreaking novel, Ulysses.

In her beautiful, poetic telling, O'Brien traces Joyce's early days as the rambunctious young Jesuit student; his falling in love with a tall, red-haired Galway girl named Nora Barnacle on Bloomsday; and his exile to Trieste where he met with success, love, and finally, despair. Only Edna O'Brien, with her deft, supple prose, her rebel Irish heart, and her kindred spirit, could capture the brilliance and complexity of this great modern master. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A Joycean Primer
As is almost consistently the case, the series of biographies produced under the collection of Penguin Lives has once again succeeded in providing a palatable doorway through which the hungry but busy reader can find the substance of an important if historically tough writer or artist. Edna O'Brien, herself an accomplished writer, here provides us with a fellow Irishman's view of the incredibly important writer James Joyce. Though most of us have at least read his 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man' and have seen plays and film adaptations of some of his other works, few of us feel we understand this complexly brilliant mind enough to say that approaching 'Ulysses' or 'Finnegan's Wake' would be easy reading. O'Brien gives us not only the chronology of Joyce's life, she also picks up on individual instances in his youth and manhood that served as fodder for his detailed novels of his Irish heritage. The writing is brisk, acerbic, challenging, and ultimately rewardingly educational. Finish this brief history and you most probably will run to the book shelf for another go at the master!

A perceptive account of a monster of a writer
Irish writer Edna O'Brien's brief (179 page) biography of James Joyce was aimed at people like me who are curious about Joyce's life, but not curious enough to undertake Richard Ellman's definitive but massive biography. O'Brien venerates Joyce's writing, but recognizes the high cost to most everyone who had any contact with Joyce.

Although she argues (without convincing me) that Joyce was not a misogynist, she does not attempt to defend him from being viewed as a monster; instead, she answers her question "Do writers have to be such monsters in order to create? I believe that they do."

O'Brien provides interesting responses to Joyce's life and lifework. Hard-core Joyceans will already have processed Ellman's biography--regarded by some as the best biography of any writer ever written. The somewhat curious have a fine guide in O'Brien. Her book is generally readable, and I am inclined to trust her sense (as a novelist, as an Irish novelist) of what in Joyce's fiction is autobiographical.

The volume is an excellent match of biographer and subject, like Edmund White's biographical meditation on Marcel Proust that began the series of Penguin Brief Lives, a welcome antidote to the mountains of details that make so many biographies daunting.

a great writer on a great writer
Biographies in this series are the perfect fun size. Light, but long enough to have a lot of real stuff in them, more than a mere introduction.

The very first sentence of this book invites you into Joyce with an imitation of his writing style, & after that Edna O'Brien shares generously & mellifluously her great understanding of the man, his life, & his work, drawing on scholarly commentary of his books & from the journals & letters of him & the people around him so that you know how they all felt about his life & their lives in themselves & for the purposes of this biography in relation to him. It's so well-written & so interesting -- what a life he had, crazy as he was, that -- I could hardly put it down. Edna O'Brien's great interest in him comes across truly.

Short but sweet
I read this book at the Jersey shore. Joyce's life was as bizarre as his fiction. This book gives you an insight into what Joyce was trying to do with "Ulysses" and later "Finegan's Wake." Of course, the Ellmann bio is still the definitive. This is a great little read with sand and roasted peanuts.

A Singular Genius
This is one of several volumes in the Penguin Lives Series, each of which written by a distinguished author in her or his own right. Each provides a concise but remarkably comprehensive biography of its subject in combination with a penetrating analysis of the significance of that subject's life and career. I think this is a brilliant concept. My only complaint (albeit a quibble) is that even an abbreviated index is not provided. Those who wish to learn more about the given subject are directed to other sources.

When preparing to review various volumes in this series, I have struggled with determining what would be of greatest interest and assistance to those who read my reviews. Finally I decided that a few brief excerpts and then some concluding comments of my own would be appropriate.

On Joyce and Ireland: "Of all the great Irish writers, Joyce's relationship with his country remains the most incensed and yet the most meditative. Beckett, a much more cloistered man, was unequivocal; he made France his home and eventually wrote in French and though his elegiac works carry the breath of his native land, he did not expect Foxrock, his birthplace, to be etched in the consciousness of the world. Joyce did. He determined to reinvent the city where he had been marginalized, laughed at and barred from literary circles. he would be the poet of his race." (page 15)

On criticisms of his portrayal of Dublin: Joyce "said he was not to be blamed for the odor of ash pits and rotted cabbage and offal in these stories [i.e. in Dubliners] because that was how he saw his city. 'We are foolish, comic, motionless, corrupted, yet we are worthy of sympathy too,' he laughed haughtily and added that if Ireland were to deny that sympathy to its characters, the rest of the world would not. In this he was mistaken." (page 78)

On his deteriorating health: "The strains were beginning to show. he had endocrine treatment for his arthritis, had to have all his teeth removed and was fitted with permanent plates. His eyesight so worsened that he had only one-seventh normal vision. He was given iodine leeches for his bad eye but soon it was clear that they would have to operate." (page 130)

On his enigmatic nature: "The truth is that the Joyce [others] saw was a fraction of the inner man. No one knew Joyce, only himself, no one could. His imagination was meteoric, his mind ceaseless in the accruing of knowledge, words crackling in his head, images crowding in on him 'like the shades at the entrance to the underworld.' What he wanted to do was to wrest the secret from life and that could only be done through language because, as he said, the history of people is the history of language." (pages 165-166)

As is also true of the other volumes in the "Penguin Lives" series, this one provides all of the essential historical and biographical information but its greatest strength lies in the extended commentary, in this instance by Edna O'Brien. She also includes a brief but sufficient "Bibliography" for those who wish to learn more about Joyce. I hope these brief excerpts encourage those who read this review to read O'Brien's biography. It is indeed a brilliant achievement. ... Read more

Book Description

No one in history has a more eventful career in matrimony than Henry VIII. He took his first bride, Catherine of Aragon, when he was 17. Their 24-year union was relatively stable, but Catherine failed to produce a male heir. Henry then fell in love with Anne Boleyn, a pretty, French educated Protestant who was the mother of Elizabeth I. Their three-year marriage transformed England forever, but Henry had Anne beheaded and married his next wife, Jane Seymour, on the very day of Anne's execution. Seymour bore Henry's longed-for son, Edward VI. What followed was a farcical beauty contest, ending in the short marriage of the now grossly overweight Henry to the "mare of Flanders," Anne of Cleves. Finally, there were the two Catherines -- Catherine Howard, the teenager whose adulteries made a fool of the aging king; and Catherine Parr, the shrewd, religiously radical bluestocking who outlived him.

Six Wives examines the rituals of diplomacy, marriage, pregnancy, and religion that were part of daily life for women at the Tudor Court. Weaving new facts and fresh interpretations into a spellbinding account of the emotional drama that attended Henry's six marriages, David Starkey's keen eye for romantic and political intrigue, brilliantly recaptures the story of Henry's wives and the England they ruled.

Read by Patricia Hodge

Reviews (15)

A new study of a fascinating era, its king, and his women
Listing the 6 wives of Henry VIII and their fates was my childhood equivalent of counting sheep. I don't know why I had this fascination with the 3 Catherines, 2 Annes, and one Jane from such an early age, but I surely wasn't alone. King Henry's eventful matrimonial history has driven writers and historians to delve into the psyche of this charismatic monarch for several centuries. Generally Henry is portrayed as a depraved glutton, seeking only his own pleasures and intent upon changing laws and religions to have his way. In this terrific new study, David Starkey argues that the king was made of simpler stuff, and was seeking happiness, as well as a son and heir. In the process, he made near cult figures of 6 women and changed the way a nation was governed.
Thumbnail sketches of these women and their fates:
Catherine of Aragon - Catholic , deeply religious, no male child in spite of many pregnancies and miscarriages. Henry divorced her (creating the Anglican church in order to do so) to marry wife #2.
Anne Bolyn's greatest contribution was giving birth to Elizabeth I (who went on to be queen of one of England's greatest eras). She was the first queen to lose her head.
Jane Seymour, whom Henry married the day Anne was executed. She gave birth to Edward VI, the long sought male heir, but he proved sickly, as did his mother, who died 12 days after giving birth.
A brief marriage to Anne of Cleves, which ended in anullment. Grateful for her cooperation, Henry granted her several homes and a generous income; she enjoyed an unusually independent lifestyle and often visited court as an honored guest. It's said ale and gambling were her only vices.
Catherine Howard, an adolescent flirt and a beauty, was Henry's ill-fated 5th wife. She made a fool of him when powerful court figures suggested she conceive a child by one of the many young men who sought her favors and pass that child off as Henry's. She lost her head as a result of that game.
Catherine Parr, a shrewd and brilliantly powerful woman who outlived Henry.
Superb in every way.

Well done ¿popular¿ history
Had to pick this up after seeing the series on PBS. If you liked the PBS specials then you really should do yourself a favor and read this book. The show glossed over a tremendous amount of what was going on behind the scenes and politically during each marriage. The various struggles, both religious and political, make for a fascinating picture. Starkey presents a good case that this time period marks a watershed moment in British history in terms of the reformation of the Church and the monarchy in general.

The book is a fairly easy read, not academic but aimed more at the mass market. This is not to say it is poorly researched, Starkey has obviously done his homework and presents a wealth of information. However the tone is fairly casual and the story told in a sort of breathless way that will keep the layman interested but strike the academic as a bit much.

Read this with a critical eye as Henry does come off a something of a jerk. There is no doubt he was driven and fairly ruthless, but this account focuses on the wives, necessarily at Henry's expense.

The only real problem is one most likely due to what Starkey had to work with. A great deal of the book is spent on Catherine of Aragon, and a fair amount on Anne Boleyn. The last four wives are given increasing short shifts, but I suspect that is due more to the lack of source material on some of them. That and the fact Catherine of Aragon was Queen long than the rest put together.

This is a fantastic introduction to the history of Tudor England. Good enough that it made me seek out Starkey's "Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne" which, in many ways, is a sequel to this book and worth reading in an of itself (although necessarily there is a lot of overlap).

Unreadable
My children bought this book for me -- I'm a big reader of English history -- and, despite some reservations (based upon Starkey's sloppy bio of Elizabeth) I did give it a shot. But, it's simply unreadable.

First, the writing is just awful. Execrable. Like a really bad pulp novel. Most sections (not just chapters, but sections in a chapter) end with some inane rhetorical question or similar lame attempt to build mystery. Here are some random samples:

"But, within a few days, the minister was singing a very different tune."

"There was a cloud over