Book Description

Irish Immigrants in the Land of Canaan is a monumental and pathbreaking study of early Irish Protestant and Catholic migration to America. Through exhaustive research and sensitive analyses of the letters, memoirs, and other writings, the authors describe the variety and vitality of early Irish immigrant experiences, ranging from those of frontier farmers and seaport workers to revolutionaries and loyalists. Largely through the migrants own words, it brings to life the networks, work, and experiences of these immigrants who shaped the formative stages of American society and its Irish communities. The authors explore why Irishmen and women left home and how they adapted to colonial and revolutionary America, in the process creating modern Irish and Irish-American identities on the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean. ... Read more

Book Description

Vilified by fellow Victorians for his sexuality and his dandyism, Oscar Wilde, the great poet, satirist and playwright, is hailed today, in some circles, as a "progressive" sexual liberator. But this is not how Wilde saw himself. His actions and pretensions did not bring him happiness and fulfillment. This study of Wilde’s brilliant and tragic life goes beyond the mistakes that brought him notoriety in order to explore this emotional and spiritual search.

Unlike any other biography of Wilde, it strips away these pretensions to show the real man, his aspirations and desires. It uncovers how he was broken by his two-year prison sentence; it probes the deeper thinking behind masterpieces such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and "De Profundis"; and it traces his fascination with Catholicism through to his eleventh-hour conversion.

Published on the 150th anniversary of his birth, this biography removes the masks which have confused previous biographers and reveals the real Wilde beneath the surface. Once again, Joseph Pearce has written a profound, wide-ranging study with many original insights on a great literary figure. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A valuable second opinion on Wilde's life
This very readable book is very useful corrective to what's become the "standard" view of Wilde. It's especially good at exposing the weaknesses of Richard Ellman's now-standard biography of Wilde. For example, the claim that Wilde contracted (and later died of) syphillis is pretty much taken apart by Pearce.

Pearce has also very closely read Wilde's works, so he offers some very valuable readings of Wilde's writing in order to better understand Wilde's inner life--a life, according to Pearce, that was marked by inner loathing and a self-rebuffed desire to embrace the Church.

Ellman's book remains the standard biography in terms of prose quality (Ellman wrote with uncommon beauty and grace, and Ellman's enthusiasm for Wilde's work and personality is truly infectious). However, Pearce's book really should be must reading for all fans of Wilde's work. It doesn't merely trot out all the old information and anecdotes, but actually offers a fresh view of Wilde. ... Read more

Book Description

Yes, I am a singer. But I am also a horseman, an athlete, and a doctor. I am a son, a brother, and a friend. I can sing as I do only because of the life that I've led. With each decade, I've found myself in very different, evermore challenging arenas, but the many stages of my life have always intertwined. I have moved from one stage to the next as if on a wild steeplechase, keeping my eye fixed straight ahead and above me. If there is a single line connecting all the episodes and main events of my life it is this -- a gift both given and received.

-- from the Introduction

In Halfway Home, a beautifully written memoir, Ronan Tynan, a member of the enormously popular Irish Tenors, shares his remarkable story of overcoming adversity and attaining worldwide success in several different areas.

Diagnosed with a lower limb disability at birth, Ronan Tynan had his legs amputated below the knee when he was twenty years old. Eight weeks later, he was climbing the stairs of his college dorm, and within a year, he was winning races in the Paralympic Games, amassing eighteen gold medals and fourteen world records. After becoming the first disabled person ever admitted to the National College of Physical Education, he served a short stint in the prosthetics industry and began a new career in medicine. He continued his studies at Trinity College, where he specialized in orthopedic sports injuries.

After earning his medical degree, Ronan chose music for the next act in his life. Less than one year after he began studying voice, he won both the John McCormick Cup for Tenor Voice and the BBC talent show Go for It. He went on to win the prestigious International Operatic Singing Competition in France, and in 1998 his debut Sony album, My Life Belongs to You, became a top-five hit in England within just two weeks and eventually went platinum. Later that year, he was invited to join The Irish Tenors, furthering a journey that started in a small Irish village and has brought him to the world's grandest stages.

In Halfway Home, Tynan movingly describes his life story, which Barbara Walters called "so amazing you may find it hard to believe." ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A truly thankful person...
I had the pleasure of meeting Ronan a few weeks back at a restaurant in NYC.It was an unplanned meeting, I was there having dinner w/ clients, he was there with a group himself. As Ronan was making his way to the door, one of my dinner guest ask him a quick question, that question open what turned out to be an amazing journey with truly a magnificent person. Ronan, spent the evening sharing in laughs (many which he offered) and tales that only a person that has perservered as much as he has.In the days following our unique night I dove head first into HALFWAY HOME, after reading it (in one sitting) I realized that what had happened was a life changing event.Do yourself a favor, learn about Dr. Tynan's life, for it surely will change yours...forever.

A Big Man With A Big Voice And An Ego to Match?
I am a huge fan of the Irish Tenors and so waited anxiously for this book to appear in our local book store. While I found the first half of the book to be an excellent read and found the story of how Ronan, though the love and good sence of his parents, was encouraged to go beyond his abilities to reach for the stars, the second half of the book was difficult to get through. There is no doubt that this man is really an inspiration to others with disabilities, but halfway through the book you find there is little information about others that helped him in his journey and the book becomes all about his Ego - it was a struggle to finish the book as I could not believe the long winded accounts of what he would do next. I would have liked to have read more about his association with the Irish Tenors and his travels there .. instead all you got was Ronan crowing from the rooftops with an Ego the size of Ireland itself. I almost expect any follow up book to announce that he can now walk on water! Very disappointed in this book.

Wow, what a man!
The saying, "Truth is stranger than fiction." has to apply to this moving biography of Ronan Tynan's.His life so far has been filled with more trials and tribulations than any one person I have ever heard of...and he's only 43 years old!!!!!What can possibly happen to him in his next 43 years to top this???I can only hope he keeps us up-to-date with another fascinating book.As a singer, he is the best.I have been lucky enough to see many of his solo concerts and many of his concerts with the Irish Tenors, and all are as exciting and pleasurable as this book.The man is just a wonder.

Good luck, Ronan, in all you endeavor, and please keep your fans up to date on all your activities.You are truly an inspiration to us all.

A Book Filled With Humanity and the Richness of Life
"Truly, an inspiring book" - I have seen that phrase on more book jackets than I care to count over the years. Perhaps some were truly inspiring to certain people. This book is universally inspiring. I can't imagine anyone, from any walk of life, not being moved by Ronan Tynan's story.

He may be well-known to many people or a total enigma to others.
In his unpretentious way, he describes his journey from a small
farm in Ireland to become one of the most popular singers of our time. And just to make things interesting, he did it without the use of his lower legs which were, eventually, amputated. Fitted with prostheses of varying quality he became a star disabled athlete, a top-rated equestrian, and picked up a few degrees along the way - physical education, music, and medicine.

He is now known in the great opera houses of the world as a tenor with few peers. To most of us he is known as one of the
Irish Tenors. You simply MUST read his autobiography to really
know the many obstacles he overcame by unwavering determination and faith in himself.

The book is as unpretentious as Dr.Tynan, beautifully written,
and shows you just how good life can be - no matter how many things were against you as you passed through life's starting gate.

an inspiration to us all
I loved every page of this book. It was written in an amusing way,I enjoyed it as a story of growing up in Ireland and as a story of Ronans singing career. It is amazing how many other things he has made a success of, also the way he has nearly killed himself doing dangerous things. I found myself thinking - what is he going to do next ? . It has some lovely photos ... Read more

Book Description

Witty, stylish, and beautiful, Maeve Brennan dazzled everyone who met her. Born in Dublin, she came to the U.S. with her father, Ireland's first Ambassador to America, and in her early thirties joined The New Yorker, where she was at the heart of the life of the magazine until she was nearly sixty. Under the pseudonym "The Long-Winded Lady," she wrote matchless urban postcards for the "Talk of the Town," and, under her own name, published fierce, intimate fiction. Today her forty-odd stories are anthology standards, prized by writers as different from one another as Alice Munro and Brennan's own nephew Roddy Doyle. But at the time of her death in 1993, she was obscure, indeed lost: She hadn't published a word since the 1970s, and she had slowly slipped into madness, ending as a bag lady in the streets of midtown Manhattan. It is Angela Bourke's achievement to trace this sad arc, and to bring her compelling personality to life. Thoroughly researched, beautifully written, and filled with a wealth of previously unpublished material, it will be welcomed by anyone interested in Ireland, The New Yorker, and a woman who remains one of the twentieth century's most distinctive prose stylists. ... Read more

Book Description

Bruce Wagner has been hailed for his powerful prose, his Swiftian satire, and the scalpel-sharp wit that has, in each of his novels, dissected and sometimes disemboweled Hollywood excess.

In his most ambitious book to date, Still Holding, Wagner immerses readers in post-September 11 Hollywood, revealing as much rabid ambition, rampant narcissism, and unchecked mental illness as ever. He infiltrates the gilded life of a superstar actor/sex symbol/practicing Buddhist, the compromised world of a young actress whose big break comes when she's hired to play a corpse on Six Feet Under, and the strange parallel universe of look-alikes -- an entire industry in which struggling actors are hired out for parties and conventions to play their famous counterparts. Alternately hilarious and heartfelt, ferocious and empathetic, Still Holding is Bruce Wagner's most expertly calibrated work. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Great reading
What a performance! What a performer! The performance is Bruce Wagner's latest in his trilogy, and it's called STILL HOLDING; the performer is Bruce Wagner, a writer who at times seems to write with a chainsaw--as biting a satire of Hollywood, from stars to hangers on, look-alikes, delirious fans, as any other written; and yet also touching, in a tough way--Wagner is always tough and sweet at the same time; he clearly likes some of his wacky characters, including the Drew Barrymore look-alike, and--get this, Drew Barrymore herself, a neat trick Wagner pulls off. He also understands the fading star Kit, who turns to Yoga, whose fate it is to share it with a character he plays. The prose is furious--at times fragments, as if Wagner can't wait to move on--and neither can the reader, held captive from the first page. Comparison's? Cross the sharp-eyed but more delicate Waugh with Nathaniel West's even harsher visiton and you got it. Which is not to say that Wagner is not in a class by himself, an original writer who turns the Hollywood he clearly knows so well into his own canvas. Terrific novel, terrific writer.

FINALLY A GREAT NOVEL ABOUT HOLLYWOOD
Since I've also trudged across this country by Amtrak, because of my own fear of flying, like a character in this terrific novel, I followed a friend's recommendation and bought this splendid and funny novel. What a treat. It examines Hollywood like a strong lethal and very funny (you laugh out loud) magnifying glass - following wonderful characters - including the self-absorbed life of a wannabe actress, who is a Drew Barrymore look-alike. It is all about the people who spend their lives scratching on the screen door of show business. Blocked like flies from ever getting close to the glamour of Hollywood they long for, we laugh and cry as they make their quest to find nirvana in this very nasty place. These fringe people are dealt with by Wagner with wry social commentary. This is a must read and I will read it again, when like poor Lisanne, I make my cross country journey east curled up in my sleeping car bedroom with this great book. Bravo to Mr. Wagner.

An important novelist
The novel STILL HOLDING has to be considered in the context of Wagner's previous two novels: I'LL LET YOU GO and I'M LOSING YOU. What they add up to is that Wagner is an important novelist who is telling the truth about certain kinds of lives that are lived in Los Angeles and other parts of America in the early twenty first century. He can be entertaining, but he aspires to do more than that, and on the whole, despite the many flaws in his novels, he succeeds.

Wagner is immensely gifted--he can write superb prose, he creates fascinating characters, and he knows how to tell a story. He is also stretching, really stretching, to address life's most profound issues, and if he doesn't quite pull it off--as the understandable complaints from other reviewers about his depiction of Buddhism indicate--he is certainly artistically courageous.

Of course he has weaknesses--he over-writes: his prose often needs pruning and at least 30% of the overall length of his second and third novels are hard to justify; he has a serious anti-woman issue; his subject matter can be extreme--one often rises from a session reading a Wagner novel with a strong urge to take a long hot shower; and despite the fact that he obviously knows how to tell a story, his plots tend to flag severely in the middle of his novels, picking up (but not always) in the last 25%.

This complex of strengths and weaknesses means that Wagner is not all that accessible, which is why some of his less committed readers are disappointed. But he is trying to tell us something real about the times in which we live. He is seriously talented. He is one of the few important newish novelists writing in America today.

Boring, stale cartoonish characters
Yet another lesson to not always believe the hype. . . this awful story is simplistically about hypocritical, narcissistic actors and their buddhist pretenses and some pathetic fans--the BIG UNFRESH IDEA of this repetitious, shallow and stultifying novel. The only good thing about the book is it makes you respect even more the writers who know how to build an interesting, complex plot and create characters to match. The guy who wrote this book seems like a garden variety hipster poseur to me. I'm selling my copy to a used bookstore just so I can get a few dollars back from the sum I wasted on it.

Worth sticking with
Like other reviewers here, I too felt disappointed by what I saw as the incongruity between the "hype" around this book and what it was delivering to me when I opened it. But then, some time around page 75 or so, the novel really began to coalesce and take off to a different level. It stopped sounding like Bret Easton Ellis and started to read like James Ellroy crossed with Gary Indiana by way of Joan Didion (how's that for a pedigree?). The flippant style and throwaway cast of celebrity walkons were hard to stomach until I caught on to what I think Wagner is doing here (i.e. demonstrating that in Los Angeles--or "Hollywood," rather--stars function sort of like geographic markers and place-holders, material coordinates providing the semblance of an orientation in a basically unstable, highly distorted, and unnatural social ecology). The book's major themes--hyperreality, celebrity obsession, mirroring and look-a-likes, the flawed pursuit of meaning or power through New Age mysticism and Eastern spirituality--resonated a great deal with Wagner's brilliant Wild Palms, a pop-cult phenomenon that still haunts me many years after its release. While this narrative may feel cynical and while some of its pages (particularly the sex scenes) are downright repulsive, the book is, quite simply, gripping and substantive even when it is hardest to take. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Page turner
This book was a real page turner for me. Whether or not a college history professor thinks it's a good history book, it is a fascinating read. I'm grateful to the Amazon organization for the ease in which I was able to obtain a copy through their third party service.

The author's account of tensions between the different social forces in Florence during that time cut through the centuries so it reads like it could've been happening here and now. It is the "uncritical" writing, not bogged down with the analysis of an uptight academic, that makes this book easy and fascinating to read. Leave the critical analysis to the experts... ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Informative & Fun!
Growing up in an Irish Catholic family myself, I had heard a great deal about St. Patrick. When we received this book as a gift I started reading it to my children, and they loved it. There were stories even I hadn't heard about St. Pat! As with his St. Francis book, Tomie DePaola's book holds children's interest throughout the many stories while other books of this length lose children. Kids remember the stories and repeat them because they are told so lovingly and in such a fun way! I now bring this book to their school and read it to all their classrooms every St. Patrick's Day to let children know that there is more to Patrick than green beer!

Learn more about the Patron Saint of Ireland
A wonderful book by Tomie dePaola filled with helpful information about the true story of St. Patrick's life, as well as fun legends attributed to the patron Saint of Ireland. dePaola's bold illustrations lend to the attraction of the book. He mentions at the end of the book his reasons for writing it and his attraction to Saint Patrick. My own eight year old son has a strong devotion to Saint Patrick and this book is among his favorites. I appreciate the clear differentiation between fact and legend in this book and would highly recommend it for any family.

knowledge, good drawing and simple shapes make a joy to see.
Tomie dePaola's Patrick, patron-saint of Ireland is a joy to read and see. The story is clear and simple, the drawings strong and cheerfull. Not many historians mention the Irish hounds on the the ship to France. Tomie dePaola does, with knowledge and artfull humor. ... Read more

Book Description

Memoir of a young Irishman. For more than 4 years, Martin McGartland lived a dangerous double life. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

A very interesting, well written book
I couldn't put this book down and the end had me in tears. McGartland's account of his work as an agent for the Special Branch is both captivating and intriguing. Definately worth a read, although that I think that the book could do with a map or with a better explanation of some of the towns and roads mentioned. After having spent a year in Northern Ireland, mostly near Belfast, I still had to look at a map every now and then to find out get a picture of what ares McGartland was writing about.

Hard hitting personal account of a very moving true story
Excellent story with interesting personal accounts which have you feeling encaptivated in the life of 'Agent Carol'. The down to earth, almost conversational tone of the book also adds to the reality of it, which succeeds in encasing what it is like growing up in some areas of Northern Ireland. Definitely not biased towards the British - or the IRA as has been ludicrously suggested, as I am aware from living just outside Belfast. An eye-opening book definitely not to be missed.

Outstandingly gripping.
The moment I started to read this book I couldn't put it down. I read it in a day and even now months later I remember it like I read it yesterday. The images Martin McGarland created will stay with me for a very long time. This book is not only an education into the troubles in Ireland it is also a testament to the strength and courage of an amazing man. I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone.

McGartland leads an exciting double life
I liked this one! It shows how McGartland, an intelligent soul, was plucked from his lifestyle by British Intelligence to became "Agent Carol", the government's best informant in Ulster for decades.

Unless you've been there, you might not feel all the pains.
Reading this in America, only my travels in Northern Ireland added the background complexities of "the troubles". McGartland fails to provide a window for an outsider to understand the root causes (current and historical) but that isn't his job in this book. He does provide incredible insights into the day to day complexities, the cross purposes, the loyalties real/broken/false/phony, the compromises, the illogic, the cheapening of life, the mindless results of vague and often misstated goals. After all my travels in those lovely but sometimes violent counties, I can only shake my head and cry "why?". After "why don't you nice folks leave?" I ask myself "would I leave my home here?", "why don't I leave my home because of the gang violence in Phoenix?" Why indeed. McCartland does transmit the horrors of living a double(triple?) life in his home. Could this have been written by someone who hadn't done these experiences? I doubt it. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Thorny!
Author Coogan's works on Irish history tend to be long, very well researched, deeply documented and rich in detail. They are written for the serious, not the casual reader. This biography of Eamon de Valera is no exception. Moreover, de Valera's life was complicated and controversial. He is scarcely a hero to many Irish Americans familiar with their native country's past. Most of all, he suffers-pitifully it says here- from comparisons to the true hero of Ireland's struggle for independence-Michael Collins. Bad feeling between them was directly responsible for Ireland's tragic Civil War in the mid 1920s. This reviewer freely admits to his definite prejudices against de Valera and one suspects that author Coogan agrees. The advice from here is to read Coogan's "Michael Collins: The Man Who Made Ireland" first. Those with ravenously whetted appetites may proceed-with caution- to this weighty and gloomy text. This reviewer's father once told him that one cannot understand modern Ireland without understanding de Valera. That much may be true-but why torture oneself? Why devote hours reading about a gloomy, narrow minded and devious Spanish Irishman such as this? And a math teacher no less! The bottom line is that both Collins and de Valera inspire strong feelings. Some actual knowledge of Irish history deepens this effect. The result is an abiding difficulty in writing a neutral review on one of those men just after you have just posted one on the other. This reviewer urges his amazon friends to read all the posted opinions on this weighty effort from the gifted, if long winded Tim Pat Coogan. Too much hand wriniging? Welcome to Irish history 101.

Long but thorough history of Irish leader
Tim Pat Coogan compiles a sober and thorough history of Eamon deValera, the most influential Irish leader of the twentieth century. Combining painstaking research with first-hand accounts, Coogan presents a well-rounded portrait of this most complicated and controversial figure. Those who hold deValera in a saintly reverence may be angered at some of the less flattering depictions of the "lay cardinal." But this ranks as a most important read for anyone interested in tracking the course of twentieth century Ireland.

IRISH HISTORY AT ITS BEST
Must read for anyone who wants to know history and politics from 1916to 1950 in Ireland,USA AND England.

Eamon Devalera The Man Who Was Ireland
In many ways a superior work, but only if you are aware of Coogan's bias, which is blindly pro Collins and unfairly anti Devalera. An anology would be a Nixon apologist [i.e. Pat Buchanan or William Safire] writing an "Objective Biography" of John F. Kennedy. Despite their obvious intellectual talents,neither is capable of an even handed analysis. Devalera was a Giant of the 20 th Century,despite the fact that he represented only a very small nation on the World Scene for nearly 40 yrs. He was the central figure in the the War of Independence with G.B., + in the formation + leadership of Eire in the League of Nations, W.W.11, + post W.W. 11 /U.N., + as a respected + influential nuetral leader.Coogan for all is literary skills, is simply incapable of objective analysis except on rare instance. The detail is impressive, the sources are broad, and the scope is massive ,but he simply finds it virtually impossible to see what history has proven; that Dev was the superior soul in intellect, vision, ethics, and historical perspective. Collins was a good man , but seriously flawed with human weaknesses; while Dev...not a saint,who really is?....was a monumental tower of basic decency,judgement, + historical insight + instinct. Harry Boland,a great Irish patriot, who was extremely close to both Collins + Devalera, choose Dev, + the Collins' forces made him pay with his life. He declared that Dev was "the true Chief" and that the greatness of the man lay in his " incorruptability".If the reader knows Irish history, and if he/she can seperate the bias from the facts, they will gain meaningful insights into Dev and the glory that was his Ireland.

A lot of worthwhile reading!
A long book, but necessary to get at De Valera's long life and sometimes bizarre behavior and get past the myths. Coogan does a great job to keep the book moving despite the need for lots of details. ... Read more

Amazon.com

On a cold morning just a few days into the year 1800, the citizens of the southern French village of Saint-Sernin awoke to a strange vision: a hairy boy, naked, who appeared as if by some witchcraft from the nearby woods. Captured while digging up vegetables from a tanner's garden, the boy did not--could not--speak. Instead, he emitted a few weird cries, trying to hide himself from his puzzled captors.

The next day, the gendarmes took the boy to a hospice in a nearby town. From there, writes the historian and literary scholar Roger Shattuck, his path took this "prisoner without a crime," now called Victor, into the studies and laboratories of revolutionary France, where the boy presented a rare homegrown instance of Rousseau's "noble savage" to the civilized world. Much scholarly and scientific debate surrounded him. Finally, Victor, now famed as the "wild boy of Aveyron," came under the care of a sympathetic young doctor who concluded that Victor was in fact an abandoned deaf-mute, intelligent but forlorn, who had somehow been able to survive on his own. Dismissed in a contemporary encyclopedia as "half wild" and "incapable of learning to speak in spite of all efforts to teach him," Victor was eventually forgotten. "A state pension kept him alive, like an animal in a zoo," writes Shattuck, "and when he died no one noticed." Scientific debate about his condition was renewed from time to time, however, and the story of the wild boy was influential in the development of several theories of language learning and human evolution. Shattuck's slender narrative is a fine work of scholarly detection, yielding an instructive episode in the history of science. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Thoughtful Narrative of What It Means to Be Human
...

"The Forbidden Experiment: The Story of the Wild Boy of Aveyron" is a fascinating exploration of what it means to be human and how our humanity is, in a sense, created by the society in which we live, defined by our communications and relationships with others. In telling this story, Roger Shattuck has thoughtfully and sympathetically interwoven the factual story of the Wild Boy with the philosophical, psychological and historical background that ultimately makes this story so interesting. Thus, Shattuck explores the historical peculiarities of the Languedoc region from which the Wild Boy came (known for the poetry and song of the troubadors, as well as the Albigensian heresy), the historical forces which made him such a topic of interest (he was a boy seemingly straight from Rousseau's state of nature at a time when the French Revolution had given way to Napoleon), and the philosophical and psychological forerunners (Locke, Condillac, Rousseau) that provided the intellectual impetus for marking this "tabula rasa" of humanity. Shattuck's book also provides interesting appendices containing other published accounts of the Wild Boy of Aveyron, other cases of isolation and deprivation (including Kaspar Hauser, Peter of Hanover, The Elephant Man, and Helen Keller), and a short essay on Francois Truffaut's 1970 film, "The Wild Child," which is based upon the story of the Wild Boy of Aveyron.

While simple in the telling, "The Forbidden Experiment" is a book which poses the deepest and most enigmatic of questions, the question of what it means to be human. Read it, ponder it, learn from it.

Thoughtful, Sympathetic Story of What It Means to be Human
In January, 1800, a boy of about eleven or twelve years old walked out of the woods near the village of Saint-Sernin in the Languedoc region of southern France. Except for a tattered shirt, he was naked. He had no shame or concern for his nakedness and had no ability to speak. He made only strange and apparently meaningless sounds and cries. While human in appearance, he lacked any qualities which otherwise would suggest that he was part of any human society.

The boy was captured by a villager, transported and kept for several months in an orphanage in a nearby town, and eventually transferred to Paris in June, 1800, where "The Wild Boy of Aveyron" was claimed "for science and humanity" by the newly-formed Society of Observers of Man. In Paris, the boy was given over to the Abbe Sicard, a famous educator and the head of the Institute for Deaf-Mutes. "Miracles were expected of Sicard, for some of his deaf-mute pupils had made a reputation by their intelligence and wit in answering written questions before large audiences." Sicard, however, apparently believed that he could never train the seemingly wild creature and made no efforts to do so. Instead, he left the boy to run wild at the Institute and a commission appointed by the Society of the Observers of Man subsequently declared him to be an incurable idiot.

It is at this point, however, sometime in the summer or fall of 1800, that the course of the Wild Boy's life took a different course. A twenty-five year old medical student, Jean-Marc Gaspard Itard began working at the Institute and became interested in the boy. More or less simultaneously with the declaration by the Society of the Observers of Man that the boy was an incurable idiot in November of that year, Itard was hired and given a room at the Institute for the sole purpose of working with the boy. Itard named the boy Victor and went on, over the course of the next six years and with the able assistance of a motherly figure by the name of Madame Guerin, to train the boy in accordance with principles Itard had derived from the writings of Locke and Condillac. These principles were intended to give the boy the ability to respond to other people, to train his senses, to extend his physical and social needs, to teach him to speak, and to teach him to think and reason logically. While Itard was never fully successful in achieving all of his objectives, his work was remarkably original and his observations and experiments have left the world with a fascinating picture of the Wild Boy of Aveyron.

"The Forbidden Experiment: The Story of the Wild Boy of Aveyron" is a fascinating exploration of what it means to be human and how our humanity is, in a sense, created by the society in which we live, defined by our communications and relationships with others. In telling this story, Roger Shattuck has thoughtfully and sympathetically interwoven the factual story of the Wild Boy with the philosophical, psychological and historical background that ultimately makes this story so interesting. Thus, Shattuck explores the historical peculiarities of the Languedoc region from which the Wild Boy came (known for the poetry and song of the troubadors, as well as the Albigensian heresy), the historical forces which made him such a topic of interest (he was a boy seemingly straight from Rousseau's state of nature at a time when the French Revolution had given way to Napoleon), and the philosophical and psychological forerunners (Locke, Condillac, Rousseau) that provided the intellectual impetus for marking this "tabula rasa" of humanity. Shattuck's book also provides interesting appendices containing other published accounts of the Wild Boy of Aveyron, other cases of isolation and deprivation (including Kaspar Hauser, Peter of Hanover, The Elephant Man, and Helen Keller), and a short essay on Francois Truffaut's 1970 film, "The Wild Child," which is based upon the story of the Wild Boy of Aveyron.

While simple in the telling, "The Forbidden Experiment" is a book which poses the deepest and most enigmatic of questions, the question of what it means to be human. Read it, ponder it, learn from it.

A beautiful, poignant account
Shattuck writes a beautiful, poignant account about an event that forever influenced the course of modern day psychology. Shattuck not only discusses "Victor" himself (behavior, reactions, etc.), but also discusses the recupercusions his capture, attempted treatment, and attempted enculturalization had philosophically, morally, and psychologically. This is definitely a well written, well researched, 3-dimensional book. It explores the subject on every level possible. ... Read more

Book Description

"All of us are scarred, but some go to extremes in the quest for the happy childhood they never had."

Malachy McCourt -- actor, gadfly, raconteur, and author of the internationally bestselling memoir A Monk Swimming -- grew up amid death, squalor, poverty, and abuse in the lanes of Limerick, Irland. When he came to America as a young man, he brought a gargantuan appetite for what life had to offer -- and an equal drive to forget what it had delivered to him thus far.

Alternately amused and aghast, but always fascinated, millions of readers followed McCourt through his twenties as he caroused his way all over the world, becoming a familiar face in movies and television, in New York and Hollywood, and in bars from Paris to Calcutta.

In Singing My Him Song, McCourt tells us how he went from living the headlong and heedless life of a world-class drunk to becoming a sober, loving father and grandfather, still happily married after thirty-five years. We meet the woman who stood by his side all those years, watch as they build a family together, and listen as McCourt pursues a career of surprising successes and comic missteps.

But while becoming the host of television and radio talk shows, appearing in dozens of movies and plays, and establishing himself as a well-loved regular on Ryan's Hope and One Life to Live, McCourt must also face the wreckage of his past. McCourt fights for the rights of his handicapped stepdaughter, exposing a scandal that still reverberates; helps steer his children away from the path he took; and finally comes to terms with the people and places that sent him careering along his misguided course. Then, just when it's time for the happy ending, he must gather all that he's learned, and the support of everyone he loves, to face and overcome the threat of cancer.

Bawdy and funny, naked and moving, told in the same inimitable voice that left readers all over the world wondering what happened next, Malachy McCourt's Singing My Him Song tells as honest and entertaining a story as anyone could hope for. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Totally Unexpected¿
Not only was I prepared not to like this book, I knew with certainty it would dwell near the bottom of the books I had read this year. The Brothers McCourt had produced a quartet of books, and I was sure this was just a volume to ride the Frank McCourt wave for all it was worth. I was wrong, I was wrong huge, Orca huge! (A nod to Kevin Spacey). Of the 4 books offered thus far, this is easily the better of the 2 from Mr. Malachy McCourt, and second only to, "Angela's Ashes". Judging by the ranking of the book, and the comparatively few reviews, perhaps I was not alone in my error.

This second work from this Author starts and is unremarkable. His life at the beginning of the narration is afflicted with every complaint a reader would expect. When the end of the book arrives you have shared a long, painful, and brutally honest assessment of a life by the man who lived it. I don't know that I have read an autobiographical work that is more personal, pointed, and candid. This man transforms himself from bitter, angry, and sick, whose solace is found in a variety of chemicals, to a man who comes to terms with his life, and changes its course. The book is not a fairy tale. The man at the end is one you would likely be as fond of, as the younger version would have repelled you.

There are some remarkable stories within this man's life. A Daughter who is handicapped, the system that she enters that would be the delight of The Marquis De Sade, and a then young reporter, who helped change the system, and is a household name today. Mr. McCourt takes a trip cross country, and tends to a mouse that has found a spot to hitchhike its way to The West Coast in a small hole in the auto. There is the encounter that he and his wife have with one of the more notorious murderers of the 20th Century prior to his crimes. And there are dozens more.

This book has a great deal of the wit this man is known for, however to describe this work as humorous or funny would be way off the mark. This was a man who was angry, who marched when it was unpopular to do so, he even had the tapes of one of his radio programs confiscated by The Secret Service, after The Saturday Night Massacre of Nixon fame.

To say Mr. McCourt has lived a full life would illicit from him a quip about the wildest form of understatement. He is unique, a one time original. How else do you describe a man who tried to divert the minds of passengers in the midst of skimming the Atlantic Ocean because a door was insecure, by asking if the other passengers would like to meet his Mother? The most normal of questions except when uttered by Mr. McCourt, who when the passengers agreed, produced the ashes of his deceased Mother, whose remains he was bringing back to Ireland to bury. Bad taste...if you find yourself on a plane that may or may not make its destination, hope there is a man or woman aboard who has a sense of humor, who thinks of his fellow passengers.

A wonderful book that deserves much more attention.

A real treat
When Malachy McCourt's first book, " A Monk Swimming", came out, I read it because of the success of his brother's best seller. I found it charming and very readable. This book, however, is masterful. In my opinion, it's the best book from any McCourt to date. It has everything....power, pathos and extreme thoughtfulness. He does tend to get political at times and I do not always agree with his politics but the way he feels, in relation to his life is excusable and understandable. He is self effacing and brash at the same time. The reader can actually feel his pain....and his joy. A real treat!!

insightful and humorous
This second memoir by Malachy McCourt was well written and charming. His way with words and sarcasm often made me chuckle. It was fulfilling to read about the changes he was finally able to make in his life. Althought brash at times, the book is an honest and heartwarming account of an extremely unique life.

Singing My Him Song
I couldn't finish the book.
I loved both of Frank McCourt's books.They were wonderful,
fresh and funny.
Although I knew that his brother's book would be different,
I couldn't believe how slow, dry and boring it is.

Don't bother
I was prepared to enjoy this book but found Mr. McCourt to be an insufferable blowhard. His constant name-dropping, arrogance and justifications as to the abandonment of his children at various stages in his life made me roll my eyes and wish I had saved my money. His writing has none of the charm of his brother Frank's, and his style of writing (the "sez's" and "'twas's") seemed contrived and made him seem like a caricature. All in all, a huge disappointment written by a man with a huge ego. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Decent story of western Ireland
I am planning a trip to Ireland and always enjoy reading some books set in the place I am visiting. This story of a couple who moves to Ireland definitely gave a feel for the place. Both the material poverty but social richness.

It took me back to County Clare
When I traveled to Ireland two years ago and felt like I'd "come home" from the beautiful scenery (I never knew there could be *that* many shades of green) to the friendly people, to the rather mystical appearance of a Dolmen-shaped cloud in the sky just after we had viewed Dolmen in north County Clare, the experience was one I will not only never forget but hope to repeat sometime soon. During this time it was County Clare which spoke to me most of all.

Niall Williams, born in Dublin and Christine Breen, from New York, have left their Manhattan home to move to County Clare and into the cottage where Chris's grandfather was born. The struggles and triumphs of their first year are engagingly told in this wonderful little book. I was able to be transported back to the rural west of Ireland I learned to love in just a few short days.

In leaving their jobs and friends in Manhattan, Niall and Chris took a very big risk. To go to a place with no central heating, a telephone out of the early 20th C., and to one of the wettest summers on record took real courage. They quickly fit right in with their neighbors and by the time they host a New Years Eve party they are definitely one of "them."

If you're an armchair traveler, someone who's visited the Emerald Isle, or just hope to someday, this is a story to cherish. I have also now read their book of travel essays and am awaiting arrival of their other two books which I have recently ordered.

Although I am too old to do what Niall and Chris have done, it's great to live vicariously through them! Well done!

Charming and well written, but ...
This is a beautifully written book, full of charming stories and vivid descriptions (as one might expect from a writer/artist team), and the story of their bumpy and circuitous settling-in process on a farm in rural Co. Clare is well told. However, I found the book irritating and didn't even finish it. I had expected to like it, as I've traveled in that part of Ireland (I have roots in Co. Mayo) and enjoyed it immensely, so I was surprised by my negative reaction. After some thought, I realized why I felt that way: the authors came to Co. Clare with clearly defined expectations about why they were going there and what their life there would be like. So, from Day One, they were continually measuring the reality against those (understandably optimistic) expectations and finding it wanting. As a veteran of many moves, including a trans-Atlantic one, I feel that this is the completely wrong approach to starting life in a new place. If you come with an open mind, take the place and the people on their own terms, and learn how to find what you want within those parameters, you'll enjoy your new life much more. (And, often, you'll find that the place has pleasant surprises you didn't even know to look for until you'd been there a while.) The book is still worth reading for the descriptions, but an expatriates' guide it's definitely not.

for those thinking of immigrating to Ireland
This is a great and heartfelt book, and one that should be read by anyone who is considering a move back to simpler times, slower pace of life and the riches they can bring - or not. I will return to Ireland one day for good, I've been there many times in the last few years and now own a small farm in Leitrim to which I will go for the quiet roar of silence.

An armchair traveler's guide to life in the west of Ireland.
This first book in the series is a favorite of mine and chronicles the story of an Irish-American woman and Irish man who meet in NYC, marry, and decide to return to their roots in the west of Ireland. They are both writers by trade and she is an artist, so it becomes a beautifully written story about their new lives, their new neighbors and the humorous things that happen as they readjust their thinking and attitudes. Each of us has probably at some time or other entertained the idea of "getting away from it all"--Christine and Niall have and share the trials and joys that come with living your dream. As an aside, I met Niall Williams at a book signing in Chicago, and he is as personable and approachable as he seems in print. Be prepared to read all the books in the series! ... Read more

Book Description

"Wellum’s First Light deserves to be read for many years to come."
–The Times (of London)

High praise for England’s bestselling First Light . . .

"An extraordinarily gripping and powerful story."
–The Evening Standard (London)

"A work of exceptional quality . . . a passion and immediacy which make it compelling reading."
–Max Hastings, author of Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy

"A remarkable book, amazingly fresh, honest, and modest . . . utterly gripping; it is without question one of the best books I have read in the last few years."
–Professor Richard Holmes, author of Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket

"Startlingly vivid recollections . . .this is air war at its most intense . . . his readers get a strong sense of immediacy."
–The Spectator (London)

"Geoffrey Wellum’s book is a wonderfully evocative find . . . a book for all ages and generations, a treasure."
–Daily Express (London) ... Read more

Reviews (13)

An Excellent Book
'First Light' is one of those books that is destined to be remembered as a "classic" and rightly so. This is a wonderful book of a young man who joined the Royal Air Force before the start of World War Two and who later fought during the Battle of Britain and survived. Most of the book is taken up with his training as a pilot and the fighting during the Battle of Britain. However the book continues on to cover his role in Operation Pedestal and the fighting over Malta until his return to England as a tired and worn out pilot.

I truly enjoyed Geoffrey Wellum's story of his training and chuckled a good many times whilst reading about one thing or another. Mr Wellum has a wonderful way of telling a story and you can easily picture the details as you read his narrative. I found myself amazed as I read the book of how much this young man and his friends suffered in defending their country and their mates in the air.

This is an account that anyone who has an interest in WW2 aviation will be delighted in. It's well told, full of humor, sadness, and death defying flying and combat action. These men, as young as 18, flew one of the fastest and deadliest aircraft at the time and many didn't make it through the campaign or even their first mission. You read with sadness the loss of many good pilots and friends but still the men continue flying day after day facing terrible odds.

I really enjoyed the author's style of writing, he was witty, descriptive and came across with a sense of telling a story with understated facts. He downplayed his own role during the Battle of Britain and I was really hooked on the narrative as it moved along at a cracking pace. I found it hard to put the book down late at night, which brought forth a moan from my wife about turning the lamp off or else!

This is a great story and in finishing I would like to add the following comment from a great historian about this book: "A work of exceptional quality.....his prose has a passion and immediacy which make it compelling reading" - Max Hastings. He's not wrong either!

Fresh after 50 years
You'd think that after 50 years, all the worthwhile first-person there-I-was accounts of flying Spitfires in the Battle of Britain would have been published. You'd be wrong.

This is an exceptionally well written book that gently yet almost instantly transports you to England, 1939. You'll go through RAF flight training, and then be behind a V12 Merlin over Kent in the middle of the Battle of Britain. There are hundreds of such true tales - and I've read most of them - but this is clearly one of the best.

'Boy' Wellum not only takes us inside the cockpit, but inside the emotions of a young man at war, and inside an amazing time and place in world history. If you are a pilot looking for what it was like to fly the Tiger Moth, Harvard, then at 168 hours climb into a Spitfire, this is the book for you. And if you are interested in a literate immersion into The Few, this is the book for you.

An excellent first-hand account of being a spitfire pilot
I fully agree what Mark Hopper had to say in his review. For me the book was definitely 'life-changing'. I know from history how important and vital the Battle of Britain was, but seeing the battle portrayed in films and reading it in history books just didn't have the impact as Geoffrey Wellum's account. He's certainly the person who sits on my 'hero pedestal' now. Please write some more Geoffrey and detail for us how the rest of the war was for you. How did the war affect your life in subsequent years? Did you marry Grace? You have done all your old friends and comrades a great service by writing this book. Well done and thank you.

One of "The Few" Writes One of the Best
As other reviewers have noted, there have been enough books written about the Battle of Britain to fill several warehouses. Some good, some not so good. This is one of the most personal and satisfying accounts that you will ever read. Geoffrey "Boy" Wellum was in the thick of it, and brings the reader along for the ride. In the beginning you feel the excitement of flight training (and the ever-present danger). By the end you experience the mental and physical exhaustion that left this veteran pilot certain he would never survive the endless combat missions over his home country and eventually over occupied France. And when he was finally released from operational flying... he "rested" by teaching others to fly and as a test pilot! My only disappointment in this book is that it ended. It's hard to believe that in the past 6-7 months we've been given two great reads on the Battle: "Fighter Boys" and "First Light."

Unusual Look into History
An interesting book. Not the best written that I've seen, but its quirky first person narrative does capture the feel for the place and period very well. There were a few historical and technical errors in the book, but these are to be expected in memoirs of this type. I was able to ignore them and move on easily enough. The writer's affection for the aircraft, a Spitfire Mark V, showed through in his lovely prose. I do wish he had gone into a bit more detail about the Battle of Britain in general, and given a more complete outline of his own service. I felt like I was being racheted forward through the war, one episode every six weeks. In spite of my complaints, a good story from one of the many people who still deserve our gratitude and respect. I'd say buy it. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Honest, funny and sometimes poignant.
When I first found this book,I already admired Gabriel Byrne as an actor so talented that he truly becomes the characters he plays (a rarity in Hollywood, now or at any time). I was amazed to find that he is equally talented as a writer. But greater than any of this, his honesty, sense of humor and appreciation of the people around him make a rare man, one that it would be a privilege and a joy to know. I hope he plans to write more.

Gabriel Byrne a different side
So you like Gabriel Byrne do you? Well this book will make you like him even more! In the begining it takes you to when Gabriel Byrne's mom and brother are getting ready to come home from the hospital. Gabriel's uncle often adds comical relief to many situations in the book. My favorite part of the book was when Gabriel talked about a nun that hit him with a ruler, I found what Gabriel kept saying to be extremly funny. Anyway this book gives you a perspective on one of hollywoods hottest stars from a different point of view. If you're looking for a laugh or just a great book, "Pictures in my head," is it.

Nice, But Lacking
This is a very sweet book, written by a wonderful actor. Sadly, it lacks a few things. Details, for one. It's very good in some places, and then it seems to rush on when you want to know more. And it jumps around like "Pride and Prejudice"...I had a hard time keeping track of where he was in his life.

All in all, it's a nice story. However, if you read this and "Angela's Ashes" right tight together, you realize something. You realize that even though you thought at first that Gabriel had it kind of bad growing up, he is almost a spoiled little rich kid, compared to Frank McCourt. Let's see some real life, here!

Vivid
I get the impression that Mr. Byrne is superbly sensitive to his surroundings and absorbs everything. I envy his photographic memory and ability to live completely in the moment. :o) This is the perfect book to curl up with under your favorite green soft blanket.

I REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK
I must say this book really surprised me! I got it as a Christmas present last year, and I never expected it, because I had only been a Gabriel Byrne friend for about three months or so, but after I had read it, I felt I knew Gabriel personally. I have never met him, but I am longing to see him. The book is very well written, so I wonder why he doesn't write more. Probably because he doesn't have time... I'm awaiting his new film or book. Whatever it is, I'll buy it. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed. If you're a Byrne fan, it's a must! If you're not, after reading the book, you will be! ... Read more

Book Description

"I neither love a slave nor fear a tyrant." Thus spoke John Lilburne, one of the 17th century's most vivid figures. Head of the Levellers, it was he, over 300 years ago, who spelled out to the English the true meaning of democracy. An agitator supreme, he stopped at nothing to further his cause--whether it meant attacking Cromwell or King Charles I, or "stage managing" his own trial for life as though it were a play. He had no equal. "...successfully conveys the nature of his personality as well as his ideas...authoritative and illuminating..."--C.V. Wedgwood, Daily Telegraph.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Brilliant Bio of Paleo-libertarian Hero!
John Lilburne, a brilliant pamphleteer and a passionately courageous political agitator, was the most prominent leader of the paleo-libertarian "Leveller" movement during the English Civil War of the seventeenth century.

Lilburne was tossed into prison both under the monarchy of Charles I and by the republican regime of Oliver Cromwell. Lilburne was a fervent defender of freedom of speech, of the press, and of religion. He was also an unyielding supporter of economic freedom and of the rights of private property.

Pauline Gregg, herself a democratic socialist, found it difficult to comprehend how Lilburne could be both a defender of civil liberties and a proponent of economic freedom, but she nonetheless accurately reports Lilburne's beliefs and libertarian philosophy. In a brief review, it is difficult to convey how vividly Gregg depicts the events Lilburne experienced and the courage and integrity which illuminated Lilburne's life.

Aside from his political commitments, Lilburne was also, from a mainstream twenty-first-century perspective, a religious fanatic: metaphorically speaking, he was "drunk on God." In terms of understanding the history of natural-rights/libertarian philosophy, this is a crucial fact: historically speaking, the Lockean libertarian philosophy of the American founding was born among passionate evangelical Christians, such as John Lilburne, in seventeenth-century Britain.

That historical fact is an embarrassment to modern mainstream libertarians. The mainstream modern libertarian movement, whether in the Libertarian Party, in the "Objectivist" movement founded by Ayn Rand, or in various independent think tanks, is firmly anti-religious and is dedicated to an "anything-goes" philosophy that hates government becuase of a hatred of any sort of social or ethical authority which restrains an individual from pursuing his or her own individual whims and desires.

Free-Born John is a reproach to these modern-day "libertarians." Lilburne would surely have agreed with present-day libertarians about ending the War on Drugs, abolishing the income tax, etc. But Lilburne would have seen liberation from paternalistic government and the reinstatement of natural rights as merely the first step along a path upon which an individual tried to live his life as a creature made in the image of God.

There is a dissident movement among modern libertarians, the so-called "paleo-libertarians," who take the natural-law, natural-rights perspective of John Lilburne seriously (the paleos are best represented by the Mises Institute and the Center for Libertarian Studies, both of whom offer Websites and a number of books which are available here on amazon.com). Unlike the libertarian mainstream, the "paleos" are not reflexively hostile to religion, hateful of any social authority or traditions, nor focused solely on the satisfaction of egoistic, material desires.

If you are a "paleo-libertarian," you will love this book. If you are a mainstream libertarian or a non-libertarian, you will find John Lilburne as enigmatic as did Ms. Gregg. But if you make the effort to understand this man's mind and character, you may come to better understand the nature of human liberty and of the human condition. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Samuel Beckett's view of existence seems so remorselessly, brilliantly bleak that one doesn't expect much in the way of human warmth from his correspondence. Yet the letters he and director Alan Schneider exchanged over the course of three decades are full of wit and fellow feeling. The focus, to be sure, is on Beckett's plays, five of which Schneider premiered in the United States between 1956 and 1983. But that happens to be the perfect conduit for the playwright's praise (often directed at his acolyte) and disgust (often directed at his audience, his critics, and himself). When the initial American production of Waiting for Godot bombs in Miami, for instance, Beckett cheers Schneider on even as he pummels the ticket holders: "It is probable our conversations confirmed you in your aversion to half-measures and frills, i.e. to precisely those things that 90% of theatre-goers want. Of course I know the Miami swells and their live models can hardly be described as theatre-goers and their reactions are no more significant than those of a Jersey herd and I presume their critics are worthy of them." No Author Better Served conveys Beckett's sense of humility, which never failed him, even after Godot made him famous: "Success and failure on the public level never mattered much to me, in fact I feel much more at home with the latter, having breathed deep of its vivifying air all my writing life up to the last couple of years." It's also a wonderful document of his complete, sometimes nutty, always inspiring devotion to his art. --James Marcus ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For hard-core fans. Others might be bored.
This book is a collection of correspondence, and like al collected correspondence, it must be taken with a grain of salt. Samuel Beckett was a brilliant, albeit incredibly self-indulgent author, and in this collection his personality is on full display. For example, he disregards bad reviews and cold audience reaction to his plays, because by and large he felt that they were not getting the joke, and that his writing was too complicated for the Philistines in the audience to appreciate.

Fans of Beckett will enjoy this book becuase it will help them understand who he was and where he was coming from in his absurd plays. Also, people who work in theater will be able to relate to the author-director relationship and understand how both artists shape what appears on stage. For those who are not Beckett experts (like myself), there is still much delight to be obtained from Beckett's prose. He won the Nobel Prize because he was an excellent writer, and this book provides otherwise unavailable pieces written by him -- his correspondence. However, unless the reader has a deep interest in one of the two corresponders it can get a little dry. ... Read more

Book Description

Exploring MacGowan’s childhoo