Book Description

Born in 1878, Carl Sandburg grew with America. As a boy he played, studied, and matured in Galesburg, Illinois. Sandburg's reminiscence delivers a nostalgic view of small-town life and an invaluable perspective on American history. Index. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Prairie Boy Returns to Western Illinois
What can you say about Always the Young Strangers, other than it reads as well in 2004 as it did in 1953.Sandburg's look at his boyhood in Galesburg, Illinois has all the elements of opening a time capsule and looking back at the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
I am most fascinated by Sandburg's relationship with the Krans family who lived outside of Galesburg on a small farm.The respect that Sandburg accords the Krans' sturdy immigrant spirit permeates the entire book.Read the description of John Krans' death at the end of the book.It brought tears to my eyes.
Sandburg's shakey relationship with his father also attracted me to the book since I had the same type of relationship with my dad.August Sandburg never appreciated his son's writing talent.It took the mother, Clara, to nurture her son's mighty pen.
When I worked there in the 1970's, natives of Galesburg would tell me how much Sandburg hated the city.Always the Young Strangers tells a much different story.The love that Sandburg had for Galesburg and western Illinois jumps off the pages of this book.What a great read!

Always the Young Strangers Always a Good Read
Carl Sandburg's Always the Young Strangers is not a new book but that is what makes it such a compelling read.In an era marked by the popularity of the memoir, Sandburg's tales of growing up in Galesburg, IL at the endof the 1800s and the beginning of the 1900s allow the reader to hear adistinctive voice no longer with us speak again. This is not any ordinaryvoice either but voice of a poet clearly in love with words. Though hisboyhood stories are simple, they are rich with detail that allow us insightinto Sandburg's future as a poet and as a most notable biographer ofAbraham Lincoln--in it, for example, Sanburg recalls attending a funeralprocession (probably one of many held across the country in a time longbefore TV allowed the nation to mourn together as we did when JFK wasburied) for U.S. Grant and watching from atop his father's shoulders as thevarious mourners passed. Clearly, this event, along with others hementions, fed Sandburg's curiosity about the Civil War and led him to writehis many volumes about Lincoln. If, like me, you enjoy autobiography andmemoir, you will enjoy Always the Young Strangers.

A Poet Remembers His Prairie Town
If one hears the name Sandburg, the first thing to come to mind is probably "Fog" or "City of Big Shoulders."But in reading this wonderful memoir, we are reminded of what a fine prose writerthe man was.The tale of his struggling Swedish immigrant parents findingtheir way in late nineteenth century America and young "Charley"as he liked to be called, as the name Carl marked him as a foreigner, is afascinating glimpse of a bygone time and place. The interesting jobs thatyoung Carl took on, such as traveling the back roads selling stereo-opticanviews, and his conversations with a civil war vet are rewarding andinsightful.I believe this is a wonderful read for anyone with a love ofbiography, history, or simply good storytelling. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

That Rarest of Things-- a really readable business biography
_Priveleged Son_ manages to hit that sweet spot that so many biographies of business figures fail to capture-- it manages to be a very good look at a business and industry and at the same time be readable and enjoyable on the level of a novel.

While ostensibly a biography of Otis Chandler, it gives a fascinating look at the rise of a newspaper as local empire and the same newspaper's (largely unsuccessful) efforts to translate that into a truly national business.

Without any industry focus, the story of the Chandlers and their relationship to LA is the stuff of novels (pulp fiction and true romance)-- LA grows up with its paper in this book.

I was particularly fascinated to read what happened at the paper under the direction of Mark "Cereal Killer" Willes. His ill-starred management is a cautionary tale for would-be media moguls who fail to understand the core values that make up the news industry.

A great read for people interested in the media industry. A just-as-great read for people who like a good story.

Great history of the company and of Los Angeles
As a history buff, this book was fascinating as both a history of LA and Times Mirror. As an employee of the LA Times I found it even more interesting and intriguing.

Great examination of the growth of LA & its great paper
I really liked this book. As a fan of LA where I travel often for business and pleasure, this book fills in the history of how LA was built and the role played by the driving family of the LA Times. But as interesting as this history is, there are so many subplots to follow that are also fun. For example, as the family is accepted in the Pasadena "blue-blooded" culture, it's interesting how most become so snobbish about accepting anyone in their culture. My favorite stories on this subject are his second wife's training to develop social graces to travel in the Chandler's circles that was somewhat required. Also, when he divorces at 50, his Mom starts investigating which of her friends have unmarried daughters that would be acceptable marriage bait for this 50 year old bachelor. Like he can't take care of himself.

But enough of the small stuff, this book is about the Times and LA and starts with the Otis family and its purchase of the Times. The General and his Son-in-law ran this paper as a Republican tour guide of LA. And it worked. Maybe too good as LA is way too crowded. Along the way is great history of the need for water and the shady ways it was obtained as well as real estate development stories including a foray in Mexico.

Harry Chandler's son Norman ran it much the same way but his son Otis Chandler who took over around 1960 was much more liberal and open to debate and other opinions which did not endear him with his pompous family. This break seemed to eventually lead to his ouster in 1985 even though he had grown the earnings strength of the paper. I believe the book did not adequately explain the buildup to his ouster. His Chairman comes in and it's over. Clearly, Otis was partially to blame as his hobbies of hunting, cars and lifting weights took away his attention.

The replacements proceed to tear down the paper leading to its eventual sale to the Chicago Tribune. It's a very interesting business story although from that perspective it could have done a better job by financially describing the significance of the paper's net worth at different points in history.

But the book also overlaid the history of Otis' family, as he clearly was where most of the information for this book came from. Interestingly, Otis grew up in an exclusive family attending Andover and Stanford. But while two of his sons attended prep school and top colleges, one did not. And many of his offspring did not marry inside their social set and did not rise to the same levels as captains of industry. Otis Chandler did not place large pressure on his family to live the same social life he was forced to live and it's interesting how they grew up and the relationships they had with their parents. With so many transplanted Southern Californians all enjoying the beautiful weather, it was inevitable that many in his family would marry outside the Pasadena blue-blooded set.

I enjoyed this book immensely but it is a time commitment at over 450 pages of small print. I recommend this book for someone interested in journalism, the history of LA and Southern California, or a history of a wealthy influential family that helped shape the future of LA.

A caveat: the Devil is in the Details, as usual.
This is a wonderfully entertaining and informative book -- I have a waiting list of friends waiting to borrow it based on my recommendation.

The book has a problem, however. The author has chosen a posture of ridicule and pejorative disapproval of many characters -- he calls some of them "neanderthals," for example -- so he has a special burden to be correct in his facts. Unfortunately, Mr. McDougal has been careless and many of his facts are wrong -- small things, but they do tend to impeach the larger work.

There is no such thing as a "Las Padrinas" ball at the Valley Hunt Club (p. 116). Cate School students have never been called "Caties" (p. 168). Harold Brown was not a cause celebre at the California Club in the 1950's (p.477). (In late 1976, while still president of Cal Tech, Brown became the club's first contemporary Jewish member. Ironically, he almost had to resign from the "segregated" club to join the nascent Carter administration as Secretary of Defense.)

Enjoy the story, but don't take Mr. McDougal at his word.

West Coast Brahmins
In several of our major metropolitan areas (e.g. Boston, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles), a daily newspaper played a major role during the 20th century. From my perspective, the area and the paper had a symbiotic relationship which must be understood in all its complexity if we are to understand either the area's culture or the unique role the newspaper has played within that culture. In this book, McDougal functions as a journalist and an historian, of course, but also as an anthropologist. As the book's subtitle indicates, his primary purpose is to examine Otis Chandler during "the rise and fall of the L.A. dynasty." (It is worth noting that the Boston Globe is now owned by the parent company of the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times is now owned by the parent company of the Chicago Tribune. Perhaps McDougal or someone else will examine those recent developments in a book yet to be written. And perhaps examine, also, recent mergers which have created media conglomerates such as AOL Time Warner.) For much of this book, the Times's various publishers dominate the narrative. Specifically, first Harrison Otis, then Harry Chandler, then Harry's son Norman, and finally Norman's son Otis. Of equal interest to me were the roles played by various women, notably Norman's wife Buff and Otis' two wives, Missy and then Bettina. In California throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, the Chandlers established and solidified a "dynasty" but also what McDougal more correctly describes as an "oligarchy."

These are among the important questions addressed in this book:

1. How and why did the Los Angles Times become so influential?

2. How and why did it later lose so much of that influence?

3. Precisely what role did Otis Chandler play throughout that process?

McDougal is especially effective when explaining the culture within which three generations of Chandlers served as publisher. For example: "Like Harry, Norman understood early that the business of the Times was conducted as much in the private clubs and exclusive retreats of Los Angeles as it was inside the Times Mirror Building....With his chiseled good looks, cleft chin, and Stanford polish, Norman also rose naturally to a leadership among the newest generations of L.A. Brahmins. As the older patricians with whom Harry once did business began dying off, a new wave of young tycoons came to populate the exclusive mahogany-paneled grandeur" of the city's most exclusive cultural and social organizations. The young "brahmins" also called themselves "the Economic Roundtable" and founded their own organization bearing that name.

It was into such a culture that Otis was born and within which he was raised to assume, eventually, his own position of immense wealth, power, status, and prestige. He and others in his generation "behaved in much the same fashion as their East Coast counterparts with their insulated neighborhoods, leisure time activities (e.g. membership at the Los Angeles Country Club with its "no-Jews/Negroes/Mexicans allowed clubhouse"), and social inbreeding. Otis was perhaps the most privileged of sons but, interestingly enough, his father required him to begin at the lowest level in each of the newspaper's departments; after completing one apprenticeship, he was assigned to a different department and again began at the bottom, including salary level. By the time he became publisher, Otis was well-prepared in terms of understanding literally every facet of the newspaper's operations.

There are only a few recently published biographies and cultural histories which read like a well-written novel. This is one of them. I'm not suggesting that McDougal is an heir to Balzac or Barzun but I do commend him on the liveliness of his narrative as well as on the substantial content produced by his extensive research. McDougal helps his reader to understand why the Chandlers and the Los Angeles Times have been central to the evolution of a city, indeed of an entire region. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Self-deprecatory comedy
If you grew up with poltically active parents of any sort, the first the three monologues in this book will resonate strongly.In that monologue, Kornbluth gives a hilarious explanation of the dynamics of his relationshipwith his parents.He discusses how his parents influenced childhood goals(to lead the worldwide Communist revolution) and the various odd butamusing habits they -- especially his father -- exhibited.

Kornbluth'swriting style is clearly influenced by the standup origins of the work; itreads quickly and yet slightly awkwardly, as a transcibed monologuegenerally will.But despite the slightly different writing style, you willfind yourself laughing out loud more often than not.

Very Funny - almost as good as live
What a fun book.I heard "The Mathematics of Change" live and bought this book.My only complaint is that his style would be better live.Has anyone thought of a book on tape?Especially since this isbasically a tape on book.Nonetheless, I recomend this book and wait forthe audiotape.

Laugh out loud funny.
An ancectdote about this book-- it was given to me by a friend and I read it on a cross country flight last winter.I laughed out loud so much the man across the aisle finally had to ask what it was.I finished it beforewe landed and handed it to him.Not only did he take it gladly, he mailedit back to me weeks later with a note saying he'd enjoyed it so much he'dbought copies for everyone on his gift list that year.I've since seenKornbluth live, as well, and look forward to hearing much, much more fromthis hilarious, heartfelt, instantly loveable character.I highlyrecommend the book and the author to every thinking person with a sense ofhumor.

A great addition to any collection of plays or humor.
I teach playwriting, and whenever one of my students undertakes a solo piece, I recommend RED DIAPER BABY for study. It is one of the two or three best-written solo shows I've ever had the pleasure of seeing (and I've seendozens) -- a beautifully-judged balance of characterization, novelisticdetail, social and political satire, and raunchiness. The other pieces inthis collection are damn good, too. This is work to enjoy and from which tolearn.

Great! A book you'll send/recommend to all your friends.
Only reason I didn't give this book a 10 is that I don't want to be accused of hyperbole.I, my wife, my dad, and my friends have all read and thoroughly enjoyed this book.The three stories make you laugh, cause you to reflect, and bring the author's world to vivid life.Enjoy!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Some of the best essays in the English language
...Country Right or Left is part of a four volume set of essays commissioned by Orwell's wife Sonia. Whatever the criticisms that have been made of her stewardship of Orwell's legacy, these four volumes contain much of the best of Orwell's essays, letters and diary excerpts. This volume covers the early war years and much of the writing is shaded by that war.

This is Orwell at his finest, on one hand a confirmed socialist dedicated to fighting the right whether the Tory party or fascism; one the other hand an anti-Stalinist and critic of the left and always an anti-totalitarian.

Contained within "My Country Right or Left" is some of Orwell's best writing. In "Pacifism and the War", a notorious piece at the time, he accuses pacifists of aiding the fascist cause. "The Art of Donald McGill" is an essay about, of all things, postcards that are popular among the middle and lower classes. The postcards themselves, Orwell argues, say much about England's political and social attitudes. It's actually a perceptive piece of pop art and social commentary. Among my favorites is the essay concerning Mark Twain (Mark Twain- Licensed Jester). Orwell, a great admirer of Twain's, is critical of him for not being forceful enough in his social criticism. He accusation is that Twain pulls his punches far too often. It's a great piece of criticism and is Orwell at his finest.

What holds a large amount of this Volume together are the letters to the Partisan Review, a New York publication that contracted with Orwell to write commentary on England during this early war period. The issues vary from English politics, reflections on the clothing worn by the masses, attitudes towards democracy and so on. All well written, never dull and very often wrong in their predictions. There is much more here including excerpts from his diary, letters to other major figures of the day and reflections on the Spanish Civil War.

This is some of the greatest essay writing in the English language. Even sixty years later the essay's read clearly and give insight to Orwell's thinking.

Orwell--the Noam Chomsky of the War Era
This is a great collection of essays and other writers by one of the foremost socialist critics of totalitarianism and domination. It is also a great book for admires of writers such as Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and Edward said, as all share the same overarching purpose: to be a tireless critic of power and domination wherever it may be found. It is ironic to the extreme that so many conservative revisionists attempt to claim Orwell as their own, which is due to the tragically myopic misreading of his writings, especailly 1984 and Animal Farm. Both books are condemnations of totalitarianism, and in the case of Animal farm, the final page attests to Orwell's repugnance of capitalism. Let it not be forgotten that Orwell fought in the Spanish Civil War in the aid of the socialist-anarchists. This is truly a great collection, which should be required reading for those who may not be familar with Orwell's non-fiction work.

Forceful, spare and morally incisive prose
This is the second volume of the four that make up Orwell's collected essays, journalism and letters. It is a fascinating work of political and literary commentary and commitment, written at one of the darkest moments in British history, when our nation was under attack from an enemy of monstrous evil.

Not the least inspiring aspect of Orwell's writings at this time - highly topical now, as the free world confronts terrorism - was his determination to rebut the defeatism of leftist intellectuals. This volume contains his famous and invigorating exchange, from the American magazine Partisan Review, with some minor literary figures (a forgotten poet named D.S. Savage; the future writer on sex, Alex Comfort) about the merits of pacifism. Orwell tells the peace campaigners of his day (this was in 1942) defiantly, "Pacifism is objectively pro-Fascist. This is elementary common sense. If you hamper the war effort of one side you automatically help out that of the other. Nor is there any real way of remaining outside such a war as the present one. In practice, 'he that is not with me is against me.' "

That devastating truth has great modern relevance. Those who suppose such people as Noam Chomsky and Susan Sontag to be serious social critics would do particularly well to read this book.

Orwell In His Prime
Though remembered today primarily for ANIMAL FARM and 1984, George Orwell was also one of the most brilliant essayists of the 20th Century. This volume (the second of four recently re-released in paperback) shows the range and depth of his journalistic writing. Orwell was a Socialist and avowed leftist, but he never felt compelled to toe the party line. What makes his journalistic writings so lively and thought-provoking is that he constantly challenges the reader to look at entrenched ideas from a fresh perspective. This volume contains his justly famous essay on England, "The Lion and the Unicorn", and pieces on such wide-ranging subjects as Hitler's "Mein Kampf", Tolstoy and Shakespeare, and a spirited appreciation of Rudyard Kipling (politically and artistically not the sort of writer one would expect Orwell to defend). Interspersed with the essays is a selection of Orwell's letters from this period, as well as his fascinating War-time Diary. You may not always agree with Orwell's opinions, but you will never be bored. Orwell was a master stylist, but what really strikes the reader is how startlingly relevant the essays are, sixty years after they were written. An absolutely first-rate collection by a major writer who is long-overdue for reassessment. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (76)

Worth Reading - 5 Stars for Passion, 3 Stars for Translation
This is an impassioned and at times bitter diatribe directed at those Europeans (and particularly Italians) who either excuse the Muslim extremists whose goal is to destroy Western (especially US) culture or who are afraid to criticize them because of the supposedly religious nature of their beliefs. The attack on the twin towers of The World Trade Center caused celebrated columnist Oriana Fallaci to break her silence of the past ten years in order to voice her rage and her pride (in the values of Western culture). The book was a best seller and created an uproar and enormous debate when published in Italy and subsequently in other European countries.

Fallaci chose to translate the English language version herself in order to be true to her thoughts. While it clearly is effective in conveying the depth of her feelings, she would have been better served using a translator and then being her own editor. The book is a rambling stream of consciousness discussion of the events of 9/11 in the context of her life experiences (including as an Italian during WWII and her numerous interviews with world leaders including heads of several Muslim countries). The perspective which she has gained from these experiences imbue her passionate call to the West for a recognition of the nature of the current struggle with Islamic fundamentalists.

Fallaci has been accused of being racist, but as she correctly responds this book is about religion and culture, not race. It is about her claim that the goal of bin Laden and radical Islam (not Arabs) is to destroy our civilization and our way of life. They do not want to coexist, they want to destroy. Her insights are very interesting, especially her knowledge of Buddhism gained from her interview with the Dalai Lama and her contrast of that religious leader with many Islamic clerics. There are many boring and overdone passages, and she repeats much of her family history in unnecessary detail in order to provide background for her personal perspective.

Thus, while the book is very uneven, it is definitely a worthwhile read (and quite short). Her attack on moral relativism is first rate, and the insight and analysis which she brings to her subject reminds us of why she was such an acclaimed (and controversial) journalist. She takes accurate aim on the appeasers, cowards and pseudo-intellectuals who fail to recognize the dangers of the current situation and seem doomed to repeat history; her passionate defense of the benefits of freedom and liberty is first rate and almost lyrical at times. As she succinctly observes, "Memory may fade, hypocrisy may win, but History cannot be cancelled...It can be ignored or forgotten,yes. It can be falsified as Big Brother does in Orwell's novel, but it cannot be cancelled." So read this call to action based on Fallaci's historical insights; then decide if you agree with her.

Passionate Truth
Oriana Fallaci is honest. That's the best part of her new sermon. She is not a woman who will pull punches, who will temper her passion to appease those who might get offended. It's so refreshing, so inspiring to read an educated European woman decry some of her own continental brethren. This brethren include the intellectuals and "leaders" who always drop those wonderful hints that America was really to blame for September 11th. That we're such a big bully, that we're so dangerous and evil. Fallaci reacts with the zeal of a wounded American, betrayed by European lack of comprehension. She compares Europe's ostrich complex to America's during the rise of fascism. They don't understand the war being fought, that the enemy is within and will do anything to destroy the native culture. That is the nature of the beast she points out, and she doesn't shy away from naming names and pointing fingers.

The enemy to Fallaci and the rest of the civilized world is Islamic Fundamentalism. The reason why this book is such a good read is she puts the threat in human terms. Throwing away the classic retort "Well, it's just a small minority," Fallaci describes the things she sees. She sees millions, millions of people chanting Death to America. Whole governments, controlled by degenerate autocrats fear this mass of illiterate Nazis. That's what they are, Nazis. Even worse, religious Nazi's, filled with a love of death and hatred of life. They have no ability to better themselves or others, so they kill and teach hate. It's a petty existence, and a dangerous one. That's the message Fallaci gets across with startling vigor. She states that the war is not over, and will get worse. This is a very enlightened few, not pessimistic, realistic. The masses of blackshirts with little books are no different than histories great tyrants and murderers, their rage has to end with death or failure.

Of course, Fallaci's writings caused an uproar all across Europe. The biggest critics, various imams of Europe,(many of whom have been implicated or jailed for terrorist activities) celebrated 9-11 and push the tenets of religious death to their followers. This is in Europe, the cradle of the West. Then come the death threats, the personal attacks, the celebrations on hearing of Fallaci's terminal cancer. What else do they have to celebrate, their culture is dead and only anger brings release or parity. That's the message Fallaci is going to get across even if someone carries out one of the "religiously" sanctioned death edicts.

A brave lady and a wonderful writer. Good luck to her.

acid polemic, charming memoire, and EVER provocative
Fallaci has the reputation of an irascible moral purist, a radical democrat, and she certainly lives up to that here. This book, written in response immediately following the 9/11 attacks, demonstrates that she has lost none of her political passion. It is as if she vomitted it all out in a single sitting, which is not too far off the mark as she says she lived on coffee and didn't sleep for weeks while she wrote.

On the one hand, there is her outrage at what occured, not only with the Muslim world that spawned such dangerous fundamentalists, but also at the reactions of the politicians in the West and in particular in Europe. All I can say is that her condemnations are not terribly nuanced: there is no acknowledgment of moderate moslems and no patience with the all-too-human hypocracy of the "critics" of the US. While this is rather tiresome after a while, it should not overshadow the fact that her perspective and experience as a celebrated journalist are indeed unique and penetrating. But her rhetoric all too easily soars to excess. In a diatribe against colored immigrants in Italy, for example, she flatly charges that they don't work much, that they routinely indulge in sexual assault, and that they cannot be absorbed into Italian civilization but will instead destroy it. That is certainly not racist, but there is real bile there.

On the other hand, she gives some wonderful glimpses into her mind and its development, from the moral integrity of her parents to her meetings with such world leaders as the Dalai Lama (he gets an A+) or Yassar Arafat (D-). In a way, I wish that she would write a memoir. Also, she lets on that she has terminal cancer, that she loves New York, that America is the guarantor of the West's freedom. It is a good performance and highly interesting.

I read this in Italian and really enjoyed the language: vivid and full of bite, very useful for the development of vocabulary.

Recommended.

The Rage and the Pride
I have read this book and I found it quite interesting in describing why we are in such a global instability. The current political Middle East development had its origin in the 7th Century. Oriana has a sense of history and she describe it in her own writing. I am glad that someone is telling the truth about some European countries
standing against the invading armies of terrorists.
My only suggestion is that the book should have been transalted by a person with English as his mother language.

Oriana Fallaci is our "Force of the Reason"
Oriana Fallaci, thanks of all! Now, I can undenstand and know the evil times in which we're living in Eurabia (in Europe+Arabia) today. You know, in your new book, "The Force of the Reason", published on 12 march 2004 in Italy, we understand very well the ancient Islam Project to conquer all the Europe in XXI Century.
Oriana, thank you very much: you're our force of the reason, in this ocean of evil, in this false european "union"...at the beginnig of islam union. Help us to understand by other new your books this Islam Reality Show for Europe!
As by The Force of the Reason, your no ultimate best seller.
Ciao dall'Italia! Ti vogliamo bene.

Nicola Facciolini
Journalist
Teramo (Abruzzo Region)
Italy (Eurabia) ... Read more

Book Description

Ranging from political campaigns to public school crises to turmoil in Russia, the bestselling author and CBS Evening News anchor examines the tragedies and triumphs that shape our nation. Complete with new essays on recent events, Rather explores America at the end of the twentieth century and looks ahead to its future as we enter the twenty-first. With his distinctive blend of frontline energy and a journalist's knack for a good story, Rather looks at the awesome struggles and everyday accomplishments he's witnessed at home and around the globe. With candor, compassion, and sometimes irreverence, Rather examines world leaders and local heroes.

Deadlines and Datelines is not without lighter moments. In one laugh-out-loud essay, Rather skewers the phenomenon of "dumb bass," or bass that are bred to go after any hook in sight. On the culture beat, Rather offers personal interviews and insightful appreciations as well as a compelling tribute to JFK, Jr. Throughout these essays, Rather offers readers a wide range of though-provoking observations, and shows yet again the skill and intelligence that have made him "part of our world" for more than four decades. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Interesting reading when you have some spare time
I recently completed the reading of Dan Rather's collection of essays entitled Deadlines and Datelines. I found this book to be quite interesting for several reasons. One of the main reasons that I enjoyed reading it was because of the way it was organized. The book is compilation of a number of Mr. Rather's writings for his daily newspaper column "Dan Rather Reporting" and other short writings. Since they have been compiled over many years, none of them are current. It may seem like that would be a downside to this book, but I find it interesting to look back on what was being reported while the events were taking place, now that we have seen what actually happened. It can be compared to looking back over newspaper from several years ago to see what was happening in the world when you now have the ability to look back and put it in perspective. Another reason I found this book to be quite enjoyable was the wide variety of topics covered by the essays contained within the collection. Rather included writings on everything from such serious topics as the Oklahoma City bombing to topics as comical as the article on Texas "dumb bass" that are bread to be easier to catch. This is one of those books that you don't have to read cover to cover; you can pick any particular essay from any part of the book and read it without having to complete those that precede it. One of my favorite essays was one written just after Clinton took office. It featured advice for the then new president of the United States, which included 1.) Advising that Clinton give up cigar smoking, 2.) Suggesting that he give up golf, and 3.) Recommending that he get a dog. I particularly liked this one because it was hilarious to look back on what Clinton actually did during his term in office, and relating it to the "advise" offered by the author. The only downside to this book was that it wasn't really a book in the sense of being a novel or a story. Despite that, this assortment of short compositions did make for entertaining reading when I found a spare moment.

Interesting!!!
I have met Dan Rather in February of 2000. He is a awesome, well-known, and journalistic anchor who's knows the business and can write a good story. So when I read this book I knew he stands out all the time with his award-winning writing!

Dan Blather, A Very Strange Man
You don't have to be a Republican to wonder why Dan Rather covered up evidence that President Clinton raped Juanita Broadrick especially since Mr. Rather led the fight against Clarence Thomas for his alleged dirty joke. Either Mr. Rather is a moral monster, who finds a black man's joke to be worse than a white man's rape, or he is a total idiot. Evidence of the latter proposition can be found in this book. There are few paragraphs more than two sentences long. What he has to say is not original and is expressed in a very pedestrian manner. It's amusing for awhile to read the first few lines of one of his "essays" and then write the rest of the piece yourself. This could be written by a computer which has been programmed on the Dick and Jane series. But even THAT computer would have been offended by the President's rape.

Short, plain and thought-provoking
I've lived in Colorado's front range for nine years and gotten more conservative by the month. I saw Rather's book in the library, expecting not to like it. My first thoughts were cynical. "Short book, must not have much to say, look even the print's extra big." Seven essays into the book and I was ready to invite the man to dinner. In his brevity, Rather quickly gets to the core of the subject and leaves you room to compare your own thoughts about a history always personal and compeling instead of distant and inane. I find myself liking this book very much in spite of myself.

Bleh!
Well, if you're really interested in one man's opinion of where we are and where we are going, I suppose you might want to read this book. I made that mistake.

Dan Rather shows us all the stereotypical crap that comes from people his age. You know, all about how back in the day... Things were sooo much better. Get over it. Things are different. Who is Dan Rather to say they are worse? Its the age old story about the man who walked 3 miles each way to school, uphill both ways, and probably barefoot too. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Touching Look At A Michigan Institution
As one of thousands of Michigander's who considered listening to JP synonymous with driving to work, I found the contents fascinating. Learning about his family background and the "story" behind many of his onair trevails that I heard live at the time brought back many fond memories.The touching commentaries and insights by his friends only serve toreinforce the fact that Detroit and the State of Michigan lost one of theirtreasures with his passing. ... Read more

Book Description

When Theodore Dreiser first published Sister Carrie in 1900 it was suppressed for its seamy plot, colloquial language, and immorality--for, as one reviewer put it, its depiction of "the godless side of American life." It was a side of life experienced firsthand by Dreiser, whose own circumstances often paralleled those of his characters in the turbulent, turn-of-the-century era of immigrants, black lynchings, ruthless industrialists, violent labor movements, and the New Woman. This masterful critical biography, the first on Dreiser in more than half a century, is the only study to fully weave Dreiser's literary achievement into the context of his life. Jerome Loving gives us a Dreiser for a new generation in a brilliant evocation of a writer who boldly swept away Victorian timidity to open the twentieth century in American literature.
Dreiser was a controversial figure in his time, not only because of his literary efforts, which included publication of the brutal and heartbreaking An American Tragedy in 1925, but also because of his personal life, which featured numerous sexual liaisons, included membership in the communist party, merited a 180-page FBI file, and ended in Hollywood. The Last Titan paints a full portrait of the mature Dreiser between the two world wars--through the roaring twenties, the stock market crash, and the Depression--and describes his contact with important figures from Emma Goldman and H.L. Mencken to two presidents Roosevelt. Tracing Dreiser's literary roots in Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, and especially Whitman, Loving has written what will surely become the standard biography of one of America's best novelists. ... Read more

Book Description

For two generations of Americans, reading Ann Landers's daily column was as important as eating breakfast and as natural as brushing their teeth. For nearly fifty years an entire nation turned to this quick-witted, worldly-wise counselor for advice on everything from proper dinner etiquette to sex, yet few actually knew the real woman behind the byline.

Award–winning journalist Rick Kogan was Ann Landers's last editor and close friend, and in America's Mom he paints an intimate, affectionate, knowing, and deeply honest portrait of a remarkable woman whose real life story rivaled anything that appeared in the millions of letters she received and responded to during her long career.

Iowa-born Eppie Lederer was first hired by the Chicago Sun-Times to take over the daily advice column in 1955 -- and over the next half-century she helped shape the nation's social and sexual landscape. Already a fiercely independent housewife and political activist, she reinvented herself as "Ann Landers," went on to become America's beloved "surrogate mother," and was one of the country's most influential women. The friend and confidante of celebrities, journalists, and politicians, she composed columns that touched the lives of so many -- even as her own life was shaken by dramatic, often heartbreaking events.

Written with the enthusiastic support and coop-eration of Ann Landers's colleagues, admirers, and friends, Kogan's unforgettable memoir is a fascinating, full-bodied account of the triumphs, the wisdom, the courage, and the many trials of one of the twentieth century's most enduring icons -- her painful lifelong feud with her identical twin sister, "Dear Abby"; her outspokenness and stubborn refusal to shy away from even the most controversial topics; and the tragic breakup of her own thirty-six-year marriage when her husband abandoned her for another woman, an event that she bravely and openly shared with her millions of sympathetic fans. Here, too, is a wealth of touching, enlightening, and remarkable true stories shared by people from all walks of life who were profoundly affected by the good sense and guidance of Ann Landers. America's Mom is a moving tribute to a singular woman who has earned an eternal place in our culture . . . and our hearts.

Book Description

The flashing bulbs of the paparazzi. The iconic names: Liz, Michael Jackson, Jackie O, Jen and Brad. Americans are obsessed with the famous and the beautiful—their lives, loves, break-ups, and breakdowns. From Entertainment Tonight to People, from primetime to the E! channel, our appetite for celebrity news is seemingly insatiable. But in the beginning only the National Enquirer went boldly where other publications feared to tread.

In this no-holds-barred account of the most infamous tabloid in America, Iain Calder, its former editor-in-chief, tells all. Over the course of a career that spanned four decades, Calder brought the lurid newspaper to new heights, dramatically raising circulation by combining his streetwise journalist background with the genius of Enquirer publisher Generoso Pope, Jr.

Calder was born in a small village in Scotland, left school at sixteen, and rose through he ranks of the Glasgow newspapers. His intense work ethic, ruthless tricks to throw competitors off his scent, and nose for a story served him well, and he was tapped to head the Enquirer's London bureau. At that point, the lowly Enquirer was a collection of gory photos of car crashes and murder victims, but Calder corralled the best freelance journalists in Europe and started honing the formula that would transform the tabloid: a unique mix of celebrity scandal, hard-nosed reporting, and feel-good stories. Pope moved him to the American offices of the Enquirer, and the duo transformed the tabloid and, in the process, American journalism.

Calder exposes the stories behind the headlines and the wickedly intrepid Enquirer tactics for getting the scoops. With Calder at the helm, the National Enquirer ran the infamous shot of Gary Hart and Donna Rice and the record-breaking photo of Elvis in his coffin. And it was the New York Times that dubbed the Enquirer "the Bible" of the O.J. Simpson trial after reporters infiltrated O.J.'s inner circle. From the contents of Henry Kissinger's trash and the identity of John Belushi's drug dealer to Princess Grace's tragic death, the Enquirer told us what inquiring minds wanted to know as it took celebrity news from the back pages to the front pages and television screens of mainstream publications and programs.

Calder re-creates the exhilaration of being at the Enquirer during its most extraordinary period and details the way he and his staff broke the biggest exclusives of the day. At its core, The Untold Story is also a love letter from Calder to the glorious tabloid he helped create. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (28)

Compelling Book
Here is a book that gives us much of the background behind Anne Garrels time in Baghdad. It takes us in chronological order through the evnts of the war with Iraq and her experiences during that time in the city of Baghdad. For anyone who waited expectantly for each day's new report from Anne this book will be a reality checkpoint as what it was like to be there.
Her words are interspersed with emails of her husband, that were mailed to friends and family at that time

Fascinating insider's look at the war in Iraq
I'm not good with detail so I will just give my impressions of this book. Normally I have trouble reading non-fiction but I had heard Anne Garrels on NPR and couldn't help being curious about the woman behind the insightful reports from Baghdad. I took "Naked in Baghdad" with me on vacation in Maui and had trouble putting the book down. It was an easy read but not at all fluffy. I was impressed not only by her intelligence and sensitivity as she tried to convey what the situation was like for normal Iraqi citizens, but also her bravery and dedication to her job. I also enjoyed her husband Vint Lawrence's email updates to friends and family, which were both touching and entertaining. The story of her relationship with her driver/translator Amer was also impressive. I am recommending this to all of my friends!

Listen to the silences...
While another reviewer chided Anne Garrels for reporting on "local color", it is that local color that helps to paint the picture of the Iraq that we find ourselves struggling with today. The people she met, the stories they told, the future they predicted, all came together to help me, a true non-student of politics, understand the situation a bit better.

I'd love a follow-up done sometime - what has happened to some of the people she knew in the year or so since she left Baghdad? What else do we need to hear from Iraq's people... not the militants, but the true, proud, Iraqi people who deeply want the future they dared dream of?

The story says much - both in what has been written, as well as by what was not said. This is not a review of American policy, but a glimpse into the Iraq of late 2002 and early 2003.

The audio version was outstanding. The narration by the author moved with the story, leading me to think that she was, perhaps, envisioning the events again as they unfolded. It felt very much "present tense". The e-mails from Vint Lawrence added a break and contrast, and truly enhanced the tale.

A good read, but little more
This is a well-written, often fascinating account of life in Baghdad under Saddam while waiting for the bombs to fall. It's fun to hear some of the events from war-time Baghdad told from the receiving end.

That said, all she ever reported was local color. What was the purpose in risking her life, except for her own ego and adrenalin rush?

This is a nice little book, but there's not much new or relevant here about the Iraqi situation.

Compelling Personal Account Takes You Right There
First off, the few reviews that slam this book for liberal bias, are far more guilty of prejudging than is Garrells; one wonders if they've even read her work. Her portrait of life under Sadam Hussein is sympathetic only to the citizens who live in terror of speaking freely, not of his repressive regime.

As mentioned by other reviewers, Garrells really keeps her focus on the the Iraqi's personal experiences and on her own difficulties try to do her job in a corrupt and dangerous enivronment, not on the politics surrounding the war. Before it even starts, both she and the Iraqis seem to view the war as a virtually unavoidable certainty.

The book is also a very compelling portrait of what it's like to be an international journalist, specifically a female international journalist. Additionally, Garrells makes compelling comparissions to her experience in Iraq to her experiences covering another repressive regime, the Soviet Union.

If I'd read this book when I was in high school, I might have seriously considered a career in internaitonal journalism. While she doesn't make it seem like a glamorous, safe or easy job, it does come across as one of the most challanging and rewarding.

Ms. Garrells is a terrific writer, and this nearly contemporaneous account of the build-up to the Iraq invasion helps flesh out the portrait of a time and place on the brink of war. ... Read more

Book Description

Nuala O'Faolain burst upon the literary scene in 1998 with Are You Somebody?, a fiercely candid account of her youth and adulthood that became a surprise bestseller around the world. Almost There begins at that moment when O'Faolain's life began to change, and it tells the story of a life in subtle, radical, and, above all, unforeseen renewal. It is on one level a tale of good fortune chasing out bad-of an accidental harvest of happiness. But it is also a provocative examination of one woman's experience of "the crucible of middle age"-a time of life that faces in two directions, forging the shape of the years to come, and clarifying and solidifying relationships to friends and lovers (past and present), family and self. Almost There is a crystalline reflection of a singular character, utterly engaged in life. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Beautiful and Brutal
This is the first book I have read by author Nuala O'Faolain, but it far from the first autobiographical piece I've read. The latter part of my opening comment allows me to state without reservation that I have never read a more brutally and painfully candid work. Using the word beautiful may seem contradictory but it is her unstinting honesty about everyone, herself most of all, that makes this such a remarkable memoir. I don't think I would have gotten through the book if she had only been candid about everyone except herself. Her willingness to place herself, fears, regrets and anger out on view for the world to read is nothing short of remarkable.

This book covers about 6 years from her first memoir which apparently had the same sort of candor although she did offer it to people who were included prior to its publication. How much she may have changed is not entirely clear, but judging by what was included here I doubt she changed very much.

The book is also a philosophical exercise by a woman who has seen the majority of her life and is brutally honest about what she is and is not willing to do with the balance of the 16 and three-quarter years the actuarial tables allot to her. Initially the most startling part of the book was toward the end when she spoke of the 8 year old daughter of her partner. At first I was put off, and then my reaction changed completely. If there has ever been a case of the truth hurts, and the truth will set you free, in a manner of speaking, this lady has written it.

I don't know how many males will read this book but they should. Much of what she discusses is not bounded by gender, and when there are gender specific issues there are plenty of issues that males can plug in. This is not an easy book to read but when I finally finished I found myself hoping for all the best for Ms. O'Faolain and anyone else who has experienced the pain she has. If we all could view our lives with such honesty, my guess is the level of pain in most lives would be greatly diminished.

Ms. Nuala O'Faolain, I wish you all the best!

Amazing story of potential
Enthusiastic Recommend: Almost There by Nuala O'Faolain
This is a memoir of six years in the life of a woman in her 60s. It's her story of struggling with her past, with the long series of things that shaped her into something that she decided she did not want to be. So she changed. O'Faolain's life is nothing like mine - not even remotely like mine. She's Irish. She suffered as a child from the neglect of a drunken mother. She's never been married, has no children. She earned her living being a journalist. She's not really athletic, and that doesn't bug her. One of the few things we have in common is that we both love dogs. But she also goes for cats, which I can take or leave. And yet so much of what she wrote resonated, spoke to me, got me to say right out loud, "Yea, wow, that's it." It's a wonderful read for anyone who thinks it's too late for ... well, for anything. O'Faolain shows that it's never too late. We've all suffered, physically and emotionally. Some more than others, Nuala more than I. But she demonstrates that there is always a way to strike out on a different path if you are willing to work at it. And though it's not easy, there's progress, not always in a hurriedly straight line, but it's there and it's substantial.

Everybody Has a Hungry Heart
Nuala O'Faolain is completely frank and honest without sacrificing elegant prose... sa memoirist unconcerned with image. Her experiences take on a universal quality--I'm not a fifty-something Irish writer whose parents were miserable together (one cold, the other alcoholic) when not being charming. Yet in her descriptions of fear, loneliness, hope I find myself feeling singing "she's killing me softly with her song."

This is no feel-good "How I overcame bad times" memoir in which the heroine is homeless/battered/deathly ill but survives "with a little help from my friends." Nuala recounts successes, mistakes, bad judgement, anger, joy without ever portraying herself as a victim. And the result is that her story lands in your gut.

Few writers would admit worrying about the cat being lonely if she went out for an evening-- they'd be too self-conscious and worry about looking pathetic. Not Nuala. The result is that she wins us over utterly.

This book opens with a great deal more joy than her other books (the wonderful memoir Are You Somebody? and the novel My Dream of You). She recounts with wonder the unexpected success of her memoir and the opportunities it brought her-- the waves of approval from TV talk-show audiences, the trip to New York where she met Frank McCourt, the money. But it didn't ultimately protect her heart from a painful end to a long-standing lesbian relationship, a one-sided affair with a married man, and a troubled relationship with a man she met on line, whose little girl Nuala had to struggle not to resent.

I heard O'Faolain read at Colliseum books New York, and she recounted how in Dublin, everyone criticized her for having had an affair with a married man (who, to be fair, did not ever tell her he was married until very very late in the game) while in America, people were shocked at her attitude to the child. Yet in both, O'Faolain is nothing more than honest. Who hasn't felt jealous and wished they didn't? O'Faolain is never malicious, vindictive or cruel.

She writes with candor about being down-and-out inside, though material circumstances look well. She's an inspiration in every way-- she gives the reader permission to empathize, to say, "yes, it's like that, and she survived, and I can too". You don't have to have a terrible illness or crushing poverty to have legitimate feelings of despair, and O'Faolain is proof that they can be overcome-- with grace.

And her prose is terrific. Simple without being simplistic, somehow she turns a riff on 9/11 to a consideration of voting in Africa.
She's a real writer, and one for the ages-- her main focus is on herself, but her gaze takes on all humanity.

Nuala's Long Journey
This is the first book by Nuala Faolain that I read so I don't have anything to compare it with. I am also a middle aged woman so many of the statements she made hit me right in the chest.
I could feel her pain. Although I related to her story, I found the book tedious at times. I would not recommend this book for everyone. I don't believe that women in their twenties or thirties would fully appreciate Naula's story.

Poor Follow-Up to the Great AYS
Nuala is a talented writer, but we knew that already. I found this book a bit, well, boring. It was like reading my own journal - too much stuff that would be of interest only to me and, possibly, my closest friends or kin; "boring" to most others.

She's an easy read, an acute observer, and (as far as I am concerned) one of the few writers who will address the issue of advancing age - or most other issues - with candor.

I loved AYS, as did most readers. This smells like a commerical follow-up and lacks the appeal of the original. It could be 50% shorter, and be the better for it. Bit of a shame, Nuala. ... Read more

Book Description

Cynthia Rowland was an outwardly vivacious and successful television news reporter, who inwardly had slipped into the depths of bulimia. An addiction to binging and purging and heavy doses of laxatives finally landed her in treatment. The Monster Within tells the story of her descent into sickness, her struggle to learn why she was engaging in slow suicide, and the courage and grace it took to get well.This updated edition includes a section of answers to some of the common questions the author is asked about bulimia. Anyone suffering from an eating disorder (there are eight million bulimics in America alone), as well as parents, friends, counselors, and pastors will find hope and help through this engaging true life story. ... Read more

Book Description

George Packer's maternal grandfather was a populist congressman from Alabama in the early part of the century -- an agrarian liberal in the Jeffersonian mold who began his career fighting the forces of wealth and ended it opposing the New Deal. Packer's Jewish father was a Kennedy-era liberal, a law professor and administrator at Stanford whose convictions were fatally tested in the campus upheavals of the 1960's. The inheritor of two sometimes conflicting strains of the great American liberal tradition, Packer explores the ideals that shaped the lives of his forebears and describes his own struggle to carry on their tradition in our time, when large numbers of Americans have lost faith in politics.

From the ironworks of Birmingham, Alabama, during the age of the robber barons to the postindustrial labs of Silicon Valley, Blood of the Liberals traces the intersection between public issues and private troubles, large historical currents and the frailties of individual character. "The story of each generation of my family" Packer writes, "is in a way the story of an inherited idea crashing up against the hard rock of new circumstance." Both a critique of liberalism and an affirmation of it, Blood of Liberals gives a political voice to a new generation that has grown up without the certainties of earlier ones . Searching, engrossing, and persuasive, this is an original, intimate examination of the meaning of politics in American lives. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A voice in the wilderness
How did such a basic, rational notion as liberalism turn into the favorite epithet of talk-show hosts? What happened to social justice? Where is the freewheeling spirit of the Sixties? These, and other questions, have haunted me for years. Not being well versed in American history, the seemingly abrupt annhiliation of everything "liberal" has caused me great puzzlement and distress.

Packer, in a beautiful amalgam of memoir and history, has written a book that has almost singlehandedly restored my relationship with the past and pointed my way to the future. While as a historical account it is spotty, and as a memoir it is sometimes dry, the heartfelt combination of these two styles has a vitality and immediacy I've never seen anywhere else.

His conclusions, while expansive, are also poignant, with a touch of desperation. In his consideration of the prospects of liberalism in this country, I am reminded of the Monty Python sketch about the parrot - "It's just resting!" - while at the same time I'm stirred by its undercurrent of optimism. His last few words ring in my ears: "We will have a more just society as soon as we want one."

If you sense that, like myself, you are a lost liberal that is trying to find your way in the world, this book is for you.

If you are a Rush Limbaugh dittohead who needs a clue as to what "liberal" really means, this book is for you as well.

George Packer is a literary and historical genius!
Words can simply not do justice to the rapturous "Eureka! I have found it" feeling I experienced when I found, read and re-read this timely, vivid and insanely insightful book. (Perhaps I should mention that I have been searching in vain for nearly two years to find material on George Huddleston Sr. written in the literary style of eminent historians Richard Hofstadter and Christopher Lasch which also serves as both a caustic critique and a dynamic defense of the very concept of American liberalism). Packer is a great writer! He surveys the modern history of the American reform movement from 1869 to 2000 in a penetrative yet highly readable style and the word pictures he creates both engage and enlighten the reader immediately and throughout. His highly personal depictions of his family lineage - including triumphs and more than a few tragedies - make the story so poignant and touching that your heart will simply melt even if you don't agree with all of his premises or conclusions. And his understanding of the broad sweep of history is astounding - anyone who reads this book will come away with a much more enlightened view of 20th century American reform efforts than they would ever get from a more traditional historical author. There are only a few flaws (which I will not detail here), but those should be arrived at only after thoroughly studying this absolutely amazing book. Blood of the Liberals is simply one of the very best books I have ever read and I recommend it highly!

A rallying cry for modern liberalism
I really enjoyed Packer's book. I'm roughly a contemporary of his, and experienced the same wrenching events that occurred in modern liberalism during the late 1960s and early 1970s.I'd just finished reading Roth's "American Pastoral", and it was great to follow it up by reading Packer's book.

Like Packer, my father was an academic at an elite university, and as a traditional liberal who voted for Adlai, he was shocked by what he saw during the late 1960s. On a personal level, I liked reading a book by a writer who likes the same authors I like - Saul Bellow (Humboldt's Gift), Christopher Lasch, Irving Howe et al. There is a passage in which Packer perfectly summarizes the thesis of Lasch's "Revolt of the Elites" - gated communities like the ones that dot my hometown in Southern California.

The only area where I would fault Packer's book is that he does not criticize the dogmatic, politically correct tone that liberalism took on during the late 1980s and early 1990s and which still haunts liberalism. What alarmed Packer's father was exactly that, and I'm afraid Packer only devotes one paragraph to it. Left liberalism has, I'm afraid, taken on a neo-Stalinist quality on some college campuses, viz, stealing copies of conservative campus newspapers which take politically incorrect stands on such issues as affirmative action. Liberals should decry that just as much as the depredations of the Right. David Horowitz shouldn't be the only one who claims the moral high ground on that issue. I don't know if Packer's father would be a neoconservative today, but he might have been, if he'd lived.

Aside from all that, I commend Packer's book. It is a decent, humane and intelligent work that says that there's still a place at the political table for liberalism, even for disheartened liberals like me!

Hard to read...harder to live

What a grand legacy was left to author George Parker by his father and grandfather.

This is not light or easy reading, but is worth your time because it gives you a real sense of history and a terrific overview of how politics has shaped modern thinking and vice versa.

Enjoy!

A liberal dose of liberalism's trials and tribulations....
Let me start by saying this is the kind of book that the reader will just fly through. The prose flows. The story is also compelling. Packer tells the story of his family and the cause of American liberalism in three parts. The first part is the life of his grandfather, a crusty Alabama congressman with a penchant for unpopular causes, who has the misfortune of seeing his Jeffersonian ideals eclipsed by the New Deal government activism of FDR. The congressman's daughter marries Packer's father, a Jewish intellectual blooded in naval combat in World War II who goes on to become an administrator and law professor at Stanford University. The second part details the father's woes as a rational child of Progressivism and the New Deal confronting the irrationality of late 1960's New Left protesters bent on upending society. Packer himself is the subject of the third part. It is particularly saddening to read of Packer signing on for the cause of liberalism as it becomes irrelevant at best and disreputable otherwise (he analogizes joining one cause group to converting to Roman Catholicism in the Reformation). This is a great road map to the 20th century, American liberalism, and the politics of the last 25 years, and it is a great memoir in the bargain. Must read. ... Read more

Book Description

In her father’s Peruvian family, MARIE ARANA was taught to be a proper lady, yet in her mother’s American family she learned to shoot a gun, break a horse, and snap a chicken’s neck for dinner. Arana shuttled easily between these deeply separate cultures for years. But only when she immigrated with her family to the United States did she come to understand that she was a hybrid American whose cultural identity was split in half. Coming to terms with this split is at the heart of this graceful, beautifully realized portrait of a child who “was a north-south collision, a New World fusion. An American Chica.”

Here are two vastly different landscapes: Peru—earthquake-prone, charged with ghosts of history and mythology—and the sprawling prairie lands of Wyoming. In these rich terrains resides a colorful cast of family members who bring Arana’s historia to life...her proud grandfather who one day simply stopped coming down the stairs; her dazzling grandmother, “clicking through the house as if she were making her way onstage.” But most important are Arana’s parents: he a brilliant engineer, she a gifted musician. For more than half a century these two passionate, strong-willed people struggled to overcome the bicultural tensions in their marriage and, finally, to prevail. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A symphony of words
What a joy to read. Little pieces of information about characters, surroundings, history and culture are put in place like parts of a growing poetic jigsaw puzzle. Although no child this young could be so insightful, the framework enables the author to use the innocence of childhood to view the world in a questioning, accepting way, opening up her world in Peru to the reader like a flower opening slowly petal by petal in the morning. Very mature insights and descriptions of those around her are presented in a very gentle way. The vivid description of the depraved treatment by overseers of the Peruvian natives who were used to gather rubber from the trees tore at this reader's heart by the magnificence of the writing rather than by gory heavyhanded writing.

Fragments of the jigsaw puzzle of life are blended together as the author moves between individual backgrounds, current insights, historical information, explanations of cultural patterns, vivid descriptions of personalities and a storyline that tells how a mother, father and three children see their ongoing lives as viewed thru the eyes of a very mature child.