Book Description

Reviews (9)

Boring!
What a painfully boring book! I was really looking forward to reading this book, as I normally love biographies and had heard some interesting things about Gellhorn. Unfortunately, this turned out to be soooo boring! What a waste of my money. I kept waiting for it to get better, but it never did.

Terrible Person...Boring Subject for a Book
Martha Gellhorn was a repulsive, self-absorbed person and at best, a mediocre writer whose notoriety stems mainly for whom she spent time with during her life (Ernest Hemingway, H.G. Wells, Eleanor Roosevelt, Leonard Bernstein, etc.) and not her work.

The books I like to read are usually biographies and/or American history. This book basically boils down to a story about a miserable person who never really accomplished much. I don't know, maybe I'm biased after recently reading biographies of great people like Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams.

What a scumbag. Here's Martha's life...
· Numerous affairs with married men (including all three of her eventual husbands).
· Dumping on everyone with reckless abandon. She would declare that she was bored and then drive people away with vicious precision. She repeated her bad behavior with co-workers, husbands, and siblings. Her worst behavior was reserved for "friends." After the initial excitement wore off she'd belittle them, ignore, kick them out, leave without explanation, etc. Even her "beloved" mother was not immune. Martha left her mother's side as she was dying. The worst involved her adopted son. She dragged her poor son all over (Italy, Mexico, the U.S., England) and criticized him endlessly for being fat, stupid, and lazy. Subsequently her son ended up a drug addict who spent several stints in jail. Just terrible.
· In Africa she ran over a child, killing him. It's OK, she capitalized by using the tragedy as an idea in a novel.
· As a reporter she was biased and dishonest. The biggest example of bias is her uncompromising contempt for the Palestinians on all issues regardless of facts. Her dishonesty was also at times severe. The most egregious example is her magazine article detailing a lynching she witnessed. She never did. Liar.
· She wasn't much of a writer. I had never heard of her. Her body of work consists of magazine articles here and there and a bunch of books that were poorly reviewed and mostly forgotten. Much of her fiction was taken directly her experiences (like Hemingway, however, Hemingway had the ability to add nuance and depth to his writing). Often she would go months or years without publishing or even writing anything of value. It's amazing with all of the places she saw and people she met that she had so much trouble coming up with anything of value. I guess that explains a lot about the level of her talent.

To the author's credit, she is honest in detailing all of Gellhorn's flaws. With that said, the topic of Gellhorn is a dreadful read. All I can take from this book are lessons on how not to behave. It certainly isn't entertaining. Save your time and money and pass on this boring story of this disgusting person.

A mediocre Book About A Wretched Human Being
Caroline Moorhead has produced the most complete biography of Martha Gellhorn to date. But that isn't saying much. For all her industry in mining archives (and Gellhorn delivered a carefully managed archive of extensive size to Boston U.) and interviewing those that knew the subject Moorhead has produced a frequently muddled book. Errors of fact and wierdly presented information abound. As an example of the latter is a statement about the effect of Primo Levi's 'sudden' death on Gellhorn. It was sudden alright since Levi committed suicide. Also for all the detail presented about Gellhorn the background is frequently presented in such a muddled way that it is difficult to firmly fix the subject and her actions in the historical context of what was going on.

However, errors and questionable analysis aside, Moorhead presents a wealth of information on just how horrible a person Martha Gellhorn was. Her endless dissatisfaction with life and poisionous rancorous personality shines through over and over again. She was truly one of those people where everything is about me. After three abortions, products of her promiscious lifestyle, she decides to adopt an Italian war orphen for rather the same reasons that bored suburban wives adopt a dog from the animal shelter; to have some company for number one. As might be expected even though the lad was shuffled off to many expensive prep schools and finally Columbia U Moma made his life hell.
Hectoring the unfortunate Sandy about his weight, diet, posture, and character in between her frequent absences to do some important task. Not surprisngly her son became a drug user and had a miserable life until (without Gellhorn's assistance) he dried himself out.

As Moorhead shows over and over again Gellhorn lived the life of a comfortable and frequently affluent expatriot by selling articles to upper crust US magazines all the while loudly intoning her loathing for her native country and the source of her lucre.

There are some delicious sections in this book. Probably the best is the record of the remarkable romantic triangle of Gellhorn, Marlene Dietrich, and MG James Gavin. It is hilarious to read of one of the greats of 20th century cinema, a leading highly sophisticated foreign correspondent, and one of the US Army's premier battlefield commanders behaving like high school juniors with Gavin playing the role of the caddish football hero and his two femmes carrying on as though they were a couple of cheer leaders vying for Mr. Touchdown's favors.

This is a through if not very well written book that provides plenty of information to convince most reader's that Gellhorn may have been a good writer but a horrible human being.

Full Life
I had never heard of Martha Gellhorn until a read a magazine review of this book. What an amazing woman; she certainly covered a lot of ground in her very long, very full life. While she was by no means perfect - in fact, often selfish and detached - she was a strong, active and fearless woman who always went after what she wanted. Moorehead's biography is a beautiful read, including direct quotes from many of Martha's personal notes, together with her own talented writing.

Warts and All
I have been a Martha Gellhorn fan snce I found a copy of Travels With Myself and Another on the shelf at Hatchard's in London in 1983. I had never heard of Gellhorn, but was immediately taken with her no-nonsense reporter's style of writing. I scooped up all her non-fiction and some of her fiction. After reading both of Carl Rollyson's bios of her (one written before she died, against her wishes, the other right after her death), I thought I knew a little about Gellhorn. After reading Moorehead's bio, I found out just how little.

This is likely to be the standard text on Gellhorn's life. It is complete, readable, and doesn't pull any punches. You get Gellhorn, warts and all, and there are plenty of warts. There was a lot of information here that I hadn't known, and wouldn't have guessed. It may even be too much information. I think I may know more about Gellhorn now than I really wanted to.

Martha Gellhorn was a terrific war reporter, a great non-fiction writer, a competent author of fiction, and a fascinating person. Moorehead's biography captures all that and is well worth your time. ... Read more

Book Description

Ryszard Kapuscinski is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century's preeminent journalists, demonstrating an almost mystical ability to discover the odd or overlooked and incorporating these sometimes surreal details into narratives that go beyond mere reportage and enter the realm of literature.

Another Day of Life is Kapuscinski's dramatic account of the three months he spent in Angola at the beginning of its decades' long civil war. The capital, Luanda, is occupied only by those not fortunate enough to flee. When even the dogs abandoned by the Europeans leave, Kapuscinski decides to go to the front, where the wrong greeting could cost your life and where young soldiers-from Cuba, Russia, South Africa, Portugal-are fighting a war with global repercussions. With harrowing detail, Kapuscinski shows us the peculiar brutality of a country divided by its newfound freedom.

Translated from the Polish by William R. Brand and Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Gripping!
Anybody not familiar with Kapucsinski's trenchant and infinitely entertaining 'pieces' on some of the world's forgotten corners would do well to start with 'Another Day of Life.' A fast, page-turning account of Angola's tumultuous last days before independence (and the start of one of Africa's longest and bloodiest civil wars!), 'Another Day of Life' viscerally captures the utter chaos of war. Kapucsinski brilliantly illuminates a world where friend and foe slaughter each other throw the steamy,tropical nights and then sleep it off during the burning days. In a world where your death comes at the hands of a Kalishnikov-totting ten-year old, where one false step means a life in a wheel-chair, where the next check-point down a body-scattered road could be your last, Kapuscinski makes us look straight into the face of 'confusao,' the mind-numbing, senseless confusion not just of the Angolan Civil War, but of all wars.

Terse, nimble and always a bit ironic, Kapucinski's musical prose turns the pages for you. At about 130 pages, this is the ideal one-sit read. While the narrative meanders all over the place, you can't help but hold on tight, waiting to see what's next around the bend. Like his other work, 'Another Day of Life' takes you there. Hold on as the sights, sounds and stenches of sub-Saharan African jump right off the page.....whether its the icy calm before an ambush, the bed full of cockroaches or the oppressive uncertainty of whether this day will be your last....Kapucsinski puts his reader right beside him as he bumps along that mine-strewn bush road. While his books are always long on atmosphere and 'feeling,' details are often left up to the reader. But in this case, your imagination has more than enough to feed on.

For those looking for the door into Kapucsinski-land, this little gem holds the key. More cohesive than 'The Soocer War,' more inspired than 'Shah of Shahs,' 'Another Day of Life' is the perfect intro to his African Queen, 'Shadow of the Sun.' and European King, 'Imperium.' So sink into your arm-chair and grab on tight, as this master story-teller takes you for a ride!

Short and wonderful
This is the fourth of Kapuscinski's books that I have read, and I was not disappointed. His trademark wit is once again on display, as he manages to impart jewels of wisdom while reporting from the deadliest and remotest corners of the world. For those unfamiliar with Kapuscinski, do not get this book if you are looking for a detailed political history of Angola. He gives a brief historical overview of the country in the final chapter, and it might help to start there first. Otherwise, a novice will quickly get confused by all the acronyms (MPLA, UNITA, etc.) and names; Kapuscinski does not really explain to the reader which group is fighting for what causes or what their ideological standpoints or political goals are. In a sense, however, this ambiguity is highly effective, since it conveys the actual situation in Angola in 1975. Kapuscinski's aim is not to offer a trenchant political analysis, but to simply convey to the reader what it is like to live in a desperately impoverished country in the midst of a brutal civil war. One could substitute any number of countries for Angola, and the themes would likely be the same; desperation, helplessness, ignorance, despair. Kapuscinski looks at the conflict from many points of view. He relates how the Portuguese colonialists desperately fled Angola in the months leading up to that country's independence, certain that all hell was about to break loose. He points out the general state of confusion among most Angolans, who were just as uncertain about the future as their former Portuguese rulers. He looks at the war from the point of view of the guerilla soldier, for whom death is almost inevitable, lurking unseen in the bush at every moment. He even tells how the dogs in Luanda followed the example of the Portuguese and bolted town; no dead dogs were to be seen, but they all seemingly disappeared. And, of course, Kapuscinski has lived through more near-death experiences than just about any reporter on the planet. He must look at movies like "Tears of the Sun" and simply laugh, for he himself has avoided certain death on a number of occasions. Kapuscinski's books are a blend of political commentary, narrative travelogue, abstract philosophy, and action adventure. The reason for only four stars is that because this book is so short (it can easily be read in one sitting), it falls shorts of some of his other works in terms of depth and scope. Also, this is one of his earlier works, and his style has been improved on since then. That doesn't stop me from highly recommending this one, though.

A tremendously informative book
Kapuscinski's "Another Day of Life" was a complete impulse buy for me. Why is it that these are very often the most enjoyable and satifying reading experiences? This slim 144-page, novella-like volume taught me so much about Angola, it's Portugese colonial heritage, the factional fighting that developed in the 60s & came to a head during Kapuscinski's three-month stay in the country in 1975, and the eye-opening level of involvement of such players as Cuba and South Africa.

The amazing thing is *how little* things have changed since 1975. Since the fall of Portugal's dictatorship, there has been constant battle for almost 30 years. Jonas Savimbi - introduced here as a very young freedom fighter - was killed in battle only a short time ago.

Added bonus: There's a wonderfully sparse little map of the country & the borders of its neighbors at the front of the book. You'll thumb back to that page no less than 50 times while reading "Another Day of Life."

The title is apropos..when one of the characters utters the it two-thirds of the way into the book, I thought it was the perfect line at the perfect time. No wonder they culled it out of the book and had it serve as the title as well.

I plan on reading the rest of Kapuscinski's works now.

An excellent read
I read parts of the Emperor in college and expected a lot of this book. Well, it delivered. Kapuscinski shows more in this book about the civil war in Angola than one would expect. They say that a good journalist stays impartial and doesn't get involved with his story, but this proves the opposite. The author goes to Angola at the last minute and burrows into the country. He almost becomes a citizen, learning the local custom and showing how life actually is.

This book is full of insight into the human condition, the problems caused by colonialism, and how stupid war can be. This isn't a war of the front and trenches, its chaos. Chaos dictated by the rules of living in a harsh place like Angola. The weekends are days of rest, the heat prevents battle, children fight and lose interest.

Kapuscinski shows a side to this civil war, and in turn other wars, that you never get to see. This books is funny, touching, sad, and well written. It reads like a novel, it has character and place. The difference is its true. An excellent book for the history lover or the literary lover.

Interesting Read
As a reader with very little knowledge of history in Africa - this book sparked in me a strong interest to learn more. Kapuscinski tells of his time spent in Angola as a journalist during an unstable revolutionary period in the 1960's. He details the power struggle between 3 political warring factions that were fighting for control of Angola following an exodus of Portuguese colonists back to the home country.

Kapuscinski is a journalist - and was in the country to investigate and report on the war. However, the risks that he took in getting the story were much greater than could be expected of even the most dedicated journalist. Led by his adventuresome spirit and voracious curiousity, Kapuscinski placed himself in the most dangerous of situations. In fact - it was quite clear from the narrative that Kapuscinski was lucky to survive the entire expreince.

The result is an eye-opening tale of the horrors of war and the plight of the people that found themself swept up in the fight. The confusion was such that many of the Angolan natives found themselves as pawns of large external political forces with little or no knowledge of what it was they were fighting for.

The beginning of the book contains a map that helps the reader to follow Kapuscinski during his extensive journeys throughout Angola. The last 20 pages or so contains some insightful historical information on the country of Angola which helps to put the events of the book into historical perspective. However, it would be mistake to classify this book as strictly a work of history as it satisfies on many levels. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Kudos to Hockenberry from a Deafie!
Hockenberry doesn't really need more people to tell him how good his book is. However, he does need a person considered to have a disability (Deaf) to tell him--Great JOB! And to recommend to all those undergoing the process of learning to deal with a disability and grieving over loss of abilities, to read this book. It will help significantly. He learned in a shorter period of time, and had a significantly better outlook on his new disablement. He also brings up the fact that sometimes the obstacles placed in our way are of our own making. The Americans with Disabilities Act is not going to solve all of our problems...and as a country we are lucky to have it. But many of those problems won't be fixed until we the Deaf and the disabled get off our collective butts (excuse the pun) and do something about it. This means becoming active politically and otherwise. Mr. Hockenberry needs to write a followup since his career has gone in different routes now...and we see him more often on television. How has this newfound fame added or detracted from his life? I didn't always agree with him...I too have worked with mentally disabled adults, and sometimes found his attitude shocking, though I think he was merely very young at the time. But I am recommending this book to my students, to people I work with who are disabled, to my computer group (the SayWhatClub--we all say 'what') and anyone else I can think of. Ok Mr. Hockenberry, get busy writing the sequel! Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

You keepon learning, after the last page.
Reflection on "Moving Violations" Ellie Widmer

Moving Violations, the memoir of John Hockenberry-- is a very moving story. It is frank and honest, inspiring and also surprisingly entertaining. Mr. Hockenberry uses a style that works well--he starts at the end, goes back to the beginning, and blends the story very nicely. He is a seasoned reporter; he sure knows how to keep his audience's attention! But it is not only his story that intrigues me. It is a pattern of human behavior that I have noticed before, in real life relationships as well as in autobiographies. At some juncture in the lives of a great number of people, the courage, the desire, maybe even the need for honesty appears and manifests itself in a variety of ways.

After major life events, be they catastrophes or spiritual enlightenment-or any number of other life changing experiences-to relate to readers or listeners the formerly hidden or "avoided " side of one's life, the mistakes if you will, the things one would ordinarily suppress is often a significant aspect of writings and speeches. In biographies in which family secrets, for instance, are aired in public, a reader can wonder if the subject is angry or embarrassed, or even if all the facts are accurate. But in biography, when a public figure reveals the sins of his or her youth, the transgressions against the formal law or the social norms, it is usually after a significant event in that person's life has occurred. Sometimes it may be when the writer is approaching or has reached old age; but more often it is something that literally wakes one up to a new sense of priorities, a new value system, a need to be as open honest with oneself, and consequently with everyone else. Self-disclosure can be freeing, healing and energizing.

But my interest in this whole issue is not just that it seems to happen, but rather why does it happen? Is it even a deliberate attempt at openness, or is it a natural instinct after a significant life experience? Is it a debt one owes to oneself to represent one's life as it really was, with the good the bad and the in between, rather that use the selective memory that sheds only positive light on the teller? Does traumatic or life jolting experience remind us so much of our finite condition, that we can no longer abide superficiality? Do we then care more about getting in touch with our true selves than what others may think of us? But most of all, is this a conscious thing? I think it may not be, but rather this behavior may be part of a growth process--a very positive one-- that many but not all people achieve in their lifetime. Could these phenomena be considered a sort of spiritual evolution in the context of a single life span? I would think there have been studies about this sort of thing. If so, I would like to know about them. I thank Mr. Hocenberry for his gift to all readers who pick up this book; it is a treasure.

Really had an imact
I shared some of John Hockenberry's book with folks at an elderly home in Alphabet City, NYC. They enjoyed his writing as much as I did, and I'm sure many of them could relate to his experiences in a wheel chair. Hockenberry's words were inspirational to all of us.

Great read for new para's
Upon my discharge from rehab after becoming a paraplegic myself, there was a long list of recommended books and a stack of books that had been given to me by well intending friends and family. These books were sterile and had been written by walking people. This book is a fantastic departure from the clinical spinal cord injury books. This book helped prepare me in a very different way than the help I received from family, friends, doctors or therapists for some of the wide variety of challenges I now face in daily living. This book is simply a must read for new paraplegics and their families.

Honestly, I would prioritize this over the books from Christopher Reeve.

Telling It Like It REALLY Is!
I'm disabled. I detest almost all writing on disability. John Hockenberry is the only person I know who can write about it in a way that doesn't set my teeth on edge or have me flinging the book across the room by the end of the first chapter. I won't insult the author by saying that this book is "about" disability -- it's about one particular journalist -- but he sure knows how to tell it like it REALLY is! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Working moms are going to love Life's Work. A collection ofcolumns from The New York Times, this entertaining and thoughtfulcompilation suggests that the next time you are overwhelmed with laptop, cellphone, deadlines, appointments, pets, and kids, you try something new:shrugging. As author Lisa Belkin says in the introduction, "I am not saying thatnone of these things matter. They all matter, but not all of the time."

Her columns make great reading for waiting rooms or bus commutes, as each one isjust a few pages long. Divided by topic rather than chronological age, you'llstart off with a look at balancing work and marriage, progress to pregnancy andbabies, and end with sections on travel, organization, and a reexamination ofshifting priorities. Topics are sometimes funny, such as Belkin's ramblings onher professional name (Belkin) and family name (Gelb), and the confusion thiscauses when her son's school called and asked for a name not in the company'slist. But singing "the Barney song" from an airport pay phone and having thewomen around her weep--stories like this ring so familiar with working moms thatit's hard to not get a little teary yourself.

From paternity leave to expectations of babysitters, commuting time to sharing ahome computer with an 11-year-old, Belkin manages to address all the dailytrivia that take on such importance, as well as the really important stuff thatoften gets lost in the shuffle. --Jill Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Charming and Delightful
Anyone who has ever struggled with the complexities of having a career and being a devoted parent at the same time will be able to identify with the many anecdotes that Lisa Belkin relates. She covers a myriad of situations that career mothers face in the everlasting struggle to balance "life's work." The book is a fast and relaxing read that makes one realize that as hard as you may try, you "can't do it all."

Humorous and comforting
I saw the author on the Today Show and I'm so glad I did. What a delightful book! Belkin understands what it really means to be a modern parent: How you feel tugged in all directions and sure that you are screwing it all up. I loved her message -- that you should do the best you can and it will turn out okay. And I also loved the way she wrote about that. I laughed a lot, and cried a little, and I nodded in recognition all the way through. I'm also the mother of two young children and most of all I was grateful for the short, snappy chapters, which is all I have time to read in my life. I'm getting this for my mother, and my sister and even my mother-in-law for mother's day.

Now I can Say So What
I received a copy of this book to review for my website. And the book changed my life.

When I first picked up the book Life's Work I put it down, deeming it not appropriate for BlueSuitMom's working mother audience. How wrong I was. Initially in the introduction I was put off by this sentence "Not a one of us seems to be able to give 100 percent of themselves to their job and 100 percent of themselves to their family and 100 percent of themselves to taking care of themselves." I read the line and decided she was wrong ... there are so many of us that can and do have it all. However, I didn't get the point ... the point she was making is that inevitably there are times when our balancing act glitches. When sometimes "life and work collide."

Had I finished reading the introduction I would have read that the point is that we can work, have a family and take care of ourselves but sometimes they all can't happen at the same moment in time. Sometimes one has to come first. Sometimes there are dare I say "sacrifices."

However, when I finally picked it up again I read that "No one can do it, because it cannot be done ... So let's start forgiving ourselves when we can't do it ... So what if the house isn't as clean as it should be? So what if that last business report was not the best you've ever written? So what if you're eating takeout for the second night in a row, or haven't been to the gym in weeks, or sent your children to school in crumpled shirts on school picture day? ... I'm not saying that none of these things matter. They all matter, but not all the time ... even I know that 100 percent plus 100 percent plus 100 percent equals more than any one person can do in a day. So what?"

This might have been the most powerful message I've read in a book -- ever. Because today I vow that this will change my life. From now on, I'm not going to stay awake until 3 a.m. stressing out about why I'm not good enough. Why do I have to spend countless hours worrying that it isn't good enough. Some days I send out newsletters to BlueSuitMom readers with typos. And probably no one notices (okay maybe some of you do since you write to say hey this link is wrong or this tease didn't actually exist in the newsletter). And today I am saying "So what if it wasn't the best." This is a radical thought since normally I will agonize for hours that heaven forbid Rachael made a typo or put the wrong link in. In fact, I profusely apologize to those who write in ... but from now on I will give you the right link and repeat to myself "So what." I've learned that sometimes our best work can't be perfect.

It isn't that I don't care about producing the best source for working mothers on the Internet; it is just that sometimes I will remember that no one can be perfect. And for years I've always strived to be that exception. I'll work until the middle of the night and then wonder why I don't have as many friends as I want or have the time to religiously stick to the gym.

But from reading "Life's Work: Confessions of an Unbalanced Mom" I've now decided that I can't have it all 100% of the time. I can maybe only have 95% of it all. And for today ... that will have to do.
And I hope that Belkin's message will get through to all of you as well. Sometimes we can't do it all. Sometimes we have to skip out of a meeting to attend a child's play ... sometimes we have to fake being sick ... sometimes we just need to give ourselves a break.

I'm sure that all our readers will enough reading Life's Work ... the best part is that the chapters are only a few pages long. It's the type of book to keep on your desk and read when you actually find that five minutes of time for yourself. And if you are saying you don't have that five minutes I encourage you to read the chapter entitled "September 11, 2001." I certainly needed the reminder that there are some things in the world that we can not control ... but what we can control is our reaction to things like guilt.

I want to hear what you have to say. How do you deal with guilt? Am I the only one awake at 4:30 in the morning because I've only slept for 4 hours tonight? Feel free to write me at .... Let me know if I can publish your response in one BlueSuitMom or better yet share your "So What" moments on BlueSuitMom's message boards ... and don't tell yourself you don't have the time ... since we all have the same amount of time. It is up to us to decide how to use it. And if you don't want to start the dialogue ... that's okay my response is now "SO WHAT?"

Nobody's Perfect
Lisa Belkin's reflections on life and work are a joy to read for any veteran of the family/work balancing act. Her strong message resonates equally well for those in the corporate world to those working at home or the full-time stay at home parent -- trying to balance the demands of our lives can trap us in the unreasonable expectation we can please everybody all the time.

Life's Work is about the emotional conflict we all feel whether we have to work at a despised job for the paycheck or need to work in a beloved field for personal fulfillment. We know that family and friends matter most in life but the devil is in the details -- juggling the mechanics of getting through each day when there is more than one person (or even two) can reasonably accomplish, coping when the unexpected overwhelms the system, deciding how best to care and provide for those we love who depend on us.

The essays are short enough to read in five-minute bites (great to tuck in your bag for that wait in the doctor's office or the long line at the bank) and is also fun to read straight through. It's an especially great book for any parent (Mom or Dad) trying to write professionally at home. Lisa Belkin's take on combining a writing life with a family life had me laughing out loud.

Not Just for Working Moms
I read this book after it was the closing feature on Oprah and thought I would give it a try. I am a working woman, married, no children, and I thought this book might be too much about getting the balance as a parent. I was pleasantly surprised that much of what was written applies to ANYONE who is working, especially working women. And her message - that 100% balance is impossible and you need to figure out what works for you - is an important one. The stories were funny, short (which is her concession to people with no time) and relevant. I would recommned this as a good, quick read to anyone who is trying to figure out how to "make it work". ... Read more

Book Description

Financial Management 101 is an in-depth but easy-to-read guide on business planning. It's a kick-start course for new entrepreneurs and a wake-up call for struggling small-business owners.

This book covers business planning from understanding financial statements to budgeting for advertising. Angie Mohr's easy-to-understand approach to small business planning and management ensures that the money coming in is always greater than the money going out! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An absolute "must-read" for any business owner
Financial Management 101: Get A Grip On Your Business Numbers by business columnist Angie Mohr (who is also a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant) is an thoroughly "reader friendly" guidebook designed specifically for small business owners and managers, and which methodically teaches the reader all of the basics about balance sheets, income statements, monthly budget reports, ratio analysis, dealing with inventory problems, dealing with debt, and more. Financial Management 101 is an absolute "must-read" for any business owner new to the complexities of finance and needing to competently analyze financial data, measure business success, and have an accurate and on-going comprehension of their fiscal bottom line.

Great new series for small business owners
An excellent book from the new Numbers 101 series (see Bookkeepers' Boot Camp). The author shows you how to get the most profit from a small business as you possibly can by using simple financial management techniques -- something like what a person who has a degree in finance or business would know and use. But it's all spelled out in easy steps. It's sort of like hiring an MBA consultant for your small business, but for a lot less money! ... Read more

Book Description

James Turner's biography offers the first modern account of Norton's life and its significance, following him from his perilous travels across India as a young merchant to his role as his country's preeminent cultural critic.Turner shows how Norton developed the key ideas that still underlie the humanities--historicism and culture--and how his influence endures in America's colleges and universities because of institutions he developed and models he devised. ... Read more

Book Description

For more than forty years, Jack Germond enjoyed an extraordinary career in political reporting. With his trademark no-nonsense style and tremendous wit in abundance, Fat Man in a Middle Seat remembers the personalities that dominated national politics during Germond’s career: Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. Germond writes about the real stuff of politics and captures the details of the reporter’s life on the road—the off-the-record briefings and strategy sessions, countless late nights in bars, and overcrowded Friday-night standby flights. In the words of Tim Russert, this is “quintessential Germond—candid, insightful, and irreverent.” ... Read more

Reviews (19)

1st-hand, candid insight into late 20th cent. US politics
This is a must-read for anyone even slightly interested in American politics of the late 20th century. I have admired Jack Germond's straightforward, thoughtful manner for years on the McLaughlin Group, and can remember thinking how fascinating it would be to end up sitting on a plane next to him. Imagine my surprise and delight when the title of his memoirs was "Fat Man in a Middle Seat." Germond pulls no punches in his descriptions of politicians he has known, from Averill Harriman and Nelson Rockefeller to George Bush and Bill Clinton.

Most of the other reader reviews here are on the mark, but I would add one important point: Germond's discussion on race relations in the US, from the civil rights era to the present, is as insightful a commentary as I have read anywhere. He went to high school in Louisiana, and travelled through the South in the 60's covering the civil rights movement. He has known the players from George Wallace to Jesse Jackson, and, as with the other people in the book, describes their personalities and motivations with great insight. I rarely re-read a book, but when I finished the book I immediately re-read the chapter, "Race and Politics."

Germond's constant references to his drinking and skirt-chasing were a little distracting, but since this is a memoir from someone who tells it like it is, one should not be surprised that he included his own vices as part of the narrative.

I enjoyed reading this as much as Jack enjoyed writing it.
The few occasions where I tuned into the McLaughlin Group I found Jack to be "odd man out." I found his comments thoughtful and insightful, never loud and boorish. I never could figure out what he was doing on the show; now I see that it was a mistake on his part.

This is an enjoyable book, more anecdote than analysis. I'm a political junkie and knew about most of the subjects he covered and it was fun to read his take on them. From reading the book I got the impression that a Journalism 101 student sat with him, turned on a tape recorder, and said: "Tell me about your life in journalism, Mr. Germond."

It was puzzling at times that he alluded to aspects of his personal life but didn't go into detail (his daughter's death, the breakup of his first marriage, etc.). He certainly doesn't owe anyone and explanation, but I'm not sure I would have mentioned them at all.

But the book was well worth the investment and it was a good read.

Sharp-eyed snapshots from 40 years on the campaign trail ...
At a time when the term "liberal" has come to be a dirty word, and mass media punditry is dominated by corporate suits pushing a Big Business agenda, it is refreshing to see a blue-collar journalist dissect politics from the perspective of the old school of newspaper reporting.

Drawing on his 40 years of experience covering everything from local mayoral races to national presidential campaigns, Jack W. Germond has written "Fat Man In A Middle Seat" as both a memoir of his encounters with some of the past generation's most interesting political personalities and an analysis of the news coverage the public gets of those candidates. In each case, Germond's observations are astute and fascinating, but ultimately discouraging for what they reveal about the men who hold or seek power, as well as how they are portrayed to the voters.

Culminating in the farcical non-election results of 2000, and the atrocious reporting of the outcome, Germond reaches his inevitable conclusion that he no longer expects the system to ever "get it right" and produce real executive leadership or accurate press accounts of current events. Now semi-retired in West Virginia, he makes it depressingly clear that the failure of broadcast and print news to adequately explain what was at stake for the direction of the country (both during and after the 2000 presidential race) represented a new low in American journalism and politics.

Maybe worst of all, Germond notes, too many modern journalists apparently never even tried to pierce the market-tested, micromanaged images that the Bush and Gore campaigns spoon-fed them. This did not serve the public interest and, Germond argues, it led directly to the situation in which we saw the travesty of a Supreme Court case determining control of the federal government. Without exaggerating, he says, the future of democracy itself may be at stake if this trend in superficial reporting continues.

Surprisingly, however, Germond reserves his most scathing comments for former president Bill Clinton. Coming from the left, this savage indictment of the Big Creep's pathologically selfish character is more devastating and effective than anything the Republican attack dogs ever produced. Other descriptions of John and Robert Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Sr., and many presidential wannabes are equally crisp and vivid.

Perhaps the best thing about this work is Germond's impressive candor and modesty about his own accomplishments and mistakes. He is honest about his personal and professional errors in judgment, and does not seem to have an ax to grind against his ideological opponents. That alone sets "Fat Man In A Middle Seat" apart from the self-bronzing, unctuous autobiographies of most fourth estate superstars. Read this book if you want a breath of fresh air in the dry desert of what passes for media criticism and political commentary these days. With grace and grit, Germond makes his life ring true.

Mencken, Germond, and the Baltimore Sun
It's as if lightning struck twice. HLM the ultimate conservative curmudgeon, JWG much more the right, but not quite, and not consistently so. HLM the scholar, dealing with the big picture, JWG with personalities, up close and personal. A great book: no need to wonder what Jack really thinks about Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton. Jack was the only reason we watched The McLaughlin Report. He nails the pompous (call me Doctor) McLaughlin and candidly informs us how much he and the other participants were paid. It's also refreshing to read that he thought the Herald Trib under James Bellows was a much more entertaining and interesting paper than the Times. This is not a book for middle-of-the-roaders, and that's exactly why it's so refreshing to read it. You're one in a million, Jack.

John, Eleanor, Mor-ton, Pat, and Jack discuss "Fat Man..."
Jack Germond's book, "Fat Man in a Middle Seat," is a refreshing book filled with fascinating anecdotes which will keep political junkies everywhere entertained. In fact, this book is so good that instead of reviewing it myself, I'll let the members of "The McLaughlin Group" discuss it in their inimitable style.

John McLaughlin: Issue one, "Fat Man in a Middle Seat." Eleanor: Now wait a minute John, that's not fair! John: Now, now, El-a-nor, I didn't even say anything bad about it yet! Eleanor: Really John, you don't think I KNOW that you're going to trash Jack's book? John: Actually, I was going to give it the fair, impartial treatment that I give to every other issue that comes before me on this show. Eleanor: THAT'S what we're afraid of, John! Jack Germond: Uh, umm, well, uh, how about letting people just read the book and draw their own conclusions?Mor-ton: Yeah! John: Now, wait a minute, Mor-ton, are you saying that you AGREE with Jack's book that this show is trash and that I'm just an egomaniac, loud-mouthed buffoon!?! Pat Buchanan: Before I leave this silly show to go off and run for President for whatever political party is dumb enough to nominate me, I just want to say, good job, Jack! Jack Germond; Uh, umm, well, uh, thank you all for your support. John: OK, exit question! On a scale of 0 to 10, where ZERO is the absolute worst book ever published and 10 is the metaphysical "War and Peace" of our time, where do you rate "Fat Man in a Middle Seat?" Mor-ton! Mor-ton: Well, you know, I really had several things to say on the Middle East situation, and I also had some neat predictions to make this week about the current budget negotiations, but I guess since Jack's book seems to be the main topic of discussion this week, I'll just hold off for now and give it an 8. John: Eleanor!! Eleanor: This book is great! Jack Germond has more knowledge of politics in his right pinky than you have in your entire body, John!!! And his comments on this show are right on..I'd give it a 9 and a half.
John: Pat! Pat Buchanan: As a lifelong professional politician, who has never held a real job, I've got to say that I think Jack's book is very insightful. I mean, this guy obviously LOVES politics and politicians, conservative and liberal alike, and it's great fun to read about YOU, John!. Anyway, I guess if Jack weren't an atheist, I'd give his book a 10, but since he doesn't believe in God and also engages in all kinds of drinking, womanizing, and cursing, it saddens me to say that I'll have to give it a lower rating, probably a 5 for his moral relativism. John: Jack, why don't you rate your own book?Jack: Well, uh, umm, John, do you think I'm an idiot or something? Of course I'm going to give my own book a 10! Anyway, it's going to make me enough money so that I can tell you to take a hike!! John: OK, now that we've gotten all the incorrect answers out of the way, let me give you the correct answer. If you forget about his comments about me and my show, Jack's book is a 10. But since I am obviously the center of the universe, the book is a big ZERO! Eleanor: You see John, I knew you couldn't be unbiased! Mor-ton: Can we talk about the budget negotiations now? Pat: I'm off to run for President. Jack: Let me out of this loony bin!!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great yarn from a legendary reporter.
Drummond, a reporter with CBS-owned Channel 2 in Chicago for many years, is best known for covering the "Outfit" in Chicago. As any Chicagoan can attest, he also covered many characters and other crooks, besides the big fish that hogged the headlines. Although there is a chapter on Tony "Big Tuna" Accardo, Drummond wisely focuses on the little guys that many of us forgot. This is a smart choice, for much is already written about the big guys like Accardo and if Drummond wanted to cover them right, he would of had to have written a separate book on several people. The only thing missing in the book is more on Drummond himself, for if you are a personal friend of his, as I am, you know that he is more interesting than any of the crooks and capers he ever covered. Read this book and try to learn as much as you can about John Drummond - a living Chicago legend and a journalism institution! ... Read more

Book Description

Part Two Of Two Parts

Through their dynastic control of THE NEW YORK TIMES, the Ochses and Sulzbergers have been the most powerful family in twentieth century American journalism. Not only have they owned the TIMES for more than a hundred years, but a family member has always been at the paper's helm.THE TRUST is the first full-scale portrait of this modern monarchy, a dramatic saga set against a backdrop of world events and the burden and privilege of wealth and power.With novelistic drive and detail, THE TRUST tells the story of how the domestic dramas of one extraordinary clan shaped the pages of the greatest newspaper in the world.

"A subject of first importance, told in energetic prose." (Kirkus) ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Thoroughly entertaining family biography
This exhaustively researched and really gripping book tells the story of Sulzberger/Ochs family and their relationship to the New York Times. As the family behind the Times, they were players on the stage of American history for most of the twentieth century. The family itself and the characters in it are fascinating-- the subjects range from Iphegene Ochs frustration that she as a woman would never be considered the heir to the throne, to the way that Adolph Ochs wheeled and dealed his way into building the NYT, to the hard family choices behind the publication of the Pentagon papers, to modern attempts from within the company to break the family power. It's a wonderful glimpse at one of the most powerful families of our time. It's worth noting that this book is not a business case history and that the reader will not find an explicit overview of any of the strategies that made the Times what it is.

Beside the Times
This massive chronicle of the Ochs-Sulzbergers and their stewardship of the New York Times gets off to a fascinating start, dramatizing Adolph Ochs' purchase of the then nothing New-York Times and detailing his wildly successful efforts to build a paper of note.

But once Ochs vanishes from the narrative, bequeathing the editorship to son-in-law Arthur Sulzberger, the book slowly loses steam. Focus shifts from the newsroom to the myriad Ochs-Sulzberger relatives and their beside-the-Times activities, in response to which a reader can only offer a heartfelt shrug.

In defense of The Trust it has been pointed out that the authors set out to write about the family rather than the paper, but apparently there's little of inherent interest in the Ochs-Sulzbergers outside the Times. Down the backstretch, the authors seem as bored as the reader, dutifully recounting the gossipy infighting among far-flung cousins.

The Trust, excellent as much of it is, comes to seem unfortunately conceived -- the newsroom coverage is exemplary, but the beside the Times gossip grows quickly tiresome.

Grand and compulsively readable
This is a monumental work of multiple biography and institutional history.

It is cumpulsively readable, like a good novel. This book became my trusted companion during many relaxing evening hours and solitary restaurant meals.

It is also admirably crafted. As in their previous book The Patriarch (about the Bingham family of the Louisville Courier-Journal), Tifft and Jones write beautifully and with great skill for handling detail and narrative.

They also have the ability to balance candor and fairness, steering a sober, high-minded course between warts-and-all skepticism and obsequious hagiography. As a reader you sense you are getting a careful portrait of each major character's personality, strengths, foibles, fond traits, and character flaws, while never getting the feeling the authors are doing either a flack job or a hatchet job.

That's not to say certain characters don't come off better than others. For example, the authors seem consistently sympathetic toward the modestly talented, often hapless but usually wise "Punch" Sulzberger, the dominant figure at the Times from the mid 60s through the mid 90s, while casting his wife Carol as a shallow, cold-hearted Nancy Reagan type. But the book rings of truth and authority, and so one generally trusts the authors' assessments.

While this book overwhelmingly is concerned with people, not events, it provides a valuable account of the internal debates over whether and how to publish the Pentagon Papers. It also illustrates the paper's vigorous post-war anti-communism, its cozy relationship with the Eisenhower administration, its internal battles over editorial voice during the political and cultural upheavals of the 1970s, and its generational differences over homosexuality (contrasting Punch's bigotry with his son and successor Arthur Jr.'s determination to make the Times a progressive place for gays to work). Two consistent threads run throughout the book: the Sulzbergers' ambivalence over their Jewish heritage, and their determination to place journalistic excellence and family control of the paper over the business strategems and high profits necessary to please Wall Street.

This book will be of great interest to journalism junkies. But it also commends itself to all lovers of serious biography.

Shame on Alex Jones and Susan Tifft
The only positive comment one can make about this sorely disappointing excavation of the Sulzbergers and their newspaper is that it's written in fluid, clear prose. That's it! This is quite surprising given the credentials of these two supposedly fine journalists; they did a wonderful job excavating another newspaper dynasty -- the Binghams. But this time, little insight is offered; instead, the reader is loaded down with gratuitious gossip. Historic and psychological contexts are shabbily rendered. One can't help but wonder if Mr. Jones, who comes from a newspaper dynasty himself, albeit of a much smaller scale, was not dealing -- negatively dealing -- with his own issues in this book. The Sulzbergers, particularly, Arthur jr, a brilliant, progressive, and humane publisher, and deserve better.

The Kennedys of Journalism
Tifft and Jones rip the gown off the old Gray Lady to reveal the hidden secrets of the family that made the New York Times the respected powerhouse it is today. The story of the Ochs/Sulzburger clan appeals on two levels. First, it is the story of the making of the newspaper, the ethical and financial decisions required to make the Times both reputable and profitable. And second, it is a good old scandal story, filled with affairs and family altercations, and Times Square palace intrigues. While the book remains superficial about the journalism, it delves deeply into the characters, who are of course the most fun part of the tale. ... Read more

Book Description

In a brilliant collaboration between writer and subject, Witold Rybczynski, the bestselling author of Home and City Life, illuminates Frederick Law Olmsted's role as a major cultural figure at the epicenter of nineteenth-century American history.

We know Olmsted through the physical legacy of his stunning landscapes -- among them, New York's Central Park, California's Stanford University campus, and Boston's Back Bay Fens. But Olmsted's contemporaries knew a man of even more extraordinarily diverse talents. Born in 1822, he traveled to China on a merchant ship at the age of twenty-one.He cofounded The Nation magazine and was an early voice against slavery. He managed California's largest gold mine and, during the Civil War, served as the executive secretary to the United States Sanitary Commission, the precursor of the Red Cross.

Rybczynski's passion for his subject and his understanding of Olmsted's immense complexity and accomplishments make his book a triumphant work. In A Clearing in the Distance, the story of a great nineteenth-century American becomes an intellectual adventure. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

An Informative Introduction To An American Innovator
To me, a biography is successful if the author conveys both the subject's accomplishments and the influences that helped to shape these deeds. Rybczynski easily meets these standards in this entertaining, instructive study.

Rybczynski spends a lot of time discussing the significance of Olmsted's major projects, like Prospect Park and Mount Royal. The innovations that Olmsted brought to the field of landscape architecture in these projects are clearly laid out for the reader. However, these discussions were not the main point that I took from the book. Instead, I was enthralled with the discussions of the various jobs and travels that Olmsted undertook throughout his life, particularly in his formative years. Rybczynski does an excellent job of showing that these diverse experiences not only satiated Olmsted's curiosity, but also were essential to the development of Olmsted's views on landscape architecture. It is refreshing to find an example of the belief that a variety of experiences are necessary to bring out new talents, enhance existing skills, and create a well-rounded individual.

I highly recommend A Clearing In The Distance for many reasons. These reasons include a concise writing style and a multi-faceted subject. But, above all, the book brings attention to an individual deserving of such study. It is this quality that makes A Clearing In The Distance a "must-read" for not only admirers of Olmsted's works, but for anyone who is interested in the creative development of an innovator in their field.

a big life in a small book
Witold Rybczynski has made Frederick Law Olmsted's life look a little easier than it must have been. This is largely caused by the laminar flow of Rybczynski's prose. We are swept through the 19th century so smoothly that even the Civil War seems like a mere rock in the stream. I have not read any of the author's other books, but his prose style here seemed to be imitating the sweeping lines in an Olmsted design. In terse introductory paragraphs the broader events of a given historical period are sketched out and then Olmsteds trajectory through them is presented in more, but not great, detail. The result of this approach is to make the reader feel both informed and curious to know more. As other reviewers have remarked and the author points out in his closing chapter, much is available. Olmsted was a pack rat who saved all his correspondence and his legacy was carried on into the middle 20th century by his son Rick, who only retired from practice in 1950.

I grew up near New York City and always considered Central Park to be a wonderful place, even in its worst times through the 60s and 70s. I am lucky enough now to live in a city with three Olmsted-designed parks (they were initiated by the old man, but designed and built by his sons). Their maintenance has been spotty, but they are still beautiful places, and I do wonder if they still have the power to civilize.

good enough
Olmsted's life is fascinating and Rybczynski does an adequate job of presenting the highlights, but the writing style is something less than engaging. In addition, the author spends too much time on trivial matters while neglecting more important things. For example, he writes page after page about Olmsted's failures to connect with a romantic mate. Goodness, he wasn't much of looker or a lady schmoozer and this plagued him for years. There, I said it in one sentence. Had the author done likewise we might have learned more about the details of some of Olmsted's projects. If the author wanted to play up relationships to give the reader a fuller appreciation of Olmsted's psychological make-up, he would have done better to delve deeper into the parent-child relationship.

"A garment of beauty around our homes"
Olmsted and Rybcznski seem somehow destined together, and this book is a thoroughly readable and engaging introduction to both of them. If they had been contemporaries, they probably would have somehow connected as friends or collaborators or both. Through his work, Olmsted came to define the American public space as distinct from the English or French styles. Early on he was influenced by farming, the English countryside, naturalism, notables such as Carlyle and Ruskin, and by the American pursuit of happiness: our need for recreation and spectacle. In his works, he combined "economics, nature, aesthetics, moral and intellectual improvement, and salvation." He spoke of throwing "a garment of beauty around our homes."

Author Rybczynski doesn't limit his chronicle to Olmsted the Designer, though. Rather, he devotes ample space to covering Olmsted as a man of letters, Olmsted's brushes with politics and social reform, his travels to the West, his marvelous mind for engineering (everything from pumps to drainage systems and pipes), and his varied and important organizational and administrative accomplishments. Of particular interest are the chapters in the book devoted to the slavery issue and Olmsted's voice in the anti-slavery movement; Olmsted was an idealist who felt that slavery corrupted society. He once leaned once toward joining a group of German settlers in Texas who did not recognize nor condone slavery.

Olmsted is best remembered though as a designer who brought us the seeds of a national park system through a lifetime of projects, public and private: Stanford and Berkeley, Belle Isle (Mi), Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Central Park, park systems in Boston and Chicago, huge projects in Washington, DC, and many more. Olmsted also deserves credit as the creator of the parkway. The reader will find many familiar names mentioned here, evidence that Olmsted was an extraordinary man who lived in extraordinary times. James Hamilton (the son of Alexander), Charles Dana, William Cullen Bryant, Frederic Church, the Vanderbilts, and others all played a role in his life and work.

Turf, trees, and lakes -- or grass, woods, and water -- to put it a different way, are the hallmarks of an Olmsted space. He abhorred clear distinctions and separations, flowerbeds and botanic beauty or decorative gardening. Instead, Olmsted embraced illusion and worked to "accommodate chaos and order." He incorporated science, theory, and art; accident and achievement. Architectural dwellings were minimized or hidden. There was careful composition of groups of trees against expanses of lawn. For us, we should be careful when visiting Olmsted's projects, for in the case of several, he lost interest due to squabbles and bickering with clients. Stanford University certainly stands out in this regard--to what degree is it considered a work of Olmsted's? Worn down by periodic bouts of depression and debt, Olmsted did not live an easy live and died from what is almost stated by the author as Alzheimer's disease. But for those that bear his mark, we can delight in the fact that they continue to survive.

A beautiful book about a remarkable man
This book strikes a lovely balance between describing Olmsted's life and personal history and his creations, parks that span the United States.

You may be surprised to learn, as I was, the vast number of projects he undertook. How Central Park was really his first significant project. How he had to fight political and economic battles to keep it from being ruined. How he was able to truly "get it right" with Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

Through the fascinating descriptions of the landscapes, the author also provides great insight into Olmsted's life. What struck me the most was how Olmsted, as with many of his contemporaries (U.S. Grant, Mark Twain) worried for most of his life about his finances and his career.

This is a first rate work, told in a clear and compelling fashion. ... Read more

Book Description

No one ever argued more forcefully or with such acerbic wit against the foolish aspects of religion as H.L. Mencken.As a journalist, he gained national prominence through his newspaper columns describing the famous 1925 Scopes trial, which pitted religious fundamentalists against a public school teacher who dared to teach evolution.But both before and after the Scopes trial, Mencken spent much of his career as a columnist and book reviewer lampooning the ignorant piety of gullible Americans.

S.T. Joshi has brought together and organized many of Mencken's writings on religion in this provocative and entertaining collection. The articles presented here include satirical accounts of a range of the religious phenomena of his time.On a more serious note are his discussions of the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and the scientific worldview as a rival to religious belief.Also included are poignant autobiographical accounts of Mencken's own upbringing and his core beliefs on religion, ethics, and politics.

H.L. Mencken knew that satire, wit, and clever jesting were the most effective ways to battle religious folly, and he used these weapons to their fullest extent in writings spanning almost three decades. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A highly quotable Mencken collection
Skip the introduction; editor Joshi strays from the topic by questioning Mencken's "fanatical loathing" of Roosevelt, while ignoring similar diatribes he wrote against Harding, Coolidge and Hoover. Page 133 of Thirty-Five Years of Newspaper Work provides Mencken's rebuttal: "....in all my life I don't recall ever writing in praise of a sitting President. Finding virtues in successful politicians seemed to me to be the function of their swarms of willing pediculae; it was the business of a journalist, as I conceived it, to stand in a permanent Opposition."

Joshi also states that the Baptists aren't behind the Ku Klux Klan. Well, of course not. Nor does the Mormon Church support polygamists, nor the Catholic hierarchy condone killing abortion doctors. But Klan members, polygamists, and doctor-killers are far more pious than their mainstream counterparts. Such activities are where extreme devotion eventually leads.

Besides, the book's title accurately describes its contents. Any additional information can be squeezed onto the dust jacket. Mencken needs no stinking introduction.

Nor does he need my analysis. Despite the introduction, this is now my favorite posthumous Mencken collection. The following quotes are some of the reasons why:

"....men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt."

"That medicine saves to-day thousands who must have died yesterday is a fact of small significance, for most of them will leave no more marks upon the history of the race than so many June bugs; but that all of us have been persuaded thereby to turn from priests and magicians when we are ill to doctors and nurses -- that is a fact of massive and permanent importance. It benefits everybody worthy of being called human at all. It rids the thinking of mankind of immense accumulations of intellectual garbage."

"This doctrine of the goodness of God, it seems to me, is no more, at bottom, than an evidence of arrested intellectual development. It does not fit into what we know of the nature and operations of the cosmos today; it is a survival from a day of universal ignorance."

"The most curious social convention of the great age in which we live is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected. Its evil effects must be plain enough to everyone. All it accomplishes is (a) to throw a veil of sanctity about ideas that violate every intellectual decency, and (b) to make every theologian a sort of chartered libertine. No doubt it is mainly to blame for the appalling slowness with which really sound notions make their way in the world. The minute a new one is launched, in whatever field, some imbecile of a theologian is certain to fall upon it, seeking to put it down. The most effective way to defend it, of course, would be to fall upon the theologian, for the only really workable defense, in polemics as in war, is a vigorous offensive. But the convention that I have mentioned frowns upon that device as indecent, and so theologians continue their assault upon sense without much resistance, and the enlightenment is unpleasantly delayed.

"There is, in fact, nothing about religious opinions that entitles them to any more respect than other opinions get. On the contrary, they tend to be noticeably silly."

"No combat set in this world ever grows more furious and extravagant than a combat between Christians. They seem to have a special talent for hatred, almost a vocation."

"Puritanism, in its essence, was sheer brutality; there was absolutely no beauty in it, and very little decency. It revolved around the fear of Hell, and nothing else. In late years there have been many defenses of the Puritans on the ground that, for all the rigors of their theology, they yet lived more or less normal lives, and were not unacquainted with the sempiternal arts of thieving, forestalling, fighting, wine-bibbing and fornication. But all that this comes to is the confession that many of them were hypocrites. Granted. So are many of their heirs and assigns today."

"The Fundamentalist prayer is not an inner experience; it is a means to objective ends. He prays precisely as more worldly Puritans complain to the police. He expects action, and is disappointed and dismayed if it does not follow. The mind of this Fundamentalist is extremely literal -- indeed, the most literal mind ever encountered on this earth. He doubts nothing in the Bible, not even the typographical errors."

"The meaning of religious freedom, I fear, is sometimes greatly misapprehended. It is taken to be a sort of immunity, not merely from governmental control but also from public opinion. A dunderhead gets himself a long-tailed coat, rises behind the sacred desk and emits such bilge as would gag a Hottentot. Is it to pass unchallenged? If so, then what we have is not religious freedom at all, but the most intolerable and outrageous variety of religious despotism."

"To admit that the false has any standing in court, that it ought to be handled gently because millions of morons cherish it and thousands of quacks make their livings propagating it -- to admit this, as the more famous of the reconcilers of science and religion inevitably do, is to abandon a just cause to its enemies, cravenly and without excuse."

"The evangelical churches, in fact, are rapidly becoming public nuisances. Neglecting almost altogether their old concern about individual salvation, they have converted themselves into vast engines for harassing and oppressing persons who dissent from their naive and often preposterous theology. No one hears of them saving souls any more; they seem to devote their whole energies to getting bodies into jail."

"....theologians make a mess of everything they touch, including even religion."

"There was a day when Jupiter was the king of the gods, and any man who doubted his puissance was ipso facto a barbarian and an ignoramus. But where in all the world is there a man who worships Jupiter to-day?"

A Great American Writer Takes on a Favorite Target
H. L. Mencken was not on a campaign against religion: "I have never consciously tried to convert anyone to anything," he wrote. Perhaps not, but conversions must have happened as readers sought his columns in the _Baltimore Evening Sun_, the _Smart Set_, and the _American Mercury_. He didn't write mostly on religion, of course, excoriating Americans for their general stupidity in many spheres. But his critiques of religion have been collected in _H. L. Mencken on Religion_ (Prometheus Books), edited by S. T. Joshi, and they are a stimulating, wide-ranging attack on various aspects of a particular foe. Fundamentalist Christians especially will find much offensive here, for they are Mencken's particular game, although Catholics, Methodists, Christian Scientists, spiritualists, and other more moderate sects come into scorn in their turn. If Mencken were alive today, how he would spring into attacks upon the Raelians, the TV spiritualists, the New Agers, and of course the fundamentalist Christians who are still thriving. To read these essays is to be reminded of how relatively mild such criticism has now become.

Of course Mencken was misanthropic, and of course he was bigoted. He was careful to express disdain of his own character, often saying that in studying religious ideas, he found "soothing proof that there are men left who are even worse asses than I am." One of his essays is even called "Confessions of a Theological Moron," in which he admits that unlike most of the people on the planet, he has no religious feeling whatsoever and that no sense of any divine personality enters into his thinking. "As for the impulse to worship, it is as foreign to my nature as the impulse to run for Congress." But he also made clear that he was "... anything but a militant atheist and haven't the slightest objection to church-going, so long as it is honest." He thought power grabs by religion dishonest; in his own time, he lambasted religious support of prohibition, the Ku Klux Klan, Sunday marketing laws, and divorce restrictions. "The whole history of the church, as everyone knows, is a history of schemes to put down heresy by force." Mencken was present for much of the Scopes trial in Dayton, Tennessee, or the trial of (as he repeatedly names him) "the infidel Scopes," and his columns are reprinted here. He does not come out and say it, but he favored the wall between church and state as a means of not just separating but of protecting each side from the other.

The wit and erudition displayed in these essays is a real treasure, and ought to be for believers and infidels alike. Get out your dictionary; you will read here of the roar of the catamount, the boons and usufructs of modern medicine, the pothers of the newspapers, and the head wiskinski of the wowsers. As an epilogue, here is the famous, funny, and oddly moving "Memorial Service" seeking the gravesite of the thousands of gods people have believed in, "... many of them mentioned with fear and trembling in the Old Testament." The long list, including Baal, Pluto, Odin, and Huitzilopochtli, is composed of gods "...of civilized peoples - worshipped and believed in by millions. All were theoretically omnipotent, omniscient, and immortal. And all are dead." Mencken is dead, too, but his thoughts as retained in this invigorating collection ought to last far longer that Huitzilopochtli himself managed.

Now More Than Ever...
What can I say? The brilliant editorialist H. L. Mencken, gone for almost half a century, shines again in vintage newspaper columns that are just as relevant now as ever. In this day and age, almost 80 years after Scopes, when it's barely legal to teach actual science in Kansas classrooms, Mencken shows what intelligent folks have known about him all along: that he was decades ahead of his time. What would he have had to say about the Taliban? Or about so-called "Creation Science" ? Or about science textbook "disclaimers" in Mississippi schools, Trinity Broadcasting, the "Left Behind" series, and the Psychic Network? We'll never know, but we can guess! Buy this indispensable collection for your neighborhood Fundamentalist. He could use it! I'd give it 6 stars if they'd let me. Henry, where are you now that we really need you? ... Read more

Book Description

Joyride is a heartwarming memoir of how a young man reconnects with his journalist mother both before and after her death through the archives of her weekly newspaper columns.

Author Craig Forrest’s life in print began when he was only five years old. His mother, Libby, wrote a humor column in the local newspaper in America’s oldest seashore resort town, Cape May, New Jersey. Craig and his brother, Keith, became frequent subjects of their mother’s Erma Bombeck-like writings. Their mother’s other topics came from the news she gathered while riding around the shore on her three-wheeled bicycle. Her column, appropriately titled “Joyride”, featured useful insights, humorous encounters, and the wit and wisdom that comes from living each day and raising a family.

As he grew up, Craig learned more about his mother by rereading her work. When he returned home to care for Libby in the final ravages of Lou Gehrig’s disease, Craig spent the evenings reliving his childhood through her columns. The writings comforted him as he watched his mother waste away, and gave him the strength he needed to come to grips with the possibility of his own death from Hodgkin’s disease.

Joyride is an inspirational memoir and a loving tribute by a son to his mother—a poignant story reminiscent of Tuesdays with Morrie and The Color of Water.

Reviews (3)

Stupendous Memoir With Resonating Feeling and Love
I'm floored by this beautiful story of a son who learns lessons from his mother by reading her newspaper columns.Undoubtly, author Forrest knows exactly when and how to paint a narritive of tradjedy and love at the same time.

I'm contin