Book Description

Part inspirational cancer-survival story, part memoir-as-laugh-riot, CANCER SCHMANCER picks up where Fran's last book, Enter Whining, left off. After the publication of that book, Fran's life launched into a downward spiral. She separated from a long and complicated relationship, her TV series started to slip in the ratings, and her beloved dog Chester Drescher's health was in major decline. Then came the mysterious symptoms no doctor could adequately explain. With her trademark humor, Fran tells of her indefatigable search for answers and the cancer diagnosis that she ultimately beat. But not before a gold mine of humorous insights were revealed to her about what really matters most in life. ... Read more

Reviews (75)

Useful and an easy-read, but also self-serving
This book is a memoir of Fran Drescher's experience with uterine cancer.She does give some useful advice to all, mostly women, but not only women, who have unexplained symptoms.She reminds us that doctors are not gods, and we need to be active participants in our own health care.Ask questions, get information, speak up!For this, the book is very useful.

Drescher also does an adequate job describing her feelings as she goes through getting a diagnosis, undergoing surgery, and trying to recover.This is also useful, especially when she tells women that recovering from a hysterectomy is a Big Deal!

Her writing is mostly breezy and entertaining; however, I found it at times whiny and self-serving.She lapses into psychoanalysis a lot, which seemed a bit out of place.She sometimes goes into way more detail than I think she needed to.Some of her prose is a little rambling.And she spends many pages saying, "Look at me -- I'm The Nanny!"

Nonetheless, she has written a very honest account of her brush with cancer.It was brave of her to put herself out there, especially knowing that reviewers such as myself might find her a bit whiny.Even if she's trying to remind us how fabulous she is, she seems sincerely to be trying to help people.And for that, she gets three stars!

Discussing Cancer with Humor as only Fran can
Cancer is a serious subject, yet Fran managed to write about it in a way that makes you laugh as well as cry. Sharing her experiences will help many women.

Buy this book. The information it contains is priceless. You will not be sorry.

Diane Gasparri Offutt

Not worth buying
While the information Ms. Drescher gives on her symptoms and warning signs are eye-openers, the book itself is a disappointing waste of paper. Her whining and pettiness has turned what was once a devoted fan of hers to someone who is so glad I don't have to live with someone so selfish and self-absorbed in my life. Wish I could get my money back from Ms. Drescher, no wonder she's not on TV anymore.

i like fran
I am a fan of Ms. Drescher and I enjoyed reading this intimate account of a diificult chapter in her life.Plus, it's a great true story of how shrinks are quacks and medical doctors, unless they have some kind of alternative training, are uninformed, cruel, and totally lacking proper bedside manner.They also lack effective diagnostic skills and humane treatments.So I guess MD's are quacks too!

An easy read, more for fun than information...
I purchased this book at the dollar store so I really had nothing to lose.It was an easy read that didn't require much mental or emotional commitment.I agree with the other reviewers that there is a good message re: not ignoring any symptoms... I also agree with many of the reviewers who commented on Drescher's whininess.She doesn't seem to get how self centered she comes across.I don't begrudge her for being rich and priveleged, but have some tact for the readers your book will inevitably draw, i.e. less priveleged cancer patients.Fran never lost an opportunity to complain about something, or to mention someone's admiration of her.It was brutally honest in a bad sense of revealing unimportant details of her bowel movements (not relevant) and the same with her sex life with her new boyfriend, she shared more than I cared to know. And yet, there were areas where honest revelation would have been interesting and helpful to others, but never occurred. In the end, this is a book which passes the time and piques some interest without being very memorable.Not bad for a dollar though! ... Read more

Reviews (15)

MY TALENTED LITTLE BROTHER
THIS BOOK COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED ME.I LIVED IT ONCE, AND NOW I'VE LIVED IN AGAIN THROUGH RON'S EYES.THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE OUR FATHER. HE TAUGHT US INTEGRITY, COMPASSION, HONESTY, AND LOVE WITH HIS QUIET WAYS AND GENTLY DEMEANOR. HE WAS BIGGER THAN LIFE TO ME. IT WAS SO HARD TO SEE WHAT HE HAD BECOME WHEN ALZHEIMERS TOOK OVER. HE HAD THE SAME SWEET DEMEANOR, BUT SOMETIMES DIDN'T RECOGNIZE US. IT WAS HARD, AND RON TOLD THE STORY BEAUTIFULLY. I CAN JUST SEE OUR DAD'S BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES TWINKLE IN PLEASURE. THANK YOU RON FOR THIS WONDERFUL GIFT.I LOVE YOU...DIANE

Into That Good Night
A memoir called Into That Good Night by Ron Rozelle,
is the story told from Ron's point of view when he was
growing up in Oakwood and even in his present day
life. It talks about segregation in schools and in
some stores throughout the town where he grew up. This
book shows the change Ron goes through with his family
when his mother becomes sick with lung cancer. Ron
learns to appreciate his family much more as he got
older and started to realize he won't have parents
forever. He ultimately realizes this when his father
looses his battle with Alzheimer's disease. You also
see segregation come to an end in Oakwood as time
progresses. You see the town where everyone knew
everyone suddenly become very lonely and empty after
most of the population got old and passed away. There
weren't many people moving in to Oakwood because it
didn't have many job opportunities.
Ron wrote this book in a then and now format. Every
other chapter switches, describing his child hood and
what happened in the future. It is a little confusing
but you catch on right away. It's very interesting
this way because it keeps you wondering, "What
happened to Ron".
Ron's ability to describe things just painted a clear
picture of what everything was like for him back then
in my mind. He gets right to the point when he rights,
it's not hard to comprehend or anything. That is what
is likeable about his style of writing. He writes in a
very appealing manner. Into That Good Night's main
focus is about Ron's relationship with his dad.
Ron and his father were very close because Ron's
father is a very calm kind of guy. He doesn't show
much emotion where as his mother is described as moody
and not afraid to yell when something makes his mad.
This is why he had more of a connection with his
father because in many ways he was like his father.
Ron is not quick to show emotion either. Ron and his
father form a special bond.
Ron graduates high school and is drafted in to the
military. He gets shipped off to Germany for a year.
In the mean time, his mother's health is decreasing.
She is getting worse and the doctors say she doesn't
have much time left. She started chain smoking when
Ron was a kid and that led her to her deathbed.
Fortunately Ron got to say goodbye to his mom right
before he headed off to the airport to be shipped off.
He felt that finally, he and his mother were at peace
with each other.
Ron and his dad form a strong bond after Ron gets
back from the Army and gets his own apartment. His dad
comes to visit him and they spend quality time
together. A few years later Ron's father eventually
re-marries and lives with his new wife. When Ron's
father gets in his older years he starts forgetting
things. His loss of memory starts increasing and he's
even forgetting simple things like where he is. He is
diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
What is Ron going to do when one of the most
important people in his life is starting to forget who
his own son is. What is it like to die not remembering
what your life was like and what your legacy will be.
This story was very easy to relate to. It is a very
easy understanding and likeable memoir of Ron Rozelle.

A beautifully written memoir
A beautifully written memoir by Ron Rozelle whose father had Alzheimer's.Set in the author's hometown, a small town in east Texas, this account reflects not only on the time Alzheimer's affected his dad, but there are flashbacks to his years of growing up in that town and remembered incidents in his family.This book, deservingly so, was a PEN America West Creative Nonfiction Prize finalist and a Texas Institute of Letters Carr P. Collins Nonfiction Award finalist.It is good, relaxing reading as a coming-of-age in a small town story as well as an Alzheimer's memoir.

Should be an Oprah book club selection
My parents grew up in Oakwood and knew Ron's father, and that's why I read this book.However, it's a beautifully written story, and you don't have to have an Oakwood or Texas connection to appreciate it.It's a very realslice of life and captures moments with poignancy and realism.I felt likeI was there with him during all parts of the story.Oprah-this is yourkind of book-a wonderful snapshot of simple but complex nuances of smalltown life. Bravo, Ron!

An awesome through the mind of a smalltown boy.
I am a student of Mr. Rozelle at St. Thomas High School in Houston, Tx. After reading Mr. Rozelle's book and attending his creative writing course; I now love to write. He awakened the writer inside of me. His enthusiastic styles of teaching and this incredible book have inspired me to write amemoir of my own. I firmly suggest that all persons read this book, despitecertain taste. It is a masterpiece that everyone can relate to. Thank youMr. Rozelle; for inspiring me to become a fellow lover of the art ofwriting. ... Read more

Book Description

Few women in the past three decades have lit up the American imagination like Cybill Shepherd. From wholesome beauty queen to saucy cover girl, from heartbreaking movie star (The Last Picture Show) to one of television's most beloved comediennes (Moonlighting and Cybill), she has imbued each of her roles--right down to her current passions as devoted mother of three, champion of women's issues, and sultry cabaret singer--with an indomitable spirit that has made her, at fifty, a female icon to an entire generation. Now in her much-anticipated memoir, she tells her remarkable story with humor, pathos, and more highlights than her famously blond hair. Cybill has absorbed the lessons of Southern womanhood, including the whispered message about sex: Wait until you're married, then you won't enjoy it, and certainly never speak of it. She gleefully disobeyed these and other rules of decorum in a career laced with controversy, featuring unforgettable cameos by Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Orson Welles, Robert De Niro, and Jeff Bridges. Whether stepping on Elvis's blue suede shoes or going toe-to-toe with Bruce Willis, Cybill has never held anything back, and it's all in Cybill Disobedience, including:

the night a network executive tried to barter thirteen episodes for a horizontal tour of Cybill's bedroom

why she'll never be invited back to Ryan O'Neal's beach house or Marlon Brando's island

the time she greeted David Letterman in nothing but a towel

the real reason two of television's most popular and acclaimed series, died premature deaths

how she made Richard Nixon blush for the first and only time in his life

From her Memphis roots to her insider's track in Hollywood, Cybill Shepherd is a woman who has weathered every onslaught and withstood every rebuke to emerge as a luminous model of endurance, courage, and an insatiable lust for life. ... Read more

Reviews (64)

Cybill jumps into bed with any man/ learns little with age.
This is a very shallow book about Cybill's life. She tells all about her numerous, and I mean numerous affairs--Elvis doesn't care for oral sex, she engaged in a threesome with a stuntman,so on and so forth. Cybill constantly reminds the reader of her beauty, a picture of her and former lover Bogdonavich is quoted "We're Peter and Cybill and you aren't". Bruce Willis comments to her that he can't say his lines because she is so beautiful. And she feels that only God could love her for qualities other than her blondeness. Enough already-we all know you are beautiful Cybill. Cybill doesn't seem to grow much intellectaully with age through the book, but I guess she figures with her beauty... Buy this book if A) you want to read what makes her tick (her beauty and sexual relationships) B) You are interested in a sleezy, careless sexual lifestyle C) You need to be reminded that she is beautiful

A brave look at Hollywood.
I'm not a biography reader but I loved this book. I'm also not a fast reader and started Cybill Disobedience almost exactly two months ago and read it at the same time as several other books but I didn't skip any bits because Cybill Shepherd writes well and writes about interesting topics.

Ms Shepherd immediately grabbed my interest because she's a Boomer as I am and I found that the events of her early life were recognizable to me even though I lived on the other side of the States and in a vastly different environment. I enjoyed her childhood observations and although her life had little to do with the life I'd led, those observations were accurate on a universal level. However,I found her biography a little hard to relate to in the final chapters-not a reflection on her writing but a reflection of my own contemporary distance chronologically and geographically from the personal warfare that seems to be part of the Hollywood playing field.

When all has been said, I thought her prose was a reflection of her speech-quick, slightly acerbic, intelligent and levened with deadpan humour. Cybill Disobedience was a wonderful read and I would recommend it to anyone.

You have to be a big fan, to find all of this interesting.
Some interesting comments about show business, and about some of the people she worked with, and went to bed with. The last part, about her TV show, "Cybill," would only interest a BIG fan of the show. (Who did what and who said what about the show's individual episodes isn't exactly gripping reading.) (I'm glad it's a short book.)

Not bad; racy
I had never even seen Cybil in anything and picked out her book on a whim. The book was quite racy reflecting her "Just Do It" lifestyle. I did not count how many men she said she slept with but I'm guessing it was around 40 and this was in 2000. I felt sorry for her as she had learned very little in her 50 years about love. She blames a lot of people for being difficult especially her coworkers but the reader cannot help but wonder if she was really always the victim. Alas, buy the book- it's a good read. Just don't emulate her life.

You have to be a fan......
To really enjoy this book, you have to be a fan of Cybill Shepherd. Just to read it for the gossip is not enough. I've always enjoyed watching her in her various projects. This book just tells her side, true, but it it written in an honest and no holds barred way, warts and all. If you are interested in a book about a lady who has done a lot of living, and somehow come thru it, this is it. ... Read more

Book Description

Forty years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. electrified the nation when he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King's prophetic utterances started the long overdue process of changing America's idea of itself. His words would enter the American lexicon, galvanizing the civil rights movement, becoming a touchstone for all that the country might someday achieve.

The Dream is the first book about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legendary "I Have a Dream" speech. Opening with an enthralling account of the August day in 1963 that saw 250,000 Americans converge at the March on Washington, The Dream delves into the fascinating and little-known history of King's speech. Hansen explores King's compositional strategies and techniques, and proceeds to a brilliant analysis of the "I Have a Dream" speech itself, examining it on various levels: as a political treatise, a work of poetry, and as a masterfully delivered and improvised sermon bursting with biblical language and imagery.

In tracing the legacy of "I Have a Dream" since 1963, The Dream insightfully considers how King's incomparable speech "has slowly remade the American imagination," and led us closer to King's visionary goal of a redeemed America.

Reviews (5)

The Power of God in Man
Martin Luther King was not an unusual black man; in fact, he wanted much of what many black men before him, probably all black men and women wanted. But Martin Luther King was a very unusual man, who happened to be black. His degree of passion, his conviction, his hope, and his perseverance were unlike most before him, and most after him, with the inspired, God given desire to make the world a better place for everyone, including blacks. His vision was not just the result of respect and reliance by his people, it was divinely inspired so that his passion, his hope emerged and blossomed before millions, many of whom were not familiar with him, his history, or his prominence and reputation. He was possessed of those rare qualities, and that rare talent, of the ability to inspire others to believe in themselves, and the world, that they had the dignity to alter their own dynamics, the manner in which they lived, and in the manner in which they were treated by others. As an evangelist, he was superb. For that, like Jesus, and many other prophets who have been threatening to the status quo, his ability to show others the way to self respect and to peace were certainly the force of why his life was taken so early, and so brutally. He was more than a leader; he was a messiah for the many black people who had waited so long for one to lead them out of the psychological bondage which was still very real to them. He positioned himself to show the way, and how to do it in the least offensive manner possible, by non-violence. He was a pillar of strength that even whites unfamiliar with him understood the necessity of yielding to God's will, instinctively knowing that all men were equal, and that all needed the recognition of being equal. Indeed, whites were aware of their obligation under the Constitution to recognize that equality but felt no compulsion to expect it of themselves until Martin forced them to face the truth they had so long avoided. Not only did he demand of blacks the energy and commitment to themselves, he demanded the energy and commitment of whites to respect themselves by being brave enough to help resolve the problem that had long festered in American social reality. The timing was right; the message was right, and Martin was right. He allowed none out of God's boat and helped everyone see that upon that ship, we were all afloat upon the ocean of humanity, and would indeed survive or perish. That message remains very much a part of his legacy, and today's reality although we face other issues as well, and the issues are now broader than ever. No one on earth has the option to say no to God and expect that it will be of no consequence to the world. He was the most remarkable of men that America has ever produced guided by his own devine light within as a beacon of humanity for all to follow.

More than a cuddly icon
Let me get first vent about the frustrating parts of this book before I get to the good stuff. First, at 229 pages of text, this was a rather short book, made shorter by Hansen's annoying habit of repeating important stretches of speeches. Second, the chapter analyzing the various drafts of the speech is probably better suited to a scholarly dissection of the speech than to a popular book. As was the chapter describing King's preaching style. And I got tired of ascribing every change in the speech to MLK's "genius". The man was exhausted, under threat and working on the run. Surely some of his decisions could have gone differently?

But minor grumpiness aside, I found this book hard to put down. The description of the organization for the August 1963 March on Washington was fascinating in its details about the people who attended it. One got the impression that the day was pretty disorganized, with the crowd making decisions on its own about when to start marching. Hansen also did a nice job of showing the internal disharmonies among groups within "the movement," as well as hinting that MLK's leadership done to him rather than pursued by him -- less because of his ability to manage and lead than because of his philosophical sophistication, personal courage, stamina and eloquence. That King comes across as a preacher and a prophet (as opposed to a great organizer) does him no disservice, but actually helps to humanize him and make the Civil Rights movement more real. Hansen did a nice job handling the post-1963 life of the speech. He is honest about the impatience that some blacks felt about the 'dreaminess' of the speech, especially as the movement's gains stalled and the violence continued. Hansen nicely captures the slightly radioactive nature of the speech among national politicians (many of whom were wary of King's alleged Communist sympathies) in the years before King's death and the cloyingly hagiographic tributes about King and the speech after 1968.

Hansen shows how King's memory has been sanitized and rendered harmless by linking him exclusively with the "I Have a Dream" speech. In opposing the Jim Crow laws, a main (but not the only) point of the speech, King targeted a system that was abhorrent to Northern whites and a source of shame to many in the South. Getting rid of it was the relatively easy matter of making the abuses public. But King's next targets proved more difficult -- the hard work of eliminating more subtle forms of racism from American hearts on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. King's premature death allowed Americans to accept him as a national martyr and prophet, but ironically delayed the more difficult soul-searching about America's war plans in Vietnam, its endemic racism and the blind economic violence perpetrated against the poor and powerless.

"I have a dream" - more than just a speech
I read "The Dream" in one sitting this weekend. The book vividly recaptures the spirit of the time during which Rev. King developed and delivered this inspiring and world-changing speech. At first I was afraid that the author's decomposition of the speech would diminish the power and effectiveness of the speech. On the contrary, his deep exploration into the speech itself and the events leading up to that day, together with fresh perspectives on the moment itself and the years following its delivery enhanced my admiration for both the speech and Rev. King. The author's inescapable conclusion is that there was much, much more at work than a man delivering a televised speech to a supportive crowd. This singular moment in Rev. King's life was the catalyst for much of the advancement that we all benefit from today. Yet this same event is also being used by some to impede further progress in the complete fulfillment of The Dream. This is a book I can wholeheartedly recommend for anyone who wants to learn about the history of that day and its subsequent impact over the next 40 years. It will also be of particular relevance to those with an interest in public speaking.

King of the Dream
I've listened to King's famous speech dozens of times and read a number of books on King, but it wasn't until reading Hansen's captivating description and analysis of the speech that I realized how little I knew about this seminal event in American history.This book is unusual in that it is both hugely readable and phenomenally informative and insightful.

Places Speech in Proper Context
I recommend this book. It is a quick, informative and enjoyable read esp if you are interested in how a speech is prepared and delivered.

I agree that the "I Have a Dream" speech has become a cliche among many and ignores King's post-1963 life.

It would be nice if the book could have contained a CD of the speech but the King family owns the rights to the speech, I think, a point not ever addressed by the author. ... Read more

Book Description

A superb memoir that concludes with an exciting vision of what this country can be, Time Present, Time Past recounts a classic American journey. Former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley speaks with affection about his small-town upbringing, traces the road he took through professional sports to public service, and vividly brings to life the world of a U.S. senator. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

A great look at America
Bradley takes a thoughtful look at his life and many issues that faceAmerica.I liked reading of his Missouri youth and NBA days, plus hisanalysis of economic change, media sensationalism, and the corrosiveinfluence of money on politics.Bradley's superb (if short) discourse onthe inner workings of the U.S. Senate provides the type of usefulinformation one never gets from our sound-bite media. Bradley even takesissues like water policy and shows why they matter.The Senator'sblame-whites-only view of racial divisions was rather naive, but even herehe makes some points.This book is more than a readable memoir; it's acompassionate, thought-inspiring look at America.

Great Book
book with tremendous depth, dedication and ideas.. America is unfortunate to not to have man like Senator Bradley as President

"The Senator, Statesman, Leader, and all around good man"
In this intelligent, thoughtful, witty,and captivating memoir Bill Bradley tells stories about America and indivdual Americans while espousing his beliefs about what the nation has become and what it should be. The booktranscends the traditional memoir of a politician as it chooses to speakmore about the effects of policy rather than what particular policy canbenefit our society. The reader feels the former Senator's compassion forthe human condition and understands why he would be a wonderful leader. Itis a must read for anyone who believes the hardships that face the nationcan be overcome.

Time Present, Time Past is time well spent
Time Present, Time Past clearly dispels the myth that Senator Bradley is an aloof, impersonal leader--as some pundits charged during his presidential campaign.Moreover, the engrossing content frequentlychallenges readers to ponder the profound observations offered by Bradley. Two chapters emerge from the book as particularly touching; they arethe one dealing with Bradley's colorful aunt and uncle, and the onedetailing his fascinating theology.Those interested in SenatorBradley's career, or those simply searching for a readable biography, wouldbe well served to order Time Present, Time Past.

Another reason to love Bill Bradley
I have read a number of political books & memoirs, and I think I can count the times I chuckled on one hand.Until I picked up Mr. Bradley's wonderful, engaging, self-depricating, insightful "Time Present, TimePast."

Now, I am not saying that it is a laugh-a-minute book.Notat all.It just has the tone of reading a particularly well-written letterfrom a friend.Bradley is candid about his own faults, refreshingly directabout his political views and his mistakes.

The structure of the textis interesting -- it is non-linear, which makes it even more compelling. It takes the reader through a free-association voyage on the 1992 campaigntrail, learning tidbits about Bradley and politics all the way.

But thereal reason to read this book is not because Bill Bradley is funny (whichhe is) or because he can craft a good turn of phrase (which he can) orbecause he is interesting (which he is).

The real reason is that thisbook is about the essence of what American politics could be, if everyonewere even half as excited as Bill Bradley.His absolute integity andleadership shine through every page of the book.

Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

The controversial national bestseller that received unprecedented media attention, sparked the nation's interest in the plight of children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and touched a nerve in all of us. Winner of the 1989 National Book Critics Circle Award. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

From a future teachers point of view
Dorris's intent in writing this text is to enlighten people about the disease called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. His primary focus is how Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is affecting the Native American culture. However, he does mention how this disease knows no limits of culture and is occurring across all nationalities.
The various parts of the text are divided into Dorris's denial, tolerance and then acceptance of the effects of FAS. Dorris writes about his life as a single parent, when at the age of 26 he decides to adopt a child. Dorris was informed about his adopted son Adam having problems developing. He thought that with enough love and nurturing Adam could overcome any obstacles. The beginning part of the text Dorris is in denial. He blames Adam's shortcomings on a slow start, bias tests, and incompetent assessments. Dorris writes, "I periodically concluded that Adam's teachers must be incompetent, badly trained, or lazy when they failed to stimulate his performance in the classroom."(p. 65)
Dorris has trouble even thinking that his son might have a problem. Once Dorris adopted two more children, he noticed that the other children developed very fast in comparison to Adam and soon were at the same level of Adam. He still held out hope that Adam would have some hidden talent that would balance out his shortcomings. This is the part of the text where he tolerated the fact that Adam was different than most children his age. Dorris still had not grasped the extent of the damage the drinking Adam's birth mother had caused. Dorris does seem to have a breaking point when he leaves with his wife to a dinner party and the children are left alone. At this point Adam is 19 and he breaks a pipe in his parents' bathroom. He then turns off the light, shuts the bathroom door, and goes to his bedroom. Dorris and his wife come home to find the house flooded. They clean up the mess without saying a word and go to bed. This event is their final defeat at thinking Adam will ever have the independence of living alone.
From this point the text takes a turning point where Dorris starts to accept that Adam is the person he is and no amount of love and nurturing can completely erase the effects of FAS. Dorris and his wife find a vocational program where Adam can find employment and living accommodations. Adam works at a bowling alley and Dorris goes to visit Adam on a lunch break. Dorris has partially accepted that Adam's development and choices will not change. On the other hand, as a parent he cannot fight the urge to give unsolicited advice. I do not view his comments on how Adam should eat or take care of himself better as Dorris still in denial. I believe that a parent will always have the insatiable urge to give unsolicited advice no matter what developmental stage their child is at.
I would recommend this text to other students with the explanation that this text was written when FAS was very new and when little information was out about FAS. This text gives a good start into what FAS is and what are the effects of FAS. The text also goes into depth the love of a parent for a disabled child so that a future teacher can further understand from what experiences a parent might come from.
The strengths of the text include Dorris not sugar coating FAS and his ability to reveal all the ups and downs of Adams life as well as his own. In my personal life, I am looking at becoming a mother and the plain way he has explained the dangers of even occasional drinks during pregnancy have made me scrutinize my old beliefs. I can also empathize with Dorris and Adam's accomplishments and disappointments through the style of writing Dorris employs in his text.
The main weakness of the text is that most of the data is outdated. The book was written about 14 years ago. As stated earlier, this text is a good start to understanding FAS. However, this text starts only a foundation to understanding FAS. Further research is needed to fully understand the current techniques for working with a child that suffers from FAS.
While reading this text I kept asking myself how I would implement the information given into teaching procedures within my classroom. The main point I kept coming back to was a quote stated, "Perhaps the single most important coping skills when working with FAS/FAE is a sense of humor."(p. 347) If a sense of humor is not kept then there is no focus. As an educator or parent, if there is no sense of humor then all sanity is lost. The stress of perfection will put too much pressure on the child as well as the facilitator.
My overall impression of this text is one of mixed emotion. At first I thought the text would just contain depressing stories with some insight. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself laughing at certain parts like when Dorris spent a week making the perfect train cake for Adams sixth birthday and the comical fiasco that followed. After reading the text I was intrigued about how Adams future had turned out. I investigated and was saddened to read that Adam was killed at age 23 in a hit and run accident. I was further upset to read that Michael Dorris committed suicide when abuse charges were pending. Real life does not always paint a beautiful picture when we search for truth and hope.

Powerful, but not recommended as intro. to FAS
This is a vivid and moving account of a father's initiation into (single) parenthood and the rigorous journey of seeing a handicapped child into adulthood. It is both laugh-out-loud funny and profoundly sad. This book works best on the level of personal story-- what it means to live with a child who will never be normal, as you both fear and deny the reality that your kid is handicapped. (As the adoptive mother of a girl who has a constellation of emotional and psychological problems, but with no definitive cause, I could relate to Dorris' experience.) For me, the book bogged down in Dorris' lengthy research findings pertaining to FAS and its impact on native american communities. Dorris adopted his son, Adam, with no forewarning of Adam's FAS diagnosis and wrote the book during the early days of FAS research. Therefore, this info. was groundbreaking at the time of the book's publication, but it is dated today. Because this book is the story of only one individual-- one who was extremely handicapped by his condition-- it paints a pretty depressing picture of FAS, and the book is NOT one I would recommend first to anyone who had just taken on the responsibility of raising a child with FAS or FAE. There are more ways to treat and support individuals with FAS/FAE than were available when Dorris was raising Adam, and foster and adoptive parents of FAS/FAE children need to be pointed to resources that give them a broader view of the possibilities for their youngsters.

The story of a father and son
It would be a shame if the circumstances surrounding the author's death cast a shadow over this fine book, because it is beautifully written, deeply felt, and a devastating account of the impact of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) among Native Americans.

Michael Dorris, a young unmarried college teacher and writer, adopts a Native American boy "Adam" whose developmental problems, he believes, are the result of poor nutrition, poor health care, and lack of proper parenting. In time, however, he discovers that Adam was born with FAS, a condition Dorris knows very little about. Believing that proper care can reverse the effects of FAS, he takes on the daunting and nearly futile task of helping Adam achieve a "normal" boyhood. The damage done, it turns out, is irreversible; Adam is almost maddeningly unable to learn simple tasks and responsibilities. FAS-related health problems, including seizures, often turn merely difficult days and nights into nightmares for the single father.

The book Dorris writes is meant as an eye-opener for readers who are unaware of the potential harm in consuming alcohol during pregnancy. Given naturally to research and study, he shares with the reader much of what he learns about FAS and the Native American culture that has had such a fatal connection with alcohol. To that extent, this is almost a textbook on the subject.

But this is also the story of a father and son, and most poignant, for this reader, is the relationship between them that is a thread throughout the book. Dorris never surrenders to the barriers that exist between him and his son. Having taken responsibility for Adam, he gives his all to making even the smallest difference in the boy's life. It's a heroic effort and often heartbreaking.

One of the worst books I have ever read
In my 9th grade English class, we were allowed to choose from six books the book we wanted to read. I chose this book for the sole reason of reading about the actual life of Michael Dorris, and not at all about the Native American inclination to alcoholism or the implications of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). As I started reading it, I found it painfully difficult to read the endless chapters of technical terms and Dorris' own interpretation of Native Americans, which turned out to be most of the book. I did find the parts where he described actual events that happened to Adam and him somewhat interesting, but that was the farthest extent to which I enjoyed this book. I was forced to continue reading this book since it was for my English class, but otherwise I would have stopped long before the second half. However, since I had no other option, I chose to be optimistic, thinking that the book couldn't possibly get any worse. It got worse. Especially the part where he interviews the FAS researchers, in which he asked them the exact same questions, and recieved the exact same answers. The final thing that bothered me about this book was Dorris' use of language. Intricate vocabulary and complex sentence structure do, to some extent, make the prose more enjoyable, but his word choice made the book difficult to understand and even more difficult to enjoy. My last statement will be this: All the other reviewers of this book may have enjoyed it because of their interest in FAS, and that was why they enjoyed it so much. So if you're looking for a book about a man and his adopted child, and their relationship, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. But if you are looking for information on FAS, by all means, disregard this review.

The Facts, Plus Much More
"The Broken Cord" is the heart-wrenching story of a young man, single and in graduate school, who adopts a developmentally disabled boy who, like himself, has Native American ancestry. The man learns gradually that his son suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, just as the medical community is starting to figure out what Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is. As a child psychologist, I have found the information in this book invaluable. You can read research papers, journal articles, and textbooks to learn all of the facts of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (a complex set of deficits caused by in utero exposure to alcohol), but "The Broken Cord" goes well beyond that and lets you know what it's like to live with, raise, and love a child with this disorder. This book is full of love, pain, and limited triumphs. It is also very well-written. Have a box of tissues handy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Walter Payton's premature passing forced a rethinking of hisautobiography that completely sidesteps the self-importance that dominatessports memoirs in general. Never Die Easy isn't a traditionalautobiography at all. It's an oral history disguised as autobiography thatrelates the saga of the most exquisite running back in NFL history through aninterweaving of Payton's words and the words of those who knew him, withnecessary transitions and narrative bridged by his collaborator. The result isan appealing hybrid that mirrors Payton's quiet modesty. "He had not just been agreat football player," writes Yaeger, "he had been a role model in an age whenrole models were in short supply."

The Payton that emerges is a man of great skill, decency, passion, and charity:a man beloved. Naturally, there's lots of football in Never Die Easy--thetitle comes from a saying of Payton's college coach--with eyewitness testimonyprovided by the likes of Mike Ditka, Mike Singletary, Jim McMahon, FrancoHarris, Matt Suhey, and even Jim Brown, whose career rushing record Paytonleaped over. But there is also lots of family: the voices of his wife, children,brother, and sister are heard.

But mostly, there is Walter Payton. It's his own unmistakably high-pitched voicethat resonates throughout; he sets down the melody and the others harmonize.Payton was certainly astute about the game and his abilities, forthcoming bothin triumph and failure--his unsuccessful attempt at winning the NFL franchise inSt. Louis was a terrible post-career blow--and utterly decent. How many othersuperstar athletes could say, convincingly, "Too many of us only take. We don'tgive." Payton gave to the end--a man who died for want of an organ was willingand eager to donate his own. It was the ultimate testimony of his refined,unforgettable Sweetness. Never Die Easy offers a fair, honest,appreciative taste. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Reviews (29)

An American treasure lost
I have been a long time Bear fan, and a Walter Payton fan,yes I knew about "Sweetness'", his tricks and how his team mates loved him, but I didn't know about Walter Payton the man, and what a man! I think the man is more amazing than the player, all the lives he touched, kids who never had a Christmas, he gave them one, the everyday common folk who he would stop and talk to, how he made them feel that he really cared about them, and he really did!, his wonderful family, he had a great Mother and Father, and Connie, his wife, what a piller of strenght!, Jarrett and Brittney, his fine children, what great kids! the love Walter recieved from them gave him endurance. This book is not about football, it's about life and how we all should strive to make our life better and live each day to the fullest, and tell all our loved ones that we love them each day! As I read this book, I grew to love the man and respect the player, the more I would read, the harder it became, I shed a ton of tears, and when I am reminded of Walter, I still mist up. What this world needs is a heck of a lot more Walter Paytons. God be with you Walter.

Greatness
Walter Payton was my hero growing up.I starting following him when in 1983 when I was 9 years old.Walter was unique on the football field and in many ways superior to most players today.Unlike many stars today, his off the field behavior and attitudes and values were truely excellent and did not let kids down the way so many do today.

This book was written in a different format than most, but was very insightful, especially since you not only get to see Walter from his point of view, but from others as well.

He will be missed!

"The Greatest Bear of Them All"
In this book about Walter Payton there is a lot of good information about him.The title "Never Die Easy," means that when Payton was sick with cancer he fought as long as he could and didn't complain about the pain.When Payton was diagnosed with cancer they told him he had a certain amount of time to live but he overcame that and lived two more years.He has one son (Jerrett Payton) and one daughter (Brittney).Walter's brother Eddie would come to the hospital and talk with him but when Walter was let out, him and Eddie would go out and hane a good time.Although Payton was one of the greatest football players he was a better person to his family, friends, and people.In the book there is a picture of Payton running up a hill, this picture shows him training as he works toward his accomplishments as a running back in the NFL.At the 1987 mark in the picture is where he retired form football.The famous hill in the photograph is named "Payton's Hill," his honor.Walter Payton was inducted in the Hall of Fame in July of 1993.His life was one of the roughest but he made the best of it and has the book to prove it.This is one of the best books I have read and probably will read.

Never Die Easy
Shaun V
Book Review

Never Die Easy by Walter Payton with Don Yeager is a story of a boys childhood and how he got to where only a selected few go.The NFL.
Walter Payton grew up in Mississippi where sports was the only thing that kids could enjoy.Walter grew up with his mother, father, sister Pam, and brother Eddie.Every summer Walter's mother would have a truck load of topsoil delivered to the front yard to keep them out of trouble.That's how Walter developed all of his leg power.Walter loved to play baseball and football.He and his brother, Eddie always played sports.
During his first two years of high school, Walter was in the band and played soccer, until his brother Eddie became the star quarterback of the football team.Since then he only loved to play football.Walters junior year he was the starting varsity running back.He broke many school as well as state records.He trained non-stop because football was his life.
College was Walters time to shine.He went to Jackson State University. During his freshman year he shared a dorm with his brother because he was currently attending that same college.At Jackson State, Walter met his future wife, Connie.They were inseparable.Walter went on the TV show "Soul Train" because he love to dance.He was an excellent dancer due to his center of balance which helped him as a running back.Playing football in college wasn't any different than high school ball to him.He still dominated the playing field.Up next was the NFL draft.
Walter was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Bears.He has never been in such a cold city, he had to adjust quickly.He was so nervous of making a good impression to the loyal fans of Chicago, that his first year wasn't so hot.He rushed for under 300 yards that season.While playing for the Bears he broke Jim Brown's all-time rushing record .During his football career he only missed one game due to a slight ankle sprain.After every game Walter would stay after to sign autographs for his fans." Nothing is as important to me as spending time with my fans.They are so loyal".Retirement came thirteen years later.
After football, Walter became a business partner for several small business chains across America.He donated to a lot of charities for diseases and he also donated a lot of his time to the city of Chicago.It wasn't only money that he donated.He donated a lot ofhis time to fans that were sick in hospitals and became a motivational speaker.
A few years later he was diagnosed with a disease that effected his liver.There were thousands already in line for a transplant, he was at the end.He was a very wealthy man and could have paid for thousands of treatments that would slower the process.He did as much as he could but the cancer had spread.He put those thoughts behind him and continued to do his charity work.Walter's son Jarrett was going to a Division I college at the University Of Miami.Walter couldn't have been any prouder.
Soon after Walter died on November 1, 1999.
In Never Die Easy, it shows you how to live life to it's fullest.Everyday Walter lived his life as it were to be his last.He didn't let anything or anyone stand in his way.When he had cancer he just told himself that he still had enough time to accomplish more.This book also showed how important family is.It isn't everyday you see someone's son announce their father's introduction speech in to the Hall of Fame.
In my opinionNever Die Easywas a really good book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys sports.

Never Die Easy ( the Walter Payton autobiography)
Being so ignorant of football, I did not even know who Walter Payton was until he died.When I read the book I found how important he was to the football association.It gave a better understanding of his disease that attacked his liver. It told the story of a once unstoppable football player to someone only a fraction his normal size and weigt, but he never lost his faith and continued fighting until his last days in his home with his family.I hadno idea how hard it is to find a donor for a liver.Also the medications he had to take and how sick they made him, and also having to have a cathiter placed in his chest to draw blood and for IVs since his veins were so weak. This man touched the lives of millions and even though he was sick he never asked why and made it a vow to never die easy. ... Read more

Book Description

An exciting scientific adventure from the days of wooden ships and iron men, Longitude is full of heroism and chicanery, brilliance and the absurd.It is also a captivating brief history of astronomy, navigation and clockmaking.

For centuries, the determination of longitude was thought to be an impossibility.Lacking the ability to measure their longitude, sailors throughout the great ages of exploration had been literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land.

The quest for a solution had occupied scientists for the better part of two centuries when, in 1714, England's Parliament upped the ante by offering a king's ransom -- £20,000, or about $12,000,000 in today's currency -- to anyone whose method or device proved successful.Countless quacks weighed in with preposterous suggestions.

Then one man -- an unschooled woodworker named John Harrison -- dared to imagine a mechanical solution, a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had ever been able to do on land.Longitude is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest, and of Harrison's forty-year obsession with building his perfect timekeeper, known today as the chronometer.
... Read more

Reviews (209)

Amazing subject, fascinating story
With "Longitude" Dava Sobel has written a very interesting book about the greatest scientific problem of the 18th century.

As a result of the 1707-shipwreck story (with a loss of 4 out of the 5 ships), the English Parliament offered in 1714 a 20.000 pounds reward to the person that could provide a practicable and useful way of determining longitude. (If you have forgot, longitude is the "lines" that runs from pole to pole). Not being able to determining longitude was a great problem. Ships spent excessive time trying to find its way back to port, or worse men, ship and cargo were lost at sea.

John Harrison (1693-1776) spent his lifetime trying to solve the longitude mystery. Harrison was a son of a countryman, with minimal schooling, and was self-educated in watch making. He made several timepieces, which all qualified for the reward, but the reward was delayed several times by the Longitude committee whom believed that other ways of measuring longitude were the preferred ones. Ultimately after a lot of harassment and trouble, Harrison was given the reward money.

Dava Sobel has done a wonderful job in this book, capturing Harrison's fascinating character, his brilliance, preserving and hard working nature. The author has also managed to strike a perfect balance between technical jargon and personal anecdotes, and she does it in such a way permitting the lay readers of the book to admire the elegance of Harrison's discoveries. I believe it is a sign of excellent quality when an author makes learning so interesting.

I was hooked from the first page of this book and I read it in 50-page gulps at a time.

Highly recommended!

John Harrison--an extraordinary person
John Harrison (1693-1776) spent his lifetime inventing and perfecting a series of timepieces to measure longitude. As Dava Sobel relates in her engaging narrative, "Longitude," until the 18th century sailors navigated by following parallels of latitude and roughly estimating distance traveled east or west. Ships routinely missed their destinations, often taking excessive time to arrive or succumbing to reefs off fogbound shores. Thousands of sailors and tons of cargo were lost.

In 1714, England's Parliament offered £20,000 (the equivalent of about $12 million today) to anyone who provided a "practicable and useful" means of determining longitude. Countless solutions were suggested, some bizarre, some impractical, some workable only on land and others far too complex.

Most astronomers believed the answer lay in the sky, but Harrison, a clockmaker, imagined a mechanical solution--a clock that would keep precise time at sea. By knowing the exact times at the Greenwich meridian and at a ship's position, one could find longitude by calculating the time difference. However, most scientists, including Isaac Newton, discounted a clock because there were too many variables at sea. Changes in temperature, air pressure, humidity and gravity would surely render a watch inaccurate.

Harrison persisted. As Dava Sobel writes, he worked on his timepiece for decades, though he suffered skepticism and ridicule. Even after completing his timepiece, an instrument we now call a chronometer, in 1759, he underwent a long series of unfair trials and demonstrations. Ultimately he triumphed.

Sobel, a science writer who contributes to Audubon, Life, Omni and other magazines, captures John Harrison's extraordinary character: brilliant, persevering and heroic in the face of adversity. He is a man you won't forget.

Brief but enjoyable
This slim volume tells the story of John Harrison who, although untrained, built four revolutionary clocks that changed how ships navigate at sea. It also tells about the political fight Harrison was forced to fight to win recognition for his work.

Written in a easy-to-read, "magazine" tone the tale goes quickly, whole years pass in a couple sentences. I wanted more details and this is where the book disappoints but it may not be the authors fault The book hints that many events weren't recorded and more details just aren't available.

One technical note: I think the font used in this tiny, five by eight inch book is a little small and the page numbers, even smaller, aren't readable at a glance. Or maybe I'm getting old.

Great story, but BEWARE of inaccuracies in this book.
John Harrison completes his first pendulum clock in 1713 before the age of 20. He made the gears for this out of wood which was radical for such a use, but as a carpenter, perhaps not to him---which is a mark of genius, I'd say; to reach beyond accepted norms in this manner. This he did after borrowing a book on math and the laws of motion; which he copied word for word, making his own copy. He incorporated different varieties of wood into his clock for strenth and later invented a bi-metal pendulum to counteract the expansion and compression of various individual metals. He also employed friction-free movements so as to do away with problematic lubricants. When intrigued by the puzzle of time at sea and the issue of longitude he contemplated substituting something not prone to gravity, as a pendulum of course is, to track times passing. In 1737 he creates a cantilevered clock 4 foot square. This the longitude board (which had offered a cash bonus to anyone who could devise a method in which time at sea could be kept) admired. Four years later he returns with an improved model; then starts on a 3rd model, like the previous two, also a fairly large sized clock.But there exists a problem within this book: An artisan freemason by the name of John Jefferys at the Worshipful Company of clockmakers befriends Harrison and then later presents to him a pocket watch in 1753. Then in 1755, while still working on his 3rd model, Harrison says this to the Longitude board: I have..."good reason to think" on the basis of a watch "already executed that such small machines[he's referring to pocketwatches] may be of great service with respect to longitude." He then completes version 3 in 1759. His fourth version appears just a year later, however, and is a 5 inch wide pocketwatch! The obvious inference made by the author is that after he received the pocketwatch from Jeffreys he seemingly put his version #3 on the backburner and soon started on the pocketwatch 4th version. The author does not claim Harrison copied anything from the Jeffreys model, but she certainly phrases this section so as to lend one to believe that this may have been the case; that Jefferys had a hand in the masterstroke invention Harrison eventually produced in version #4. This is not true. Harrison commissioned the watch he received from Jeffreys and was based on Harrison's specifications. It seems that Harrison simply asked Jeffreys to test an idea which he himself hadn't the time to attack just then; as he was still working on his 3rd version of a table-top prototype clock. Hence Harrison's above statement to the board in 1755 whence his ideas were validated by Jeffreys. In addition, the author plays up the part of the Astronomer Royal's part in attempting to impede Harrison from convincing the longitiude board of the efficacy of a time-piece solution to this problem over a celestial answer to this conundrum. The author also jazzes up the issue of whether Harrison received the prize the board promised to pay for a successful solution herein; even though the board supported him for upwards of 20 years as he pursued this quest. It's as if the author intentionally omitted some facts (that the Jefferys was a Harrison commission), and pumped up others (of a rival/foil on the board trying to impede Harrison and the compensation issue; implying that Harrison was jipped) just to make the story more compelling. John Harrison's story, however, is extremely compelling as it is and didn't need this extra spice served up by the author.Do read this (very short) book on how this Mr. Harrison solved the problem of knowing where one is when at sea; and if you're in London, visit the Old Royal Observatory and the Clockmakers museum (in the Guildhall) where you can see Harrison's wonderful creations in person. Enjoy!

The Man who Captured Time so Ships could Navigate Accurately
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Note: This review has been written from a city with the following position on Earth:

LATITUDE: (43 degrees 2 minutes North)
LONGITUDE: (81 degrees 9 minutes West).

In order to understand the significance of this remarkable book by Dava Sobel, the reader has to understand some words and phrases in the book's title and subtitle.

"Longitude" along with Latitude are two numbers along with compass directions that are used to fix the position of anything on the planet Earth (as in the note above). Lines of Latitude are the imaginary, parallel, horizontal lines circling the Earth with the equator (fixed by nature) being the "zero-degree parallel of latitude." Lines of Longitude or "meridians" are the imaginary lines that run top to bottom (north and south), from the Earth's North Pole to its South Pole with the "prime meridian" (established by political means) being the "zero-degree meridian of longitude." (Since the mid-1880s, the prime merdian has passed through Greenwich, England. Before this time, the imaginary line that passed through a ship's home port was usually used as the zero-degree meridian.)

Finding the latitude on land or at sea was easy and eventually a device was invented to make it even easier. But finding longitude, especially at sea on a swaying ship was difficult, a difficulty "that stumped the wisest minds of the world for the better part of human history" and was "the greatest scientific problem" of the 1700s. Ways of determining longitude astronomically were devised, but these proved to be impractical when used at sea.

England's parliament recognized that "the longitude problem" had to be solved practically since many people and valuable cargo were lost at sea when the ship's navigators lost sight of land. Thus, this parliament offered a top monetary prize that's equivalent to many millions of dollars today to anybody who could solve the problem.

Enter "a lone genius" named John Harrison (1693 to 1776). While most thought the solution to the problem was astronomical, Harrison saw time as the solution.

To calculate the longitude using time on a ship at sea, you have to realize these two facts found in this book:

(i) The Earth takes 24 hours of time to spin 360 degrees on its axis from east to west.
(ii) Noon (12:00 PM) is the highest point the sun seems to "travel" in a day.

To learn one's longitude at sea using time, as this book explains, it's necessary to do the following:

(1) Know the time it is aboard ship (local noon was normally used because of fact (ii) above).
(2) At the very same moment, know the time at a known longitude (such as at Greenwich, England).
(3) The difference in time between (1) and (2) is coverted to a longitude reading in degrees and direction (using fact (i) above).

Harrison's solution was the accurate determination of time of (2) above by inventing a reliable timepiece. This timepiece, in this case, would be set to Greenwich time. (Note that, as stated, (1) could be determined using the noon-day sun but this was not always practical. Eventually another timepiece was used to determine the ship's local noon for a particular day.) It has to be realized that this was the "era of pendulum clocks" where, on a deck of a rocking ship, "such clocks would slow down or speed up, or stop running altogether." Harrison was to capture time by building a marine clock or "timekeeper" (eventually called a "chronometer") that could be used on a ship at sea.

This book tells the "true story" of Harrison and his chronometers. (There were five built over a forty-year period. Harrison's first timekeeping device was known as H-1, his second was H-2, and so on.) Sobel uses accuracy (as evidenced by her thirty references), extensive interviews, and an engaging, mostly non-technical narrative (only essential technical detail is included) to convey a story that's filled with suspense, heroism, perfectionism, and villiany. All this in less than 200 pages!!

The only problem I had with this book is that it has hardly any pictures (photographs and illustrations). I would have liked to have seen pictures of the various people involved in this saga, maps showing where ships traveled, more photos of Harrison's amazing timepieces (both interior and exterior), and diagrams that explained important concepts. A diagram that actually showed how longitude, using a simple example, is calculated (using the steps above) would also have been helpful.

Finally, there is a good 1999 movie entitled "Longitude" based on this book. Be aware that even though this book is short, the movie is long (over three hours).

In conclusion, this book documents the exciting "true story" of how "a lone genius" solved "the longitude problem." Sobel states this more eloquently: "With his marine clocks, John Harrison tested the waters of space-time. He succeeded, against all odds, in using the fourth...dimension to link points on a three-dimensional globe. He [took] the world's whereabouts from the stars, and locked [or captured] the secret in a...watch."

<=====> ... Read more

Book Description

Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky were all members of the famed 1940's Boston Red Sox. Their legendary careers led the Red Sox to a pennant championship and ensured the men a place in sports history.

David Halberstam, the bestselling author of the baseball classic Summer of '49, has followed the members of the 1949 championship Boston Red Sox team for years, especially Williams, Doerr, DiMaggio, and Pesky. In this extremely moving book, Halberstam reveals how these four teammates became friends, and how that friendship thrived for more than 60 years.

The book opens with Pesky and DiMaggio travelling to see the ailing Ted Williams in Florida. It's the last time they will see him. The journey is filled with nostalgia and memories, but seeing Ted is a shock. The most physically dominating of the four friends, Ted now weighs only 130 pounds and is hunched over in a wheelchair. Dom, without even thinking about it, starts to sing opera and old songs like "Me and My Shadow" to his friend.

Filled with stories of their glory days with the Boston Red Sox, memories of legendary plays and players, and the reaction of the remaining three to Ted Williams' recent death, The Teammates offers us a rare glimpse into the lives of these celebrated men -- and great insight into the nature of loyalty and friendship. ... Read more

Reviews (52)

"The Red Sox killed my father. Now they¿re coming after me."
The 1946 World Series match-up between Boston and the St. Louis Cardinals went to seven games before Boston finally lost the championship, and Halberstam makes this seventh game come alive in all its frustrating excitement. The book is unique, however, not because of its rehash of old ball games, but because it brings back an era, more than a half-century ago, when close and supportive friendships developed between players who spent their whole careers on the same team. Telling the story of the sixty-year friendship of baseball greats Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky of the Boston Red Sox, Halberstam shows the kind of friendship which was possible in an era in which players were people, not commodities.

Warm and nostalgic, the book opens in October, 2001, as Dom DiMaggio, accompanied by Boston writer Dick Flavin and Johnny Pesky, makes a melancholy car trip from Boston to Florida to pay a last visit to Ted Williams, who is dying. As the men drive from Boston to Florida, they reminisce about their playing days more than fifty years in the past, recalling anecdotes about their friendship and talking about their lives, post-baseball.

Halberstam uses these memories as the framework of this book, describing the men from their teenage years. All were from the West Coast, all were about the same age, all arrived in Boston to begin their careers within the same two-year period, and all shared similar values. Ted Williams, "the undisputed champion of contentiousness," was the most dominant of the group. Bobby Doerr was Williams's closest friend and roommate, "a kind of ambassador from Ted to the rest of the world," Doerr himself being "very simply among the nicest and most balanced men." Bespectacled Dom DiMaggio, the brother of Vince and Joe, was the consummate worker, a smart player who had been "forced to study everything carefully when he was young in order to maximize his chances and athletic abilities." Johnny Pesky, combative and small, was also "kind, caring, almost innocent."

Stories and anecdotes, sometimes told by the players themselves, make the men individually come alive and show the depth and value of their friendship. The four characters remain engaging even when, in the case of Williams, they may be frustratingly disagreeable. There's a bittersweet reality when Halberstam brings the lives of Williams, Doerr, DiMaggio, and Pesky, all now in their eighties, up to the present--these icons are, of course, as human as the rest of us, subject to the same physical deterioration and illnesses. In Halberstam's sensitive rendering of their abiding relationship, however, we see them as men who have always recognized and preserved the most important of human values, and in that respect they continue to serve as heroes and exemplars to baseball fans throughout the country. Mary Whipple

Friendship
Teammates is a story of true friendship. The book centers around three greats from the Boston Red Sox, Ted Williams, Dom Dimaggio, John Pesky, and Bobby Doerr. Their final meeting is used as a backdrop for several stories from their playing days.

The story starts in the final months of the life of Ted Williams. Dimaggio and Pesky are inspired to reunite with their friend before his inevitable death. Bobby Doerr is unable to make the trip because of the health of his wife.

The book is formatted in the same way things were probably discussed in the car that day. The stories build up as each one of the four joins the team with the final addition being Pesky. The book continues as it goes through the teams years as a American League powerhouse. Unfortunately, World War II and the Korean War would be the main factor in preventing these baseball icons for playing in more than one World Series. The Red Sox lost that one World Series to the Cardinals. The play that allegedly turned that series is discussed in detail. The misfortune for which Pesky was blamed is a travesty. Even his teammates try to take the blame from Pesky. Being the stand-up guy that he is, Pesky continues to unjustly accept the blame. The book ends with each playing leaving the team until Williams returns from the Korean War to find all of his friends are gone. This drains much of the fun of the game for Williams. As a consequence he also leaves baseball.

Halberstam really does not write a book as buy as he retells stories from a car ride. This book is certain to become a favorite of those who enjoy baseball or the friendships developed in team sports. It should also be required reading for Red Sox fans.

Moving Tribute to Friendship
This is a moving book about friendship. As baseball legend Ted Williams' lay slowly dying at age 83 in the fall of 2001, his former teammates Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio, and Bobby Doerr considered making the long drive to Florida for a final visit. The narrative focuses on that trip, and the enduring friendship between these four that continued for five decades after their playing days ended. Readers come to know these men, their backgrounds, flaws, strengths, families, health conditions, and post-baseball careers. Fans will enjoy their playing memoirs from the powerful Red Sox squads of the 1940's - teams that often fell just short at season's end. Adding spice to the narrative are Boston sportswriter Dick Flavin (who made the trip) and occasionally the author David Halberstam. This is another outstanding baseball book by Halberstam (SUMMER OF '49, OCTOBER 1964); let's hope he'll write more. THE TEAMMATES is a concise and moving tribute to friendship, baseball...and life.

Life-long Lessons!
When we are young, most of us idolize certain sports heroes . . . usually because of their feats on the field rather than for their characters. Author David Halberstam had the great pleasure of getting to know some of his idols when he wrote the Summer of '49 about the Yankee-Red Sox pennant race in that year. He kept up with his new friends from the Red Sox including Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky after the book came out. When he learned that in 2002 about the last trip that Dom, and Johnny had taken to see Ted, Mr. Halberstam knew that he had a story. This book relates that tale.

The book recounts the backgrounds of all four players, details their friendships from the days when they were in the minor leagues through the end of their lives and provides lots of perspective on the Red Sox during the 1940s and 1950s when these remarkable players were on the team. The end of the book also has the lifetime stats for each player.

One of the intriguing parts of the book is how hard Ted Williams was on himself and his friends. It is a remarkable tale of friendship to see how others would tolerate his abuse by rolling with the punches. Behind the friendships, you get many glimpses of great character . . . character that actually makes their athletic accomplishments seem paler by comparison.

I strongly urge all Red Sox fans and parents who want their children to develop better characters to read this book, and share the story with their friends and family. I know of no better book about athletes that looks at the qualities of true greatness.

Great book about baseball and friendship
Back in the 1940's and 1950's Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr were stars for the Boston Red Sox. Over the next 50 years or so, they remained the closest of friends. This book gives us a good look at that friendship, on and off the field, and at these four men.

It's unusual for a group of friends to stay so close for so long, but reading about the friendship makes you wish you were part of the group.

The book is full of humorous stories about their playing days and the years that followed. It also shows how close this team came to being a dynasty, but ended up only playing in one World Series (which they lost).

Halberstam does a great job, as always, showing us what baseball was like in the good old days and how the friendship between these players grew and remained strong over the years. It's one of the best baseball books I've ever read. ... Read more

Book Description

A powerful and inspirational look at how our nation's earliest ideals resonate in today's world, The American Dream shows us in very personal terms that America is still a place where hard work, dedication, and vision can transform dreams into reality.  Bestselling author and award winning journalist who struggle for and achieve their desires and ambitions.  Here he has gathered the stories of ordinary men and women across the country who are accomplishing the extraordinary, and demonstrates how the American dream guides us as individuals and as a society, binding us together even amid the fragmenting and self-isolating tendencies of modern American life.

Stirring and provocative, The American Dream illustrates that the basic American desire for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is alive and well. It also confirms what our founding fathers always believed: that we are a country of visionaries, in ways big and small.

Reviews (12)

The Dream is Real
This book attempts to discover what the "American Dream" really is to many Americans. It does so by providing brief accounts of the lives of some Americans, some famous you will recognize, some not at all famous. Dan Rather is obviously an excellent reader and in this book you will hear his "real" voice with a sometime slight and sometimes not so slight Texas drawl. You will hear it strongly when he pronounces the word "school". Even though at times the book drags a little I enjoyed it immensely and will probably listen to it again. Most of the stories are great to listen to and it reminds me of talking at "old guy" in the park. The history lesson is wonderful and the "dream" is real. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in American History. If you are not an American and are not interested in American history this book will be less interesting. If fact, I think it is necessary to be an American to enjoy the book but at least one Canadian liked it (see below). Just my opinion.

I listened to the book from 6 CD's converted to MP3.

Reality vs. Illusion
Clearly, an inspirational book - well written, cogently presented - all in true-to-form Dan Rather style. Whilst telling us about many "American Success" stories, Rather seems to suggest that the right idea at the right time, combined with hard work, stamina, and perhaps a little bit of luck will ultimately get you there - to riches (material and otherwise). Sadly, it's also part of the American Dream that the rate of failure is much higher than one expects, and occasionally, the reason for failure is also rooted in the "American Dream".

Nevertheless, it's good to know that the Dream continues - a refreshing reminder amongst often too much bad news.

A good read - but don't get too carried away.

One of America's Great Journalists
This was a very inspirational book. It brings to life the work of dozens of heroes...people who love America. There is SO MUCH greatness in the country. It is time we concentrate on that instead of dwelling on the negative stories. Don't tell Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh, but Dan Rather will go down in history as one of the great broadcast journalists of all time. He walks the walk and talks the talk.

I never understood why some people hate Dan Rather so much. What a great book!!

Jeffrey McAndrew
broadcast journalist and author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

Great stories, too much Rather
A more appropriate subtitle for this book might be, Those who achieved despite America's wrongs. Readers like me who come to this book expecting patriotic success stories of Americans aided by their nation's greatness will be disappointed by Rather's cynical view that hangs over this book.

The book is chock full of success stories that were not broadcast during Rather's "American Dream" segments on the CBS Evening News program. The stories, due to Rather's fine writing skills, are inspiring, moving and heart-warming. The Americans portrayed are certainly deserving of the praise and attention this book brings them. Their stories alone make this book worth purchasing.

But, caveat emptor, Rather brands this book with his cynicism of what is wrong with America and how the U.S. Constitution should be viewed. He profiles the successes of the heroes in this book against the failings in American society that they had to overcome. Rather's favorite American sins? Greed, big business, the wealthy, and white men in the less-enlightened past. Word of mouth will not be good among Republican readers.

Rather, for the most part, shies away from famous household names in this collection. Even the people profiled in the "fame" chapter (with the exception perhaps of author Jacquelyn Mitchard) are not household names. While the subtitle of the book indicates these people come from the "heart" of the nation, most of those profiled here come from decidedly urban environments. But that should not detract from the fine stories presented here.

This is a good book that could have been great if Rather would have checked his ego at the keyboard.

Outstanding!
CBS News anchor Dan Rather gives us a truly fascinating look at 30 American Dreamers, their struggles and triumphs, and I can honestly say that the book doesn't lag in any single spot throughout, which is quite an accomplishment, when dealing with so many diffrent people's stories.

Also, Rather proves to be a very solid writer, sprinkling levity and personal anecdotes in just the right amount, in my humble opinion.

The first woman astronaut, a Food Network chef who remained illiterate until age 26, exceptional teachers, and author Jacquline Mitchard are but a handful of the folks Rather covers.

Well worth the read. ... Read more