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Hell to Pay is yet another book on Hillary Rodham Clinton, this time from a conservative lawyer who served as the Republican chief counsel for the congressional committee investigating the Clintons' involvement in "Travelgate" and "Filegate." Barbara Olson traces the now familiar biographies of the president and first lady, contending that Mrs. Clinton is someone with dangerously liberal, even radical, political beliefs who "now seeks to foment revolutionary changes from the uniform of a pink suit." (Olson plays the theme heavily: each chapter of Hell to Pay begins with quotes from Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, which influenced the young Hillary Rodham.)

There are some interesting new tidbits scattered throughout the book, like the fact that after law school Hillary Rodham tried to become a Marine Corps officer but was turned down; or that she told her high school paper her ambition after high school was "to marry a senator and settle down in Georgetown." Olson, attempting to dissect the mystery of the Clinton partnership, writes, "Most self-respecting women would have left" after Clinton's repeated infidelities. "Hillary chose to stay. She behaves as both a desperate lover, and like a frantic campaign manager protecting a flawed candidate.... Hillary, it seems, long ago accepted Bill Clinton as someone who could advance her goals, as a necessary complement to her intellectual cold-blooded pursuit of power." As the Clinton presidency draws to a close, that pursuit has taken her beyond the White House toward a bid for her own U.S. Senate seat. Olson predicts the Senate won't be enough, just the next step toward becoming the first woman president: "Hillary Clinton seeks nothing less than an office that will give her a platform from which to exercise real power and real world leadership." While Olson admits that "Bill Clinton has always excited the greatest passion not among his supporters, but among his detractors," the same could certainly be said of his wife--whose supporters will probably consider Hell to Pay a rehash of a too-familiar story, but whose detractors will no doubt savor every page. --Linda Killian ... Read more

Reviews (162)

AS A "FIRST-lADY" SHE LACKED THE CHARISMA AND STYLE!
Not being an American, it may be a little easier to look at Hillary Clinton in a completely objective manner. Based on my knowledge and experience in psychology and considering what has been publicized in the media throughout the "Clinton affair", I must agree with what Barbara Olson has written in this book. One could watch the television and see Hillary and Bill standing side by side, all smiles for the benefit of the media and easily see they were superficial. At times, the lack of emotion and stilted conversation reminded me of two Barbie dolls - Ken and Barbie at their finest.

While Ms. Clinton may have stayed with her husband out of love and loyalty, the real reason appears it was to feather her own nest for a political career - at any cost! I give the woman credit for pursuing her own dreams, goals and desires, but most women would have placed their own self-respect at the top of the list. A woman might choose to forgive one spousal indiscretion out of love and family, but how one could love someone who was continually unfaithful is another matter. Were there perhaps more skeletons in Ms. Clinton's own personal closet that have not become public? Ms. Clinton does not appear to be a woman lacking self-confidence or emotional security; therefore, one is left to question whether her true reasons for staying were for self-serving purposes, that is, to further her own political ambitions.

Barbara Olson obviously spent an enormous amount of time and energy in researching the facts in this book and has given readers a bird's-eye view of what makes Ms. Clinton tick and what does not. Whether the reader agrees with Olson's portrayal of Ms. Clinton is a matter of personal opinion. This is a compelling and straight-forward book that cuts no corners and definitely deserving of a five-star rating.

A Very Dangerous Woman
This was one of the most educational books I have read in my life. Olson writes a compelling story about Hillary Clinton, starting with her middle-class upbringing in suburban Illinois. Growing up with a house full of men, Hillary felt she had to excel at everything in order to win her father's approval, which she never seemed to get. This was the only time I felt any empathy for this woman.
We've all heard the blatherings about the Clintons' scandals via the media. But the media never came close to telling us the truth, especially concerning their dealings with the Chinese government, who now has possession of our nuclear secrets. Barbara Olson not only illustrates their involvement but gives an unsettling picture of how Hillary Rodham Clinton's mind works. She is a megalomaniac who wants nothing more than absolute power over the American people, especially our children. Olson also gives us the scoop about Whitewater, the Lewinsky fiasco, and scores of other calamaties and injustices that went on inside the White House during their double-term. Basically, the Clintons perfected the Nixonian technique for covering their tracks, destroying a countless number of lies both figuratively and literally.
I would have liked to have read what really happened to Vincent Foster, Ron Brown, and several other officials who met untimely deaths. Olson barely skimmed this issue, but told how Vince Foster was Hillary's lawyer and possible lover. I can understand why Olson couldn't touch that issue, given her position in the Justice Department. But she portrays the Clintons for who they really are, slick criminals who will use anyone and any means to secure their agenda.
I recommend this book to every American citizen, whether they were (or are still) pro-Clinton or not. Hell to Pay is loaded with facts that we cannot ignore.

The Real Hillary.
And it's not pretty, but we already knew that. Barbara Olson wrote a top flight biography with "Hell to Pay." I, for one, definitely miss her presence in the field of non-fiction and am sorry she is no longer with us. Many people may not realize that R. Emmett Tyrrell's book, "Madame Hillary," was heavily influenced by this work. Olson exposes the hidden, radical nature of Hillary's worldview. Her thought is far closer to Saul Alinsky than John Jay or Thomas Paine. In the wake of the 2000 election recount, when she came out against the electoral college, who could doubt that she cares little about the institutions or traditions that embody this country. She hides her radicalism behind a bourgeois veneer but Olson allows her true traits to become visible through "Hell to Pay."

A lot of good details that you don't hear
I have to say that I enjoyed this review of Ms. Clinton or should I say Ms. Rodham. I don't know how much of this is true but it told a lot of facts that I was unaware.

I did not know that she got her leftist views from a socialist pastor. At least that was the way he came across to me. I thought it was pretty strange that she didn't wear any make up or shave her legs until Bills run for second term as Governor.

The book pretty much takes for granted that everyone knew Bill was a philanderer and does not make much of an issue of it. This is what I like about this book it goes in and tells you all the details of the spending to keep the Clintons in nice homes and have a nanny paid for by the tax payer dollars. I guess politicians are expected to do that.

The interesting parts were about the cops getting Bill girls in Washington, travelgate which they could have avoided completely if they just said they wanted their own people in; filegate was the weirdest after the diatribe Hillary gave about Nixon's enemies list.

An interesting part I thought was her relationship to Vince Foster. How the author got all the information is beyond me.

It showed how Hillary was an absolute perfectionist and could never be criticized. She was very clever in getting her husband off the hook all the time and especially in the impeachment by making them focus on the adultery and then threatening to expose all the congress for their indiscretions.

The more I read the more I felt this woman's hands in my pockets.

If most of this is true, I can not see how she got elected to the Senate, I guess all candidates steal from the cookie jar. I never understood why this woman thought she had a right to rule over everybody else. She was just a tyrant.

I would recommend this book to people want to know more details about all the scandals. If you are a Clinton lover you'll probably say it is all lies.

WHY THE RIGHT GOES AFTER THE CLINTONS
The right does not go after the Clintons because Bill lied about Monica Lewinsky. They go after them because they think they may have ordered the murder of Vince Foster. They go after them because kids were murdered on railroad tracks in Mena, Arkansas because they may have witnessed their drug-running operation there in the 1980s. They go after them because there is a list of between 50 and 100 people mysteriously killed, all of whom knew the Clintons and had knowledge of their activities. These people were generally young and in good health. Did they all die by accident? To quote Shakespeare, "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than can be dreamt of in your philosophy." In other words, it is possible they all were killed by means other than the Clintons' ordering their deaths, but it is so far from possible as to be very close to being, for all practical purposes, that with which is impossible. Bodyguards, witneses, drug buddies, state troopers, kids, etc. Dead. If the Clintons are responsible for some or all of their deaths, they got away with all of it. THAT is why the right goes after the Clintons. If I go missing, look in Ft. Marcy Park.

(...) ... Read more

Book Description

How dreadfully old I am getting! Sixteen!" So begins Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss, the journal-like account of a nineteenth century girl who learns, on the path to womanhood, that true happiness can be found in giving oneself for others. "This book is a treasure of both Godly and womanly wisdom told with disarming candor and humility, yet revealing a deep heart's desire to know God," says noted Christian speaker Elisabeth Elliot. "I do not hesitate to recommend it to men, who need to understand the wives they live with, and to any woman who wants to walk with God. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

A book EVERYONE should read!
This book has become one of my favorites. I have turned to it again and again for encouragement on what sometimes seems to be a long journey of sanctification. I laughed to myself often as I found Kate, the main character saying and doing things exactly as I say and do them, and cried to see what a beautiful thing into which God can transform our lives. I have enjoyed reading it to my mother, and look forward to one day sharing it with my daughter. I've also given copies to nearly all my friends. As Elisabeth Elliot says, everyone will benefit from reading this wonderful book.

Spiritual MEAT to chew on........
This book was devoured and pondered deeply. It is a TRUE treasure that everyone should read. Katherine's journal, which begins at age 16, reveals human nature such as it is in all of us. Her life unfolds through the years, and she grows in her trust, relationship, and understanding of the Lord Jesus as a true personal friend - not One who is far off and unreachable. I wish her mother, had written a journal also - that would have been a delight to read ! I will also purchase several copies of this book to give as gifts.

You will read it again and again
This book displays the struggles and joys of the female Christian walk. Yet, it is also a very interesting story, not a self-help book. I loved the old english writing, as it is a 100 years old. It is a must have. I have already bought 5 copies to give away and am now on my 6th! If you are a Christian girl or woman and want to learn more about your walk, but this book!

She's just like me
This book is an incredible journal of a woman from age 16 until death. She candidly discusses her weaknesses and struggles. Continually I said to myself, "She's just like me!" She gives amazing insight into how God uses the everyday difficulties to expose our pride and selfishness. I was encouraged and inspired. I could read it again immediately. I wanted to underline half the book!

Inspirational for any age of woman
I began this book not expecting much more than the typical inspriational coming of age of a young girl. I did not get what I expected. This is written in the fashion of a diary from a girl through the 1800's with all the fears, failures, and honesty you would expect to find in a girls diary. The issues she deals with in the book are as relevant today as they were then. Only proving the more things change the more they stay the same. It is an easy book to relate to from her feelings of coming up short in her walk with God to the long spaces between entrys in her diary. Reading and seeing Kate blossom and grow into a woman is an encouragement to anyone who reads it. I highly recommend this for young women ages 15 to late 20s, however it is enjoyable at any age. This is a great book to give to those hard to buy for teen girls. ... Read more

Book Description

Sometimes life throws a curveball ...
and sometimes it drops a bomb

Cindi Broaddus didn't realize that her life was about to be forever altered as she sat in the passenger seat of a car on a lonely highway, speeding toward the airport in the early morning hours of June 5, 2001. The sister-in-law of Dr. Phil McGraw, a single mother of three, and a delighted new grandmother, she was thinking only of her imminent, well-earned vacation when a gallon glass jar filled with sulfuric acid, tossed from an overpass by an unknown assailant, came crashing through the windshield. In a heartbeat, Cindi was showered with glass and flesh-eating liquid, leaving her blinded, screaming in agony, and burned almost beyond recognition. When she reached the hospital, the attending doctors gave her little better than a 30 percent chance of survival.

But Cindi Broaddus did survive -- and after excruciating years of recuperation and seemingly endless sessions of skin grafts and reconstructive surgery, she emerged from her ordeal in many ways stronger than she had ever been before.

A Random Act is the riveting firsthand account of a brutal and senseless attack and its aftermath. But much more than one remarkable woman's personal chronicle of an unthinkable tragedy and amazing recovery, Cindi's story is one of hope and transcendence, born of a conscious and dedicated determination to turn a nightmarish experience into something positive and uplifting. Her unforgettable journey back to life and a gloriously renewed sense of purpose will serve as an inspiration for every reader, offering eloquent and illuminating truths about love, healing, and the astounding power of choice, while providing an invaluable road map to a new understanding of what truly matters most.

Reviews (7)

Dribble Dribble Dribble
I agree with the other reviewers who mentioned the author pats herself on the back over and over again in this book. It gets SO tiring to read. Between that, and tossing names around (Dr. Phil this, Dr. Phil that) I could hardly get through it.
I feel for what the author went through, but a different writing style might have made all the difference in my opinion of her writings about it.

Badly done
I have to agree with the reviewer below who said this was a good story poorly told.

The premise was good, which is why I picked up the book. Unfortunately, the execution leaves much to be desired. The author repeats herself often, particularly the parts about how admirable and wonderful and peaceful and strong she is. If she'd spent more time telling her story than waxing rhapsodic about herself, this could have gotten lots more stars.

A Beautiful Love Story
What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!I sat down and read this book cover-to-cover.I couldn't stop turning the pages until I reached the end.I am SOOOO glad that I read this book before I read a couple of the reviews on this website!Yes, Cindi mentions Dr. Phil in her story. Not too surprising when you read on the front cover that he wrote the foreward for the book AND he is an essential part of the story.I found it interesting that we get a glimpse of Dr. Phil we don't see on television, that of a concerned, caring, and loyal brother-in-law.He never stopped trying to find the person responsible for this crime.We should all be so lucky to have a brother-in-law who cares so much.I also don't understand how someone who read this book could say that Cindi spends the entire book talking about "how great she is".On the contrary, Cindi spends a great deal of time talking about how wonderful her family, friends, and co-workers were to her during this difficult time.Do you REALLY think all these people would rush to the side of a self-centered braggart?I find that difficult to believe.
Bottom Line:If you are a hopelessly cynical, bitter, negativeperson, you may find reading this book a total waste of time.To everyone else:This is a beautiful book.It speaks to all of us about the power of making positive choices.Thank you, Cindi, for sharing your story.You are an inspiration to all of us.

Like nails on a chalkboard
Could this author have spent any more time telling herself and everyone else how great she was? She evencontradicted herself several times to do it. I think she went through a horrible accident and it took a lot of strength to get through it; however, an entire book about how great she is?Even when she mentions other people (Dr Phil, Dr Phil, Dr Phil, and oh, have I mentioned Dr Phil?) she's mentioning them in the context of how great they think she is.And you know? She probably *is* a wonderful person but the writing of this book is so heavy handed and saccharine that the reader ceases to appreciate her strength (which is undoubted).After a while it's almost a drinking game "She complimented herself!Drink!"I think the story would have been a lot more interesting if she had told it with more simplicity and perspective.It wound up being a good story told badly.

Not much substance, lots of self-congratulation
This book was not so much "inspirational" as "irritating." I appreciate that the author suffered from this random attack, but her story would have been more palatable with a less self-congratulatory tone. Each chapter was packed with anecdotes of how other people told her how great she was, what a "prized" patient she was, how other people respected her so much; it becomes very tiresome very quickly. (Also tedious was the author's frequent mention of her relationship to Dr. Phil McGraw.) ... Read more

Book Description

In 1972, when she was seven, Firoozeh Dumas and her family moved from Iran to Southern California, arriving with no firsthand knowledge of this country beyond her father’s glowing memories of his graduate school years here. More family soon followed, and the clan has been here ever since.

Funny in Farsi chronicles the American journey of Dumas’s wonderfully engaging family: her engineer father, a sweetly quixotic dreamer who first sought riches on Bowling for Dollars and in Las Vegas, and later lost his job during the Iranian revolution; her elegant mother, who never fully mastered English (nor cared to); her uncle, who combated the effects of American fast food with an army of miraculous American weight-loss gadgets; and Firoozeh herself, who as a girl changed her name to Julie, and who encountered a second wave of culture shock when she met and married a Frenchman, becoming part of a one-couple melting pot.

In a series of deftly drawn scenes, we watch the family grapple with American English (hot dogs and hush puppies?—a complete mystery), American traditions (Thanksgiving turkey?—an even greater mystery, since it tastes like nothing), and American culture (Firoozeh’s parents laugh uproariously at Bob Hope on television, although they don’t get the jokes even when she translates them into Farsi).

Above all, this is an unforgettable story of identity, discovery, and the power of family love. It is a book that will leave us all laughing—without an accent. ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Review of Funny in Farsi
If you ever wondered what it was like to grow up an immigrant in the United States, Funny in Farsi is a telling story of this experience. Firoozeh Dumas writes a candid account of growing up Persian in America. From her parents adjusting the customs and cultures of America, to the impacts of the hostage crisis on her life in the US, and her own growing up experiences with her family, she paints a picture of how humor helps get through all the tough times.
Although this book is about a Persian family in the US, it transcends culture barriers and tells the universal story of what it means to be an immigrant in the United States and the difficulties that it entails.
Dumas writes an honest account of her life that the reader can relate to. Her poignant language and truthful analysis of life makes this a book that you will not be able to put down.
This is a truly delightful book.

Lives up to its name--laugh out loud funny!
A book with "funny" in its title already gives readers expectations of being funny--and rightly so, because it lives up to all of its expectations, and I laughed out loud at every page! It's Dumas' witty, clever play on words when she retells her tales of childhood mishaps that makes this book so endearing and easy to identify with. We've all tried to fit in somehow, somewhere and ended up doing exactly the opposite! Dumas manages to take these stories and tell them with such humor, that sad stories turn into absurd ones--providing lots of giggles and laughter on the way. But the book also has tremendous substance, as Dumas writes about her family with love--especially her father, who is the epitome of kindness, and the ultimate lessons she learns growing up in an Iranian family in California. Those lessons of generosity and humanity serve her well through life's ups and downs, and she is able to look back on even the toughest of circumstances with side-splitting humor. I highly recommend this book for anyone that has ever felt "displaced"--and that would be every one of us. Brilliant!

verey superficial
I bought this book because I was really craving a book written by an iranian so I could relate to... The book is well written if you want to have some fun laughing at extremely superficial issues about iranians living in the US, but totally lacks a real understanding of the situation. In few words this was a teenager book although I would not even recommend it to teenagers to read

Too shallow, even for summer reading
It would have been wonderful if she wrote it to share with her family and friends, but to publish it? There is no substance, it is not particularly funny and it is just plain boring. This book proves that not everybody needs to write a memoir.

I've been married into Iranian family and I recognized a lot of traits she is describing. The book was amusing, at times. However, I would not recommend it.

Excellent read!
This has to be one of the most entertaining books that I have ever read. I am so impressed with her writing, her honesty and willingness to share the story of her life and her touching recollections. Better yet, the story is mixed with humor all along.

When Firoozeh tells a story about financial problems, family issues, discrimination and injustice, she does so with humor and dignity, although you can even TOUCH the pain she had felt at the moment!
In this book, She also talks about some occasional unpleasant traits shown by her family, however it's clear the she loves them and that love shows through. She knows that you can love someone and not like everything that they do.

Reading Firoozeh's book makes me laugh out loud so many times. There are plenty of serious moments but they are all rendered with the remarkable wit of a very funny author, Firoozeh Dumas. Even the parts that should be dull in a biography are worthwhile and interesting.

I consider this book one of the best; I hope that you will too ... Read more

Book Description

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was the founder of modern feminism -- in her time,the most famous woman in Europe and America. In this exciting new biography, Lyndall Gordon proposes that at each stage of a passionate and courageous life -- as teacher, writer, lover, and traveler -- Mary Woll-stonecraft was an original. She had advanced ideas on education, and her views on single motherhood, family responsibilities, working life, domestic affections, friendships, and sexual relationships now look astonishingly modern. She tested new ways a man and a woman might come to know each other and live together. "Imagination must lead the senses, not the senses the imagination," she told her American lover, Gilbert Imlay, and repeated to her husband, William Godwin.

Vindication is the first biography to show this remarkable woman at full strength and bring out the range as well as the reverberations of her genius in the following and subsequent generations. Here is the drama of Wollstonecraft's life as a governess in an aristocratic family in Ireland, as an independent writer in London, as an on-the-scene observer of the French Revolution, and as a daring traveler to Scandinavia on the trail of an unsolved crime. Although she died young, her spirit and unconventional ideas lived on in the lives of her daughter, Mary Shelley, and three other heirs who had to contend with a counter-revolutionary age. Vindication offers new evidence for the influence of early American political thought in England and demonstrates for the first time the profound effect of Mary Wollstonecraft's own writing, especially her Vindication of the Rights of Woman, on American figures of the day, among them John and Abigail Adams. This groundbreaking biography follows the colorful wheelings and dealings of young American adventurers like Joel Barlowand the elusive frontiersman Imlay, who sought their fortunes amid the tumultuous events of late-eighteenth-century Europe and whose clandestine service to the fledglingAmerican government is newly explored.

This is a brilliantly told story, moving on from the issue of rights to larger questions that still lie beyond us: What is woman's nature? What will she contribute to civilization? Lyndall Gordon mounts a spirited defense of Mary Wollstonecraft, whose previous biographers have often doubted her integrity, her stability, and the exhilarating experiment that was her life. Vindication probes these doubts, measures Wollstonecraft's life against her own strengths instead of the weakness that sometimes held her back, and reinterprets her for the twenty-first century.

Reviews (15)

The divine trinity...
While A Walk On The Beach represents the final part of a divine trinity of books, the internal divine trinity is the coming together of the two Joans in the presence of the Sea - which has always been a metaphor for Consciousness, the Womb of the Great Mother.

Joan Anderson is a great observer of Life and the human experience, and her ablity to articulate the way people think and feel, especially in the context of relationships, of all kinds, is unsurpassed.

That she should meet Erikson's wife in a beach/seashore setting, especially in Cape Cod, Mass, in magical New England, the virtual birthplace of what is now the United States, is most interesting - the seashore also being a symbolic point of transition for a mermaid/siren figure seeking transformation into mortal womanhood, as in The Girl In A Swing, by Richard Adams (also an excellent movie).

With the two Joans, the transformation is mutual, as these wisewomen unfold their lives in quite different marital circumstances.

For the record, Erikson the psychologist extended Freudian theory by factoring in the effects of culture and environment to the stages of human development rather than merely biological influences. To Erikson, development was a lifelong process. The main criticisms of this work focused on his gender and ethnocentric bias. The later, Third Wave psychology of Maslow and after, addressed the individual's relationship to the Universe itself, rather than the experiential layer generated by society.

Joan Erikson herself continued to expand on the work she had done with her husband with her own hands-on experience of old age (she was 90 when the Joans met), and Joan A was able to benefit from this wisdom first hand. Similarly, she was able to help Joan Erikson with her own major life adjustments, including the impending death of a Life partner, by sharing her own growth lessons as she re-structured her thinking as she moved into the second stage of her life.

I can see why some people regard this as 'a woman's book', (I disagree, it's a thinking PERSON'S book) but as a man with four daughters who has published a book about the suppression of the Feminine, I found it intriguing. The beautiful interactions between these two remarkable unfinished women reminds you that menopause and after is supposed to be a sacred transition, not a form of mental illness, as we have been programmed to believe.

Invaluable.

A Walk Worth Taking
Anderson's latest literary work is one of her best to date. Full of imagery, humor, and wisdom, A Walk on the Beach will touch your senses and awaken your true self in ways you thought might not happen. As her mentor, Joan Erikson reminded the author, the importance of continuing to learn, grow, change and play as one ages, as well as to be surprised by life and where it leads are the keys to a fulfilling and enriching life. Not just for women, it is a book for all who struggle at times with thoughts and feelings of purpose and significance.

Also recommended: Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman by Joan Anderson An Unfinished Marriage by Joan Anderson Wisdom and the Senses: The Way of Creativity by Joan M. Erikson

The need for mentors
In an era of quick-fix motivational workshops and buzz words like "Life Coaching", this wise and soothing book stands as a strong reminder that we need SO MUCH MORE than weekend workshops and spiritual retreats to regain our balance or redirect our life's course. We need real mentors and ongoing friendships with seasoned women who can show us the way.

At some point in midlife, many women (and men) experience a career crisis or crisis of faith, and are desperately in need of guidance. Joan Anderson was lucky enough to find an incredible mentor to show the way, demonstrating how "elderly" friends are essential to our growth.

I believe many of us remain stuck with only peer relationships, and don't take time to seek out the untapped wisdom of older people in our communities and congregations. Joan's book is a marvelous blueprint for anyone who craves companionship with the older and wiser -- or women of experience.

As we read this sweet book, we are also called to treasure -- or initiate -- friendships with real women of experience in our midst. Thank you, Joan!

Journey for Seekers.......
From the stranger on the shore to becoming the beloved mentor, JOAN ERIKSON, is the driving force that allows Joan Anderson to truly push the boundaries further from the traditional role she played, to unveiling the "unconventional woman" that Joan is today.

The book is perhaps a tribute and "thank you" to her playful and witty friend who helped Joan weave her way and; in turn, provide the gift of "unconventional wisdom" that she received ~ to women curious enough to seek. Joan's writings are always enticing, and she continues to expose her frailties, as well as her triumphs, in "A Walk on the Beach."

Outstanding!
I just finished this book, and found myself slowing down as I reached the final chapter, not wanting it to end. But of course a work such as this never ends, as I have all the beauty and wisdom I derived from it to nourish and guide me. I have loved all of Joan's books, but this one by far was the most personal for me. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The only constants in nature are change and death. Terry Tempest Williams, a naturalist and writer from northern Utah, has seen her share of both. The pages of Refuge resound with the deaths of her mother and grandmother and other women from cancer, the result of the American government's ongoing nuclear-weapons tests in the nearby Nevada desert. You won't find the episode in the standard history textbooks; the Feds wouldn't admit to conducting the tests until women and men in Utah, Nevada, and northwestern Arizona took the matter to court in the mid-1980s, and by then thousands of Americans had fallen victim to official technology. Parallel to her account of this devastation, Williams describes changes in bird life at the sanctuaries dotting the shores of the Great Salt Lake as water levels rose during the unusually wet early 1980s and threatened the nesting grounds of dozens of species. In this world of shattered eggs and drowned shorebirds, Williams reckons with the meaning of life, alternating despair and joy. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Excellent weaving together of place and heart
Now that I have read Terry Tempest Williams' excellent book on finding refuge in the areas around the Great Salt Lake, I find I want to visit, to see for myself the stunning landscape and myriad of birdlife. I also find myself drawn to this courageous woman who lets us into this difficult part of her life, as her mother passes into the shadow of cancer. Not for the first time, we learn, and not such a rare occurrence in her family, we discover; a discovery that, for me, evoked anger at the unfairness of exposing human beings to atomic bomb test fallout. There is so much in this book: the detailed descriptions of the birds and their habits, the extraordinary unfolding of the progression of cancer and its effect on the family, the interplay of three women -- grandmother, mother, daughter -- and through it all, the gentle and exquisite writing carried me nearly effortlessly, yet with great strength. I can find no fault with the writing, the evocative images, the revelation of relationships, and the treatment of this undoubtedly amazing place. Thank you, Terry, for writing this book.

A refuge becomes a sanctuary
As the Great Salt Lake rose to submerge and destroy the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, grief rose and submerged Terry Tempest William's spirit with the destruction of her mother and grandmother by cancer. The gradual regeneration of the Refuge with the subsiding of the lake parallels the regeneration of her spirit and the subsiding of her grief. But the pain and the scars remain and transform. Terry is no longer an accepting trusting Mormon daughter but a searching questioning activist after her tumultuous emotional experience. One wonders if the gifts of awareness and sensitivity are worth the price of the pain endured. The Refuge becomes a sanctuary for the returning birds and Terry's returning spirit. No more moving piece has been written about the folly and ultimate tragedy of human intervention in the environment. From the nuclear testing of the 1950s to the manipulation of the level of the Great Salt Lake, there is much to learn about the long term consquences of our short sighted acts. Everyone should read and reread and pass on this book.

admirable
I give Ms. Williams points for her honesty. The book is at times insightful. Her relationship to the environment is admirable and her use of the Great Salt Lake as metaphor is quite poetic. Ms. William's ideas on solitude and our place in the landscape are something that I can relate to and appreciate. I too lost my mother to breast cancer in Utah. There is much about Ms. Williams that I admire.

I believe that this was her first book and it is often pretentious which is excusable in a first work. She over uses simile, as new writers often do, which only trivializes the piece. It is often disjointed which I am certain is how life felt to Ms. Williams as she lived through these simultaneous life changing events.

I recommend it as a loving tribute to Ms Williams's mother and the Utah landscape and as an honest portrayal of her personal growth in relationship.

I tried to like this book, but just couldn't -and here's why
Living in Utah, having a Master's Degree in Aquatic Ecology from BYU, being a physician, and LDS, I get given a copy of this book every year or so from someone who admires this book. Having read this book several times (There are well-written and interesting parts), I usually then ask them what they think about some aspect of the book like the anti-male stance of the author. Most people look puzzled and then admit they have never really read the book, they just heard from someone else that it was really good.

Since this book deals with Utah, aquatic ecology, medicine, and Mormonism and most of the reviewers of this book gloss over the nuts and bolts of this book, I thought I would share my impressions of this book since I have some expertise in all these areas.

First of all, it really isn't that interesting. It took me several aborted attempts before I actually finished the thing and I love reading. Yes, portions of it are good prose, but I would usually finish 10 pages or so and be unable to say what exactly it was that I had just read. The writing reminds me of Annie Dillard - confusing and over-rated in general. There are other writers who have joined personal and family travails with nature much better. Read Norman Maclean's "A River Runs Through It" after reading "Refuge" and you will see that there is really no comparison; Maclean is so obviously superior that you wonder why anyone ever told you "Refuge" was that good.

Williams attempts to tie together her mother's and grandmother's breast cancer possibly caused by radiation exposure to 1950's nuclear tests to the flooding of a bird refuge in the 1980's. She really doesn't do this that well and this lack of similarity makes the whole book choppy at best and disjointed and irrelevant at worst. Throwing in a little tiresome male-bashing, church-bashing, and anyone-that-doesn't-think-like-me-bashing really grates on the reader after a while and you finish the book feeling like you need to take a long shower to remove the grime from your mind.

That said, the strength of this book is the account of how the female family members cope with breast cancer that runs through the generations. This is also the weakness of the book because the author has such a glaring lack of insight of the male members of the family and their feelings. Yes, Ms. Williams, men have feelings too!

The last portions of this book are laughable with some mystical feminist eco-worshippers sneaking onto some government test range. Apparently because these women chant and sway and have uteri, there is some mystical significance to this act of pointless civil disobedience. Well anyway, I don't recommend reading this book for anything other than the accounts of breast cancer coping. The anti-Utah, anti-Male, anti-Mormon aspects, and the real lack of anything meaningful regarding ecology makes this book not worth the effort, in my opinion.

read Edward Abbey instead
This book is overrated and self-indulgent. If you do read it, don't feel compelled to like it just because you've heard so many good things about it. ... Read more

Book Description

Helga Schneider was four when her mother suddenly abandoned her family in Berlin in 1941. This extraordinary memoir, praised across Europe, tells of a daughter's final encounter with her mother, who had left her family to become an SS guard at Auschwitz. ... Read more

Book Description

A phenomenal #1 bestseller that has appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for nearly three years, this memoir traces Maya Angelou's childhood in a small, rural community during the 1930s.Filled with images and recollections that point to the dignity and courage of black men and women,
Angelou paints a sometimes disquieting, but always affecting picture of the people--and the times--that touched her life. ... Read more

Reviews (255)

compared to To Kill a Mockingbird.....
Our 8th grade English class was required to pick an independent reading book. I picked I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou. At the same time, my class was reading To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is similar to To Kill A Mockingbird in many ways. Both books portray a girl and her brother growing up in a Southern town. The main character represents the author as a young girl learning about prejudice and the hardships of life. Both authors express their views and opinions through the main character. The key difference between the two books is "as simple as black and white." Maya is black and sees the whites as a group of prejudiced rich people. Scout is white and sees how her classmates and her town is prejudiced against Tom Robinson and other blacks. An interesting observation that I made was that although both books are against prejudice, both authors are partly prejudiced themselves. Maya Angelou seems to see all whites as evil and prejudiced, while Harper Lee shows kind whites like Atticus. Lee makes the blacks seem accepting of prejudice and docile while Angelou sees blacks as people who are very aware of their situation and rebel against prejudice as often as possible. I think that each of these books only show half the story. To get a complete picture of growing up in a racist town you have to read them both.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
This is an enjoyable, easy-to-read short book written by Maya Angelou about her childhood in the segregated deep south. She skillfully decribes both good-times and bad in Stamps, Arkansas where she and her brother, raised by her grandmother and uncle, took on many childhood adventures in and around her grandmother's general store in the Negro section of town. She devotes several chapters to a time when she and her brother lived in Long Beach, California with her fast moving mother and indifferent father. When things go bad, she describes her return to a simple yet orderly life in Stamps.

The reader is touched by the difficulties overcome by Maya Angelou and has a new appreciation for those who were raised in a different place and time. Her upbringing filled with discipline, hard-work and solid roles models had a positive impact on her as a person. She was able to overcome the negative influences.

Most of all, the key to her success is contagious and when finished, the reader is left with a glimmer of hope that if she can do it, so can I.... no matter what my walk of life. Very inspirational book!

literary brilliance
<br /> <br /> Ms. Angelou writes with literary brilliance, and "I Know Why The caged Bird Sings" is no exception. Part poetic, part memoir...she brings her life in to full view for all to see, read and feel. She has triumphed.and isn't afraid to tell about it. I rate this highly with books such as "Nighmares Echo" and "The Color Purple" among other wonderful memoirs written in the past year or so.

Machiavellian
Not a man to judge others by their Christian names, I opened this book expelling my prejudices and bias. I admit, however, that my history has caught up to me, and I will be unable to complete the undertaking. It is now obvious to me that the author, like the central character of the novel, is an insidious rebel and a Negress who will never belong here. Shut your mind - and your soul - from this treason.

Impressionable
This is an amazing autobiography. Ms. Angelou is a beautiful story teller. She leads you in with beautiful words, but don't get the impression that it is simply a sweet book because its not. She tells the way it really was for her growing up and all the courage needed to survive.

Also recommending highly: Nightmares Echo (courage and determination in the life of a child of abuse,self-healing)Running With Scissors (deals with abuse,dysfunction,also courageous) ... Read more

Book Description

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER--NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK!

Known to millions of readers of The Perfect Storm as the captain of the Hannah Boden, sister ship to the Andrea Gail, Linda Greenlaw is also known as one of the best sea captains on the East Coast. Here she offers an adventure-soaked tale of her own, complete with danger, humor, and characters so colorful they seem to have been ripped from the pages of Moby Dick.

"A beautiful book...a story of triumph, of a woman not only making it but succeeding at the highest level in one of the most male-dominated and most dangerous professions." -- Douglas Whynott,

The New York Times Book Review

"An authentic, insightful account of the intensity of captaining a crew of strong men in an ocean which does what it wants." -- Daniel Hays, co-author of My Old Man and the Sea

"A crystal-clear account of fishing the Grand Banks in a modern swordfish boat. Greenlaw is an excellent captainand an excellent writer." -- John Casey, author of Spartina

... Read more

Reviews (191)

A Surprise and a Treat
When I first picked up this book I thought "Here is someone trying to cash in on 15 minutes of fame" as a character in Sebastian Junger's A PERFECT STORM. Nothing could be further from the truth. Linda Greenlaw does not write about the storm that claimed the crew of her sister ship, the Andrea Gail, but rather describes the routine of a normal month-long fishing trip on board the Hannah Boden to the Grand Banks in search of swordfish. I found the narrative to be honest and straightforward with wonderful moments of humor. The book was difficult to put down. Greenlaw captures both the adrenaline rush and the utter fatigue brought on my thirty days spent at sea. When I came to the end of the book, I had the same question the owner of the Hannah Boden always had for Greenlaw when she returned to Gloucester. "When are you going back out?"

The Hungry Ocean will eat your soul!
In the words of the only woman Swordboat captain plying the Grand Banks fishing fields, you get a glimpse into the life of a modernday Ahab. It takes a special kind of person to sign up for a month of crowded quarters & hardy hygiene; mind-boggling hours of either endless maintenance or baiting & trolling. With a poet's eye for the beauty of her surroundings & her vessel & a fine sense of humor when it comes to her mischievous crew, Linda Greenlaw's memories, aspirations & impeccable courage & skill make this book a grand read. By the way, this is the life & times of the captain of the sister ship "Andrea Gail" about which Sebastian Junger wrote in "The Perfect Storm", soon to be released as a motion picture.

A very good read about something most of us will never do
This book isn't life-changing or even inspirational--in a good way. I was hesitant initially because I thought the book might work a 'girl-power' angle as Greenlaw is one of, if not the only, female swordfish captains in the world. Instead, it does a fantastic job of describing a world most of us will never know--the inner workings of a fisherman's (woman's) life: the politics involved in pleasing a demanding boat owner and restless crew, the tedious waiting game where instincts and electronics seek the elusive fish many days away from shore, and the excitment of the non-stop work when the fishing is good. It even gives an account of the finances involved including a breakdown of the market price of fish and how it affects everyone's pay. I had no idea of the immense costs each fishing trip takes in equipment, food, and gas. It is a great look at the day-to-day life. Where it falls short is addressing some grander issues such as the environment and the history and future of fishing. Greenlaw does have a few sentences sprinkled throughout and it's clear that from her viewpoint that the environment hoopla about overfishing is overblown and while these statements do make the reader long for more knowledge on the topic, I guess the authenticity of the book is that we get the raw one-sided opinion of a true fisherman (woman) and not some policy wonk. A very good read.

Fantastic!
I actually could not put this book down--I read it in one day. It provides a vicarious experience of a truly unique profession. Totally engrossing.

Well written description of longline fishing and leadership
Longline fishing remains a controversial subject. The author touches on slightly the issue of over fishing but simply states that the USA has the best managed fishing regulations in the world and it's all those pesky foreigners that cause the problems. The issue of longline fishing itself and the havoc it causes to sea life not associated with the catch is not addressed in the book. Ms Greenlaw, however gives a very well written and detailed and fascinating exposition of the organisation, equipment, and techniques that go into a single voyage which she peppers with individual anecdotes of incidents at sea. But, it is also an exemplary study of leadership and those who fly our planes, drive our buses and trucks, steer our ferries, or manage work sites of any kind might read this book and see how they measure up. As my idea of a sea adventure is to catch the Manly Ferry from Manly to Circular Quay, across Sydney Harbour Australia, THE HUNGRY OCEAN also gives a real feel of the beauty and power of that beast. ... Read more

Book Description

What's it like to be a food writer? What's it like dining at some of the world's best restaurants, as well as some of the worst? What's it like to share your opinion about food and restaurants with readers around the world?

Mimi Sheraton is one of the most renowned food writers and restaurant reviewers in the country. And perhaps the most frequently asked question is, How did she do it? Her response is simple: "Live my life." Now, in this entertaining and candid memoir, the doyenne of food critics provides a heartfelt and poignant look at the events of her extraordinary life.

A devoted journalist, Mimi's engaging style and meticulous research have made her the standard by which restaurant reviewing and food criticism in the United States is measured. In Eating My Words, she describes how she developed her passion for writing about food and travel. Witty and straightforward, Mimi takes you on an engrossing journey of memorable meals, unforgettable people and outrageous experiences. Travel with Mimi from her childhood growing up in a food-loving Brooklyn family with a very demanding mother ("You call that a chicken?") and a father in the wholesale fruit and vegetable business, through her college years in Manhattan and her rise to fame.

Best known for her work as the restaurant critic at the New York Times, Mimi relates her experiences from how she landed the job there to why she left eight years later. As a journalist, she has tasted and reported on some of the world's finest cuisine, including three-starred French restaurants, and on some of the most dismal food imaginable, from hospital and public school meals to the often unrecognizable fare served in airplanes and fast food chains.

Forthright and never afraid to be controversial, Mimi talks about the importance of a reviewer's anonymity and the excitement of making a new culinary discovery like the now notorious Rao's, and then sharing it through her writing. She reveals some of her most challenging moments, right down to a masked appearance on French television with several well-known French chefs that ended in a mini-brawl.

Fueled by her passion for food, wine and travel, Mimi Sheraton's memoir is a degustation that is as engaging as it is enlightening. A true reflection of this bon vivant's voracious appetite for life, Eating My Words is an irresistible treat you will savor word by word ... and will feel utterly satisfied.

Reviews (2)

A Sharp, Short and Witty Delight
By Bill Marsano. Years ago, in the slim hope of making myself useful on a certain magazine, I often volunteered to edit Mimi Sheraton's column. She was counted a tough cookie by the other editors, who preferred saps. My stock did in fact rise through self-sacrifice, and so did my free time, for the fact was her column was a breeze.

Of course, if an editor mucked around with her copy (and that, I can say without exposing any trade secrets, is what editors generally do), then it wasn't a breeze. So after reading her tight-knit prose, her well-reasoned judgments, her lucid thoughts, I'd call her about a couple of minor points and we'd agree on changing or not in about ten minutes. Then, with my door shut and no one in any case daring to approach Sheraton Control, I had the afternoon free. (Later, when other editors asked how it had gone, I just rolled my eyes.)

Keys to Sheraton's style were sticking to the subject and not showing off. Her judgments were measured, not designed to become sound bites; the meal was the star, not the reviewer. Here she does write about (among many other things) herself, and what an interesting self she turns out to be. She covers a lot of ground, including childhood before the war (i.e., World War II); college-girl adventures in New York City (especially funny: her story of breaking up with a civilian boyfriend while being attached to two other guys in the armed services); early work in home-furnishings journalism; plunging into food writing through a passion for travel; her ups and downs as a nationally known food critic for the New York Times (and other publications) and her attempts at improving what professionals call "volume feedings and mass management" and the rest of us call jail, airline, school and hospital food.

Sheraton has a fine line in dry wit and is always informative: Most readers will learn some surprising things about restaurants and reviewing. She lists the 20 most-asked quiestion and answers every one, and provides a good idea of the pressures applied to a critic by big-name restaurateurs--and by people who think they're critics just because they run a newspaper. (Odd--but I don't think the Times has reviewed her book. Odd.) But she isn't dishy. Anyone looking here for gossip, innuendo and the settling of scores has come to the wrong place. Sheraton conquers but she does not stoop.

And she does it all in 240 pages. One reason is that she writes tightly and tartly. (At least one other well-known "foodie" has published two books, totaling nearly 600 pages, and isn't finished yet.) Another is that she speaks often of wonderful dishes but gives no recipes. Good for her. Recipes are turning up in lots of places they don't really belong these days, including mysteries and popular novels. I usually suspect that means the author hasn't really got the goods, and knows it, and hopes I won't notice. (For much the same reason I resist nutritional puns traditional in this sort of review. I refuse to call this a "bubbling bouillaisse of a book.") The only time she comes close to such nonsense is with her brisk instructions (maybe a dozen words?) for how to make a Jewish chicken--or a chicken Jewish.

Sheraton's 240 pages go rattling by--there's no padding--and because even now I read as an editor, I ticked a few things: I disagree with her use of "ascribe" and "masterful," and former New York City Mayor John Lindsay would, if he could, on personal orthography. Once where she says Michelin I'm almost certain she means Gault-Millau, but that's about it. (Come to think of it, where was the copy editor?) In all, the experience was like those long-gone magazine days: great reading and effortless, too.--Bill Marsano is a professional writer and editor.

Insights: Serious and Fun
Why hasn't the New York Times reviewed this book?

Here's why:

Ms. Sheraton is a former NYTimes employee; the Times even published her restaurant review book.

She tells a lot-not all, I'm sure, -but enough to learn about how newspaper management attempts to influence a journalist even on the level of restaurant reviews.

Very interesting; but here's the real point of the book:

Ever wanted to enjoy "behind the scenes" anecdotes direct from, quite probably, the nation's most famous restaurant critic?

Great foodie stories; learn some interesting dining, cooking ideas and definitely get a few chuckles.

This book just inspired my dinner this evening! ... Read more

Book Description

Martha Brockenbrough's It Could Happen To You is a delightfully funny diary of the author's own pregnancy through the first year of her daughter's life.It is the perfect antidote to all of the patronizing, horribly dull pregnancy books, which are long on advice and short on laughs.It Could Happen To You began as a column Brockenbrough wrote for the Microsoft Network while she was pregnant.During its tenure on MSN, it was the most widely read column about pregnancy and motherhood on the Internet.It's easy to see why.Brockenbrough's amusing approach to pregnancy and motherhood will strike a chord with experienced moms and the newly pregnant alike, who may wonder, as the author did, "Do I really have to wear maternity clothes?"Throughout the book, Brockenbrough shares her joys and her fears, and asks the questions every new mom wants to know, such as, "Why do old ladies keep telling me my baby is cold?" and share the realization that 'When you're a mother, your guilt light goes off the second you start doing something for you, instead of something for your child." A few not-to-be-missed chapters written by her husband, Adam, such as "A Guy's Guide to Baby Holding," provide a comical male perspective on the whole experience.Refreshingly honest and funny, It Could Happen To You is just right for bolstering the most important tool a new parent has - a sense of humor. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

you must read this book!
This book is unique. My wife and I are expecting our first child in a couple of months. She got this book from a friend and insisted that I read it. Boy am I glad that I did. Not only is it hilarious, but its the first pregnancy book I have read with a chapter just for Dad's to be that actually contains useful advice. Martha's husband writes a chapter that had me rolling! This book talks about all the things surrounding pregnancy that other books gloss over. It's the perfect, light, funny companion to the pregnancy instruction books we all know about (i.e. What to expect when you're expecting). Martha has a unique style that really sets her apart. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

I'm buying a copy for all my pregnant friends!
Loved the column (I've read it when I was pregnant), love the book! Any future mom (or woman having second thoughts about motherhood) should read this book.
I cried, I laughed (my husband, my daughter and our pet looked at me suspiciously) I translated favourite parts to anyone who would listen..
Martha, please keep writing.

Just what the doctor (or midwife) ordered....
If the hormonal swings of pregnancy are getting you down, a dose of Martha Brockenbrough could be just what the doctor (or midwife) ordered. It Could Happen to You: Diary of a Pregnancy and Beyond makes the perfect companion to some of the more serious pregnancy reference books - the kind that may be causing you to toss and turn at night. Brockenbrough has the gift of being about to see the humor in everything from morning sickness to labor to mother guilt - and, trust me, that really is a gift. A lot of mamas-to-be lose their sense of humor long before delivery day....

Refreshingly funny!
In a world where boring advice books are a dime a dozen, "It Could Happen to You!" is a lovely reprieve. The author's hilarious perspective of in-the-trenches pregnancy and parenthood shows the real side of having a baby. Her witty and sometimes irreverent observations on this eye-opening stage of life provide endless laughs -- and sometimes tears. This book is a must-have for all new moms and those soon-to-be!

Are there more than 5 stars anywhere??
This book is absolutely delightful. I read exerpts of it to my husband last night and we were both laughing. This tickled my funny bone absolutely.

Get it, read it, love it like we do.

Happy New Year! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ten Thousand Sorrows starts with its young narrator watching her mother's murder; improbably, things go downhill from there. "Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood," Frank McCourt famously wrote in Angela's Ashes. But McCourt's hardscrabble youth looks like a walk in the park compared to the experiences of Elizabeth Kim. The child of an illicit union between a Korean mother and an American father, Kim grows up the object of disgust and contempt in rural Korea. As a honhyol, or mixed-race child, she isn't considered a person at all.

Yet her mother refuses to sell her into servitude, and for that show of compassion she pays with her life. In the harrowing scene that opens the book, Kim watches from a hiding place as her mother--the victim of a so-called honor killing--is hanged from a rafter: "All I could see through the bamboo slats were her bare feet, dangling in midair. I watched those milk-white feet twitch, almost with the rhythm of the Hwagwan-mu dance, and then grow still." Left alone in the world, without so much as a name or date of birth, Kim ends up in an orphanage where she spends hours on end locked in a crib that resembles a cage. Things ought to look up when an American couple adopts her. Instead, one form of abuse merely replaces another, as the pastor and his wife tell Kim that her mother "left her to die in a rice paddy" and immediately take away any toy or pet to which she develops an attachment. Later, Kim escapes into a young marriage (arranged, naturally, by her fundamentalist parents), only to find no refuge there either. Surely there is a special place in hell reserved for her husband, the kind of pathological sadist who becomes aroused only by inflicting pain.

By this point, the reader begins to feel like something of a sadist herself. It's a tribute to Kim's skill as a writer that we can't look away from her pain, even when it might feel more comfortable to do so. True, she does leave her husband, make herself a new life with her daughter, begin a journalism career without benefit of training or degree--all of which demonstrates an amazing tenacity and inner strength. Yet the latter half of the book employs the familiar vocabulary of healing without doing much to convince. Reconciled with her experiences, Kim doesn't necessarily seem to have finished processing them. Her book has all the raw urgency of a call to 911: it feels written for the author's very survival. --Chloe Byrne ... Read more

Reviews (92)

An Awesome Journey!
Wow! I just finished this book last night, and I'm floored. What an incredible life this woman has led! This book made me so thankful for the things that I have. I really loved that in spite of what Kim has been through, you don't get the sense that she's wallowing in self pity. She manages somehow to tell us her story without putting blame on anyone or sounding like she feels sorry for herself. It was just incredible to read the story of how she learned to forgive the people around her, and how she learned to love herself. A truly amazing story. I feel lucky to have read it.

Rare courage
This is a wonderful, beautifully written book. After hearing an interview with her on National Public Radio, I knew I had to read it. I was appalled that one reviewer suggested that Kim "made some of it up to make her life seem more tragic." To naively or cruelly mock someone's suffering is unthinkable. Kim's Omma would be proud of her. After all that she endured, she was able to triumph in the end, and I believe that this is a clear indication that she is her mother's daughter. This is an encouraging story for all of those who have experienced pain, and are in the process of healing. I highly recommend this book for all parents, especially those considering foreign adoption. In fact, I recommend it to all my friends, and I'm not the type to generally read an "Oprah pick" type book; I prefer sci fi. Anyway, Elizabeth Kim deserves a hand. I wish her and her daughter the very best.

Readers Remarks are Numbing
I found myself shaking my head in wonder and disgust as I read some of the reviewer remarks for this book. Everone's memories are just that - Memories. I can't belive how some have shredded this strong woman's memories. Seems to me if all you can focus on are the fact's, then you are missing the bigger picture - feelings. I was 7 years old and came from the renowend Holt Adoption Agency. Here are some of my memories as an adopted Korean war orphan of mixed race: kids laughing at me from the outside of the chain-link fence at the orphanage I lived; kids laughing at me on the playground at recess time in grade school; knowing that Omma left me at an orphanage; adoption records reflecting father unknown and no siblings but remembering the day my baby brother was born; that my father had blue eyes; going to the public baths with my Omma; living in a box in the streets; being terrified of the night well into adulthood; getting in line everytime a group of kids were sent to families; being told many times "it's not your turn;" hearing airplanes in the night; waking on the plane on the way to America and knowing it was my birthday; dropping my hair barrett on the tarmac thinking it was going to get broken when run over by a plane; having scars on my body not knowing how they got there; getting off the airplane; watching a child squat and pee in the grass; staring at an ice cream cone in my hand wondering what it was; being in school one month after arriving; told I couldn't speak English but remembering I understood it anyway; losing my new family to the newest adoptee in my family; she was the pretty one - I was the difficult one; beatings because my mother couldn't cope; what did they expect at age 55? But they were good Christian folks so what does it matter that they don't know anything about cross-cultural children. Hating my new sister because she wasn't a boy and she took my new family away. Trying to find love anywhere I could, even if it hurt. Holding my first born son in my arms feeling unconditional love for the very first time in my memory. Learning to find worth and loving myself. The only Korean words I remember are Omma and Aboji (?) momma and papa. There are more memories - are they accurate? I don't know. Did they shape me? Certainly - they've been a part of me long as I remember. I forgive my adoptive parents. They did the best they could. They're both gone now, and I am saddened that we never bonded in all these years. I got tired of trying to win their love or anyone elses. I never had trouble loving others. It was loving myself that was so difficult, but I'm learning. However the story is told - my deep, deep respect to Ms. Kim. You said it so very well. Cross-cultural adoption? I love the United States, it's my home. But I never thought my life in Korea was bad. That's were Omma is, my baby brother, memories of my father (whoever he is); knowing my Omma loved me. You know she was pregnant with me during the war and cared for me throughtout that time. It must have been very hard. I've always believed she left me at the orphanage to give me a better life. A childhood fantasy to overcome abandonment? I don't know. But these are my memories. Are they fact? I don't know that either - but they sure seem real to me. Practice loving-kindness .. it soothes the soul and eases the pain in this crazy life we lead.

Someone knows how I feel
I too am a Korean War orphan, and of mixed-race descent. Ms. Kim's and my tale are very similar, though I can gratefully say I do not recall physical abuse in my life. Emotional abuse - yes. I remember very little about my life. And what I do remember is in bits and peices of dreams, tastes, and sounds. However, my heart remembers everything. For the first time in my life, someone understands the feelings I have lived with since childhood. I thought I was the only one who felt like this. The not belonging, not fitting in, not being loved, not being wanted, forever drifting through life, questioning my sanity. Always feeling like I'm on the edge of the abyss. And this all prevasive need to be so, so perfect so I can "belong." And through it all, thinking it was my fault. Ms. Kim's story filled my soul with tears of pain and compassion - for the loss of innocence, for the unquestionable right of every child for love and acceptance. I am learning how much of my psyche is Korean. I see it in my emotional responses to life and people; in my stong respect for Buddist teachings though I embrace the Grace of liberal Christianity. I hope to find the healing that will make my spirit free in this journey of self-discovery I am undertaking. Thank you Ms. Kim for sharing your tale. May the Spirit of love and forgivness heal you at last.

One writer's opinion
I was also at the Corte Madera event one reviewer talks about, and I must take exception. Elizabeth was speaking, ostensibly, to a roomful of professional writers, and she was asked to talk candidly about the pitfalls of memoir-writing. She was letting us know what to watch out for, what kind of painful experiences might be expected, etc. She didn't "bad mouth" anyone -- she talked honestly and openly in the hope of helping other writers navigate unfamiliar waters. She spoke with humility and humor, and her speech, like her book, was self-effacing, completely lacking in self-pity, and devastatingly honest. I've read about the controversy, and I notice it's non-published writers who attack her. Other writers, who know the truth about what it's like having the courage to put yourself out there, are supportive. And Koreans of her age and background also support her and remember similar stories. Jealousy does, indeed, make critics of us all. ... Read more