Thursday, December 10, 2009

IN MY FATHER'S SHADOW : A DAUGHTER REMEMBERS ORSON WELLES
by Chris Welles Feder

Orson Welles was a great filmmaker, who is more famous and revered, twenty-four years after his death, than he ever was when he was alive. His genius at producing incredible works of visual art have been celebrated at workshops, seminars and film forums.
Chris Welles (Orson named her Christopher), the eldest of three daughters, absolutely adored her elusive father. The feeling was mutual between them even as the rest of the family attempted to keep them apart, because they thought that Orson would be a terrible influence.
She never stopped believing in him.
In My Father's Shadow is a wonderful, poignant story of a very lonely girl, who inherited her father's brilliance, but longed for her own identity and eventual independence. It's also a personal yet revealing portrait of a most misunderstood and underappreciated man.
In writing this book, Chris is no longer in the shadow of her father.
Recommended.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

LOUIS MAY ALCOTT : THE WOMAN BEHIND LITTLE WOMEN
by Harriet Reisen

Although depicted as Jo March in Little Women, Louisa May Alcott was so much more than her alter ego. Louisa's life encompassed deprivation, poor health, tragedy, independence and, eventually, success. (Her book sales would surpass prominent authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was a good friend of the family.)
She and her three sisters were the daughters of Bronson and Abigail. The family moved thirty times due to Bronson's incapacity to have a steady job. He was a transcendentalist, with utopian dreams, which always fell short. For a while, he taught, until the parents took their children out of the schools due to his radical thinking.
Alcott had a tumultuous childhood. She was known as a tomboy and was quite boisterous with one hell of a temper. Always the ringleader amongst her siblings and the neighborhood children, she would relish being the center of attention.
Later, when she took up writing, she would harness these experiences in some of her stories.
Harriet Reisen has done a marvelous job of sifting through Alcott's journals, letters, and recollections with family and friends to reveal quite a portrait of a fascinating character.
Here are some less known facts about her: she was a Civil War nurse, an abolitionist, and a feminist, who,
secretly, wrote pulp fiction using a pseudonym, A. M. Barnard.
An absorbing account of an extraordinary woman.
Recommended.


Sunday, November 1, 2009

THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE : A MEMOIR
by Nancy Bachrach

While living in Paris and working in advertising (selling antiperspirant to the French) Nancy Bachrach receives a telephone call from her brother. The news is not good. In fact, it's awful.
Their parents have been in an accident while on their boat. Mort is dead and Lola is in a coma.
Nancy is told to prepare for a double funeral.
Paris is now left behind as the three siblings converge, back in Providence,R.I., and decide what is to be done next.
The Center of the Universe is one hell of a ride. What a family saga!
Mort was a repairman who screwed up everything he touched. (The name of the cabin cruiser was Mr. Fix It.)
Lola was considered a genius, but was bi-polar.
All three children have inherited intelligence. Nancy, the oldest, started writing at a very young age. She has a doctorate in philosophy.
Ben, the middle child, is a piano prodigy born with three thumbs. He is a pulmonologist.
Helen, known as the wild one, is an abnormal psychologist.
This book absolutely blew me away. Nancy Bachrach is quite a wordsmith. In no time, you are enveloped and completely wrapped up in the story.
It's dark, humorous, compelling and just downright terrific.
Highly recommended.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

THE MAN WHO LOVED BOOKS TOO MUCH : THE TRUE STORY OF A THIEF, A DETECTIVE, AND A WORLD OF LITERARY OBSESSION
by Allison Hoover Bartlett

When it comes to the realm of books, passions can run very deeply. The bibliophiles, among us, love books, read them, voraciously, and share their wealth with other devotees.
Bibliomaniacs are obsessed with collecting rare tomes and will stop at nothing in acquiring them.
John Gilkey is one of these. An unrepentant thief, he stole a fortune in antiquarian books around the country and hoarded them away.
Ken Sanders, an obsessive collector, himself, strove to catch Gilkey. He set up a stolen-book database for dealers all over the world. Acting as a persistent sleuth eventually paid off.
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much is fun to read. Allison Bartlett delves into historical figures who collected books, sellers at book fairs, the method that Gilkey used to commit his crimes, and why he did it in the first place.
Suspenseful, humorous and just plain delightful.
Recommended.

Monday, October 5, 2009

HARRY TRUMAN'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE : THE TRUE STORY OF A GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
by Matthew Algeo

Six months after Harry Truman left the office of the presidency, he and his wife, Bess, decided to take a road trip. Harry bought a Chrysler New Yorker that had all of the latest gadgets. (He loved cars.) But, it had been eight years since he had been behind the wheel of one, so he needed a refresher course learning how to use power brakes and power steering.
They set off, on June 19, 1953. No press. No Secret Service. Just the two of them, traveling for three weeks, alone, hoping to be incognito.
Author Matthew Algeo meticulously details every place the Trumans went and he himself takes the same route, stays at the same hotels and eats at the same restaurants.
Trivia abounds in this book, such as: the origin of the first "mo-tel" in the world; who designed the Holiday Inn and how Irving Berlin was involved; why the Waldorf=Astoria was written with an equal sign, etc.
You will find historical information about presidents, the highway system, the automobile industry and so much more.
A tremendous read. Not to be missed.
Highly recommended.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

ADA BLACKJACK : A TRUE STORY OF SURVIVAL IN THE ARCTIC
by Jennifer Niven

Wrangel Island was a desolate, uninhabited outpost in the Arctic. Nobody had ever been there before, let alone knew who it belonged to.
Vilhjalmur Stefansson decided that it should be colonized, for Canada, and recruited four young men to live off the land with supplies good for only six months. The parents were less than happy, but the sons all idolized Stefansson (an explorer, himself) and would do anything for him.
They were hoping to have some Eskimos join them, but they all backed out, until Ada Blackjack, a 23-year-old Inuit woman from Nome, Alaska, came along. She was their seamstress.
So, in 1921, the party of five set off on a ship and were deposited on the island.
Ada Blackjack is one hell of a story. Jennifer Niven, the author, was able to use Ada Blackjack's diaries, which had never been seen before, unpublished writings from other important characters and interviews with Ada's second son.
Loaded with history and incredible photographs, this book knocks you with a wallop.
Recommended.



Tuesday, September 15, 2009

LILI MARLENE : THE SOLDIERS' SONG OF WORLD WAR II
by Liel Leibovitz and Matthew Miller

Every night, at 9:57, a sentimental song was played on Radio Belgrade, a German military station.
It was World War II and both the Axis and Allied soldiers were totally captivated by this sweet melody. The Minister of Culture and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, banned the music from the airwaves saying that the men should be listening to spirited marches instead, while the BBC felt that the soldiers were becoming sympathetic to the enemy.
"Lili Marlene" would become the most recorded tune in the world and would garner much success to the three people who brought it to life.
Hans Leip was the lyricist. He started out being a teacher, but really preferred to write and was known, originally, as a poet. When he wrote the words as a love poem, he never intended for it to become public.
Norbert Schultze, the composer, was a pianist for a group that did quite well playing at a cabaret in Berlin. He then became a solo artist and wrote operas and soundtracks. In order to stay out of the war and not have to fight, he composed military music for Hitler's invasions.
Lale Andersen (not her real name) became the singer who introduced the song to the troops. Her voice, which was considered harsh, still mesmerized those that heard it at the end of a long day of fighting.
Lili Marlene is one terrific read. It's jam-packed with details. The two authors did a tremendous job sifting through all the documentation.
Black-and-white photographs and sketches are found in the first half of the book.
Highly recommended.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

TO THE END OF THE EARTH : OUR EPIC JOURNEY TO THE NORTH POLE AND THE LEGEND OF PEARY AND HENSON
by Tom Avery

There's been quite a bit of controversy concerning U.S. Naval Commander Robert Peary over whether or not he did make it to the North Pole back in 1909. It took him thirty-seven days. Opponents have argued that his speed was impossible and there was no viable witness.
Tom Avery, a polar explorer, decided to see for himself, along with three men and one woman, if it could be done. So, in 2005, his team re-created the same journey as Peary, using the same equipment (replica wooden sleds tied with cord) and dog teams.
Along the way Avery kept a diary noting the day, the date, the temperature (always in negative degrees), miles made and miles to go.
The journey was treacherous, dangerous, brutally cold (they all suffered from frostbite in one form or another), and almost lost their lives.
The team completed 413 miles in thirty-six days and twenty-two hours, which means they beat Peary's record by four hours.
To The End of the Earth is a terrific story. It's very well-written and Avery did his homework regarding background information on Peary, plus other polar explorers.
Fourteen and a half pages of color photographs of Avery's team, the dogs, the terrain and a couple of black-and-white ones of Peary's journey are sandwiched in the middle of the book.
Right before the index can be found a complete log of Avery's adventure.
If you're looking for a way to cool off during the oppressive heat of summer, get a copy of this book. You won't be hot for long.
Highly recommended.

Monday, August 17, 2009

PROVENANCE : HOW A CON MAN AND A FORGER REWROTE THE HISTORY OF MODERN ART
by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo

It was the biggest art fraud of the twentieth century. Two hundred new paintings were created in the styles of Giacometti, Nicholson, Braques, Matisse, Chagall, et al, and passed off as originals.
The forger was John Myatt, a single father, struggling for money. He was coerced by a psychopathic con artist, John Drewe, a man with a mellifluous voice who charmed and manipulated everyone around him.
For almost a decade, from 1986 to 1994, these works fooled countless dealers, collectors and auctioneers all over the world.
Even today, many of the fakes still hang in large galleries and famous museums.
Unfortunately, the archives are a bit messy because they were altered to reflect the "genuineness" of the bogus pieces.
Salisbury and Sujo have written a rip-roaring story. A fast-paced page-turner with such fantastic details that you're almost disappointed when you come to the end.
A true masterpiece. The book is, in itself, a brilliant work of art.
Very highly recommended.

Friday, August 7, 2009

THE DEVIL'S TICKETS : A NIGHT OF BRIDGE, A FATAL HAND, AND A NEW AMERICAN AGE
by Gary M. Pomerantz

Contract bridge was a huge craze during the 1920s in America. Four people sat together at a small table, composed mainly of couples, spending hours with their partners hoping to score the greatest number of points to win the game.
Ely Culbertson was the perfect man (in his eyes) to promote bridge and built a phenomenal empire. He wrote books, lectured and was even on the radio. His favorite partner was his own wife, Josephine. Culbertson knew that, sometimes, the relationship between husbands and wives would be stretched or explode due to miscommunication.
Myrtle and Jack Bennett sat down one night, in 1929, to play bridge with another married couple. Passions became inflamed. Myrtle called Jack a "bum bridge player," he slapped her across her face in front of their friends and started to walk out the door. Within seconds, Jack was shot by Myrtle with his pistol and that was the end of him.
The Devil's Tickets is a mesmerizing tale. There are two parallel stories going on at the same time. The author does a terrific job in introducing each character and effortlessly weaves everything together.
If you want to know how to play contract bridge, you can find it at the end of the book along with a glossary.
It's written extremely well and is just a delight to read.
Recommended.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

PORTRAIT : THE LIFE OF THOMAS EAKINS
by William S. McFeely

It was not until twelve years after his death that Thomas Eakins finally received the recognition that he so deserved. The Philadelphia Museum of Art acquired a huge amount of his paintings donated by Susan MacDowell Eakins, the largest gift a museum had ever received on one artist.
Growing up in the nineteenth century, Thomas was a true Renaissance man. He excelled at everything he put his mind to. Central High School, in Philadelphia, known as the "People's College," put that talent to work. He was fascinated with anatomy, medicine, mechanical engineering and of course drawing and gave the valedictory address at his graduation.
Eakins went off to Paris and then later, Spain, to study art. His fluency in seven languages made him easily fit in.
He returned to Philadelphia and eventually became a teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
In Portrait William S. McFeely delves into homosexuality (depicted in Eakins' most famous work Swimming); depression (inherited from his mother); relationships among his wife, Thoreau, Walt Whitman, his family; the pervasive sadness that Eakins' portraits seemed to portray.
There are black-and-white drawings, photographs and sixteen pages of color plates.
In three of his paintings, Thomas Eakins is in the artwork: Max Schmitt in a Single Scull, Swimming, and The Gross Clinic.
Well-researched (the author is a historian and wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning Grant) and revealing, the book is an important work of a true realist.
Recommended.

Friday, July 3, 2009

AMERICAN EVE : EVELYN NESBIT, STANFORD WHITE, THE BIRTH OF THE "IT" GIRL, AND THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY
by Paula Uruburu

She was known as the "IT" girl and by the time she was sixteen she was known to millions. Her photograph appeared everywhere. She was the first supermodel in America.
Sitting in a multitude of poses, for hours on end, every day became boring, though, and Evelyn Nesbit decided to change careers and become an actress. That was the beginning of her demise.
She ended up in a love triangle between Stanford White, an architect, who designed most of the buildings of New York City and her very jealous millionaire husband, Harry K. Thaw.
White was shot by Thaw and Evelyn was in the middle of it all. It was a huge scandal and the media went wild. Her courtroom testimony was drama in and of itself.
American Eve is one hell of a story. The writing is superb. A tremendous amount of research went into this book; ten years, in fact. The author decided to write about Evelyn Nesbit after going to a postcard show and finding a picture of this young, sultry girl.
Read this book. You won't be disappointed.
Very highly recommended.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

BITTERSWEET : LESSONS FROM MY MOTHER'S KITCHEN
by Matt McAllester

His was a most idyllic childhood. Food was the main centerpiece. Heavenly meals came from a whole dearth of cookbooks, the most important ones being the Elizabeth Davids. She surfaced in 1950 long before Julia Child. Family life was sublime for many years until Matt McAllester's mother started to decline into madness. Her illness was never properly diagnosed. Before she died, the doctors had finally figured it out, but it was already too late. She lasted until the age of 60.
It is very hard for Matt to come to terms with his grief. He keeps looking for her and reads old letters trying to understand what went wrong. Then he inherits most of his mother's cookbook collection. Through these recipes, he realizes that by cooking them, himself, he can find her and bring back his good memories.
Bittersweet was an absolute joy to read. The writing is gorgeous. I didn't want the book to end. Even though it was sad, at times, it was also powerful.
There are recipes interspersed and you just salivate with his descriptions of what he prepares. Family photos appear here and there.
McAllester has crafted a winner.
Highly recommended.

Monday, June 8, 2009

WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT? : A PERSONAL HISTORY
by Danzy Senna

In 1968, two young, intelligent Americans, from totally different backgrounds, were married. She was a white woman and descended from the DeWolfes with pedigrees a mile long.
He was a black man born to a single mother and an unknown father. Both of them were writers.
Eight years later, they would divorce.
Neither parent ever divulged much information as to their respective ancestral history, so Danzy Senna decides to do her own sleuth work. She goes to the Los Angeles Public Library and finds many books on her mother's family. Her father's side is a bit murky. He is a contradiction. The more Danzy digs, the more a family mystery unfolds.
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? is an absorbing tale of race and identity. Writing is, obviously, in her genes and Danzy certainly knows how to weave a terrific story.
Highly recommended.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

THE GOLDEN WILLOW : THE STORY OF A LIFETIME OF LOVE
by Harry Bernstein

At the ripe old age of ninety-four, Harry Bernstein wrote his first book, The Invisible Wall and two years later, his second book The Dream. (Both were reviewed in this blog.)
Now that Bernstein has turned ninety-nine comes the final tale in the trilogy.
The Golden Willow is a tender tribute of his long romance married to his wife, Ruby, for almost seventy years.
They met at a dance, in New York, and instantly fell in love. After marriage, in 1935, their first abode was a tiny rented room (nowadays called a studio apartment) in the Upper West Side. A few years later, they moved to Greenwich Village. Though poor, the two of them managed. Ruby was the one doing all the supporting by working as a secretary at a bookstore. Harry did, eventually, get a job at MGM. He was a reader of books and plays that might be considered as movie material.
Children soon followed and they moved, again, to rear them in the suburbs.
Harry and Ruby shared an incredible love and went through very few bumps in their life together. Then, when Ruby was ninety-one, she contracted leukemia and passed away.
Harry was alone for the first time in his life. The only way he could get through his grief was to write.
A wonderful memoir, just like his previous two. If we're lucky, we might get another one. Bernstein is working on a new book.
Recommended.

Monday, May 25, 2009

WHEN SKATEBOARDS WILL BE FREE : A MEMOIR OF A POLITICAL CHILDHOOD
by Said Sayrafiezadeh

The socialist revolution is coming. It is imminent. So believed Said's parents who were both comrades in the Socialist Workers Party. His father, Mahmoud, an Iranian and his mother, Martha, a Jewish American, were adamant that eliminating capitalism would dissolve suffering.
When Said was nine months old, his parents separated due to their desire to find that perfect socialist society. He spent his childhood growing up poor, with his mother, in a whole series of derelict apartments in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their poverty was self-inflicted. Martha, who majored in literature in college and dreamed of becoming a writer, worked for 30 years as a secretary at Carnegie Mellon. (Her brother, Mark Harris, was a novelist and best known for Bang the Drum Slowly.) Mahmoud, a mathematics professor at a university, remained absent from his son's life persuing the fight that he intended to lead.
When the hostage crisis surfaces, in Iran, Said is confronted with quite an identity complex and ends up losing friends by espousing the familiar rhetoric that has been ingrained in him.
When Skateboards Will Be Free is a fantastic memoir. The writing draws you in from the first sentence and never lets you go.
Highly recommended.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

THE PAINTER'S CHAIR : GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE MAKING OF AMERICAN ART
by Hugh Howard

George Washington never did relish sitting for an artist. But, as he had done so for various times, he resigned himself to it. This was the only way painters could produce his likeness on canvas.
In the eighteenth century, art in America was not as popular or current as it was in Europe.
That was soon to change with the emergence of Charles Willson Peale, the man who was everyone's friend; John Trumbull, an aristocrat, who thought very highly of himself; Benjamin West, a mentor to all artists; and Gilbert Stuart, probably the most gifted one. (His unfinished portrait of Washington is on the one-dollar bill.)
These men produced works of their hero, who became an icon to the American republic.
Hugh Howard does an incredible job of depicting the lives of the painters and Washington's interaction with them.
There's some neat trivia, here, too. Both Robert Fulton and Samuel F.B. Morse make an appearance.
The Painter's Chair is a marvelous book, full of history and detailed descriptions of the works. There are sixteen pages of colored plates.
The author's sources for the text were the papers of Washington, the artists, scholars and books. Quite an extensive bibliography (twelve pages worth), notes and an index round out this exceptional book.
Highly recommended.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

CLOSING TIME : A MEMOIR
by Joe Queenan

Joe Queenan is well-known as a humorist, critic, author, satirist, who rants and raves about everything that is not right about America.
In his latest book, his tenth, he turns to writing about himself: growing up in Philadelphia in horrible neighborhoods.
As a young child, he and his sisters lived in a housing project. They are forced to wear clothing considered off-brand (Made in Pakistan, not the label saying Made in U.S.A.) and eat food mostly out of cans. Most of the time, they are starving. Their horrendous existence is due to Joe Queenan Sr., an alcoholic that cannot keep a job for any period of time. His nightly bouts of rage, fueled by liquor, turns him into an emotional ball of terror, which he then inflicts on his children, beating them with his belt.
Joe Jr. knows that this is not the life or future he wants for himself, so he starts looking for ways to get out. When he's eight years old, his first job, at six dollars a week, is working for a man who owns a clothing store that can barely stay in business. Seven years later, he is behind the counter at a pharmacy, filling prescriptions, his boss in the back chain-smoking and cooking gourmet meals for his hungry protege. These men become both his mentors and surrogate fathers.
Joe's love of books and music sustains him and he's an excellent student at school. At one point, he desires to become a priest and enters a seminary. It's short-lived and he is told not to return.
Closing Time is a fierce, dark story about poverty and rising above it. Queenan's writing is superb and even though he's very cynical, there's much to laugh at. He's very detailed, descriptive and honest.
A terrific read.
Highly recommended.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

VANISHED SMILE : THE MYSTERIOUS THEFT OF MONA LISA
by R.A. Scotti

She is the most famous face in the world of art. Millions of people flock to see her every year. They are mesmerized, captivated by her eyes. The French consider her a national treasure.
On August 21, 1911, Mona Lisa vanished from the Louvre. Twenty-four hours passed before the museum realized that she was gone. The news media went wild. Tons of people came to see the empty space on the wall. Everyone was in mourning. Flowers and notes were left. For more than two years, she was missing. Then, she reappeared, a few blocks from where she had originally been painted.
Vanished Smile is a spellbinding story. The skills of R.A. Scotti as a historian makes for fascinating reading. The chapter called The Mystery Woman could be another book in and of itself. Who exactly was this woman, fact or fiction? The methods that Leonardo da Vinci used to paint this portrait, how long it took him, why he chose her, what she wore, etc.
If you like art, mystery, and detective work, make sure to read this one.
Highly recommended.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

MR. AMERICA : HOW MUSCULAR MILLIONAIRE BERNARR MACFADDEN TRANSFORMED THE NATION THROUGH SEX, SALAD, AND THE ULTIMATE STARVATION DIET
by Mark Adams

Bernarr MacFadden was a brilliant, ambitious, eccentric genius, in the early part of the twentieth century, who influenced the world with his take on health and diet. From his humble upbringing, being orphaned at eight years of age, he would eventually become a multimillionaire with Physical Culture, a magazine that dictated exercise, how and what to eat, fasting, alternative medicine (he never went to a doctor) and sex education.
MacFadden would launch the New York Evening Graphic considered to be the worst newspaper in United States history. Walter Winchell was the gossip columnist. The sports writer was Ed Sullivan. At one point, Eleanor Roosevelt was hired to edit articles about babies.
Mr. America is a wonderful biography of a lost American entrepreneur. The book is inundated with a fascinating array of trivia. Upton Sinclair, Charles Atlas, Jack LaLanne, Fiorello LaGuardia, C.W. Post, John Harvey Kellogg and many others all make some kind of appearance within the pages.
The author, Mark Adams, is a terrific writer and has done incredible research. Check out the Acknowledgments on who he interviewed and what he found. The Notes and the Bibliography are quite extensive.
If you want to learn how to live a long and healthy life, read this book and have a good laugh at the same time.
Highly recommended.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

HUNTING EICHMANN : HOW A BAND OF SURVIVORS AND A YOUNG SPY AGENCY CHASED DOWN THE WORLD'S MOST NOTORIOUS NAZI
by Neal Bascomb

He was chief of Department IVB4, following Hitler's orders to annihilate the Jews. His goal was to remove every one of them from Hungary. But then, the war ended, Hitler committed suicide and the operational manager of the Final Solution vanished.
Adolf Eichmann spent the next fifteen years living, incognito (or so he thought), in Buenos Aires.
Many people searched for him and it became an international manhunt.
Eventually, the Mossad captured him and brought him back to Israel for trial.
Hunting Eichmann is an incredible story. Neil Bascomb used newly declassified documents and exhaustive research and has written a masterpiece.
If you want drama and suspense, pick up this book.
Highly recommended.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

THE LOST CITY OF Z : A TALE OF DEADLY OBSESSION IN THE AMAZON
by David Grann

Percy Harrison Fawcett was such a great Victorian explorer that accolades were written about him for decades. His adventures enthralled the public: he lived in the jungles of South America and was attacked by tribesmen; fought anacondas, piranhas, vampire bats and other nasty creatures; drew maps of unexplored regions. Fawcett was called the "David Livingstone of the Amazon." Scientists would flock to hear him speak whenever he returned from his exploits.
In 1925, Fawcett set off for the Amazon convinced that there was an ancient civilization. His oldest son, Jack, came with him. It was a small expedition consisting of only a few men. While they were away, Fawcett sent dispatches that were carried through the jungle and were eagerly gobbled up by every man, woman and child.
Then, messages stopped coming. Nothing further was heard from them.
They had simply vanished.
The Lost City of Z is one hell of a story. David Grann is a superb writer and keeps you riveted.
Using diaries, letters, journals and logbooks, his terrific skills as a reporter enables him to piece together the true-to-life tale of what really happened to Fawcett.
Truly, one of the best books I have ever read.
Highly recommended.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

THE GARDNER HEIST : THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST UNSOLVED ART THEFT
by Ulrich Boser

Isabella Stewart Gardner always dreamed, as a teenager, to be a collector of art masterpieces and have a place to display them. Fifty years later, her dream came true when a four-story palazzo was built, in Boston, and filled with paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, drawings and pieces of antiquity.
On March 18, 1990, two men broke into the museum and stole a Vermeer, three Rembrandts, and five Degas. It was the largest art heist in history.
Harold Smith was an art detective and he worked on the case for years. After he died, the author, Ulrich Boser, who is a reporter and editor of a crime magazine, tried to pick up where Smith left off. Boser explored the art underworld and met an extraordinary group of personalities. He eventually uncovers the names of the men who burglarized the museum.
The Gardner Heist is a terrific story. Even though the artwork has never been found, just reading about the potential leads is riveting. It's very well-researched with sources for every chapter. There's even a website : www.thegardnerheist.com for anyone interested in knowing more about the case or having information on the locations of the paintings.
Don't miss this one.
Highly recommended.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

THE SECRET OF THE GREAT PYRAMID : HOW ONE MAN'S OBSESSION LED TO THE SOLUTION OF ANCIENT EGYPT'S GREATEST MYSTERY
by Bob Brier and Jean-Pierre Houdin

Of all the seven wonders of the world, only the pyramids still stand and there are one hundred and seven of them dispersed throughout Egypt. The largest one is the Great Pyramid, on the Giza Plateau. It's been photographed and analyzed through
the centuries more than any other pyramid and yet mysteries still abound. Nobody knows how it was built. There is no documentation.
What is known is that it took twenty years and 25,000 men to construct it.
The author, Bob Brier, is an Egyptologist, who has researched pyramids and tombs in fifteen countries. He met Jean-Pierre Houdin, a French architect, who became obsessed with how the Great Pyramid was built, spending ten hours a day, on his computer, until he found the secret, unseen for 4,500 years.
The Secret of the Great Pyramid is a terrific story. Brier does a great job, effortlessly, weaving ancient and modern history together.
Highly recommended.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

THE LAST DAYS OF THE ROMANOVS : TRAGEDY AT EKATERINBURG
by Helen Rappaport

There have been many books written about the Romanovs. Most of them were highly romanticized, with speculations, half-truths, not willing to discuss the flaws of the royal family.
Until now.
In The Last Days of the Romanovs, Helen Rappaport, a historian, gives the most detailed account of their final days. She draws on a wealth of archival evidence that has never been revealed before; the political climate between England and Germany during World War I; the frightening escalation of the Bolsheviks' reign of terror.
Meticulously researched and impossible to put down until the bloody end.
If you're a diehard Romanov follower, you don't want to miss this book.
Highly recommended.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

TAKING AIM AT THE PRESIDENT : THE REMARKABLE STORY OF THE WOMAN WHO SHOT AT GERALD FORD
by Geri Spieler

The only woman to ever shoot a gun at a U.S. president, Sarah Jane Moore was not pictured to be an assassin. She was middle-aged, had a young son and was gracious and charming, but on her own terms. In actuality, Sarah Jane was a woman of many contradictions.
Moore grew up in a small, rural town in West Virginia with extremely strict parents. They had high expectations and were not warm and loving. While in high school, she got involved with the theater, which offered her an escape and with this background, eventually, she was able to mislead people by shifting identities.
She was married five times, abandoned her children (they ended up living with her parents), spied for the FBI and infiltrated radical underground movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
Geri Spieler has written a fascinating tale of an unknown woman, who almost killed a president. For twenty-seven years, the author met with Moore and corresponded with her, plus did her own research.
A good read.
Recommended.

Monday, January 26, 2009

PEACHES & DADDY : A STORY OF THE ROARING TWENTIES, THE BIRTH OF TABLOID MEDIA, AND THE COURTSHIP THAT CAPTURED THE HEART AND IMAGINATION OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
by Michael M. Greenburg

The Roaring Twenties was a decade of the Charleston, Prohibition, jazz, the Model T, flappers, women's suffrage, and dance marathons. Nice girls smoked cigarettes and hemlines rose. Victorian views were always being challenged. Against this backdrop was the sensational story of Peaches and Daddy.
Edward Browning was a fifty-one-year-old Manhattan millionaire, who fell in love, in 1926, with Frances Heenan, a fifteen-year-old high school student, who worked as a clerk and was never in school. They met at a sorority dance. It was a whirlwind courtship and thirty-seven days later, they were married. Within ten months, they would be in court filing for divorce.
Peaches & Daddy is a rollicking, good tale of a dysfunctional couple, who both loved being in the limelight and entertaining the masses with their eccentricities. The newspapers gobbled it up and tabloid journalism was born.
Michael Greenburg is a terrific writer and captures the "era of wonderful nonsense" effortlessly.
Black and white photographs are interspersed throughout the chapters, plus composographs from the tabloids. There's some great tidbits of fascinating trivia, also. Ed Sullivan is mentioned and how he got his start in the entertainment industry is unbelievable.
A totally enjoyable book.
Highly recommended.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

LOOT : THE BATTLE OVER THE STOLEN TREASURES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
by Sharon Waxman

Should the museums of the West own some of the greatest antiquities known to mankind or should they be returned to their countries of origin? The debate has been raging for decades. Of course, the way these artifacts have been acquired is not exactly kosher. For the past two hundred years, they have been illegally excavated, smuggled and sold to dealers and collectors, who sell the items to the museums. The unsuspecting public is then lied to by the written description (legend) next to the object, the origin never fully explained. Their motto is: "don't ask, don't tell."
Sharon Waxman visits the Met, the Louvre, the British Museum, the Getty and the countries from which the treasures were stolen from. She interviews curators, scholars, smugglers, prosecutors and journalists.
Loot is a tremendous read. Waxman has done a tremendous amount of research and effortlessly weaves history and reporting together.
There are black and white photographs interspersed throughout the chapters and eight pages of color photographs.
A book not to be missed.
Highly recommended.

Monday, January 5, 2009

THE ROAD TO RESCUE : THE UNTOLD STORY OF SCHINDLER'S LIST
by Mietek Pemper

Oskar Schindler was a Sudeten German businessman who ran a factory during World War II and saved 1200 Jewish prisoners, from death, by manipulating Nazi leaders. His name became popular due to Steven Spielberg's 1993 film Schindler's List, which was seen by millions of people. The movie, though, was based on historical inaccuracies and falsities of events that never could have happened.
Mietek Pemper, a Polish Jew, was an inmate at the Plaszow concentration camp, who was forced to work for the sadistic camp commandant, Amon Goth, as his personal stenographer. Because Pemper was also fluent in the German language, he was able to understand the inner workings of the Nazi bureaucracy. In this capacity, Pemper gained access to classified documents and passed them on to Schindler.
The Road to Rescue is a phenomenal expose of one man's exceptional courage, bravery, defiance and eventual victory against a monstrous and murderous regime.
The record is now set right.
Recommended.