MARK TWAIN : MAN IN WHITE : THE GRAND ADVENTURE OF HIS FINAL YEARS
by Michael Sheldon

He caused quite a sensation at the Library of Congress on a cold day in December of 1906. Copyright legislation was being discussed at a meeting with lawyers, authors, and publishers.
The famous guest removed his overcoat revealing a white suit that shocked everyone in the room and was written about in all the newspapers. Wearing this particular color was intentional.
Mark Twain was used to being the center of attention, so he decided, at the age of seventy-one, that he was going to wear white until the end of his life. To him, it signified eternal youth and he didn't care what people said or thought.
The last three and a half years of his life, Twain lived large. He picked fights, wrote, visited Bermuda, played billiards, had a mansion built in the style of an Italian villa in Redding, Connecticut, got in trouble, stayed out late partying, and was almost swindled out of everything that he owned. His acerbic wit never faltered and wherever he appeared, there was always a crowd.
Mark Twain: Man in White is a superb biography. Extremely well-researched and written, effortlessly, Michael Sheldon has produced a masterful tale.
Between the incredible photographs and Twain's irreverent anecdotes at the beginning of each chapter, this book is an absolute joy to read. I loved it.
Very highly recommended.

FINDING OZ : HOW L. FRANK BAUM DISCOVERED THE GREAT AMERICAN STORY
by Evan I. Schwartz

On November 3, 1956, The Wizard of Oz was aired, for the first time and was watched by millions of people on black-and-white television sets. Thirteen years later, it was shown, again and people were now able to see it in color. It became an annual event and was the most watched movie ever.
The author, though, of the original story, has not been given due credit.
L. Frank Baum (how he hated his first name, Lyman) always dreamed of becoming a writer for children. But, he had to make a living for his wife Maud and his four sons. He tried all different kinds of endeavors: breeding chickens, owning a store, a publisher and editor of a newspaper, selling fine china on the road. Baum failed at each effort and was constantly on the move.
Lurking within him, though, was the urge to set his tales down.
In 1898, these images came to Baum and a year later, he wrote, feverishly, on envelopes and scraps of paper using a pencil stub. The manuscript was called The Emerald City.
1900 was a banner year for Baum. The book hit the stores and he became an overnight success.
If you're an Oz fan and want to know all the tidbits that inspired L. Frank Baum to write his masterpiece, then this is the book for you. Between the trivia and how Baum created his characters makes for fascinating reading. The Chicago World's Fair of 1893, Baum's mother-in-law, the number 4, Theosophy, had a huge impact.
Finding Oz is a terrific story and Evan I. Schwartz did a fantastic job of bringing Baum's brilliance to the printed page.
Highly recommended.

BIRTHRIGHT : THE TRUE STORY THAT INSPIRED KIDNAPPED
by A. Roger Ekirch

James Annesley (known in his youth as Jemmy) had a rather bleak life growing up. Even though he was born into a quite wealthy family, he certainly was not involved with the goings-on. He lived, mostly, like a waif crusing the streets of Dublin and fending for himself.
Soon after his father, Baron Altham died, his uncle, Richard, kidnapped Jemmy and shipped him off to America. For thirteen years, he was an indentured servant in Delaware. Eventually, James escaped and returned to Ireland and took his uncle (now the Earl of Anglesea) to court to gain what was rightfully his. (Five aristocratic titles and estates in Ireland, England, and Wales.)
The trial was truly sensational and one of the longest in eighteenth-century England. (It lasted twelve days.) After being away for so long, James had to prove his identity. He was accused of being a "pretender" and many attempts were made on his life.
Birthright is an incredible story superbly researched by A. Roger Ekirch, a professor of history at Virginia Tech University. He uncovered 400 legal depositions at the National Library of Ireland in Dublin and the National Archives near London. With these documents and numerous newspaper reports, Ekirch has written an amazing tale.
Recommended.

CHERRIES IN WINTER : MY FAMILY'S RECIPE FOR HOPE IN HARD TIMES
by Suzan Colon

After being laid off as a magazine editor, with a six figure salary, in 2008, Suzan Colon had to cut down her budget. Shopping at Whole Foods and specialty stores were no longer in the picture.
While rummaging in the basement, one day, she found her grandmother's recipe file. Here was Suzan's sustenance.
Nana, as Grandmother Matilda was called, either handwrote or typed specific directions for the recipes. She would add comments along the edges. At times, newspaper clippings would be torn out and attached.
Suzan's grandparents lived through the Great Depression, barely. They survived by Matilda's ingenuity. This resilience was passed down through the family and cooking became the way to get through hard times.
I loved this little gem of a book. It's warm and comforting with beautiful writing. Every section has the original recipe in very tiny print. If you are so enamored, you can prepare the dish, yourself. Nothing is difficult. Very simple. Don't worry. No need to strain your eyes. On the next page is the recipe in a normal font.
Cherries in Winter is just delightful.
Recommended.

THE POKER BRIDE : THE FIRST CHINESE IN THE WILD WEST
by Christopher Corbett

The gold rush of 1849 attracted people from far and wide to the American West. Only men came. Some became quite rich, while others died trying.
The Chinese arrived in the thousands. They were poor, illiterate and spoke no English. Their intention was to stay for a couple of years, make some money and then return to China to live off their proceeds. Consequently, they were called "sojourners." The name that was used most often, as the Chinese stayed longer, was "celestials" due to their exoticism.
At first, the Chinese were welcomed and praised for their industriousness. They were savvy and frugal and would work long hours. Chinatowns started sprouting up, first in San Franciso and then, later, in small cities, elsewhere.
When competition started to arise for work among the sexes, the Chinese were no longer wanted. (They had jobs as laundrymen, restaurant workers and servants, which were all positions originally done by women, not men.)
The Poker Bride is one hell of a story. Interspersed within the history of the gold rush, is a tale of a young Chinese concubine, named Polly, who is smuggled to San Francisco (riding on a pack horse) and eventually won in a poker game. Her new owner, Charlie Bemis, a gambler, after several years, marries her and they settle on an isolated ranch in Idaho.
Christopher Corbett is a terrific writer with quite an eye for details. Mark Twain and Bret Harte make appearances along with a whole slew of characters.
Not really interested in the Wild West, this book, hands down, changed all of that.
Highly recommended.

ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE : MY FAMILY'S JOURNEY TO AMERICA
by Kati Marton

They were the last independent journalists reporting from Budapest during the Cold War.
Endre Marton worked for the Associated Press and his wife, Ilona, was a correspondent with the United Press. (In actuality, he filed reports for both the AP and the UP. She was no writer, but a shrewd commentator.)
Their friends were American diplomats and they led a bourgeois life. Even as they were much admired by other colleagues, though, the Martons' anti-Communism and dangerous risks taken, daily, eventually led to their arrests.
Several decades later, Kati Marton returns to the country of her birth and discovers, through the reading of secret police files, how her parents were spied on and betrayed.
Enemies of the People is quite a page-turner. The wealth of information that she discovered about her mother and father is quite astounding. Most of what she read, Kati never even knew about. Whenever she asked her parents about their lives, they preferred not to say anything.
The book is extremely well-written and a terrific story.
Recommended.

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.