MY READING LIFE
by Pat Conroy
His mother turned him on to books at a very early age. She could tell stories like nobody else and was a voracious reader. At the age of five, she read him Gone with the Wind (it was this book that made him become a "Southern" novelist). Her voice mesmerized him by the way she spoke the words with her Georgian inflection. He then became so enthralled with the English language that he began to keep notebooks of words taken from other books that so entranced him.
Reading saved Pat Conroy's hellish life. Writing took him to another level.
My Reading Life is about who and what influenced him to become such a passionate storyteller.
Each chapter has a different theme. His English teacher, in high school, was truly an incredible man (loved by so many) who introduced Conroy to great literature and was more of a father to him than his own; the Old New York Book Shop in Atlanta where he learned how to be a collector of antiquarian books from the owner; taking a modern poetry course taught by James Dickey (he wrote Deliverance) because a book of his poems brought Conroy to his knees.
He talks about how he came to write his own books and the stories behind them. Conroy lists authors that have swept him away, such as Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. (He could easily write another whole book just on his favorite writers.)
I have never read any of Pat Conroy's books before and this one blew me away. It is unflinchingly honest and extremely personal. His writing is gorgeous. One of the last chapters in the book "Why I Write" is absolutely fabulous. How he puts words together is awe-inspiring.
He can be very funny, also, and obviously has a great sense of humor.
So, either get this book from your local library or go out and buy it. Even though the size is small, it's definitely worth the price. Superb.
Very highly recommended.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
PORTRAITS OF SUCCESS : CANDID CONVERSATIONS WITH 60 OVER-ACHIEVERS
by Burt Prelutsky
Not everyone knows how to interview people. You have to have the knack, technique, personality and good communication skills to extract information that is not usually forthcoming.
Being witty, having an open mind and knowing what to ask doesn't hurt, either.
Many books have been written on celebrities, but they have only scratched the surface and not dug deep enough.
In Portraits of Success author Burt Prelutsky uses his inimitable finely-tuned talents to reveal surprising facts about what makes 60 people more successful than others. They are from all walks of life, such as authors, professors, writers, athletes, ministers, governors, land developers, theater managers, etc.
Each entry is a couple of pages and is arranged alphabetically. It displays the profession, the name of the person, the birth date and a very funny paragraph about the interviewee which then leads into the question and answer format.
Their responses on their favorite book, what makes them laugh, best and worst advice they ever received, and what their fathers did for a living are truly fascinating. Whom they would choose to invite to a dinner party (eight people only), either living or dead, is revelatory.
If you like quirky stuff and are a trivia nut, there's enough here to satisfy. For example, comedian, David Steinberg, was a guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show 140 times; reporter/journalist, John Stossel, has had a stuttering problem; TV political commentator, Tony Blankley, was a child actor and taught violin.
Now, if you need an extra jolt and just can't squelch that inquisitiveness, you're in luck. Burt's previous book, The Secret of Their Success: Interviews with Legends & Luminaries, is just as rewarding and entertaining. It's set up the same way, but the beginning synopsis is made up of a couple of paragraphs. The profession is not listed in the entries; that is found in the CONTENTS pages. The questions are just as astute. Some of the entries have an addendum at the end, especially if it was the last interview ever given (Jack Lemmon, Dinah Shore, Henry Mancini).
Both books are quite enjoyable and I learned things that I wouldn't have known otherwise.
Recommended.
by Burt Prelutsky
Not everyone knows how to interview people. You have to have the knack, technique, personality and good communication skills to extract information that is not usually forthcoming.
Being witty, having an open mind and knowing what to ask doesn't hurt, either.
Many books have been written on celebrities, but they have only scratched the surface and not dug deep enough.
In Portraits of Success author Burt Prelutsky uses his inimitable finely-tuned talents to reveal surprising facts about what makes 60 people more successful than others. They are from all walks of life, such as authors, professors, writers, athletes, ministers, governors, land developers, theater managers, etc.
Each entry is a couple of pages and is arranged alphabetically. It displays the profession, the name of the person, the birth date and a very funny paragraph about the interviewee which then leads into the question and answer format.
Their responses on their favorite book, what makes them laugh, best and worst advice they ever received, and what their fathers did for a living are truly fascinating. Whom they would choose to invite to a dinner party (eight people only), either living or dead, is revelatory.
If you like quirky stuff and are a trivia nut, there's enough here to satisfy. For example, comedian, David Steinberg, was a guest on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show 140 times; reporter/journalist, John Stossel, has had a stuttering problem; TV political commentator, Tony Blankley, was a child actor and taught violin.
Now, if you need an extra jolt and just can't squelch that inquisitiveness, you're in luck. Burt's previous book, The Secret of Their Success: Interviews with Legends & Luminaries, is just as rewarding and entertaining. It's set up the same way, but the beginning synopsis is made up of a couple of paragraphs. The profession is not listed in the entries; that is found in the CONTENTS pages. The questions are just as astute. Some of the entries have an addendum at the end, especially if it was the last interview ever given (Jack Lemmon, Dinah Shore, Henry Mancini).
Both books are quite enjoyable and I learned things that I wouldn't have known otherwise.
Recommended.
Monday, December 13, 2010
UNBROKEN : A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND REDEMPTION
by Laura Hillenbrand
He never could sit still; his energy level knew no bounds. At the age of two (sick with pneumonia), he climbed out of his bedroom window and ran down the street chased by a policeman. Later, on a train, he jumped out of the moving caboose. He was a true juvenile delinquent constantly getting into trouble with daring feats and a clever mind. Eventually his defiance and energy would be channeled into running and he began training in high school. Soon he was shattering records and his next goal was the Berlin Olympics. But then, the war came and Louis Zamperini (known as Louie) enlisted and joined the Army Air Corps (ironically, as a child, he had gone up in a plane and it scared him so much that he never wanted to have anything to do with them) learning how to be a bombardier.
In May of 1943, Louie was in a B-24 bomber looking for a lost plane. He and the rest of the crew were flying in the Green Hornet which had seen better days and should never have gone back up in the air. The engines failed and the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. For forty-seven days, Louie and two other men drifted on a tiny raft dealing with thirst, starvation, and leaping sharks. When they finally spotted an island, they were overjoyed. It was short-lived.
Oh, my God, what a book! Seven years of research has produced quite a masterpiece. Author Laura Hillenbrand (her previous bestseller was Seabiscuit) can write a story of a forgotten hero that leaves you gasping, amazed, horrified, and inspired. It's absolutely riveting and truly a stupendous read.
Very highly recommended.
by Laura Hillenbrand
He never could sit still; his energy level knew no bounds. At the age of two (sick with pneumonia), he climbed out of his bedroom window and ran down the street chased by a policeman. Later, on a train, he jumped out of the moving caboose. He was a true juvenile delinquent constantly getting into trouble with daring feats and a clever mind. Eventually his defiance and energy would be channeled into running and he began training in high school. Soon he was shattering records and his next goal was the Berlin Olympics. But then, the war came and Louis Zamperini (known as Louie) enlisted and joined the Army Air Corps (ironically, as a child, he had gone up in a plane and it scared him so much that he never wanted to have anything to do with them) learning how to be a bombardier.
In May of 1943, Louie was in a B-24 bomber looking for a lost plane. He and the rest of the crew were flying in the Green Hornet which had seen better days and should never have gone back up in the air. The engines failed and the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. For forty-seven days, Louie and two other men drifted on a tiny raft dealing with thirst, starvation, and leaping sharks. When they finally spotted an island, they were overjoyed. It was short-lived.
Oh, my God, what a book! Seven years of research has produced quite a masterpiece. Author Laura Hillenbrand (her previous bestseller was Seabiscuit) can write a story of a forgotten hero that leaves you gasping, amazed, horrified, and inspired. It's absolutely riveting and truly a stupendous read.
Very highly recommended.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS
by Rebecca Skloot
Her cells have helped develop a vaccine for polio; been used for cloning, viruses; studied for appendicitis, sexually transmitted diseases; instrumental in creating medicines to treat hemophilia, leukemia; and have even gone up in space. There are billions of them in laboratories all over the world. They are known, to scientists, as HeLa cells and became the first "immortal" human cells grown in culture. The reason they are called immortal is because the cells have lived outside the body, have never died and have never stopped reproducing. They came from a poor black woman named Henrietta Lacks who had cervical cancer. Before she died, in 1951, samples of her cells were taken from her tumor without her knowledge.
Twenty years after Henrietta's death, her family found out and it was not a pretty picture.
Rebecca Skloot takes the reader on an incredible journey which started for herself when she was sixteen taking biology. It was here that she first heard of Henrietta Lacks and her amazing cells. Eventually, Rebecca would meet the family and through many years of research would uncover both devastating and remarkable stuff.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a stupendous story. Although a science writer, Skloot is able to explain all the intricacies of cells in such beautiful detail.
She writes about ethics, racism, poverty, experimentation as one story and intertwines the Lacks family as another story to create one magnificent tale.
I loved this book. It made me both laugh and cry.
Not to be missed.
Very highly recommended.
by Rebecca Skloot
Her cells have helped develop a vaccine for polio; been used for cloning, viruses; studied for appendicitis, sexually transmitted diseases; instrumental in creating medicines to treat hemophilia, leukemia; and have even gone up in space. There are billions of them in laboratories all over the world. They are known, to scientists, as HeLa cells and became the first "immortal" human cells grown in culture. The reason they are called immortal is because the cells have lived outside the body, have never died and have never stopped reproducing. They came from a poor black woman named Henrietta Lacks who had cervical cancer. Before she died, in 1951, samples of her cells were taken from her tumor without her knowledge.
Twenty years after Henrietta's death, her family found out and it was not a pretty picture.
Rebecca Skloot takes the reader on an incredible journey which started for herself when she was sixteen taking biology. It was here that she first heard of Henrietta Lacks and her amazing cells. Eventually, Rebecca would meet the family and through many years of research would uncover both devastating and remarkable stuff.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a stupendous story. Although a science writer, Skloot is able to explain all the intricacies of cells in such beautiful detail.
She writes about ethics, racism, poverty, experimentation as one story and intertwines the Lacks family as another story to create one magnificent tale.
I loved this book. It made me both laugh and cry.
Not to be missed.
Very highly recommended.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
DISCONNECT : THE TRUTH ABOUT CELL PHONE RADIATION, WHAT THE INDUSTRY HAS DONE TO HIDE IT, AND HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY
by Devra Davis
There are five billion cell phone users in the world half of which are under the age of twenty-five. What an incredible gadget! You can listen to music, talk to anyone, anywhere, send text, photos, videos, get results from sporting events, etc. But, there is a major problem: they are not safe and have never been tested for safety. Cell phones emit microwave radiation. They can damage DNA (completely unraveled), increase memory loss, cancer and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. Children are especially vulnerable because their brains are smaller than adults and their skulls are thinner which means that exposures to radiation can be absorbed much faster and more deeply.
Standards for cell phones, today, date back to 1993 when a hypothetical model named SAM (Standard Anthropomorphic Man) was used. SAM was six foot two inches, weighed more than two hundred pounds and had an eleven-pound head. Certainly, not your average guy. He only spoke on the cell phone for six minutes. Beyond this time, the tissues inside the brain start to heat up.
Dr. Davis, an epidemiologist, writes about how the industry suppressed earlier studies of scientists (back in the 1970s), who discovered devastating results of how cell phone radiation damages human cells. For many, it cost them their careers. The data is both disturbing and frightening.
You read about some people that survived brain tumors and others that were not so lucky.
Just about every country, except the United States, is on top of this issue by testing to reduce the amount of radiation absorption. Many of them ban the use of cell phones by children.
At the end of the book is an appendix advising people how to keep themselves and their family safe from cell phone use:
Do not keep a phone turned on next to your body all day. (Check out the manual for your cell phone. There are warnings to keep the phone away from the body.)
When texting (don't dare do this while driving) place phone on a book so it can be used as a barrier.
Don't use your phone in a train, car, or an elevator. Because the area is confined in metal, microwaves radiate out in all directions.
Turn off phone when not in use.
Only use phone for emergencies. (The six minutes still applies.)
Use a landline at home and not a cordless phone as this emits the same radiation as that of cell phones.
Disconnect is a book for everyone to read who owns a cell phone. If you're still skeptical or just want more information, check out the author's website at: www.devradavis.com.
Strongly recommended.
by Devra Davis
There are five billion cell phone users in the world half of which are under the age of twenty-five. What an incredible gadget! You can listen to music, talk to anyone, anywhere, send text, photos, videos, get results from sporting events, etc. But, there is a major problem: they are not safe and have never been tested for safety. Cell phones emit microwave radiation. They can damage DNA (completely unraveled), increase memory loss, cancer and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. Children are especially vulnerable because their brains are smaller than adults and their skulls are thinner which means that exposures to radiation can be absorbed much faster and more deeply.
Standards for cell phones, today, date back to 1993 when a hypothetical model named SAM (Standard Anthropomorphic Man) was used. SAM was six foot two inches, weighed more than two hundred pounds and had an eleven-pound head. Certainly, not your average guy. He only spoke on the cell phone for six minutes. Beyond this time, the tissues inside the brain start to heat up.
Dr. Davis, an epidemiologist, writes about how the industry suppressed earlier studies of scientists (back in the 1970s), who discovered devastating results of how cell phone radiation damages human cells. For many, it cost them their careers. The data is both disturbing and frightening.
You read about some people that survived brain tumors and others that were not so lucky.
Just about every country, except the United States, is on top of this issue by testing to reduce the amount of radiation absorption. Many of them ban the use of cell phones by children.
At the end of the book is an appendix advising people how to keep themselves and their family safe from cell phone use:
Do not keep a phone turned on next to your body all day. (Check out the manual for your cell phone. There are warnings to keep the phone away from the body.)
When texting (don't dare do this while driving) place phone on a book so it can be used as a barrier.
Don't use your phone in a train, car, or an elevator. Because the area is confined in metal, microwaves radiate out in all directions.
Turn off phone when not in use.
Only use phone for emergencies. (The six minutes still applies.)
Use a landline at home and not a cordless phone as this emits the same radiation as that of cell phones.
Disconnect is a book for everyone to read who owns a cell phone. If you're still skeptical or just want more information, check out the author's website at: www.devradavis.com.
Strongly recommended.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
PEARL BUCK IN CHINA : JOURNEY TO THE GOOD EARTH
by Hilary Spurling
When The Good Earth was published in 1931, it became a worldwide bestseller. Depicting the lives of illiterate rural Chinese opened the door between the American and the Chinese worlds. The author would spend the rest of her life cranking out fiction portraying the reality of the Asian people.
Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker was born in West Virginia in 1892 the daughter of Presbyterian missionaries.
Absalom was a mostly absent father while Carie, who had been an idealistic bride, learned to live without him and manage their ever growing brood.
Before Pearl was even two years old, the entire family moved to China. Pearl would learn to talk from Wang Amah (her nurse), play with the children of neighboring farmers, eat the simple food of the poor and therefore, considered herself to be more Chinese than American. That is until the Boxer Rebellion forced them all to flee. Many more flights would happen before Pearl finally returned to live in the United States.
Hilary Spurling has crafted a magnificently written book. I didn't really know much about Pearl Buck and what is revealed here is absolutely riveting.
Pearl Buck was a woman ahead of her time. Her life was transposed in her writings. This biography has brought her out of the shadows.
Highly recommended.
by Hilary Spurling
When The Good Earth was published in 1931, it became a worldwide bestseller. Depicting the lives of illiterate rural Chinese opened the door between the American and the Chinese worlds. The author would spend the rest of her life cranking out fiction portraying the reality of the Asian people.
Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker was born in West Virginia in 1892 the daughter of Presbyterian missionaries.
Absalom was a mostly absent father while Carie, who had been an idealistic bride, learned to live without him and manage their ever growing brood.
Before Pearl was even two years old, the entire family moved to China. Pearl would learn to talk from Wang Amah (her nurse), play with the children of neighboring farmers, eat the simple food of the poor and therefore, considered herself to be more Chinese than American. That is until the Boxer Rebellion forced them all to flee. Many more flights would happen before Pearl finally returned to live in the United States.
Hilary Spurling has crafted a magnificently written book. I didn't really know much about Pearl Buck and what is revealed here is absolutely riveting.
Pearl Buck was a woman ahead of her time. Her life was transposed in her writings. This biography has brought her out of the shadows.
Highly recommended.
Friday, September 24, 2010
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF WALWORTH : A TALE OF MADNESS AND MURDER IN GILDED AGE AMERICA
by Geoffrey O'Brien
Saratoga Springs, in its heyday, was a tourist destination. Its healing waters brought people there in droves. For the aristocratic, it was an exclusive club.
The Walworth family ruled over by Chancellor Reuben Hyde was the most prominent family that fit right in with the romance of the place. Judge Walworth rose to fame by his legal successes and amassed quite a fortune. While he was virtuous, strict and orderly and ran his home that way, his son, Mansfield, was the complete opposite. Mansfield, who considered himself to be a spectacular writer (pulp fiction) would marry his stepsister Ellen and then later would abuse her, for years, with threatening letters.
In due time, their private lives would become public all because of a shooting.
American Gothic meets Poe. Corruption, religious conflict, madness (all hereditary), marital problems, violence, prisons, asylums.
O'Brien is brilliant in how he sets up the characters with all of their strange personalities and quirks. He effortlessly writes about 19th century New York and holds you spellbound from the first page to the last.
Not to be missed.
Highly recommended.
by Geoffrey O'Brien
Saratoga Springs, in its heyday, was a tourist destination. Its healing waters brought people there in droves. For the aristocratic, it was an exclusive club.
The Walworth family ruled over by Chancellor Reuben Hyde was the most prominent family that fit right in with the romance of the place. Judge Walworth rose to fame by his legal successes and amassed quite a fortune. While he was virtuous, strict and orderly and ran his home that way, his son, Mansfield, was the complete opposite. Mansfield, who considered himself to be a spectacular writer (pulp fiction) would marry his stepsister Ellen and then later would abuse her, for years, with threatening letters.
In due time, their private lives would become public all because of a shooting.
American Gothic meets Poe. Corruption, religious conflict, madness (all hereditary), marital problems, violence, prisons, asylums.
O'Brien is brilliant in how he sets up the characters with all of their strange personalities and quirks. He effortlessly writes about 19th century New York and holds you spellbound from the first page to the last.
Not to be missed.
Highly recommended.
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