Book Description
As a teen idol in the '60s and '70s, he touched the hearts of a generation of adoring fans. Now former superstar Bobby Sherman shares the incredible story of his life, his loves and his sensational career. From his television debut in "Shindig" through the phenomenal years of hit records, "Here Come The Brides", sold-out concerts and teen magazine covers to his inspiring work today as a volunteer LAPD officer and Emergency Medical Techician, Bobby has always remembered the fans who made it possible for him to live out his dreams. This entertaining memoir, packed with almost 200 photographs and rare Tiger Beat articles, is his tribute to those fans. Full of Bobby's peronal stories as well as those of family, friends, fans and fellow teen idols of the '60s and '70s, it's also a loving look back at an exciting and unforgettable era in popular culture.
Customer Reviews:
HIS BLUE EYES STLL MAKE ME MELT.......2007-04-03
Sweet sweet Bobby! This was such a pleasure to read. This book lets you see Bobby not just as the pop star that we all loved at age 12 but,human. It also tells me that he remained grounded and still is my sweet sweet Bobby. No wonder I loved him at 12 and years later I'm still in like with him.
good stuff.......2006-07-31
Nice, pleasant. Could have been longer but Bobby strikes me as a nice guy who may not be over-reflective or of the mind that there are limits to what anyone needs to know about his private life.
BOBBY SHERMAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CLASS ACT!!!!.......2006-07-23
I recently purchased this wonderful book and am so delighted with it!!! It really does take you back in time to Bobby Sherman's early days - from babyhood on - in his own words - to his present life as an EMT instructor for the Los Angeles Police Department. It is filled with fabulous pictures, as well. He is as wonderful a man as I had always thought he was -kind, compassionate and GENUINE! Back in my teeny-bopper days, I, like so many young females, had a crush on him. I enjoyed listening to his songs, beginning with "Little Woman," and reading articles on him in the fan magazines. He was also a very good actor, as those of you who enjoyed viewing him on his TV classic, "Here Come the Brides", can testify. He is a man of many talents and, yet, has maintained a sweet, almost humble, personality through the years. That is amazing to me. Yet, he is very aware of the loyalty and love which his fans have kept for him through the years, and he admits he dearly cherishes those gifts. Bobby, we dearly cherish your gifts to us through the years, as well. You deserve to be recognized - and loved - for the very special person whom you have always been!!! For those of you who have had any kind of affection or admiration for Bobby Sherman - past or present - this book is guaranteed to warm your heart and soul!!! It is absolutely wonderful - just like him!! God bless you, Bobby!! I love you!
I still love Bobby.......2005-02-10
I purchased the book. I cannot wait to read it. It took me by surprise, he has a book. I know I will enjoy reading his book. The reviews were great by other readers. After reading it, I will write another review. Thanks for this opportunity to read about your favorite idol.
For all Bobby Sherman Lovers...past and present!.......2000-08-09
If you have ever loved Bobby Sherman, you have to read this book! Great insights into his life, personally, and professionally. Throughout the whole thing, I kept trying to figure out how old I was when he was going through a particular experience , and what my personal opinion was at the time in terms of the stories he tells about his life, such as, how I felt seeing him on Here Comes The Brides, or the first time I heard a hit song of his, or when I heard he got married, etc. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane, and makes me love him now even more than I did as a kid because he has really made something of his life beyond stardom in terms of his work with the L.A. Police Department.I think you'll enjoy reading it. I know I sure did! And it makes a great gift for a Bobby Sherman fan in your life.
Book Description
This authoritative reference aid to mastering the Japanese writing system makes learning kanji and kana a quick and painless process. In clear, large-sized entires, A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters details each of the General Use Characters--the 1,945 characters prescribed by the Japanese Ministry of Education for everyday use. Both Japanese readings and English meanings are given, along with stroke-count and stroke-order, examples of usage, and suggestions for memorizing. The components of each character are detailed. The kanji are graded according to Ministry of Education guidelines, allowing the student to prioritize them and track progress.
Comprehensive and clear, A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters makes Japanese writing accessible to everyone.
Customer Reviews:
A fun way to study kanji.......2007-06-11
This book has been an amazing resource for me throughout my study of the Japanese language. More than any other this book has inspired me to develop my kanji proficiency.
(See the image of the back cover of the first edition for a reproduction of what the pages look like.)
I love the whole idea of the book. It is because books like this can be written that I became so infatuated with the Japanese language. Obviously it is a book that could only be written for an ideograph-based language, and that's what makes it so interesting. You can simply flip through the book and you are reviewing kanji, just as if you were using flash cards. There are also three example vocabulary words given for each character. So you can use the book to learn the characters and also to add to your vocabulary.
I wrote my own mnemonics in the book as I found many of his to be unhelpful, but I think that is always the way it works with mnemonics--the ones you develop yourself are always more effective.
One of the problems with the way the mnemonics work is that the examples given often "go in the wrong direction". For me, my problem with kanji almost always stems from trying to decipher a character I am trying to read. So I want to get from the pattern of the character to the meaning. I seldom write kanji, so it is less helpful to go from the meaning to the pattern of the character, but the mnemonics are mixed up so they often go both ways.
In general, the book is not great for studying vocabulary words. More helpful for vocabulary for me has been simply studying the definitions given in a somewhat basic middle schoolers' Japanese-Japanese dictionary.
So bottom line: This book offers the best way to study kanji.
An Excellent Reference.......2007-05-05
The book contains brief entries that excellently explain the etymology of each of the joyo kanji. Each entry also contains pronunciations, examples, stroke count, suggestions for memorization, and a brief mnemonic. The mnemonics are (as in most textbooks) of inconsistent quality (some are just _weird_), but some are quite good, and the suggestions for memorization are useful. The book is well-indexed (the index of characters by reading is extremely helpful) and well cross-referenced (very useful when encountering new components in a complex kanji).
The only major strike against this book is its somewhat misleading title; it really should be called "A Guide to the Origins of Japanese Characters" or something similar. While some people (including myself) will find the etymological information alone to be a major help in learning and memorizing characters, some will find it far less helpful for that purpose.
Minor strikes against this book include the lack of kana readings (the author also somewhat confusingly transliterates "ou" and "oo" in the same way, as another reviewer pointed out) and the lack of stroke order (leaving that out was probably a good decision overall, though, since adding that would make the book quite a bit bigger and it's quite sizable as it is). It's worth noting that this is neither textbook nor kanji dictionary, nor is it a substitute for either. Still, I think this book is an excellent reference for any serious student of Japanese writing, preferably as a supplement to a good kanji textbook and dictionary.
A LOT of superfluous info...........2007-03-13
This book is obviously very well-researched and thorough -- it covers all the essential 1,945 kanji, but I found the mnemonics rather annoyingly pedantic and the background information generally unnecessary. Every kanji has a paragraph of scholarly data about the primitive protoforms and etymological arguments.
Perhaps interesting to some; of little practical use to me.
One of the best..........2007-03-03
This is one of the best books on the market for learning Japanese kanji. Each character is broken up into brush stroke order, the Japanese and Chinese readings are provided, and samples of various combinations using the character are shown. They are neatly organized, and an appendix makes it very easy to look them up in a hurry. Note: this book will not help you learn the Japanese language, and provides little assistance with syntax, hiragana and katakana, but it is a great way to look up complex characters for quick reference.
Good faith.......2007-02-02
Many of the criticisms raised about this book are valid. The mnemonics and example words that Henshall gives are often eccentric (his example words are often from outdated "Kojien Japanese"). But these faults are outweighed by its special quality relative to other texts -- its academic integrity. His approach draws on modern scholarship exploring deep connections between apparently unrelated characters, and draws connections between apparently unrelated meanings given to single characters in different contexts. He avoids the faults of either (a) unhistorical mysticism or (b) lack of seriousness and rushing to easy explanations that end up misleading the student. I honestly think I learned something about ancient civilization from this book, and even about ancient psychology.
If you want to be treated like an adult and appreciate honest complexity rather than simple glosses, buy this book over any of its competitors.
Book Description
The first complete, unvarnished history of Southern rock’s legendary and most popular band, from its members’ hardscrabble boyhoods in Jacksonville, Florida and their rise to worldwide fame to the tragic plane crash that killed the founder and the band’s rise again from the ashes.
In the summer of 1964 Jacksonville, Florida teenager Ronnie Van Zant and some of his friends hatched the idea of forming a band to play covers of the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Yardbirds and the country and blues-rock music they had grown to love. Naming their band after Leonard Skinner, the gym teacher at Robert E. Lee Senior High School who constantly badgered the long-haired aspiring musicians to get haircuts, they were soon playing gigs at parties, and bars throughout the South. During the next decade Lynyrd Skynyrd grew into the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful of the rock bands to emerge from the South since the Allman Brothers. Their hits “Free Bird” and “Sweet Home Alabama” became classics. Then, at the height of its popularlity in 1977, the band was struck with tragedy --a plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant and two other band members.
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock is an intimate chronicle of the band from its earliest days through the plane crash and its aftermath, to its rebirth and current status as an enduring cult favorite. From his behind-the-scenes perspective as Ronnie Van Zant’s lifelong friend and frequent member of the band’s entourage who was also aboard the plane on that fateful flight, Gene Odom reveals the unique synthesis of blues/country rock and songwriting talent, relentless drive, rebellious Southern swagger and down-to-earth sensibility that brought the band together and made it a defining and hugely popular Southern rock band -- as well as the destructive forces that tore it apart. Illustrated throughout with rare photos, Odom traces the band’s rise to fame and shares personal stories that bring to life the band’s journey.
For the fans who have purchased a cumulative 35 million copies of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s albums and continue to pack concerts today, Lynyrd Skynyrd is a celebration of an immortal American band.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Very honest.......2007-01-14
I've already read this book twice and can assure you it's well worth it. Despite being based on Ronnie's personal bodyguard it does not flatter him when it's undeserved, like when it tells the many senseless aggressions Van Zant was guilty of. It also traces very well the beginnings of the band and gives a detailed insight on the cirucumstances surrounding th fatal plane crash that ended the band (don't get me started on the post-77 travesty, please). It also tells a lot about the inspirations behind Skynyrd's lyrics and fills you in too on the not lighthearted events that have ocurred since the Convair went down. Two sections full of great photos of the band are also included.
I would recommend this to any Ls fan and rock and roll fan as well.
Great Background Information.......2006-11-24
Great to see the kinds of things they did as kids and the kind of things they were exposed to and thought about. Well written book. Gets you behind the scenes from a very personal and apparently honest perspective.
Thanks.
HEARTWARMING.......2006-08-25
For any Skynyrd fan, this is a book that will inform, but more than that, touch your hearts just as their music did when first heard and continues through the years to do. Written from the perspective and first hand knowledge of a personal friend and then employee of the band, it gives credence to certain stories. For one reading between the lines, it also makes it possible to take accounts written by other authors and place them in the timeline of this book and see how things actually could have occurred. This book makes the band more real, closer to being able to imagine just sitting down with any one of them and feel like you know them as a long time friend. A treasured long time friend.
Story of the American Dream.......2005-07-17
This book is excellent. It tells the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd as only a friend could. The fact that Gene Odom loved the guys in the band is apparent from the first pages. He provides an honest and insighful portrait of young musicians who loved their art and worked their rear ends off to make it in the music business. Odom doesn't whitewash the facts - he presents all characters as they were, warts and all. If you are a fan of Skynyrd, you'll consider this book a walk down memory lane with a few old friends - you'll hear some familiar stories about the band and maybe a few you've not heard before. Even if you are not a fan, you'll find this book to be a heartfelt story of a bunch of poor boys from Jacksonville who believed in the American Dream - that if you believe in yourself and are willing to work hard enough you will acheive your goals. A good read!
About Lynyrd Skynyrd.......2005-06-02
It wasnt good the only thing i liked about it was the front cover. I really enjoy all kinds of music books but this one just wasnt my type. I wouldnt reccomend it but if you are willing to read a boring book go right ahead.
Amazon.com
Ved Mehta has often been accused of being the least lively, most irrelevant writer at the New Yorker magazine. But his vivid, eccentric, almost Thurberesquely embittered memoir of his life there stands as the most revealing book yet on the most fascinating magazine in modern history. That's right, it's more revealing than Brendan Gill's classic Here at the New Yorker, Jay McInerney's cocaine-edged satirical roman à clef, Bright Lights, Big City, and Here but Not Here: A Love Story, by Lillian Ross, the mistress of the mag's legendary editor William Shawn.
It speaks volumes about the nature of the New Yorker that Mehta is capable of saying--apropos of one of his articles about theologians--that "writing about God presented special difficulties, both because of the nature of the subject and because of the sensibilities of the various believers." Mehta is dead serious here, as he apparently always is. Only in the New Yorker, kids, could anyone in the magazine biz get away with the sky-high idealism Mehta eloquently describes. And only a guy like Mehta could describe the specifics of Shawn's invisible art of editing and the human maelstrom that swirled around him.
Writing about Mr. Shawn presents special difficulties because he worked in mysterious ways and thwarted attempts to cast light on him as effectively as a black hole in outer space. But Mehta was a sort of surrogate son to Shawn, not only part of the innermost circle of the xenophobic publication but sometimes the sole non-family member invited to the Shawns' Thanksgiving feasts. Mehta takes us to the parties where the phenomenally repressed Shawn "cut loose" (who would've guessed this was one of his favorite phrases?), pounding out "Anything Goes" and "Don't Fence Me In" on the piano in a rocking stride style.
The best stuff in the book is its portrait of Mr. Shawn's intriguing wife, Cecille, the comments of their movie-famous son Wallace (coauthor of My Dinner with Andre), and the bilious dinner-table and office gossip that Mehta lets us overhear. Did you know that the talented writer Maeve Brennan went insane and lived in the New Yorker's ladies' room until she started smashing the glass portion of the business manager's door? (For the full story, see William Maxwell's introduction to Brennan's brilliant Springs of Affection, posthumously released in 1997.) Mehta is also in some ways in a better position than Lillian Ross to explain her function in William Shawn's life: "desk-bound as he was, and hemmed in by his phobias, [Shawn] relied on Lillian as his special eyes and ears, to keep him abreast of things going on in the city and in the culture at large."
Alas, times in the publishing industry changed brutally, while Mr. Shawn did not. Mehta gives good dirt about the bloody battle for succession to Shawn's throne--one of the plotters was dubbed "the Slasher." He never gives deeper insights than when he tells a story about the New Yorker's troubles as only an insider could while entirely, sublimely missing the point as only a New Yorker insider can. He's so loyal to his editor that he seems unaware that sometimes the man and the magazine were simply wrong, particularly when facts were altered in small ways in essays not billed as fiction.
Yet as countless New Yorker writers will tell you in person, but few have described in print, Mr. Shawn was also an editorial genius and a titanic soul. It is a privilege to be introduced to him by Mr. Mehta. --Tim Appelo
Customer Reviews:
Wow. Tough room........2006-10-24
I'm surprised three of the prior four reviewers found this title deserving of just four stars. I found this book to be an illuminating work, exposing the intriguing convergence of factors that made The New Yorker great in its formative years. It wasn't Mr. Shawn alone, but the culture he created. He created it by example, and his example drove the magazine's writers to a level of excellence rarely seen since.
The author's success in capturing the tone Shawn set is powerful testimony to Ved Metha's skill as a writer. But beyond that, his book brings into focus a management style sorely lacking in today's enterprises, be they magazines, professional offices, retail stores -- whatever. That style is one which prizes pleasing the customer over profits, because it recognizes that happy customers are the KEY to long-term profitability.
Should we be surprised that our publications have become cursory instruments which place a greater emphasis on flashy advertising than on editorial substance when the vast majority of "publishers" have climbed the accounting side of their particular corporation's ladder, rather than the editorial side?
Editors of Mr. Shawn's caliber no longer exist because what used to be their primary job -- ensuring the accuracy and quality of editorial content -- no longer exists. Gone are the fact checkers and the grammarians, not to mention intelligent writers, able to produce 5,000 incisive words on the economy as easily as 7,000 on border disputes in the Middle East. And those writers are gone because their publications' ownerships lack the business sense necessary to build a following (or the attention span to appreciate any article which does not end on the same page upon which it begins).
And as sure as these bean-counting bottom liners have no business being publishers, any editor who hasn't read this book shouldn't be editing anything.
All Ved Mehta Books Are Wonderful.......2006-03-09
I urge everyone to collect these wonderful books. Ved Mehta writes with care, and from an unusual point of view. I have enjoyed this book in particular. His attention to detail is nothing less than amazing. He is a well-educated man, very scholarly, and it does come through in his books. As good as Churchill, Camus, and Ignatieff, if not better.
Time passing........2001-05-28
Intriguing and informative look at a title (and by extension, an industry) in transition. Clearly illustrates both the reasons for and effects of corporate acquisition of magazines. Mehta's tone of hero worship for Shawn is occasionally grating. In fairness, this may be earned, as the Mr. Shawn in this book has many qualities you'd expect from a quiet hero. Fascinating stuff.
Any Ved Mehta book is wonderful, this is not his best........1999-03-02
Ved Mehta is my favorite writer. I've bought nearly all his books, even old ones out of print that I've found through Amazon. Ved Mehta's endearing personality and superb writing style make an irresistable combination. Having said that, I must also say that Remembering Mr. Shawn's New Yorker is the Mehta book I like least. It is the latest volume in Ved Mehta's autobiography, but it reveals too little about Mr. Mehta and redundantly much about Mr. Shawn. It tells more about the New Yorker than I really care to know, although I have been a New Yorker fan for years. Perhaps this book simply lacks the editorial guidance Mr. Shawn gave to Mehta's previous books. On the other hand, an unexpected gift I found in Remembering Mr. Shawn's New Yorker is an explanation of the background behind other Mehta books written while Mehta was on the New Yorker staff. I do recommend that all Mehta and New Yorker fans read this book, but don't set your expectations too high.
I enjoyed this book........1998-12-18
I had never read any of Ved Mehta's books or articles before this. He offers an interesting glimpse into the New Yorker and "Mr. Shawn's" role as editor of the fabled magazine. He also offers a look into a writers life as he describes how the New Yorker cultivated and nurtured the writers it had in it's cubicles. I never subscribed to the New Yorker during William Shawn's time as editor. But, a few years ago I snuck into the old offices on 43rd Street. The writers cubicles were gone but, there outlines were still on the floor. There were odd pieces here and there of the writers who once filled the spaces were scattered about. A pencil here, an old wooden easel there, an old office chair, notes and drawings scribbled on a wall. Mehta fills in the space and one can almost here the clacking of typewriters and muffled conversations as writers work in a unique environment of a unique magazine. It seemed like a very interesting time to be a writer there. Before the Tina Brown's bought "Celebrity Culture" to the magizine. A time when editors like Shawn were more interested in ideas than superficial popularity.
Mike Girardo New York
Book Description
As the leader of the Catholic Church, the oldest continuing institution in the Western world, Pope John Paul II was a giant in every sphere he touched—personal, theological, political, ecumenical. In an age rich with heroes, Pope John Paul II was truly the great man of the past century—a man who personally confronted its tragedies, from Nazism to communism. A paradoxical figure, Pope John Paul II was an intellectual animated by confidence and joy, a poet and playwright, a supporter of freedom who decried its abuse, a tough political gamesman, and a mystic convinced that the bullet that nearly killed him in Rome was directed away from his heart by the hand of the Mother of God.
Here, bestselling author Peggy Noonan brings her sharp observations, acute sensibility, warmth, and wit to the life of the pope and shows the personal effect his journey had upon her and millions of others throughout the world. Written with heart and depth, this book is at once a moving elegy and a brilliant celebration of a man whose life taught us the greatest lesson of all: how to live.
Praise for Peggy Noonan and When Character Was King:
“You read her in thrall to her striking ability to behold great vistas through a pinhole . . . in a language that is always concrete and vital.”
—The New York Times
“Noonan possesses an astonishingly deft touch.”
—USA Today
“The essence of Mr. Reagan's character, and perhaps the character of a nation.”
—The Dallas Morning News
Customer Reviews:
Author's Reflections on Spirituality, Catholicism, & John Paul II.......2007-08-09
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Ms. Noonan. She writes of her spiritual growth, many things related to the Catholic Church (its politics, sexual abuse scandal, and changes) and John Paul II -- his life, beliefs and work.
John Paul II vies with Mother Teresa for a tertiary place in this book behind the author's own story and issues about the Catholic church. At times, one forgets the book is about John Paul II, because he is nowhere in the current text; however, with the exception of somewhat lengthy writing about church politics and politics in general, I found the authors tangents enjoyable, especially when writing about her personal spirituality and Mother Teresa. There is enough biography to make one wonder at the extraordinary life of John Paul and the significant role he played in history and in individual lives, as well as the lives of nations--truly making the measure of greatness.
Noonan is a seasoned writer and seems to maintain her "everyman's or woman's" tone despite being a member of elite journalists that are often out of touch with readers---definitely not the case with Noonan. She speaks plainly and not condescendingly at all.
Her esteem for John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Catholicism and God shine through in this book and make it a treasure to read.
The cd version is read by the author and reveals some emotion and emphasis adding to the quality.
A personal remembrance of John Paul II.......2007-07-18
If you've been reading George Weigel on the topic of John Paul II for the past 20 years, you will need that Weigel has already painted a very comprehensive picture of the Pope's biography, theology and place within the history of the Catholic Church. In addition, if you've read "God's Choice," you will also know that Weigel has done yeoman's work providing a detailed reportage of the days leading up to -- and the days following -- the Pope's death. So, what more is there to add?
Peggy Noonan is wise not to try to add much more in the way of "objective" history. Indeed, it would be hard, as well, even to classify this work as "non-fiction." So, much of this book is nothing more than a series of essays told from Peggy Noonan's life-story and refracted through her lens on the world.
As a result, the book is maudlin and sentimental at times, as some readers of Peggy Noonan have come to expect. One story, which captures this for me, is her story of seeing the Pope on his first visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral around 1980 and his second visit in the '90s. The story says much more about Noonan than John Paul. And, while this may be the point, we should remember that the book is about John Paul not Noonan.
Of course, what Noonan hopes to accomplish, as opposed to Weigel, is to capture and conjure up the emotional bond, which Catholics -- ardent as well as luke-warm -- had and felt for this Pope who was a "different sort of Pope." I think that Noonan was very impressed with what she saw in St. Peter's Square while millions of people were waiting to hear news of the Pope's death, the young people yearning for one last glimpse of the man who inspired them and the "Santa Subito" signs waving. At that moment, Noonan decided to write a book, which would explain that phenomenon. For she felt it too, and she knows we felt it. But, she can explain it better than us, and we expect her to explain it to us. With "John Paul the Great," she succeeds.
A Measure of Greatness.......2007-03-22
There can be little doubt that the late Pope John Paul II has been the dominant religious figure of the last fifty years. From the time rose to the papal seat to his recent passing, he exhibited a combination of intellectual clarity, media mastery, incredible charisma, and personal holiness that will likely remain unmatched by any figure on the public stage for some time to come.
Given the qualities of the late pontiff, effective communicating his cultural influence can be a daunting task. A mere bigraphical approach that details the events of his life really will not do justice to the man as his life was far more than a series of events and extended to the manner in which he elicited a response from the faithful. Peggy Noonan understands this connundrum and masterfully presents a fitting tribute to the pope she obviously loved and admired in John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father. In a series of vignettes that focus on key elements of the longest papal reign in recent memory, Noonan combines history and anecdote in a powerful mix that fleshes out the reality of the late pope's overwhelming presence on the world stage.
The key to the insight provided by Ms. Noonan is that besides being a keen observer of world events, she is also a convert to the Catholic faith who looked to Pope John Paul II for spiritual leadership. For one cannot truly understand the late pontiff without understanding the source of his spiritual strength. Without armies and weapons, he manged to have the leaders of superpowers trembling. In this superb tribute, we can see why such trembling occurs despite the lack of earthly power. It was a spiritual battle that Pope John Paul II waged against the "culture of death" and even in the wake of recent scandals in the Catholic Church, he could not and would not be silenced.
Overall, John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father has provided us with a great tribute to a great man. In an era dominated by the shallowness of the media culture, words like "great" get thrown around carelessly at the mediocre. When we do finally come face-to-face with true greatness, we no longer know how to react and often feel threatened. Only those who realize the source of the greatness Pope John Paul II possessed was not of himself could come to grips with his legacy and with this book Peggy Noonan fully grasps the source of his greatness.
Good, But..........2007-03-10
This book is well-written, typical of what you would expect from Peggy Noonan. My only criticism is that she, like most of the American media, seems inordinately obsessed by the priest sexual abuse scandal (she devotes the bulk of two chapters to this topic).
She says that JP II is "guilty" of not doing more about this; yet regarding the worldwide rise of secularism, she does a near-180 and completely exonerates him of any blame. I see this as a lack of consistency on her part.
The more I read, the more I wondered whether her own son might have been a victim of abuse. If that were the case, it would certainly explain much of this curious inconsistency.
A Loving Portrait of a Great and Holy Man.......2006-12-14
To be perfectly honest, Peggy Noonan is not an author whose work I have generally found to be appealing and I only decided to buy this one because of a TV appearance she made promoting the book. In that interview she exhibited a clear sincerity and love for her subject that made me decide to give this book a try. Noonan is of course a very partisan figure and not one that I am apt to agree with very often. Even in a book like this she couldn't resist taking a shot at the Bill and Hillary Clinton but otherwise she managed to leave politics out and I must admit that I was very impressed and deeply moved by this book.
This is not so much a traditional biography of John Paul II as it is the story of how this great man affected one life, that life being the life of Peggy Noonan. Traditional biographies of this great and Holy man are all easy to find and many of them are very good but for the most part they miss out on a very important facet of John Paul's life. That being the effect that he had on millions of individuals from all around the world. Sure he was a intellectual giant, sure he was a great mystic, sure he was a major player in the fall of the Eastern Block and Soviet Russia, sure his impact will be felt on the institutions of the Church for generations to come and he is most assuredly a Saint but there was more. Much more!
This was a man who reached out to people and made them feel special. In John Paul many of us found a spiritual father, as did this author. She only met this Pope on a couple of occasions and I never met him but I felt a closeness to him that is really beyond description. So did Noonan and she does a fabulous job of telling the story of her connection to this great man. The story of the impact that John Paul had on the life of this author and so many millions of other lives is a very important part of his story and this book tells this part of his story in a very moving way.
Despite her great love for John Paul, Noonan does not sugar coat history in this book and she does point out his shortcomings. She is especially hard on the Church leadership regarding the sex scandals that have rocked the American Church over the last few years. She has apparently been very hard on the Church leaders in her columns and when she attended the Beatification ceremony for Mother Teresa she ran into Cardinal Law and they seem to have had words. The very presence of Cardinal Law at the Vatican is a disgrace and I say bravo Peggy Noonan for telling it like it is. I have no clout but with people like Peggy Noonan leading the charge maybe some day Law will get the defrocking and excommunication that he so richly deserves.
No, this is not a book that will give readers a new knowledge of the historical John Paul II. This is instead a book that takes a look at John Paul the Saint, the man who touched us all. Read the other biographies but do not make the mistake of missing out on this aspect of his ministry. To do so would be to miss out on what was truly remarkable about this star of Poland, this John Paul the Great.
Average customer rating:
- Very Enjoyable
- One Book I Couldn't Part With
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Remembering The Future - The New York World's Fair from 1939 to 1964
Rizzoli
Manufacturer: Rizzoli
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Study & Teaching
| Historical Study
| History
| Subjects
| Books
New York
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Exhibition Catalogs
| Museums
| Museums & Collections
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0847811220
Release Date: 1989-09-15 |
Customer Reviews:
Very Enjoyable.......2002-08-14
Excellent book for worlds fair fans. Lots of info and pictures, and does a good job of placing the fair in the context of its time. Note that the Queens Museum Gift Shop hs this book for sale for less than 68.00
One Book I Couldn't Part With.......2001-01-10
This is one book I couldn't part with! I frequently used to check the only copy of this book around for miles from our library until the ecstatic day I found a copy I could actually buy and own. It was at the Queen's Museum of Art in New York on the actual site of both World's Fairs (1939 & 1964). This book is the absolute penultimate reference for that wonderful phenomenon that was the 1964 New York World's Fair. The articles and photos contained within relate the experience of the fair so effectively that I felt like it still exists. What a sensational book. Thank you for it!
Book Description
The final word on the rock-and-roll pioneer, written with the full cooperation of his family and friends and illustrated with hundreds of rare photographs.
Customer Reviews:
buddy holly's the king.......2004-12-11
this is a great book of mr holly' such a shame buddy didnt get to live out the rest of his life, and still be here with us fans makeing many many more great songs. thats how i see it. this is an awsome a book a must have, a must buy. so if you dodnt have any holly' books and you are looking for one this is a great book of his life music and everything in between. there are other good books too. but this you must add to your collection.
BUDDY WAS THE GREATEST!!!!!!!.......2004-01-18
BUDDY HOLLY WAS THE GREATEST ROCK STAR TO HAVE EVER PERFORMED.TOO BAD HIS LIFE ENDED WHEN HE WAS SO YOUNG.I HAVE BEEN A BUDDY HOLLY FAN SINCE 1971 AND HIS SONGS ARE TIMELESS.HE HAS INFLUENCED COUNTLESS OTHER PERFORMERS.THE ROLLING STONES FIRST EVER HIT,NOT FADE AWAY, WAS A SONG WRITTEN BY THE LATE,THE GREAT BUDDY HOLLY.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!!!!!!!
The best biography of Buddy...and best balanced..........2001-12-31
I've been a fan of Buddy's since he was still alive. This is the best biography available. The authors do not deal in sensationalism and wacko explorations of Buddy's sex life or possible contributions to the crash of the plane. He died at 22, and was only famous for two years, and never was wealthy. He can be expected to have had moments of immaturity, and to have made mistakes in judgement. But the overwhelming evidence is that he was a nice, normal young adult with abnormal talent for singing, songwriting, guitar-playing and record-producing. He's been gone for more than 40 years, and he left about 80 recordings behind. Those performances are still wonderful, and this book tells you a lot about how they were created and captured and preserved. Who needs anything else?
Rave On!.......2000-10-25
This is, hands down, the best biography of Buddy Holly available. I have read them all and though others have their moments (mainly rare photos) they are spoiled with proven factual errors and unsubstantiated rumors. John Goldrosen's book is the standard by which all others are judged.
Goldrosen is a stickler for accuracy and his research is meticulous. He also keeps close to all things Buddy Holly. I first met him at the dedication of the Buddy Holly statue in Lubbock in 1986. Bill Griggs (founder of the sadly discontinued Buddy Holly Memorical Society) thinks highly of Goldrosen and there is no higher compliment for a historian of Buddy Holly.
The updates keep making the book better (and more accurate) but I will always keep my first copy which I've had signed by Buddy's parents, his brothers, Jerry Allison, Niki Sullivan, Joe Mauldin, and, of course, the author John Goldrosen. If you only read one biography of Buddy Holly, this should be the one. If you have read others and would like to know what Buddy was really like, get the latest edition of this book. You will not be disappointed.
Update 2005: Sad to note that this book is out of print. So is the earlier version titled "The Buddy Holly Story" by the same authors. It's still worth reading if you can find a copy. Check your local library or used book store. Hopefully another publisher will pick up the book and it will be available again.
Best one of all.......2000-08-13
This is the book to buy if you want an accurate, well-written biography of Buddy Holly, the greatest rocker of them all and the most influential person in the genre's history. If it were possible, I would give this book ten stars. It is absolutely the best biography of Buddy Holly. I got my first copy in August 1975 and have gotten updated versions as they came out. I've read it several times. John Goldrosen spent a year or so of his life (circa 1972) researching this book and talking to the people involved.
Average customer rating:
- Manylayered views of Congo/Zaire's history [4 1/2 stars]
- Manylayered views of Congo/Zaire history [4 1/2 stars]
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Remembering the Present: Painting and Popular History in Zaire
Johannes Fabian
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Readings in African Popular Culture (International African Institute)
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Flexible Bodies
ASIN: 0520203763 |
Book Description
This book combines ethnography with the study of art to present a fascinating new vision of African history. It contains the paintings of a single artist depicting Zaire's history, along with a series of ethnographic essays discussing local history, its complex relationship to forms of self-expression and self-understanding, and the aesthetics of contemporary urban African and Third World societies. As a collaboration between ethnographer and painter, this innovative study challenges text-oriented approaches to understanding history and argues instead for an event- and experience-oriented model, ultimately adding a fresh perspective to the discourse on the relationship between modernity and tradition.
During the 1970s, Johannes Fabian encouraged Tshibumba Kanda Matulu to paint the history of Zaire. The artist delivered the work in batches, together with an oral narrative. Fabian recorded these statements along with his own question-and-answer sessions with the painter. The first part of the book is the complete series of 100 paintings, with excerpts from the artist's narrative and the artist-anthropologist dialogues. Part Two consists of Fabian's essays about this and other popular painting in Zaire. The essays discuss such topics as performance, orality, history, colonization, and popular art.
Customer Reviews:
Manylayered views of Congo/Zaire's history [4 1/2 stars].......2002-11-18
Anthropologist Johannes Fabian performed an outstanding service in sponsoring painter/historian Tshibumba's unique vision of his country's history. His words and the paintings themselves offer a rather romantic look at precolonial life, but a searing indictment of the epoch of Belgian rule. The interpretation of the Mobutu period is more equivocal, partly due to living under the authority of that regime, but also because Tshibumba genuinely admired some of Mobutu's achievements. Our painter vanished (presumably deceased) in the mid to late 1970s just as the tyrant's control began to go sour; it would be fascinating to read and see how Tshibumba assessed Mobutu's decline and fall.
His history operates on three levels---through his startling folk images, his own words, and the dialogue which emerges out of interviews with Fabian. The result is probably the most fully realized popular interpretation of the history of any African country, though oriented toward Tshibumba's home province of Katanga (Shaba). Fabian's essays in Part II further enhance our understanding of their joint project, though some are dense enough to deter some students and lay readers, thus 4 1/2 stars. Overall, a stunning and memorable collaboration. If only we had more like it....
For another indigenous perspective on many of the same events, by a Katangan girl who grew to womanhood during the Mobutu era, see Suruba Wechsler, "By the Grace of God," less penetrating but rather more accessible. Useful background material is also available in works by Eduard Bustin, Crawford Young, and Phyllis Martin and David Birmingham.
Manylayered views of Congo/Zaire history [4 1/2 stars].......2002-11-18
Anthropologist Johannes Fabian performed an outstanding service in sponsoring artist/historian Tshibumba's unique vision of his country's history. His words and the paintings themselves offer a rather romantic look at precolonial life, but a searing indictment of the epoch of Belgian rule. The interpretation of the Mobutu period is more equivocal, partly due to living under the authority of that regime, but also because Tshibumba genuinely admired some of Mobutu's achievements. Our artist vanished (presumably deceased) in the mid to late 1970s just as the tyrant's control began to go sour; it would be fascinating to read and see how Tshibumba assessed Mobutu's decline and fall.
His history operates on three levels---through his startling folk images, his own words, and the dialogue which emerges out of interviews with Fabian. The result is probably the most fully realized popular interpretation of the history of any African country, though oriented toward Tshibumba's home province of Katanga (Shaba). Fabian's essays in Part II further enhance our understanding of their joint project, though a couple are dense enough to deter some students and lay readers, thus 4 1/2 stars. Overall, a stunning and memorable collaboration. If only we had more like it....
For another indigenous perspective on many of the same events, by a Katangese girl who grew to womanhood during the Mobutu era, see Suruba Wechsler, "By the Grace of God," less penetrating but rather more accessible. Useful background material is also available in works by Edouard Bustin, Thomas Kanza, Crawford Young, and David Birmingham & Phyllis Martin.
Book Description
Never before in paperback: A rare eyewitness appreciation of a jazz legend
Bix has always inspired acclaim, for he was an unmatched master of the cornet. Ralph Berton was privileged enough to have been a fan-and younger brother of Bix's drummer--just as Beiderbecke's genius was flowering, before he died in 1931 at age twenty-eight. Listening from behind the piano, tagging along to honky-tonks and jam sessions, Berton heard some of the most extraordinary music of the century, and he brings Bix and his era alive with a remarkable combination of the excitement of youth and the perspective of the five decades that followed-decades that confirmed Bix's place in the pantheon of jazz.
Customer Reviews:
Books should reveal truth, not spread baloney - I'd rate it no stars if I could.......2007-09-29
An earlier reviewer said "Berton bubbles over with cleverness." True - clever writing based on inaccuracies and half truths by all Bix's other contemporaries and the scholarly research done by others.
You'd be far better off reading Sudhalter and Evans' "BIX: MAN AND LEGEND".
The section on Bix's supposed Bisexuality comes across as Berton's fantasy /projection on Bix. Berton seems more fascinated with himself and his family than the subject of the book.
I think Bix, who was an easy going guy by all accounts, would have punched out Berton if he had lived to see this piece of tripe published.
Makes good kindling....
I've read dozens of jazz history books - this one's the best!.......2005-08-10
I simply could not put this book down, and when forced to, only thought of when I might be able to pick it back up again. Ralph Berton is an amazing writer. He combines colorful prose, great humor and rare insights into the soul of jazz, life, love and lest we forget, the tragic life of Bix Beiderbecke.
If you are a musicologist looking for studious research on this period of jazz, you will be frustrated by this book. If you treasure rich imagery that brings history to life, step into this wonderful time machine - and enjoy a guided tour of jazz culture in the 1920's.
one of my top 5...........2003-02-20
i haven't read this in a while. i came across it in a little bookstore in san francisco, bought it and didn't put it down for a week. it is such an unbelievably rich experience. it does bear mentioning that the book doesn't wholly focus on bix. you end up not really caring. the portions dealing with bix are very profound and highly memorable.
ralph berton is a very sensitive writer. his ability to draw in the reader is formidable.
i loaned my copy to my mom, so i came to amazon to buy another copy.
Take with a grain of salt (and a slug of gin).......2002-05-21
This book is essentially everything you wanted to know about the career, family and sex life of Ralph Berton -- oh, and then there's that guy Beiderbecke who keeps hanging around him.
Actually, it's not a bad evocation of a frantic era and how it ended. Berton paints some great word pictures of what it must have been like to travel with the Wolverines and party with a still young-and-healthy Bix. The skeptical or more serious reader, however, may speculate on exactly where the facts end and the fiction begins.
For a more even-handed bio, a better bet is Sudhalter/Evans' BIX: MAN AND LEGEND, which treats its subject with respect without turning into a dry listing of facts and dates.
Still, REMEMBERING BIX is a fun read for anyone in love with Bix, his music, and his times.
It's WONDERFUL......plain & simple!.......2001-06-30
I, too, read it a long time ago. I would have been crazy about this book even if I'd never heard of Bix. Every paragraph is a gem. Berton bubbles over with cleverness. I use expressions & phrases that I picked up from the book, every day! And like another reviewer, I would love to know what happened to Ralph Berton.
Book Description
Children love to be funny and to swap cool jokes. All of the classic joke formats — jump jokes, knock-knocks, riddles, visual puns, and many more — are included and grouped by themes that reflect childrens's interests and lives including technology, monsters, aliens, families, school, and silly book, movie, and song titles. Each chapter ends with a “half-joke,” so that readers can test their growing skills by making up a punch line. Full-page drawings by Paul Brewer accompany each section, and spot art throughout the book punctuates the jokes with visual humor. The 17 ½ tips at the end of the book help the reader to develop confidence and a personal style of telling jokes. Also included are guidelines for writing funny jokes. Some of the author’s favorite lines submitted by readers will be posted on youmustbejoking.net. This collection of over 200 jokes and silly art will appeal to the class clown and stand-up performer in every child.
Books:
- Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth
- Charles Bargue Et Jean-Leon Gerome: Drawing Course
- Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter
- Cinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale
- Color Drawing: Design Drawing Skills and Techniques for Architects, Landscape Architects, and Interior Designers
- Colored Pencil for the Serious Beginner: Basic Lessons in Becoming a Good Artist (Serious Beginner)
- Creative Impulse: An Introduction to the Arts (7th Edition)
- Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts
- Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 1)
- Design of Analog CMOS Integrated Circuits
Books Index
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Ishmael
