Fargo Rock City : A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota

Book Description

Empirically proving that -- no matter where you are -- kids wanna rock, this is Chuck Klosterman's hilrious memoir of growing up as a shameless metalhead in Wyndmere, North Dakotoa (population: 498). With a voice like Ace Frehley's guitar, Klosterman hacks his way through hair-band history, beginning with that fateful day in 1983 when his older brother brought home Mötley Crüe's Shout at the Devil. The fifth-grade Chuck wasn't quite ready to rock -- his hair was too short and his farm was too quiet -- but he still found a way to bang his nappy little head. Before the journey was over, he would slow-dance to Poison, sleep innocently beneath satanic pentagrams, lust for Lita Ford, and get ridiculously intellectual about Guns N' Roses. C'mon and feel his noize.

Customer Reviews:

Decent, But Glam Rock is Not Metal.......2007-09-18

This book is deceiving. It is NOT about metal, it is about glam rock, or hair metal (Motley Crue, Poison, Def Leppard etc.), which is NOT really metal. It is POP rock.

Having said that, this book is still mildly entertaining. It is a pretty well told story of growing up in a really small town and listening to ROCK, and some metal, and not really fitting in. There are numerous humorous scenarios and it is an easy read.

However, at times Klosterman can get VERY pedantic, especially when discussing his tastes in music. If he doesn't like a band, song, whatever, it automatically sucks, and is open for his harsh criticism. As a HUGE fan of Iron Maiden, it was very hard to sit and read him rip apart one of my favorite bands.

Read for yourself, some will love, some will hate.

chuck klosterman wouldnt know heavy metal if it hit him upside the head.......2007-08-14

this is the most worthless book i have ever read in my life. anyone who gets duped into buying this toilet paper should just give me their money and i will kick them in the nuts. its about the same effect as reading this trash.
chuck klosterman isnt from fargo. chuck klosterman is the reason why metallica skipped fargo on one of their tours. chuck klosterman doesnt represent the metal scene in the fargo area.

What Would He Write Now?.......2007-07-18

I grew up in an Illinois town that sounds a lot like Chuck's -- just a bit bigger, perhaps... And, like Chuck, I had a problem in the 90s admitting I listened to (and loved) heavy metal. In 1997, I went so far as to give away all of my "hair metal" albums to a co-worker. Did I still like the music? Sure, but I thought I would "move on."

Guess what? It didn't take me long to buy all the stuff back. I couldn't deny what I loved.

Chuck's book's main problem is that he still "sits on the fence." By the end of the book, he more or less admits that he likes the music of his formative years, but he still seems to have a problem being true to what he likes. Maybe this is his attempt at humor -- I don't know, as this is the first time I've ever read his stuff. All I know is, if he wants to write a book about heavy metal and what it meant to him, then he shouldn't describe it as "boring," as he does in a few places, and he shouldn't say one thing one place and the complete opposite in another place... that is, without letting it be clear how he truly feels now.

The book came out about six years ago, though, and if he went through the phase of "I can't listen to this crap any more" like I did, then maybe he's finally accepted that the music will belong to him for the rest of his days, and that it's okay to listen to the music of your high school years.

mr klosterman's narrow mind and bad taste do not warrant book length treatment.......2007-03-26

mr klosterman wonders why so much is made of the chapter titled "i get drunk and go to a hockey game:" an essay describing his penchant for alcohol abuse. well, sir; here's the deal: it's the only really fine piece of writing here. otherwise, the glories of having bad taste in music just do not carry a book. and then there's mr klosterman's narrow little mind. a very small place it seems, where ole' chucky loves to dictate how other people (especially people older and more talented than him) should carry on with their lives. this book simply adds up to one big drag. i don't know mr klosterman, never even seen him; but i predict divorce/failed relationships galore for the man. a narrow mind and poor thinking cannot equal success in that department of life. his book was overwhelmingly a waste of my time.

You Can't Kill Rock'N'Roll......It's Here To Stay!.......2007-01-10

I absolutely love this book. As a child of the 80's and particularly 80's metal this book was a real trip down memory lane. His personal stories are wonderfully written and his analysis of the genre is pretty much right on. The only problem I have with the book is that he tries too hard to defend 80's metal. I feel no need to do so because I simply don't care if other people liked it or not. I did and so did a lot of my friends. In fact I still love to crank the "80's metal" playlist on my iPod.

To me the 80's is the by far the greatest musical decade precisely because most of the music had no deep meaning. It was about having fun and enjoying life(although not by the same moral code I followed). The 90's came along and all of a sudden everyone is depressed and they're trying to tell me why I should be also. Sorry, there are too many reasons NOT to be depressed, especially in this country.

This book is funny, witty and a fantastic read, even if you're not a fan of 80's metal. I look forward to checking out some of his other titles.

Me and You and Memento and Fargo: How Independent Screenplays Work

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Flydocfly
The screenwriting book for the rest of us

Me and You and Memento and Fargo: How Independent Screenplays Work
J. J. Murphy
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0826428053

Book Description

Within the last twenty-five years, an enormous burst of creative production has emerged from "independent" filmmakers. From Stranger than Paradise (1984) and Slacker (1991) to Gus Van Sant's Elephant (2003) and Miranda July's Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005), indie cinema has become part of mainstream culture. But what makes these films independent? Is it simply a matter of budget and production values? Or are there aesthetic qualities which set them off from ordinary Hollywood entertainment?

J.J Murphy argues that the independent feature film from the 1980s to the present has developed a distinct approach to filmmaking, centering on new and different conceptions of cinematic storytelling. The film script is the heart of the creative originality to be found in the independent movement. Even directors noted for idiosyncratic visual style or the handling of performers typically originate their material and write their own scripts. By studying the principles underlying the independent screenplay, we gain a direct sense of the originality of this new trend in American cinema.

Me and You and Memento and Fargo also presents a unique vision for the aspiring screenwriter. Most screenwriting manuals and guidebooks on the market rely on formulas believed to generate salable Hollywood films. Many writers, including Syd Field (Screenplay), present a "three-act paradigm" as gospel and proceed to lay down very stringent rules for characterization, plotting, the timing of climaxes, and so on, while others that appear to be more open about such rules (e.g., Robert McKee's Story) turn out to be just as inflexible in their advice. Here, J.J Murphy shows how an understanding of the history of independent screenplays can help writers find the novelty that Hollywood also wants.

Customer Reviews:

Flydocfly.......2007-07-15

I love this book. It gave me a totally new and fresh approach to writing independent films. After years of studying the "classic" three act structure (I have an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA, and learned all the classic Hollywood tricks and structure there), it was great to read a critical analysis of contemporary successful indie movies and have someone explain why they work so well (even if they don't make total sense or work logically, i.e., Memento.)

Who says you have to follow the "formula?". Certainly not JJ Murphy. But I'd highly advise an aspiring screenwriter to first learn the "formula" then read this book and learn how to break it.

The screenwriting book for the rest of us.......2007-07-13

Me and You and Memento and Fargo does more to aid and abet the art of screenwriting than almost the entire output of the writing gurus from Syd Field (orig. pub. 1979) to date. On the way, it also provides a film-fest full of insights into 12 important independent movies (Stranger Than Paradise, Safe, Fargo, Trust, Gas Food Lodging, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Reservoir Dogs, Elephant, Memento, Mulholland Dr., Gummo, and Slacker) that anyone serious about screenwriting or just moviegoing should know. Unlike most of the writers recycling Aristotle's Poetics into lottery tickets for the movie-biz sweepstakes, J.J. Murphy has a long track record as both a filmmaker and a film scholar. His understanding of cinema as art allows him to see screenwriting not as a rigidly fixed path to the least scriptreader/suit resistance, but as a wonderfully flexible and variable calling with as many different possibilities as there are individual filmmakers.

In his introduction, Murphy does a long-overdue temple-sweeping on Field, McKee, and Co., exposing their myopic tendency to set the rules by the rules of the marketplace (which is actually clueless, as per William Goldman's summation, "Nobody knows anything"). The chapters devoted to Murphy's film selections provide a catalog of alternative strategies for writers whose voices can't or won't harmonize with traditional American film structure. Mainstream writing coaches would interject here that Murphy's movies are the work of writer/directors, who have the freedom (bought at the risk of personal loss and/or losses to producers without the cash cushions of major studios) to film whatever they write. But in a spec script market drowning in thousands of formula-baked, uninspired scripts, writers in search of others to direct their work should find the study of independent screenplays to be a competitive advantage, supporting the development of their individual voices, which are any artist's prime asset.

If your goal as a screenwriter is to cash in with a mainstream blockbuster, this book is not for you. It valorizes things that the gurus hold in (blinkered) contempt, and it's resolute in its resistance to any writing paradigms driven by greed and/or the fear of rejection. If you want to write movies because you love that work too much to care about the obstacles, then Me and You and Memento and Fargo will connect you with a set of artists with the same glorious problem. (Murphy mixes generous amount of commentary from directors and other first-hand participants into his own explications.) It will encourage you to make your work like they do: by any means necessary. The energy you'll derive from that is the energy that fuels the movies Murphy champions, and that energy can't be derived from mere recipe books.

This book is written as a college-level text, with the appropriate high standards and scholarly apparatus, but page by page it's also highly entertaining. Get it if you're taking a screenwriting course. Assign it if you're teaching one. Drink it in, for courage and companionship, if you're trying to write movies on your own.

Los Macheteros: The Wells Fargo Robbery and the Violent Struggle for Puerto Rican Independence

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The Story They Did Not Tell you
Insightful Lesson

Los Macheteros: The Wells Fargo Robbery and the Violent Struggle for Puerto Rican Independence
Ronald Fernandez
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0135406005

Customer Reviews:

The Story They Did Not Tell you.......2000-02-04

This book is a must for those who want to understand Puerto Rico's political situation. In a straightforward way, Ronald Fernandez presents the political and economic aspects of Puerto Rican society. He concisely explains how the island, as a 500-year old colony, evolved through history to acquire its actual form. In this book the reader will find more than the official line. Using the legendary robbery by Los Macheteros (The Machete Wielders) to the Wells Fargo in 1983 as an epicenter, Fernandez presents the story behind the scenes, and explains why Puerto Rico is "an island that handled ignorantly, could easily become America's Northern Ireland."

Insightful Lesson.......1999-12-21

Fernandez provides a detailed and knowledgeable analysis of an often overlooked political faction in Puerto Rican politics and analyses one of several acts of "terrorism" attributed to the Macheteros. Fernandez also provides the reader with a brief, yet enlightening, history of Puerto Rico and its relations to the United States and in doing so lays the groundwork for an explanation of the motives that lead the "Macheteros" to advocate independence for Puerto Rico by any means necessary. A must read for anyone interested in the hypocrisy of U.S. domestic (foreign to the macheteros) policy and for those interested in finding out some of the history behind the release of the Puerto Rican political prisoners several months ago.

To the Love of My Life: A Collection of Love Poems (Love)

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To the Love of My Life: A Collection of Love Poems (Love)
Donna Fargo
Manufacturer: Blue Mountain Arts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0883966484

Book Description

"Deep within my soul, where my secrets are kept from even me, sometimes I feel feelings that I cannot describe. They're sacred and they're private, and they're all about you and me. They tell our beautiful love story, for you are the love of my life." - Donna Fargo

In this exquisitely tender collection of love poems, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Donna Fargo shares her most personal thoughts on love, relationships, and the special person in her life.

Her words, written especially for the one true love of her life, speak of gratitude for the blessed gift of love she has been given and of the enduring happiness it brings to her life. They speak of devotion: of honoring each other's dreams and supporting each other in times of need. Recognizing that unhappy moments and difficult times occur in every relationship, her poetry speaks to the importance of trust, understanding, and forgiveness, and of learning to accept the ups, downs, and all the times in between.

Amazon.com

Today, most of us know the iconic red and yellow image of the Wells Fargo stagecoach only as the omnipresent logo of a huge national financial institution. Philip L. Fradkin's Stagecoach reminds us of the far more complex and colorful history of the 150-year-old enterprise it symbolizes, beginning with its heyday as an unpolished but honorable "express company" that dependably linked, by means of the stagecoach, an upstart West Coast and roughshod Rockies with everything else back East. Fradkin, author of eight books on the American West, ties the company's and region's fates together as mining, agriculture, and then more contemporary commercial interests (with help from the federal government) indelibly shaped them both. From the time of the dusty stage driver to the era of the wing-tipped banker, the book recounts it all but wisely focuses on the period from 1852 to 1918, a time when the firm "served as the principal communications conduit between East and West ... contributed to the Union victory in the Civil War ... and shipped fresh vegetables and fruits via fast refrigerated express." After reading it, you'll be hard-pressed to look at the enduring stagecoach imagery in quite the same way ever again. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

Sweeping in scope, as revealing of an era as it is of a company, Stagecoach is the epic story of Wells Fargo and the American West. The trail of Wells Fargo runs through nearly every imaginable landscape and icon of frontier folklore: the California Gold Rush, the Pony Express, the transcontinental railroad, the Civil War, and the Indian wars. From the Great Plains to the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean, the company's operations embraced almost all social, cultural, and economic activities west of the Mississippi. As its reputation for speed and dependability grew after the Gold Rush, the sight of a red-and-yellow Wells Fargo stagecoach racing across the prairie came to symbolize faith in a nation's progress. For a time, Wells Fargo was the most powerful and widespread institution in the American West, even surpassing the presence of the federal government. Stagecoach is a fascinating and rare combination of Western and business history. Along with its rich association with the frontier, readers will discover that swiftness, security, and connectivity have been constants in Wells Fargo's 150 years.

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"Sweeping in scope, as revealing of an era as it is of a company, Stagecoach is the epic story of Wells Fargo and the American West, by award-winning writer Philip L. Fradkin. The trail of Wells Fargo runs through nearly every imaginable landscape and icon of frontier folklore: the California Gold Rush, the Pony Express, the transcontinental railroad, the Civil and Indian Wars. From the Great Plains to the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean, the company's operations embraced almost all social, cultural, and economic activities west of the Mississippi, following one of the greatest migrations in American history. Fortune seekers arriving in California after the discovery of gold in 1849 couldn't bring the necessities of home with them. So Wells Fargo express offices began providing basic services such as the exchange of gold dust for coin, short-term deposits and loans, and reliable delivery and receipt of letters, money, and goods to and from distant places. As its reputation for speed and dependability grew, the sight of a red-and-yellow Wells Fargo stagecoach racing across the prairie came to symbolize not only safe passage but faith in a nation's progress. In fact, for a time Wells Fargo was the most powerful and widespread institution in the American West, even surpassing the presence of the federal government. Stagecoach is a fascinating and rare combination of Western and business history. Along with its colorful association with the frontier -- Wyatt Earp, Black Bart, Buffalo Bill -- readers will discover that swiftness, security, and connectivity have been constants in Wells Fargo's history, and that these themes remain just as important today, 150 years later. "

Customer Reviews:

Great Historical book.......2007-01-11

Great history on not only Wells Fargo but the early growing west. Very well written.

Excellent history of Wells Fargo.......2006-11-02

Wells, Fargo and Co., the freighting and banking company, got its start in 1852 at the height of the Gold Rush period in California. It bought out a number of smaller stagecoach lines running between towns and mining camps in the gold fields and eventually established a monopoly in the business in the area. To finance its business ends, the company also started a banking business, with profits being obtained from the gold dust being shipped from the gold fields on its stagecoaches. Packages, gold, mail, and finally passengers were soon being hauled throughout central California and points east by Wells Fargo stages. The company was also very involved with the Overland Mail Company, operating all its express services west of Salt Lake, and even administered to the fabled Pony Express along its route across the central plains for a few years before its demise. With the coming of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, Wells Fargo was able to expand its express business while the stagecoach operations disappeared.

Philip Fradkin tells the story of the Wells Fargo company superbly and with careful attention to historical accuracy. He relates many stories of stagecoach holdups, of what it was like traveling by stage in the West, and what the stage stations were like - all told with flair and excitement. And the business operations of the company, especially after the merger with the American Express Company and into the twentieth century, are explained fully without becoming deadly dull. Fradkin's scholarship is praiseworthy in his use of original source material, especially company records and the files of the Wells Fargo Historical Services department. It's an enjoyable book and is the definitive book on the company today.

A Nice History Of An Early Business.......2005-11-29

I thought this book was very insightful and must be regarded as a serious history book of the founding blocks of American business. Of course certain parts were more exciting than others but it delivers what was expected : a very well written account of an ever changing business during the earliest days of recorded westward expansion to present. I salute the author for what must have been an incredible amount of material to put into a sensible chronology. I enjoyed it thoroughly and think it is underrated.

Too many details.......2005-09-12

This book is actually composed of two parts. The first part traces the history of Wells Fargo from its foundings by friends Wells and Fargo in the early 1800s, to its spread through the American West in places like California, Utah, and Arizona. It shows how Wells Fargo provided mail services first, followed by carriage, and finally entry into the banking business to satisfy the needs of miners to transfer gold to money during the California Gold Rush. Many important facts are provided as the book gives insight into frontier life, banking and commerce in the 1800's, and the often minute separation between government officials and businessmen. Some of this history is quite interesting; for example, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and others involved at the OK Corral did business with Wells Fargo. This first part covers up through the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.

The second part of the book focuses on Wells Fargo and Norwest Bank in the 20th century. The latter bank is included because it merged with Wells Fargo recently to create one of the world's largest banks. The bulk of the second half focuses on Norwest such as its origins in Minnesota, its history, and major changes it and the rest of the banking world underwent. The latter includes the change from a male-dominated business to a female-dominated business. The book ends by describing the merger of equals between Norwest and Wells Fargo, and how both adopted the policy of retain and retrain instead of laying of workers in redundant areas.

The first half of the book was very interesting, even for someone like me who has little interest in the cowboys, the Old West, and related history. I give this part 4 stars. The second half of the book was quite boring, and emphasized the growth of financial services, mergers, legal issues, international banking, etc... I give this part 2 stars. So averaging out both parts gives 3 stars out of 5.

Needed a Bit More Focus..........2004-09-06

Stagecoach was an attempt to cover the history of the Wells Fargo company. Frankly, it read a little bit like it was the product of the Wells Fargo pr Department, but the real "problem" is that the author tried to cover both the days of the Historic Wells Fargo entity AND the mergers which led to the present day bank. In doing this, the author ended up really giving the short shrift to both.

The author also made some rather "strange" errors. For example, on p182 the author wrote:

"Sometimes small amounts of salt were added to the ice to slow the melting process.." Uh.. no. Salt water melts at a lower tempature. That's why it is used in the winter time to melt ice on streets and why it is used in Ice Cream freezers as well. Adding salt to the ice melts the ice FASTER (but also imparts more cool, faster...)

I would hope that this author were to revisit this subject and produce a new edition which focuses and expands on the pre-split Company and ignores, or at best relegates to a footnote, the Norwest merger...

Dreams Through the Glass: Windows from Bergdorf Goodman

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dreams through the glass

Dreams Through the Glass: Windows from Bergdorf Goodman
Linda Fargo
Manufacturer: Assouline
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 2843235227

Book Description

Window design is a vanishing metier, but it remains an enduring art form providing rare views through the glass into fantastic realms of dreams and fantasy. In these pages, Linda Fargo, the renowned window artist for Bergdorf Goodman, opens up her portfolio of magical tableaux created especially for this crown jewel of the retail world. Her palette is wonderfully rich and eclectic, juxtaposing relics of the past and the present, symbols of art and literature, Western culture and exotic lands, moving easily between the marvelous and the everyday. These windows continue to astonish and delight all who flock to them for the traditional annual Christmas displays, as well as the untold numbers of passersby who stop on the street year-round to gaze at them, getting caught up in their magic. Open these pages and you open yourself to Fargo's enchanting worlds, visions rarely still encountered on strolls down the fashion avenues of the world.

Customer Reviews:

dreams through the glass.......2004-06-11

This book is a gem of a resource guide for visual artists (or anyone responsible for retail displays). Fargo's innovative approach and resourceful applications as well as entertaining descriptions give us a unique view of her creative process. She uses everyday objects in unexpected applications to ensure that her "sidewalk shadowboxes play on the stage of world-class theatre in a world-class city."

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Wells Fargo
Ralph Moody
Manufacturer: Bison Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0803283032

Book Description

Henry Wells (1805–78) and William Fargo (1818–81) first worked together when they broke the Post Office monopoly on mail service along the Erie Canal in the 1840s. In 1852 they incorporated Wells, Fargo & Company and went into the express business in California, carrying gold, letters, packages, and freight between the mining regions and the financial centers of the East. They registered the miners to receive deliveries, guarded the gold-dust shipments, apprehended stage robbers, recovered stolen gold and silver, and established a reliable, conservative banking house in the world’s wickedest city, San Francisco. They survived the collapse of the mining industry, the great California panic of 1855, the depredations of bandits such as Rattlesnake Dick and Black Bart, the dominance of the railroads, and the San Francisco earthquake and fire.

Acclaimed Western writer Ralph Moody tells the exciting story of Henry Wells and his drivers, messengers, and riders; his accountants, managers, and detectives; and how they built a lasting empire in a business most entrepreneurs thought too risky to try. Moody, author of more than a dozen books on Western subjects, gives an action-packed account that readers young and old will enjoy.

The Coen Brothers' Fargo (Cambridge Film Handbooks)

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The Coen Brothers' Fargo (Cambridge Film Handbooks)

Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521005019

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The most commercially and critically successful film of Ethan and Joel Coen, Fargo was nominated for five Academy Awards and received two, an exceptional achievement for a low budget, independently produced film. This volume explores Fargo from a variety of perspectives. Providing a detailed account of the film's production, reception and place within the career of the Coen brothers, it covers issues and themes significant to current film discourse, including genre, gender and sexuality, race, history, culture and myth.

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Fargo is the most commercially and critically successful film of Ethan and Joel Coen. Immediately recognized as an important work, it was nominated for five Academy Awards and received two, an exceptional achievement for a low budget, independently produced film without major stars. Fargo is also a film that explores middle-American themes and settings from an original and unsettling perspective, challenging traditional genre structures. This volume explores Fargo from a variety of methodological perspectives. Providing a detailed account of the film's production, reception and place within the career of the Coen brothers, it explores issues and themes that are important to current film discourse, including genre, gender and sexuality, race, history, culture and myth.

I Prayed for You Today: A Collection of Uplifting Thoughts to Let Someone Know How Much You Care

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I Prayed For You Today
inspiration thoughts
The best book ever to read for picking up the pieces and to go on living again.
I Prayed For You Today

I Prayed for You Today: A Collection of Uplifting Thoughts to Let Someone Know How Much You Care
Donna Fargo
Manufacturer: Blue Mountain Press
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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 0883969238

Book Description

This book is filled with uplifting words to make a difference in someone's life and tell someone special, "I prayed for you today." Whether you're experiencing a temporary setback, a health issue, or some unexpected, life-altering event, these good thoughts and best wishes are positive reminders that, with the help and support of family, faith, and friends, anything is possible.

In her characteristic spirit of optimism, which has made her one of country music's most memorable stars, Donna Fargo shares with readers some of the lessons she's learned when faced with mountains in her own life. She encourages taking authority over problems, living life one day at a time, and always believing in the importance of prayer. Donna inspires readers to trust that you are not alone, that God is with you all the time, but it is your responsibility to draw near to Him and to develop your faith. She believes that prayer is the most loving way to show someone how much you care.

Donna inspires us to trust that we are not alone, that God is with us all the time, but it is our responsibility to draw near to Him and to develop our faith. She believes that prayer is the most loving way to show someone how much you care.

Customer Reviews:

I Prayed For You Today.......2007-02-06

I have purchased at least 20 of this item. It is the best of all the books in this genre. I give a copy to friends who are troubled or ill, and especially when they have suffered a loss.
The comments I receive from each one are filled with gratitude for the quiet peace, comfort and inspiration that they receive from the contents.
Ms. Fargo is to be highly commended for her most helpful work.

inspiration thoughts.......2006-03-20

I purchase the books for my family members that were going throught diffult times. As I began reading some of the pages I began to cry, its a very special book for special people in your life.

The best book ever to read for picking up the pieces and to go on living again........2005-09-09

I have read books before but I have never read a book that really gave me an uplift in my struggles (good or bad) the way this book did. Not only would I highly recommend this book for yourself but to give as a gift to anyone you care about. When reading this book, I know you will want to read it more than once and everytime you feel the need to be uplifted and be in control again from your lows to function in your everyday activities. It's nice to know that there is an author out there that understands our needs and who knows how to write in words for others to heal and overcome their unbalance in life.

I Prayed For You Today.......2005-08-07

What a GREAT book!!!!!!!! A powerful book. I'm giving it to everybody I know for Christmas and birthday gifts. Every time I read it, I come away feeling more enpowered, positive, focused, energic, and happy. It makes me want to be a better person. ANOTHER well-written book by Ms. Fargo.

Slouching Toward Fargo:: A Two-Year Saga Of Sinners And St. Paul Saints At The Bottom Of The Bush Leagues With Bill Murray, Darryl Strawberry, Dakota Sadie And Me

Average customer rating:

Diamond in the Rough
A Book As Wild, Wacky And Wonderful As The Team It Covers
Doesn't get more charming than this
one of top baseball books i have read
Hilarious - Couldn't Put It Down!

Slouching Toward Fargo:: A Two-Year Saga Of Sinners And St. Paul Saints At The Bottom Of The Bush Leagues With Bill Murray, Darryl Strawberry, Dakota Sadie And Me
Neal Karlen
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 038079215X

Amazon.com

Any baseball book beginning with a descriptive list of characters that includes a Benedictine nun, the hold-out college player of the year, a woman pitcher, a 300-pound pig, a seemingly washed-up Darryl Strawberry, a blind announcer, comedian Bill Murray, Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, and the spirit of Bill Veeck--the game's greatest showman--hovering over it all as the holy ghost, is a book that swings for the fences. Slouching Toward Fargo does go deep, even off the deep end at times. The really amazing thing is that it's all true.

A resourceful veteran writer, Karlen spends the summers of 1996 and 1997 following the mismatched misfits who mold themselves into the St. Paul Saints of the unaffiliated A-level Northern League, one of the strangest clubs in one of the oddest leagues in the history of organized baseball. On one level, his chronicle is a certified hoot; the presence of team owners Murray and Mike Veeck, who inherited his father's gene for baseball theatrics, ensures that Fargo flirts with the unpredictable. But this is also a circumspect tale filled with second chances--not the least of which is Karlen's own redemption as a journalist, which resonates in counterpoint throughout. His adventure begins at a personal crisis point when he accepts an assignment from Wenner, who's had a longstanding grudge against Murray, to follow the comedian and do a hatchet-job on him for Rolling Stone. Karlen needs the check, sure, but he needs a reality check too. "It was time to put my scorecard in order," he admits; after all, this isn't his grudge. Can you hear the bass chord of conscience beginning to thrum? "As I followed the team, I would be searching for some clue to my own battered spirit." By the end of his journey, both the clues and the Saints entertainingly add up to a winning volume and a winning team. --Jeff Silverman

Book Description

In Slouching Toward Fargo, author Neal Karlen describes his two-year journey with the St. Paul Saints--the most audacious bushleague ballclub ever to plumb the bottom of the pro sports barrel. Coowned by comedian Bill Murray and run by Mike Veeck--son of the infamous sports promoter Bill Veeck--this motley collection of mutts, hopefuls, and has-beens has become a national phenomenon for playing with as much gusto off the field as on ... while proudly adhering to the timeless sports credo that it takes heart, skill, and cheap theatrics to plant devoted butts in stadium seats. This is where Darryl Strawberry was rehabilitated (the first time) and began his long comeback climb to the Majors. Jack Morris--once baseball's winningest pitcher and biggest s.o.b.--joined the team only to vanish without a trace. Baseball's first female player, Ila Borders, made history on the mound of the Saints' ever-sold-out Midway Stadium. And St. Louis Cardinals phenom, J.D. Drew, played here for $300 a month while holding out for Major League millions. Here is the true story of one championship season and one complete collapse; a tale told with high spirits and genuine affection of frantic fans and baseball Annies, a back-rubbing nun, a blind sportscaster, and a 300-pound pig ballboy; a glorious celebration of the boys who still play the game for the best of reasons: SO THEY CAN GET CHICKS.

In this era of spoiled millionaire athletes and Big Business baseball, the spirit of the Game is alive and well---if a bit deranged---in America's heartland.

In SLOUCHING TOWARD FARGO, author Neal Karlen describes his two-year journey with the St. Paul Saints---the most audacious bush-league ballclub ever to plumb the bottom of the pro sports barrel.Co-owned by comedian Bill Murray and run by Mike Veeck---son of the infamous sports promoter Bill Veeck---this motley collection of mutts, hopefuls, and has-beens has become a national phenomenon for playing with as much gusto off the field as on...while proudly adhering to the timeless sports credo that it takes heart, skill, and cheap theatrics to plant devoted butts in stadium seats. This is where Darryl Strawberry was rehabilitated (the first time) and began his long come-back climb to the Majors. Jack Morris---once baseball's winningest pitcher and biggest s.o.b.---joined the team only to vanish without a trace. Baseball's first female player, Ila Borders, made history on the mound of the Saints' ever-sold-out Midway Stadium. And St. Louis Cardinals phenom, J.D. Drew, played here for $300 a month while holding out for Major League millions. Here is the true story of one championship season and one complete collapse; a tale told with high spirits and genuine affection of frantic fans and baseball Annies, a back-rubbing nun, a blind sportscaster, and 300-pound pig ballboy; a glorious celebration of the boys who still play the game for the best of reasons: SO THEY CAN GET CHICKS.In this era of spoiled millionaire athletes and Big Business baseball, the spirit of the Game is alive and well---if a bit deranged---in America's heartland.

In SLOUCHING TOWARD FARGO, author Neal Karlen describes his two-year journey with the St. Paul Saints---the most audacious bush-league ballclub ever to plumb the bottom of the pro sports barrel. Co-owned by comedian Bill Murray and run by Mike Veeck---son of the infamous sports promoter Bill Veeck---this motley collection of mutts, hopefuls, and has-beens has become a national phenomenon for playing with as much gusto off the field as on...while proudly adhering to the timeless sports credo that it takes heart, skill, and cheap theatrics to plant devoted butts in stadium seats. This is where Darryl Strawberry was rehabilitated (the first time) and began his long come-back climb to the Majors. Jack Morris---once baseball's winningest pitcher and biggest s.o.b.---joined the team only to vanish without a trace. Baseball's first female player, Ila Borders, made history on the mound of the Saints' ever-sold-out Midway Stadium. And St. Louis Cardinals phenom, J.D. Drew, played here for $300 a month while holding out for Major League millions. Here is the true story of one championship season and one complete collapse; a tale told with high spirits and genuine affection of frantic fans and baseball Annies, a back-rubbing nun, a blind sportscaster, and 300-pound pig ballboy; a glorious celebration of the boys who still play the game for the best of reasons: SO THEY CAN GET CHICKS.

Customer Reviews:

Diamond in the Rough.......2005-06-18

`Slouching Toward Fargo' could well turn the phrase "bush league" from a term of derision into a complement. Free lance writer Neal Karlen spent two years following the Saint Paul Saints, a team on the bottom rung of the bush leagues, and discovered a place where baseball is still fun; a place far enough away from the big corporate business that the major leagues have become that players and fans still remember what the game is all about. Here, outrageous stunts and promotions amuse enthusiastic fans, while the last-chance ballplayers play the game with great passion if not always great talent.
Karlen started following the Saints on an assignment from Rolling Stone. Jan Wenner, Rolling Stone's publisher and founding editor had a grudge against actor Bill Murray, one of the Saint's owners, and wanted a hatchet job article to run on him and his ball team. Karlen, who had worked for the magazine in the past and was no stranger to hatchet job journalism, was promised a handsome fee to deliver Murray and his team carved on a platter.
Despite the worst of intentions, Karlen was infected by the Saints and their ethos of fun and healing through the power of baseball. That philosophy had a positive effect on everyone, from owners Bill Murray (funny man actor and abdicated Hollywood superstar) and Mike Veeck (son of baseball legend Bill Veeck and banished from the major leagues because of his disastrous 1979 Disco Night promotion in Chicago) to onetime superstar Darryl Strawberry making a last ditch effort to return to major league glory, down through the no name guys who were fighting for their last chance to be professional ballplayers. It took hold of Karlen as well; he cancelled the hatchet job story, and instead wrote this book celebrating the fun and joy of baseball.
Karlen's writing is closer to utility infielder quality than superstar slugger, but a utility infielder having a very good game. It would have been hard to make an error with a story this rich. The drama includes the blackballed Darryl Strawberry magnificently working his way back to the major leagues and World Series glory, the first female to pitch in a professional men's league, a legless second baseman, a blind radio color anouncer, two managers sumo wrestling on the diamond after being thrown out of the game by the umpires, a pig who brings balls to the umpires, and the ghost of the outrageous Bill Veeck, present through his ashes in a coffee can and reaching out from beyond the grave to continue his unique brand of whacky baseball fun. Karlen didn't have to be a slugger to hit a home run on this story; he just had to swing the bat, and despite some sloppy editting, his story scores.
If you love the game of baseball, then this book is a must read. If you once loved the game, but have lost your passion for it and become cynical because of the corporate farce that the major leagues have become, then read this book to remember why you fell in love in the first place.

Theo Logos

A Book As Wild, Wacky And Wonderful As The Team It Covers.......2003-08-25

This is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. Neal Karlen was a writer for Rolling Stone, sent to St. Paul, Minnesota to "get the dirt" on Bill Murray, iconoclastic actor and part owner of the St. Paul Saints. The Saints are a minor league baseball team, part of the independent Northern League, and operated by Mike Veeck, son of the legendary Hall of Famer Bill Veeck. (Casual baseball fans will most likely recall the senior Veeck for having sent midget Eddie Gaedel up to bat as a pinch hitter. It was only one of many colorful stunts by the games' most creative promoter ever).

Karlen sticks around for a couple of years; the story for Rolling Stone never materializes, but along the way this book emerges, as much about Karlen's crisis of spirit as it is about the Saints and the zany cast of characters surrounding them. But along the way we meet many of those who have given the Saints and the Northern League their unique cachet: on the field performers like former Mets slugger Darryl Strawberry, who temporarily redeems his life and career during a two-month stay with the Saints; former pitching star Jack Morris, seeking one more taste of glory, but on his terms only; Ila Borders, the first female to play in a professional game; and Wayne "Twig" Terwillliger, player and coach for 50 seasons and quiet representative of so much that's right with the game.

There are also wonderful portraits of Sister Rosalind. the nun who offers massages at games; a blind radio announcer convinced he's on his way to the big leagues; an employee of one of the Saints' rivals who earns the title "Most Beloved Woman in the Northern League" and others who find solace, healing and a chance to keep dreaming dreams in this strange, wacky, wonderful firmamenent. I really hated to come to the end of this one. The empty feeling was almost as bad as the night the World Series ends.

Doesn't get more charming than this.......2003-08-21

Totally winning, both as a portrait of a team (and town) with heart and of a freelance writer who's struggling with the angel (good, real reporting) and devil (fat Rolling Stone paycheck) on his shoulders. The angel wins, and the reader can't help but cheer. Sex, strong women, kooky characters, fiercely loyal fans, minor-league silliness, bratwurst and the honest-to-God love of baseball, which weirdly enough persists no matter how disillusioning the world gets--this book's for anyone who likes Bull Durham, scrappy writers, or independence of spirit in any form. Ignore the minor editing errors; the book's worth it.

one of top baseball books i have read.......2003-04-03

i didn't think the minor leagues could be as interesting as the majors, but this proves i was wrong.

Hilarious - Couldn't Put It Down!.......2002-12-24

I picked this up at my boyfriend's house, read the first few pages, and stayed home on the sofa for an entire weekend because I couldn't put this book down. I'm not a baseball fan, and not from the Midwest, but Karlen's hilarious and equally moving tale of his two years following around this team of wanna-bes, has-beens, and dreamers (some who "made it," some who didn't) had me chortling out loud and even getting teary-eyed at times. This is really a book about Karlen's own search not just for material for his Rolling Stone article (how this book began), but for his own soul as well. Karlen's writing is always entertaining, leaving you wanting more. I'm buying a bunch of these as late Christmas presents -- it's the best gift I can think of. Uplifting, thought-provoking, and one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. You'll never find characters like this in fiction -- what's amazing is they're all real. It should be a movie.

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