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Is Shakespeare dead- From my autobiography

Is Shakespeare dead? : From my autobiography by Mark Twain takes a look at the parallels and closeness of works by Shakespeare and those of Francis Bacon...
DNAML :: is :: shakespeare :: dead :: from :: my :: autobiography :: dnaml :: home :: education :: e :: books :: literature :: isshakespearedead-frommyautobiography deluxe :: Is Shakespeare dead- From my autobiography

 

Dry - A Memoir

5 stars (Not So Dry After All) - Perhaps the most astonishing thing about this powerful memoir is its essential kindness and good feeling for humankind, an attitude sustained through a series of dizzying life experiences which could have soured the Dalai Lama. Burroughs' cheerily ironic point of view encompasses his terrifying childhood,his surreal career in advertising, and, most powerfully, his experiences in rehab. While on this journey with him, you experience his growth through a process of discovery, as layer upon layer of denial is peeled back and his true history and true self are revealed to him and to us. The dryness of the wit lies entirely in his refusal to feel sorry for himself; and the final phase of his recovery begins when he is at last willing to open that hardest of all human doors, love. Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down, and read entranced on the bus, at the lunch counter, and through one very dull concert. It will certainly offer you several of the more entertaining hours of your life. 4 stars (Excellently written) - Mr. Burroughs has done an excellent job in communicating his experiences of alcoholism and the struggle of rehab and the 12 step programs. He has been able to share the reality of his experiences and at the same time show a great deal of humor and sophisticated irony. A very good book and one that I will read again. 4 stars (Very Good) - I started this book yesterday and read about 3/4 of it in one sitting. It's an interesting read - and the subject matter is a little less uncomfortable than "Running with Scissors". I can't help but compare this to "A Million Little Pieces", which also deals with someone going to rehab. I feel that James Frey's book was more upsetting but geniune. There were times that I had to put the book down because it was so graphic and heart rending. Anyway, "Dry" is a good read, and if you liked "Running with Scissors" or books in the vein a la David Sedaris, read it. ...
Picador :: Reading Group Guide :: Biography & Autobiography & General :: United States :: Personal Memoirs :: Novelists :: American :: New York (State) :: New York :: Literary :: :: Dry - A Memoir

 

Night

5 stars ( Night ) - Night Author Elie Wiesel Have you ever been tortured to the point when you just want to give up and die? Well, Elie and his father have been through this experience. Elie is a young fifteen year old teenager who would battle for his right in any situation. He also lives with his father. He was born in a little town called Sighet in Transylvania and lived a modern life until the Nazis came to Elie's home town and started to gather up the jews. They were put into trains that were so crammed that you couldn't even sit down. No one had a clue where they were going. They then arrived at a concentration camp called Auschwitz. The sight of seeing children being thrown into the crematories made Elie think...is my life going to end here? Elie and his father were treated like rats and lived off of every scrap of food possible. All of a sudden Elie and his father had to change camps and head out to another concentration camp called Buchenwald. They had no transportation. The officers forced them to run nonstop to get there. Elie's father tried to give up and die in his sleep, but Elie kept trying to pursued his father to keep running until they could reach the camp. People were being trampled and many were freezing to death from the cold. No one cared, no one bothered to give any food, and the only thing Elie could think about was is there a way to survive? Or is this the end? Find out yourself and read the heart stopping thriller called Night (You won't believe what you will read!). Night is my most favorite book of all time, even though it is the most disturbing book that I have ever read. If you are not into the type of books that have love stories, drama, and happy endings I suggest you read this book. If you did not like The Diary of Anne Frank it would be better to read this book because it really explains how cruel the Nazis were to the poo...
Bantam :: Biography & Autobiography & Entertainment & Performing Arts :: World War :: 1939-1945 :: Personal narratives :: Jewish :: Personal narratives :: Literary :: Jewish :: Night

 

A Widow-s Walk - A Memoir of 9-11

5 stars (An unbelievably touching book) - I originally bought this book for the sole reason that Marian and i were childhood friends who grew up on the same street together in Staten Island. I knew of Dave's death shortly after 9/11 and kept Marian and her family in my thoughts daily. I knew Marian was gifted but was totally unprepared for how much this book would touch me and change my life. I now view the people i love in a different way. Her book was beautiful and so well written. I felt like i can somewhat understand what all of these brave people went through both firefighters and their families, in the wake of 9/11. 5 stars (More than a Memoir) - To be honest, I am generally not a fan of memoirs of this type. I mean yes this is a woman who suffered a profound tragedy but does this mean she can write? Well, after devouring it's nearly 450 pages in a couple of sittings, I think it can be said, that Marian Fontana is a writer. A damn good one. She deserves not only to have her story told but to tell it herself. This is both an honest and humorous look at the grieving process as well as a fascinating piece of history. Fontana's account of how she and her some of her fellow widows organized and stood up not only for 911 victims and their families, but for firemen themselves, gives us an inside look at just how these men who perform the most dangerous and lauded of work, are basically treated like crap. There is something very special about this book and just how close it puts you to the incredilby profound grief that enveloped Ms. Fontana's life. Yet, I never really felt sorry for her because I don't think she allows the reader to do that. She is a strong person yet she admits her flaws, thus making her even stronger. This is a must read for anyone interested in 9-11 as well as anyone interested in grief, love and loss. 5 stars (Sharply observed and moving) - One of the memorable images seared into the world's consciousness on September 11, 2001 was ...
Simon - Schuster :: Biography & Autobiography & General :: Women :: Widows :: September 11 Terrorist Attacks :: 2001 :: Psychological Aspects Of Bereavement :: Political Terrorism :: P :: A Widow-s Walk - A Memoir of 9-11

 

The Glass Castle - A Memoir

5 stars (Excellent) - This book was excellent. Recently i have started to get into "memoirs" and Jeannette Walls memoirs was one of the best! Her parents...they give new definition to the word crazy! Jeanette cooked her own hotdogs at the tender age of 3 she was also caught fire by cooking those very same hotdogs at the age of 3...her family was always doing the "ske-daddle" from bill collectors so they were constantly on the move. Jeannete has two sisters and one brother. Her mom is a very eccentric woman who loves to paint and teaches her children to always be "self-sufficient" her father is a drunk but she loves him deeply. They move from town to town all over the mid-west to the west coast. They go from rats being on their kitchen counters and in their sugar bowls to eating "lard sandwiches" at her grandmother Erma's house. This is a book that will keep you interested from start to finish. Never a dull moment. I highly recommend it. 5 stars (Shocking Yet Truly Charming) - I loved this book. The author writes in such a style that enables the reader to absorb the harshness of her tale - without being angry. Her childhood was what it was. As adults, we cannot do anything about a tough or neglectful childhood. I applaud the author for telling it like she remembers it. Best book I have read in a while. 3 stars (Horrifying if True) - There seems to be some doubt as to the veracity of Walls's memoir. It does seem as though certain situations are far too detailed to be credible rememberances of a 3-year-old or even a slightly older child. However, the book is an absorbing read, which is why I gave it three stars. No stars, even as birthday gifts, for the self-absorbed, sick parents who brought their children up in such a lazy, dangerous way (if Walls's account is true). A mother who hides candy from her starving children? Refuses treatment for her burned, blistered daughter? A father who throws the family cat out of a moving car but protests when a mountain lion is...
Scribner :: Biography & Autobiography & Literary :: West Virginia :: Welch :: Walls :: Jeannette :: United States :: Problem families :: Personal Memoirs :: Literary :: Family Deve :: The Glass Castle - A Memoir

 

To Live Is Christ- Member Book

5 stars (Beth Moore is always excellent) - I really can't explain how helpful Beth Moore's workbook studies have been in my life. They've helped me to find a discipline with God that I never had before. I've learned so much about the Bible, and more specifically, about the real, true, loving God who cares so much for me and for you. If you're at all considering this study, please try it. I think you'll like it. Beth Moore seems to really try hard to keep her studies accurate, relevant, meaningful, and NOT shallow. They're as deep as you want to go with them. They're not fluffy stuff, they're studies that honor God and the women who love Him by assuming that you have a brain, that you love God, and that you want to be closer to Him, and frankly, that you're human with human weaknesses. Beth understands women, because she doesn't seem to be afraid to really be a real woman after God's own heart. 5 stars (Awesome study of Paul's life journey to Live in Christ) - What an awesome, in-depth look at the life of Paul! Beth Moore has obviously studied scripture with a prayerful heart to allow God to reveal this study through her. I have been challenged and enlightened through her words. Be ready to have your heart changed and experience a greater love of the Lord. ...
Lifeway Christian Resources :: Religious :: Religion :: Inspirational - General :: Christianity - History - General :: Biography & Autobiography :: Beth Moore :: :: To Live Is Christ- Member Book

 

Mother Angelica - The Remarkable Story of a Nun- Her Nerve- and a Network of Miracles

5 stars (The Return of Orthodox Catholicism) - This is an exciting, well written book, something that I was not expecting at all. I began watching and contributing to EWTN during a difficult period of my life and Mother Angelica's network is a blessing to all, but especially those who are going through hard times. This book is a terrific read about how it all came about and it spends a lot of time on her battles with certain members of the American Church hierarchy - many of whom were exposed in the 2002 sex scandals for their less-than-Catholic actions and unconscionable lack of leadership. Mother Angelica is the primary figure in the ongoing renaissance of orthodox Catholicism among the laity and, equally important, in the seminaries. Mother Angelica and EWTN are providing wonderful tools for taking back our Church from what Raymond Arroyo (charitably) calls the "progressives" in the USCCB and their bureaucracies. What a wonderful book! It makes me ready to join the fight! 5 stars (BUY THIS BOOK) - This is one of the most exciting, well written biographies to come out in a very long time. Its about an underprivileged woman who became a cloistered nun and changed the world. Mother Angelica is a woman who somehow balanced real orthodoxy with brilliant management vision and skill without what seems any worldly qualifications whatsoever. Moreover, here's is a story of overcoming great suffering -- both physical and emotional -- and allowing God to transform her life without ever looking back or counting the cost. (It's worth noting too this is no saccharine sweet nun's story, to be sure!) This wonderful biography really shows us she is "The Patron Saint of CEOs" -- and patron of anyone else who by God's grace, must overcome a legion of what seem like insurmountable problems. Mother Angelica's life turns our natural aversion to personal suffering on its head and makes clear that miracles really do happen. --Enjoy. M. Hart Volant, PA 4 stars (A Dangerous Book) - ...
Doubleday :: Biography & Autobiography & Religious :: Women :: United States :: Religious :: Religion :: Poor Clares :: Mother :: :: M Angelica :: Eternal Word Television Network :: :: Mother Angelica - The Remarkable Story of a Nun- Her Nerve- and a Network of Miracles

 

My Horizontal Life - A Collection of One-Night Stands

5 stars (WOW!!) - I am currently reading this book and think it is absolutely great! I've read parts to my fiance and my friends. I've even recommended the book to my sorority sisters since I know they can all relate in some way to the authors experiences. This is a great book for anyone who loves sex, alcohol, and a great time!!! I can't wait to see what other books she comes out with in the future! 5 stars (The funniest book I've read in over 10 years!) - I had to read this book alone, because I laughed out loud so many times that people were wondering what the hell I was reading! 5 stars (AHHHHHHHHH...it's about time a good book came along.) - Normally wouldn't take the time to write a review...but I absolutely LOVED this book! I had heard about this book from my best friend who had been raving about it since the day she read it. Soon after, I caught Chelsea Handler's segment on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno...and immediately knew I had to buy the book. It's the kind of book you pick up and can't put down. Hilarious scenarios that we can all relate to. Even the guy with the negative comment below can relate. Clearly he needs to get laid, and has been turned down on more than one occasion. haha. Anyway...it was really fun to read and left me wanting more, so I thought it was only fair for me to leave a review to show my appreciation :) Thanks for the much needed laughs! Can't wait for the next one. ...
Bloomsbury USA :: Biography & Autobiography & Entertainment & Performing Arts :: Chelsea Handler :: :: My Horizontal Life - A Collection of One-Night Stands

 

Gift from the Sea - 50th Anniversary Edition

5 stars (excellent) - Excellent service; received book immediately and in excellent condition. Would definitely use again. 5 stars (Truly a gift to anyone who reads it!) - This is my new favorite book of the summer... when I usually reads books like this, I like to highlight passages that are especially meaningful to me, however, in this case, the entire book would have been filled with highlighting. Every page seemed to speak to my soul in ways that were totally unexpected. 5 stars (Gift from the Sea: 50th Anniversay Edition) - This book will appeal to beach lovers everywhere. A great read for all women and this book goes to show the more things change the more they stay the same; the joys and struggles of family life are timeless and the time that we spend on the beach is priceless. I highly recommend it and plan on ordering some additional copies for my special friends and family. ...
Pantheon :: Biography & Autobiography & Literary :: Religion :: Philosophy (General) :: Literary :: Life :: Inspirational - General :: Inspirational :: Inspiration & Personal G :: Gift from the Sea - 50th Anniversary Edition

 

Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them

5 stars (Bad Girls of the Bible: And What We Can Learn from Them ) - This is a must for every woman with or without a past. It allows one to look deep within and see the woman that was or is and the hope of a new life with and in Christ Jesus. It has wonderful insights into your relationships with others and more importantly with our husbands. How often we are quick to blame them when it just might be our problem and not their fault. I found this book spiritual, insightful and humorous. I encourage every woman to give it a look see. 5 stars (Bad Girls of the Bible) - My Sunday School Class is using it as their Bible Study, and think it is well done. Better so far for younger women, but I have read ahead and it will get better for the older woman. 1 stars (Misogynistic, Narrow minded, Simplistic ) - I read more than 30 pages of this book only because my book group chose it. The author begins by saying that her husband (an Old Testament scholar) read (imply vetted) and corrected it for her. Help me! She believes herself too ignorant and dependent to even write her own book. She takes a very narrow view of biblical stories, reinforcing male dominated interpretations. This is "born-again" drivel. I, for one, think of Eve as the first heroic scientist. I hope she grabbed that fruit, relished the knowledge (even if it was unflattering knowledge) it brought her, and later reflected that while it was hard won, what she had learned was worth it. (If I am unknowingly naked, please let me find out!) Life is more difficult when we do not live in ignorance and denial - but, oh, how rich, thought provoking, and exciting it is when we embrace unflattering truths about ourselves, others and the world we live in. The author appears to caution us against taking risks, thinking for ourselves, asking for what we want and challenging authority. If you are over the age of 20, you know enough about the complexities of life to find this book one-dimensional. ...
WaterBrook Press :: Religion & Christian Life :: Women in the Bible :: Spirituality - Women's :: Religious life :: Religion - Biblical Studies :: Religion :: Christian women :: Biograp :: Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them

 

Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time- The Historical Jesus - the Heart of Contemporary Faith

4 stars (The future of christianity) - Fundementalists beware, your world may be shaken when you read this intelligent book. Borg is a great scholar and theologian. he has a nice touch and presents jesus in a believable and humble light without taking away the divine aspect. This is an antidote against religious fundementalists who wnat to own Jesus and create an exclusive cult they call christianity. 4 stars (Informative book about the historical Jesus) - I actually decided to read Borg's books after reading some of John Crossan's books where Borg was referenced. I thought the set-up of this book was extremely helpful in illustrating what Borg was discussing. However, I think I had hoped this would be more of a "heart-felt" novel. I understand Borg had to get in all the historical information about Jesus (and he did an incredible job at that) but I had hoped he would speak of Jesus on more of an emotional level. I felt as I was more of an outsider looking in on the life of Jesus rather than a comrade right next to him. And perhaps that is the effect Borg wanted. All in all, a great book with great information. What I found most interesting in this whole book was the link between Jesus and Sophia (wisdom). Borg makes an excellent point to contrast the "Son of God" image of Jesus by saying Jesus was personified as Wisdom- a feminine term in Greek. He does this to stress the many metaphors used when defining Jesus and says we must not take them literally. All in all a great read with great information. 5 stars (Dr. Borg is a gifted writer and loving Spirit filled person) - Before reading Marcus Borg's masterpiece "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" I was a self proclaimed agnostic. After reading it I realized I wasn't an agnostic, but an atheist to the God of conservative Christianity. Borg carefully and compassionately details another form of Christianity, a Christianity centered on love of neighbor, love of self, love of intellect and love of the God i...
HarperSanFrancisco :: Theology - Christology :: Religion :: Person and offices :: Jesus Christ :: Historicity :: Christianity - Theology - Christology :: Biography :: Marcus J Borg :: :: Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time- The Historical Jesus - the Heart of Contemporary Faith

 

The Dance of the Dissident Daughter

5 stars (Realizing Possibilities) - Having read "The Secret Life of Bees" I bought " The Dance of the Dissident Daughter " without reading what it was about, but only because I liked the author's other book. Amazingly, the book was not fiction, but of the authors journey to her own feminine divine. Ironicly a journey that I am currently on myself. The book came to me at a time when I was not sure what my next step should be and revealed to me that I am not the only woman that has gone on this journey. I think every young woman should read this book before they go out in the world. It is an awesome book that teaches a woman that it is okay to stand up and be heard and not allow the world of men to silence women. And it shows how one woman found faith in something that worked for her and made her feel more in touch with the divine then she had ever been in her life. I recommend this book to all women. 5 stars (Changed my life) - Before 9/11, but especially after I have been having problems with religion and the fact that so often wars are committeed in the name of some faith. I was also raised Southern Baptish so I identified with her feelings about religion being written to control us and especially women. She has started me on my own awaking and a new spiriual walk. I am so blessed to have read this book. I just wish I had someone to discuss it with. 4 stars (Looking forward to more) - When an author such as this shows up, it is necessary to have a copy of everything written by that author. This new book does not disappoint, and this author can look forward to selling at least one copy of any future work. ...
HarperSanFrancisco :: Religion & Spirituality :: Women :: United States :: Spirituality - General :: Spiritual biography :: Religious aspects :: Religion :: Personal Memoirs :: Kidd :: Sue M :: The Dance of the Dissident Daughter

 

The Heavenly Man- The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun

5 stars (Brother Yun- a servant of the Lord) - This book will impact you. What really struck me is how God shows Himself in vessels who willingly surrender themselves. "The Heavenly Man" is a story of a simple man who on his own did not do anything extraordinary. The one thing that Brother Yun did do was believe. He believed, trusted and obeyed. This book puts a human face on what it means to trust and obey. It has helped me immensely to realize that even today, God still works miracles. I have come to realize that we often don't see the hand of God because we don't really believe. There is really nothing more that I can say about this book than to say that it will impact you. I am very thankful that Brother Yun has shared his story. I give it my highest recommendation. 5 stars (Take up your cross and follow me) - This remarkable true story of brother Yun is a counter balance to the current prosperity teaching now prevelant in the West. It brings to life the words of our Saviour "take up your cross and follow me." Though the continual brutality of the Chinese prison authorities towards brother Yun can be a bit depressing his continued faith and deep relationship with the Lord is amazing. It is a true story which will challenge and inspire every true Christian. A MUST READ! 5 stars (I will show you what you must suffer for my names sake!) - This is the incredible and miraculous story of Brother Yun a Chinese Christian who risks everything to serve the Lord. This book is full of miracles and in stark contrast the horrible torture and beatings and prison time that Brother Yun has experienced serving his Lord. The book is very engaging and one gets views of what is happening from Yun's wife and fellow Co-workers. The book is very truthful as Brother Yun narrates his story and his failures to listen to the Lord and the consequences for his actions. He also suffered while being in the perfect will of the Lord. This maybe a very hard book fo...
Monarch Books :: Religious :: Religion :: Missions & Missionary Work :: General :: Biography & Autobiography :: Paul Hattaway :: :: The Heavenly Man- The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun

 

The Big House - A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home

4 stars (Great reading) - Owning a summer home that has been purchased from an extended family, the story is so familiar, but I could never tell it as George Colt has told it. I gave it four stars because I think you have to have lived the experience to appreciate the subtle touches in the story. 5 stars (The Big House - A Bigger Book) - If you have ever had a "summer place" - large or not so large - and people to take there whom you love, this is your book, assuming you are still able to read. Rich and sensitive, loving and intelligent, it takes you back to re-savor those days when the world was younger, better and hopeful. 3 stars (House is Interesting. WASPS: not so much.) - Both of my parents are from New England, and I've spent some time in both Cape Cod and Connecticut. I expected to enjoy this much more than I did. It's written well and impeccably researched. But the forward motion really meanders, with only the question "will the house stay in the family or be sold?" to keep you reading. It makes sense that the author then tries to describe his family, to keep you invested. But, though the author clearly adores his extended family, they never became vivid to me. He keeps telling us how charming and "attractive" (the highest WASP compliment) they are, but I keep saying people who are cold, antisemitic (a section where a mother refuses to let a duaghter who's married a Jewish man stay at the house is glossed over as if the genteel antisemitism is just another trait of a vanishing society). The house itself does fascinate. Colt is most interesting when he writes about himself-- my favorite section was the section where he describes the books in the house. I think the book will mean a lot more to you if you either are from that area (try as he might Colt never succeeded in making Wings Neck sound appealing to me-- full of rocks, poison ivy, weeds, and inscrutable people)... or know the world he's writing about. Somehow Colt does NOT succeed in evo...
Scribner :: Biography & Autobiography & General :: United States - State & Local - New England :: Sociology :: Social Science :: Reference :: Personal Memoirs :: Customs & Tr :: The Big House - A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home

 

Swimming to Antarctica - Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer

4 stars (Amazing story) - The only reason I am giving this 4 instead of 5 stars is that it didn't include any pictures. I would have liked seeing some pictures taken during the author's many amazing swims. This book tells the story of a girl who didn't fit the typical athletic profile - she is chunky and doesn't appear to be an athlete. This couldn't be further from the truth. Her unique body makeup (she is the same density as sea water and her temperature is different from most people) allow her to withstand immersion and exertion in mind numbingly cold water. The reader learns about Lynne Co'xs many accomplishments - English Channel records (as a teenager!), swimming in heavily polluted rivers (she punched through a dog carcass as she swam), and most of all swimming in seemingly deadly cold waters (the crowning achievement of her carreer). I was left completely awestruck by this story. 5 stars (Lance Armstrong's Peer as an Endurance Athlete...) - ...May be Lynn Cox. As detailed in her gripping 2004 autobiography, Swimming to Antartica. In 1972, at age 14, yes, 14, she broke the record for swimming the English Channel - male or female. Then when someone broke her mark, possibly by cheating, she came back the next year and broke it again. She was the first human to swim the Strait of Magellan - the wild waters off Chili that have sunk hundreds of ships -- and the Bering Strait, the latter while dodging icebergs: without a wetsuit. During the swim from the Atlantic to the Indian oceans around South Africa's Cape, her frogman speared a tiger shark as it attacked her. And yes, she swam to Antarctica - going just a mile, but in dense, 32-degree water that felt like plastic to swim through, and caused short-term damage to the skin's nerve endings. These adventures all get their own chapter, in clear, direct, detailed prose that puts you right next to the athlete doing these very dangerous feats. Lynn has some Lance-like, superhuman physical traits. Afte...
Harvest Books :: Biography & Autobiography & Sports :: United States :: Swimming :: Swimmers :: Sports - General :: Personal Memoirs :: Long distance swimming :: Cox :: Lynne :: :: Bi :: Swimming to Antarctica - Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer

 

The Last Season- A Team In Search of Its Soul

3 stars (Zen, Ego, Fame) - Good book. Subject matter is interesting. Coach Jackson is likeable but his writing is lacking. This was the author's inward look at a season filled with surprises, peaks, and valleys. The irony is that he is returning to coach the Lakers next season and this book will act as the giant elephant in the room that nobody will want to talk about. Outside of the obvious issues: Kobe's ego, lockerroom dissension, etc... This is your typical "a season in" diary of a sports team, with all the ebbs and flows that playing in the NBA provides. Jackson offers few poignant observations about the league that a serious fan doesn't already know or suspect. Still valuable as a worthy document of a popular and polarizing sports franchise. 4 stars (Good Book) - If you like reading about grown men act like a bunch of whiney women this is your book.This book should be call "Phil Jackson my last year of babysitting" 5 stars (The BOLD truth) - First of all this books kicks ass, for any real lakers/shaq fan. What else can I say other than, Phil and Kobe wont get along...again. Kobe is EVIL! ...
The Penguin Press :: Sports & Recreation & General :: Sports & Recreation :: Los Angeles Lakers (Basketball team) :: Los Angeles Lakers (Basketball :: General :: Biography&Autobiogr :: The Last Season- A Team In Search of Its Soul

 

Luckiest Man - The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

5 stars (The Way Baseball Should Be!) - This book is tremendous ... on so many levels. Most importantly, it gives the reader a good and solid understanding of the man. I have always been a Lou Gehrig fan but I have never fully appreciated the complete humility of the man. Additionally, the description of baseball and its players, clearly illustrates the tremendous differences between the game as we know it today and the way it once was. 4 stars (Moving and Lively Book) - This was a very well-written and moving book. As a huge Yankee fan and someone who has read many baseball books, this book is great. One gets a real sense of the times, along with Gehrig the person, and the beauty of the sport of baseball. As a student of the important philosophy Aesthetic Realism (www.aestheticrealism.org) founded by Eli Siegel, poet and critic, I've learned what makes a thing beautiful from a work of art to a great leaping catch in baseball. Mr. Siegel stated, "All beauty is a making one of opposites, and the making one of opposites is what we are going after in ourselves." Certain sentences and descriptions in this book I found beautiful -- they have a relation of energy, zip and also exactitude. These are opposites that the game of baseball has too. I have recommended this book to others. 4 stars (What made Gehrig tick) - You don't have to be a baseball fan to appreciate LUCKIEST MAN. Certainly there's enough diamond action to satisfy the sport fan, but Eig's objective seems to be more of a psychological analysis of the great Yankee clean-up hitter (Ruth hit third). Eig goes into great depth about Gehrig's relationship with his mother. Apparently no woman was good enough for her son. Gehrig was thirty before he finally took a wife and that seemed to be an act of desperation as he sent Eleanor a diamond necklace before they actually went out on a date. For me the best part of the book was when Gehrig found out he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Talk about grace u...
Simon - Schuster :: Biography & Autobiography & Sports :: United States :: Sports - General :: Sports - Baseball :: Patients :: Gehrig :: Lou :: :: Biography&Autobiography :: Biography & A :: Luckiest Man - The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

 

License to Deal - A Season on the Run with a Maverick Baseball Agent

1 stars (hypocrisy) - The author is a whole host of contradictions. While he rails against the ethics of sports agents, he himself embarassingly participates in questionable activities to add to his sports roster. The book is a boring read, and after awhile his "holier than thou" attitude begins to grate on you. 5 stars (Informative look into the lives of baseball agents.) - Review: License to Deal by Jerry Crasnick License to Deal by Jerry Crasnick is sub-titled "A Season on the Run with a Maverick Baseball Agent". The agent is Matt Sosnick, whose most famous client is Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins. Crasnick paints Sosnick and his partner Paul Cobbe as good people and friends to their clients. All this in a field of sharks and wolves. Sosnick and Cobbe routinely try to keep their own clients from abandoning and jumping to other agents while the players are still in the minors or just starting out their careers in the majors. Crasnick makes Sosnick look like the victim. But as Crasnick shows (although he never explicitly states it), Sosnick-Cobbe have their own moments where they are rude, arrogant, aggressive and steal other agents' clients as well. The bottom line is this is a cut throat business and either all agents are victims or none of them are, because they all get screwed and all try to screw others too. Crasnick also writes about other agents and baseball deals in the book. There is a whole chapter on Scott Boras, as well as many other anecdotes and quotes from other agents and baseball management interspersed throughout the book. Overall, Crasnick does a good job describing the life of agents. The middle-tier ones like Sosnick and Cobbe and the stars like Boras and Moorad (now in management with the Diamondbacks). I recommend this book for those that are interested in the business side of baseball. 5 stars (Sports Book of the Year) - Without question, this will go down as the best sports book of 2005. Jerry Crasnick stumbled ...
Rodale Books :: Sports & Recreation & Baseball & General :: United States :: Sports agents :: Sports - General :: Sosnick :: Matt :: Business :: Biography&Autobiography :: Biography :: License to Deal - A Season on the Run with a Maverick Baseball Agent

 

Juiced - Wild Times- Rampant -Roids- Smash Hits- and How Baseball Got Big

4 stars (Thoughtful and Important) - Conseco begins by stating that he believes inteligent use of steroids, combined with human growth hormone, will one day be accepted and standard practice. (Add genetic engineering to the list - my opinion.) Conseco was a fair-to-middling minor-league player until he vowed to his dying mother that he was "Going to be the best athlete in the world." Shortly after that he began using steriods after reading up on the topic and considerable discussion with a "regular." Initially it was scary - he wasn't certain what would happen, or even if anything would change. After about two weeks he began to see and feel changes. At the same time, Conseco also undertook a strenuous program of exercise - particularly exercises that emphasized speed, not muscle mass. A third enhancement came from intense studying of pitchers to better guess their next pitch, rather than just reacting. Eventually Conseco added about 70 lbs. of muscle, and increased his running and swinging speeds. An additional benefit was building endurance - he no longer lost energy as the season wore on - like most players. Mark McGwire soon became a pupil and followedd a similar regimen - adding 50 lbs to his frame. Both McGwire and Conseco had great swings at the start, and Conseco stresses that steroids will not make a great athlete out of someone lacking talent. Conseco is sensitive to possible damage from steroid use, and credits his avoidance to careful attention to amounts and types used. He also believes that baseball players have an advantage over football players when it comes to steroid use because they are not so inclined to overdo it in an effort to reach 300+ lbs. Conseco eventually became well-known for steroid use - probably because he taught so many other players and trainers about it. Conseco, however, also thought it was due to racial bias - he was from Cuba. Clearly Conseco, McGwire and others reached great success via steroids, and do not appear t...
Regan Books :: Biography & Autobiography & Sports :: United States :: Sports - General :: Sports - Baseball :: Sports (Specific Aspects) :: Salaries :: etc :: Personal Memoirs :: D :: Juiced - Wild Times- Rampant -Roids- Smash Hits- and How Baseball Got Big

 

Fever Pitch

5 stars (Reveals the behaviour of a typical fanatic soccer fan!) - All Arsenal soccer fans should read this book by Nick Hornby. It shows his obsessions for Arsenal with a fine sense of homour and wit. It is filled with RAW honesty which will definately increase the male hormones of the British working class-soccer fans. Hornby also shows his passion for the ups and downs of the typical fan of Arsenal. His emotional outbursts are extreme (to say the least) and would leave the reader laughing on the floor. A MUST read! 3 stars (Not bad, but never engaged me) - I like Nick Hornby and I'm an Arsenal fan, so I should have loved this book...but I didn't. Maybe I'm just not a fan of memoirs, or maybe a memoirist has to have a more interesting life than Hornby's, but I was just never caught up in this book. I was never wondering what was going to happen, never wondering how things were going to work out. If I hadn't been an Arsenal fan, I probably would have put this down one day and never picked it up again, not because it's bad but because it's forgettable. It just meanders from one random, wry musing to another. A word of warning: if you don't know anything about English soccer, you might have a hard time following this book. Do words like "Anfield" and "Gazza" ring any bells? If not, you're not part of the target audience, and it could be tough going. 5 stars (Oi! A Confessional of Passion and Frenzy by Hornby) - FEVER PITCH is basically a tribute to English football. Hornby (as a real-life Arsenal fan) has a unique talent here in weaving a story out of autobiographical moments with a slight narrative where the glory and obsessive nature of football is eeked out on every page. Within this you can quickly deduce that the thing always and forever on a football fan's mind is HIS fixture list and everything else (friends, family, love and moments) is second best. Each year, each month, each season of the narrator's life can be calculated and described by footballing m...
Riverhead Books :: Sports - General :: Soccer :: Literary :: Hornby :: Nick :: Historical - British :: Great Britain :: English authors :: Biography&Autobiography :: Biography & Autobiogr :: Fever Pitch