Reviews (10)

Beyond the Game of Football
As both an avid sports fan and reader of sports literature I found this to be by far the most outstanding sports related book I've ever read. (I've read lots of them)
Notfootball's Moneyball, but a great read nonetheless..
If you are looking for the football version of Moneyball you might be a bit disppointed by Blind Side. It's not really that kind of book. (Indeed, there are few books that completely alter one's view of a subject the way Moneyball did)There are some interesting chapters about Bill Walsh and the innovations he brought to the offensive side of football, but Blind Side is much more of a human interest story. It's a highly readable and engaging story and it will surely make you pay more attention next time an Ole Miss game is on TV. I highly recommend it.

You Will Enjoy It Even If You Don't Love Football
Of course, I do love football, and my young son plays on offensive and defensive lines, so the description of the book and its high ranking on the Top 100 list motivated me to purchase and read.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. College sports    5. Football - General    6. Football - Professional    7. Football players    8. Oher, Michael    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Sports - General    11. United States    12. Soccer (Association football)    13. Social history    14. Sports & Recreation / Football   

Reviews (45)

Scolarly Coverage of a Touchy Subject
THere is a lot of apolagetic
the only 3 star review
i appreciate what spencer has done in his series.i am glad he finally mentions a way out for muslims:exegesis. muslims need to discuss and admit that the koran is a manmade document and contextualize it, just as christianity has done. if it is taken literally, as it is by all mainstream muslims,then mohammed will continue to be a violent role model. i wish spencer would help the average muslim by writing a non-insulting book explaining how the koran was cobbled together and help them reform. by labeling islam "the world's most intolerant religion he is playing into CAIR's hands.

Don't be confused by selective interpretations
I am a Muslim. I have read some parts of the book and could not go on. The simple reason is that the author is out to get Islam.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Controversial literature    4. General    5. History    6. Islam    7. Islam - Mohammad    8. Religion - World Religions    9. Religious    10. Political Science / General   

Reviews (14)

The loss of a child knows no boundaries.
What a beautifully written book.You find strength in every word written.There are no words that anybody can say that would comfort a greaving mother but just knowing that you are not alone in your feelings does help with the healing.I myself buried a son and a daughter and I can relate to Elizabeth.I myself have found my strength in becoming a novelist with my first novel "Fallacious" and every mother out there who has lost a child needs to take all everything within and find a way to place all that eneergy into something different and cathartic.You can almost feel Elizabeth finding her strength from beginning to end.Read this magnificant book even if you have not lost a child.The lessons in strength alone are worth the read.

Inspirational
As a lifelong Republican, the surprise I experienced in this book was my increased respect for and admiration of the Senator himself who was a constant support to the author.Mrs. Edwards is warm and open about the horror she has experienced and I could not imagine having the presence of mind to write this if I had experienced what she has.I am passing the book on to many friends.

GREAT READ AND REWARDING
I learned so much about Mrs. Edwards through this book, and I am very greatful she wrote this book.It just gives me more reason to support her and her husband for the 2008 election if they decided to run for the office of presidency.Granted, I am semi-biased in my review because I do have a paragraph devoted to me if I must add, but it def was a great thing to see and something I was not expecting. Just in case you were wondering check out pg 323. haha!!! JK! This book def reminded me the beauty of interacting with everybody, you never know who you will meet and how everybody deserves the same amount of respect as everybody else no matter who they are.This book is not a political book, but a book about life and how its a journey.From reading this book, I have learned how Mrs. Edwards is a strong woman and she is the type of person that will be a great addition in the White House if the opportunity arises in the coming years.I also feel that she has learned so much throughout her life and how strangers can make a difference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Cancer    6. General    7. Lawyers' spouses    8. Legislators' spouses    9. North Carolina    10. Patients    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Political    13. U.S. Senate    14. United States    15. Women    16. Women In The U.S.    17. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Editorial Review

In 1975, four teenagers from Mount Temple School in Dublin gathered in a crowded kitchen to discuss forming a band. The drum kit just about fit into the room, the lead guitarist was playing a homemade guitar, the bassist could barely play at all and nobody wanted to sing. Over thirty years later, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. are still together, bound by intense loyalty, passionate idealism and a relentless belief in the power of rock and roll to change the world.

Read more

Reviews (10)

U2 from the Band Members.
I can't express enough how GLAD I am to own this book. The photographs are exceptional and personal, and the band members open and up front about their (very) humble beginnings, all the way to stardom... which doesn't impress them much. It is the perfect Time for this book. The Band's willingness to put together this volume is a gift to the millions of us who have been touched by the greatest rock band in all the history of rock 'n' roll.

A gift to the world!
I would like to thank U2 for giving us this book. It really made me feel part of their history together. I've been a U2 fan for more than half of my life and looking at those amazing pictures, reading their own words is priceless. If you like U2 is the perfect thing for you to have; if you don't, after reading this book you will.
The Beatles Anthology Book Done U2 Style
If anyone here owns the Beatles Anthology companion book to the TV series/CD's, this isn't much different. The story is "written" by the band, quotes culled from over 150 hours of interviews done for Neil McCormick. Every phase of the band's career, from it's earliest days straight through to "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" is told solely through quotes from each band member, making this is as definitive, brutally honest, unflinching and uncompromising a book on the band as we'll ever see. These aren't moments plagiarized from magazine articles or other books, but personal recollections.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Composers & Musicians - Rock    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    7. Ireland    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Rock Music    10. Rock groups    11. U2 (Musical group)    12. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts   

Reviews (843)

Unconditional Love For Marley
I just finished Marley and Me last weekend. I am a huge dog lover and all of my friends kept telling me that I HAD to read this book. So I finally gave into that adorable face on the cover and took the plunge.
Wonderful, heartwarming, hearbreaking...
I have to give this book five stars for several reasons...
Marley & Me
This book is one of the most entertaining books I have ever read.If you have ever owned a pet and lost it, you will relate to this book.You will go through all the emotions with this family.It is a must read.. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1957-    2. Biography    3. Dogs - Breeds - Sporting Dogs    4. Dogs - General    5. Essays    6. Florida    7. Grogan, John,    8. Labrador retriever    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Pets    11. Pets / Dogs / General   

Reviews (1)

A View Inside A Shrine to Self
The Windsors, while they were living, epitomized style, glamour, and wit. Ultimately theirs was a wasted life, empty of meaning in the end. From the heady days of their scandalous romance, life was all downhill, a private struggle to conserve their dignity in the aftermath of the abdication. To fill this emptiness and lack of purpose in life, the Duchess obsessed on perfection; of herself, of the things she collected and of the table she set. The Windsor's sous chef spent hours sorting salad leaves into leaves of exactly the same size to be set before their guests. Their relationship was a hollow recreation of the childhood the Duke never could leave behind. Moulin de la Tuilerie, their country home outside of Paris, was the York Cottage of Edward's youth reborn. Wallis herself was Queen Mary, obsessively arranging the display of small objets and cosseting the little boy who was King. A long time servant said, "They had nothing and no-one. They were just two lonely old people." Suzy Menkes takes the reader on an interesting tour through not only of the tangible objects of this relationship, but of the relationship itself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1896-    2. 20th century    3. Biography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Duchess of,    6. Duke of,    7. Fashion    8. General    9. Great Britain    10. Great Britain - History - 20th Century    11. History    12. Kings and rulers    13. Nobility    14. Photography    15. Windsor, Edward,    16. Windsor, Wallis Warfield,    17. Marriage    18. Windsor, Edward    19. Windsor, Wallis Warfield   

Editorial Review

For her six years as CEO of technology giant Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina was one of the most public faces in business, consistently chosen as the most powerful woman in corporate America. But after being ousted by the HP board of directors in early 2005, she stepped away from the spotlight. She returns to the public eye with her new memoir, Read more

Reviews (25)

Wonderful Book
I had very little knowledge of Carly and her time at HP prior to reading her book.I picked it up because I had the opportunity to hear her speak at a convention in Las Vegas and I was very impressed.This book really was enjoyable from page 1 all the way through the end.Many may disagree with her style and candidness, but I found great inspiration in this book.It is well written (a page turner)!!Pick it up, you won't regret it or put it down!

No self-awareness here
Carly is a talented executive who made some big mistakes at HP. She could learn from them and move on to be a great executive, but she doesn't appear willing to acknowledge her mistakes, much less learn from them. She throws a lot of blame around in this book seems blinded by her own arrogance. I personally hate when people talk about making "tough choices" as if it shows gutsiness, or proves character. I'd rather hear some discussion about making correct choices, or informed choices. Since Carly is reported to be considering a run for office, this arrogance and disinclination to accept responsibility or blame for bad choices, should be kept in mind.

An excellent biography
This book is much, much more than the story of corporate greed and corruption at the Board of Dirctor's level.This is a very interesting and easy to read story of one peron's life as she earned her way from secretary to Chairman and CEO of one of the world's largest and most powerful companies. I highly recommend this book as a biography, not just a tell-all on corporate scandal. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Business    6. Fiorina, Carly    7. History Of Specific Companies    8. Leadership    9. Personal Memoirs    10. United States    11. Women    12. Women executives    13. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Editorial Review

Jeannette Walls's father always called her "Mountain Goat" and there's perhaps no more apt nickname for a girl who navigated a sheer and towering cliff of childhood both daily and stoically. In Read more

Reviews (353)

Transparency
I read this book several months ago, and I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.So it wasn't until I was laying in bed this evening that this thought finally connected in my mind.
unique
reminded me of Angela's ashes.Painful, yet humourous and very enjoyable to read.She keeps it matter-of-fact and it tugs on your heart without being sentimental.

Reminds me of growing up with my dear old Mom
Somehow childern in abusive situations seem to maintain their sense of humor, despite what is happening around them and to them.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Alcohol Abuse    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Case studies    7. Childhood Memoir    8. Children of alcoholics    9. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Television Personalities    10. Family Development    11. Literary    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Problem families    14. United States    15. Welch    16. West Virginia    17. Women    18. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (93)

Kavita Nair
I am Indian, I read this book out of sheer curiosity.It made for interesting reading overall.Really, I'm not in a position to comment on what is true or what is not, given that I am a generation removed and was not even born several decades after the partition.It was indeed a very unfortunate event.I have some very good friends that happen to be Pakistani and I cannot see them even remotely as "enemies" at any angle, unlike Musharraff, who categorically refers to India and Indians as "the enemy".My Pakistani friends are just as nice and humane as any of my Indian friends.I thought he is candid at times when referring to memories of his childhood and his family, but often comes across in most of his writing and dealings, as unsophisticated and lacking polish.
Pervez Musharraf vs. George Orwell
In the Line of Fire: A Memoir by Pervez Musharraf
Very Interesting and Absorbing
First, let me say that most of the negative reviews posted here are by the Indians who don't have the courage to face the truth and couldn't accept that their government told them nothing but lies during the Kargill war.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 1988-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Government - General    7. Musharraf, Pervez    8. Pakistan    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Political    11. Politics and government    12. Presidents    13. South Asia - History    14. Political Science / General   

Editorial Review

There is a passage early in Augusten Burroughs's harrowing and highly entertaining memoir, Read more

Reviews (539)

Mental Illness Is Not Funny
I picked this book up after I had read that the author had been declared by some media outlet as one of the "fifteen funniest people in America."
Yes...some of it really is funny...
...But!! Not enough to grab me by the collar!I agree with others here who said they liked some of the aspects of this "memoir", save for the disturbing sex scenes. I do believe it's hard to take in when a 13 year old is having a very adult relationship with a 32 year old. I found nothing tasteful about this. Nor did I see much humor in this. However, to be fair, there are very funny moments here. Love the scenes with the shrink's family. But by page 125 or so--the writing gets a bit sloppy and the story begins to lose its muster.
This book is an act of self gratification
I bought this on a whim because a few people had told me it was "hysterical" and it was a best-seller, so I figured it must be pretty good.
Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American Essays    3. American novelists    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Burroughs, Augusten    9. Childhood Memoir    10. Childhood and youth    11. General    12. Literary    13. Novelists, American    14. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (21)

He doesn't deserve that Nobel.... It was a political decision!
He doesn't deserve that Nobel.... It was a political decision!

Roller Coaster Ride

A river through time
Pamuk spans the distances of time and memory in this novel as he searches for the meaning of the melancholy, or huzun as he calls it, of the city of Instanbul.Born into a wealthy Turkish family, Pamuk slowly watches his family's fortune dissolve in the hands of his father.He recounts his memories as his family moves from one quarter to another, interspersing personal accounts with various literary observations.Through it all we experience the uneasy balance between Islamic and Western forces that have shaped the city over the centuries.He explores through the writings of Europeans, how foreigners perceive the city, and how Turkish writers have attempted to respond to these views.Pamuk has such an elegant way of writing, with many undercurrents, like the Bosphorus which he so much loves.I particularly liked his literary chapters, like that of the four melancholy writers of Istanbul, and their attempts to forge an identity for the city.These attempts may have fallen short of their grand expectations, but the books became treasures, and helped to define modern Turkish writing.There are also his amusing observations on Flaubert, Nerval and other French writers and painters, who became absorbed in the city and to whom he felt modern Turkish writing owes a substantial debt.While Pamuk tries to escape this melancholy in his painting, ultimately finding a muse on which to hang all his hopes, he can never fully escape it, as he too becomes absorbed in this great city, which proves to be his literary release. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Description And Travel    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. Europe - Baltic States    6. Literary    7. Middle East - Turkey    8. Travel - General    9. Turkish (Language) Contemporary Fiction    10. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (34)

Brigitte Gabriel for President!!!!!!!!!!!
First off, she is amazing.Her courage, truth, wisdom, and awareness make her the person that she is.She shows the truth about radical Islam, and about the Palestinian society and how they manipulate the media and their people to hate Israel.There is not one thing that comes out of her mouth that I don't agree with.And I'm not kidding when I say I want her as my president!Anyways, the book is amazing and very easy to read and understand.She can definetely change the world.

An excellent book
Normally, I'm not all that fond of anecdotal nonfiction.But I think Brigitte Gabriel has done a fine job with this book.
Fantasic and very disturbing. A GREAT READ

Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Islam    5. Lebanon    6. Personal Memoirs    7. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    8. Reference    9. Religious aspects    10. Terrorism    11. Victims of terrorism    12. Women    13. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (6)

I was literally sent downstairs for laughing too loud.
Seriously.I was up past bedtime, and I was reading Bryson's description of lame 1950's toys.I won't give it away, but imagine what he can do with the topic of "electric football".After a particularly vigorous episode of chortling, my wife trudged out of bed to decree that, if I insisted on continuing to read, I'd have to take it downstairs.
The FUNNIEST book I have read in years!!!
This is a wonderful, funny, and ultimately very human book, which reminds us all, no matter who we are or where we live (I'm Australian) of the total joys of a happy childhood.
A pure joy.
So far as I can tell, there are only 2 problems with Bill Bryson.First, he writes about his life, which means he has to go live it for a while before he can write another book.So he can't write constantly, which is about the only pace likely to keep up with my appetite for his work.Second, he doesn't live near me, so I can't visit him to catch up between books.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Bryson, Bill    6. Childhood Memoir    7. General    8. Humor    9. Iowa - Local History    10. Literary    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Regional Subjects - Midwest    13. Travel writers    14. United States    15. Voyages And Travels    16. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Editorial Review

Are you just another AFC ("average frustrated chump") trying to meet an HB ("hot babe")? How would you like to "full-close" with a Penthouse Pet of the Year? The answers, my friend, are in Neil Strauss's entertaining book Read more

Reviews (365)

HOW MUCH IS FACT, HOW MUCH IS FICTION? EITHER WAY, A TERRIFIC READ...
... and definitely informative... but just keep in mind that this is written by a member of the media, a Rolling Stone columnist, no less (ie: a professional at distorting the truth if it enhances the story's angle). An entertaining read and highly recommended.

NOT TO SURE~!
This book is not quite what i thought it would be
A beautiful woman's review
As a young, beautiful and smart lady, I had to get my hands on this book at least because of all the buzz around it. Well, I have to say that I am impressed! You see guys, most women like me won't mind at all to meet a guy who knows what to say and how to say it in order to grab our attention and keep it even till bed. Neil Strauss has realized very well that manipulation and sly tactics don't go easily under our inner radars and that's why he stresses the importance of respecting each woman you attract and sleep with. Of course, you may be the #1 pick up artist but if you can last 7-10 minutes in bed you ARE history and you can't blame me or any other self-respecting woman who has high expectations in bed. That's why I strongly advise all serious men to educate themselves with must have bestsellers such as "scientifically guaranteed male multiple orgasms and ultimate sex". Books like The Game help you to score better with more women and thus to have greater choice. Well, we also want and have many to choose from. So consistently hone your skills in and outside of bed, build your confidence and practice the techniques revealed in such bestsellers. Then you will easily and logically score very well with hot women and neither they nor you will have the feeling that there is some manipulation going on. You will simply stand out from the crowd and they will be curious what more you have in store for them. So don't disappoint them and spoil your hard work with your performance in bed, ok?! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dating (Social customs)    2. Health & Fitness    3. Health/Fitness    4. Love & Romance    5. Love / Sex / Marriage    6. Man-woman relationships    7. Men's Studies - General    8. Seduction    9. Sex Roles (Sociological Aspects)    10. Sexuality    11. Sociology Of Men    12. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (12)

the nice guy finaly finishes first
I just read the book iWoz. If you are a Mac-head, or just a computer geek who is intrigued by the origins of the PC industry, thisbook is definately a must-read. It gives a great, human approach to the subject of Steve Wozniak, inventor, and the people in his life who helped draw him out and create the Apple I, the computer that really signified the true arrival of small, affordable computers for the masses. The prose is written in a very informal and relaxed style, as if Steve is sitting across from you and telling you his story himself. I found it very engaging. I am a very tough critic, but this is definately a book I will read again.

Gives you a great sense of the Woz.
This is an excellent book about a truly interesting and innovative man. It provides real insight into his work, his style and his personality. I had the pleasure of seeing Steve on his speaking tour and I was really impressed by how the book captures his style, tone and spirit. Steve has a real childlike quality to him which shows through alternatively as playfulness, humor, goofiness and innocence.He also has a long history with promoting education and teaching.
Great Promise but Poor Delivery
The real problem with the book is that it's packaged and sold as an adult book but it's actually a children's book. Stories are toned down for the child audience and at one point, even self-censored, as not being appropriate for a "family audience," as though Woz imagines the family drawn up around father's easy chair to listen to the evening reading. As if... The book ends, as all good children's books do, with the ending that he hoped his twelve-year-old audience will be as lucky as he was...sort of a go though and do likewise.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Business    7. Computer engineers    8. Computer industry    9. Computers - General Information    10. History    11. History Of Technology    12. Industries - Computer Industry    13. Inventors    14. Personal Memoirs    15. United States    16. Computers / History    17. Miscellaneous Items   

Reviews (10)

Perfect book for Newhart fans
Seeing on Amazon that there is an audio CD of this book makes me wish I had listened to that instead. If only to hear the amazingly funny stories that Bob tells so well. This book is like a breath of fresh air for all those who enjoy Bob Newhart's subtle and yet hysterical brand of comedy. Reading this book makes me wish his fantastic TV shows were still on in syndication somewhere. He tells his life story with the same dry wit that he tells all of his jokes.This book is a must for anyone who is a Newhart fan.

ENJOYABLE, BUT SLIGHT.
I've recently rediscovered THE BOB NEWHART SHOW on DVD and it more than stands up to my memory of it being one of the funniest TV comedies of the '70s.I was also a fan of NEWHART in the '80s and Bob's deadpan performance at this year's Emmys made me laugh out loud.So the release of Newhart's autobiography dovetailed nicely with my renewed interest in Mr. Newhart and I was especially curious to read his recollections of his years on television.
Good For Getting Your Mind Off Other Things
"I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This" is Bob Newhart's biography, with whimsical insights into his early life, tentative beginnings in comedy, and then on to "The Bob Newhart" show and stardom.As one would expect, the book is both laidback and interesting; even better it helps fill your mind with more relaxing thoughts after being broadsided with countless stories about Rep. Foley, North Korea's "bomb" (?), Iraq, Iran's pursuit of nuclear (?), Woodward's latest book, falling house prices, the stock market bubble (part II), and Barbra Streisland's latest outburst.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Comedians    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    8. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Television actors and actresses    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts    13. Biography: general    14. Humour   

Editorial Review

Daniel Mendelsohn's Read more

Reviews (8)

A Letter To My Children
I am about to be 60 and am reading a book that fills me with regret, THE LOST, by Daniel Mendelsohn, the story of how he tracked down the final days of his grandfather's brother and that man's four beautiful daughters. I have finished the first fifth of the book and am convinced that it is the greatest literary work that I have read since my youthful exposure to Proust and the early novels of Saul Bellow. Mendelsohn combines a personal memoir of growing up in a "modern" Jewish family in America with historical detective work based on old photographs, recovered letters, interviews, trips, internet sites devoted to the little towns of Eastern Europe and Jewish genealogy, and couches it in the most beautiful and evocative and thoughtful sentences, often based on the style of Proust (to whom he has given the opening epigraph of the book), organizing his discussion around an analysis of the first book of the Torah (even mentioning my Haftorah passage, Lech lecha) and Homer's Iliad. He brings to life long lost people, places, philosophical issues, with drama and mystery. He has assembled a complete genealogy of his family and has testified to the power of memory, language (Yiddish, Hebrew, German), family love, pride and humor. He is unfailingly generous in his descriptions and conclusions. The book is illustrated with photographs taken by his younger brother. The parallels with our own family history, our life in New York and in Florida, the impact of parents on the intellectual growth of their children, the impact of religious stories and scholarship, the diaspora to America and Israel, are incredibly resonant and moving, and all this in the first 70 pages. I am writing to urge each of you to read this great book and learn how you came to be, how your own grandfather and I came to be, the people that we are. I am sorry that I never accomplished a similar work on the history of our own family. I can only hope that one or all of you will take on this important task and assemble a similarly amazing chronicle before the people who can help you are gone, the Magdas and Pop Pops, the grandma Lillys and "Uncles" from all the remaining branches of our living candelabra. On page 41 he lists the major sources by which he accomplished the feat and by which you, like Proust, can recapture the past and recapture Time.I will never have the time to do it, my life wrapped up in other kinds of scholarly pursuits and my nature so bent to the seductions of poetry. But you have a chance to do it, to accomplish something of great value for yourselves and for others. In the meantime you will have the consolation of reading sentences sculpted by a master and it will fill your hearts with unimaginable pleasure.
Wide-Ranging Journey, Brilliant Synthesis
Mendelsohn has brought together the disparate elements of his five year worldwide search for the fate of six family members in the Holocaust in a masterful act of synthesis and distillation. This book combines a detective's doggedness, a Biblical scholar's critical exegesis and a Yiddishist's love of an Eastern European shtetl whose remaining Jewish inhabitants are scattered over the globe, a "remainder of those who fled". That Mendelsohn pulls this off, combines his disparate goals into a moment of Biblical clarity and discovery, leaves me frankly, amazed. Because close to the end of the book, I had doubted he would be able to learn anything that could be counted on, and he would be forced to resort to a book about his search rather than real conclusions. But at that penultimate moment, Daniel found an ancient survivor who brought him to the very spot, the terrible moment, he had been searching for. The author obviously has a wonderful rapport with elderly people which made his many interviews possible. He is meticulous and brings order to a mass of material. An insistent humanity pervades his writing. While not a Biblical scholar himself, he has perception, essential insight into human nature, so his Biblical research finds fertile ground. While his realization that many people will present many different versions of the same story is not exactly news, the manner of his telling of the story beguiles and ultimately, inspires.

I couldn't put it down
An amazing journey into the past of Daniel Mendelsohn's perished family members - the family of Shmiel Jager, Mr. Mendelsohn's great-uncle.Mr. Jager's siblings (one of whom is Daniel's grandfather), fled Poland before the Holocaust and had no clear idea of how Shmiel's family died, only that they did die. All that they have are tiny, often conflicting, pieces of the story about what happend to the Shmiel Jagers. Daniel begins a 5+ year journey to talk to the few Jewish survivors who lived in the same small Polish town in which the Jagers lived and died. The survivors were now living all over the world, and Daniel travels extensively to meet and interview them, to try to find out, not only how the Jagers died, but how they *lived* and who they were. As the years continue in the search, you feel Daniel's angst at having so little time to track down and speak to the few survivors from that town. They are all in their 80s and 90s and some of them would prefer to not think about that time at all. And yet, an amazing story emerges, a story of strength and sorrow. A story of wanting to know "what happened?". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Biography    3. Bolekhiv    4. General    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Holocaust    9. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    10. Jewish Holocaust Personal Narratives    11. Jews    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Ukraine    14. United States    15. History / General   

Editorial Review

In Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's memoir Read more

Reviews (461)

A powerful read !! A personal saga of survival against all odds
Elie Wiesel's book, "Night" was one of the first books I had read on the Holocaust when I was in high school back in the mid 1970s. His painful and searing account of the unspeakable horror, known as the Holocaust is the single most defining event of the 20th century.
Never again
'Night' is the heart-wrenching true story of a young Jewish boy who is rounded up by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz. The young boy is none other than the author, Eliezer Wiesel. He recounts his horrific experiences as an inmate of the Nazi concentration camp system and his struggle for survival. Amid the death and desperation, young Elie struggles only to remain near his father, without which, he would have no will to live. 'Night' is also a story about lost faith, as the once devout, young Elie defiantly rebukes the God that did nothing to stop these indescribable horrors. I found myself thinking that I would have never submitted to this inhuman treatment. That I would have preferred to die on my feet than to live on my knees, and would have somehow fought back. But this is all too easy to say in hindsight, from the comfort of my warm, safe home. I put this book down with a heavy heart. I was angered and saddened, and I can honestly say that this is one of the most moving books that I have ever read.

storm of storms
Though the word 'Holocaust' has become the most common cipher for one of mankind's greatest crimes, many Jews and other rememberers of 1939-1945 object to the borrowing of this biblical term to name Hitler's mass murder.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography & Autobiography - Historical    4. Historical - Holocaust    5. Holocaust    6. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    7. Personal narratives   

Reviews (2)

Less About Baker Himself, Of Course, Than American Politics
I did not know a great deal about James Baker before I read this book, but I mean it as a compliment to the clarity of his reminiscences when I say I think I do now. In the field of political autobiography, it is not always the case that one emerges knowing more about the author and subject than when one began. From the pages of his book I discern that James Baker is not without wit, albeit at times a distinctly biting one. He is also less a statesman than a politician, and less a politician than a man with protective loyalty to his friends. He is perhaps above all someone with a talent for inserting himself into a situation and calling on a lifetime's worth of well-placed contacts when there is a need to get things done. In short, to his party and to its inner circle, Mr. Baker is invaluable.
A Memoir filled with Credability.
In reflecting upon the life of James Baker through his second memoir 'Work Hard, Study . . . and Keep Out of Politics!' the one thing that continued to stay in my mind is Baker's openess that one of the reasons why he stayed in politics was 'power'.What a refreshing statement: the Truth!This is not so minimal a statement when reading the many self-serving political memoirs published, particularly from the Reagan-era politicians who have published throughtout the years. The life of Jame Baker is quite remarkable, and the sharing of his life and decisions as shared in this memoir are encompassing of service to this nation well done.I may not necessarily agree with all the decisions made by Baker during the years he served 3 different presidents, but I do respect the man and the integrity of this book.There rings certain truths throughout, and his openess about 'power' provide a sense of credability to his perspectives. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Cabinet officers    6. Civil service    7. Conservatism    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Political    10. Statesmen    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / Political   

Reviews (3)

You Catch a Glimpse of the Man
Business memoirs are usually way too self serving to tell you anything useful, but this one is an exception. Weill has many dramatic stories and, despite the co-author, conveys enough of what appears to be his real thoughts to be interesting. This is one of the toughest and wiliest - no pun - players on Wall Street, but one actually feels for him when he describes the trap New York attorney-general Spitzer set for Citigroup just as Weill thought the bank's legal problems were under control. Analyst Grubman's emails were leaked, the scandal was all over the press, but Weill and Citigroup couldn't really respond. He was like a mouse trying to dodge a menacing cat, while forbidden to make any noise. So powerful a chief executive was forced into a pitiful situation--yet the government didn't have a case with the Grubman revelations and nothing came of it. In the meanwhile, Citigroup's stock tanked. Some poor innocent investor who happened to own it lost money as the prosecutors played with Weill until they decided there was no case against him. Life isn't fair and the government much less so. Not that Weill has reason to complain, all in all: he went to the bank and came out with a fortune. As distinguished a career as possible, through the ups and downs and despite the tribulations toward the end with Spitzer. Definitely worth reading.

Real insight on business
Fascinating man who has changed the face of the financial services industry...I couldn't put his book down!Great insights from a driven individual and the businesses he drove.

Great Read
This was the most fascinating business book I've read in years.The extremely interesting content and the superb writing style makes it a great read.I enjoyed every page. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bankers    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Business    7. Corporate Finance    8. Financial services industry    9. History Of Specific Companies    10. Personal Memoirs    11. United States    12. Weill, Sandy    13. Women    14. Biography & Autobiography / Business