Editorial Review

It's not easy imagining a volume capable of capturing the grace, the joy, the flamboyance, and the wizardry of Michael Jordan, but this hybrid--melding autobiography, celebration, spectacular photography, and cutting-edge graphics--comes awfully close. Like Jordan driving the lane, it's a thing of beauty; harder to analyze than it is to admire, accept, gaze at, and enjoy.Read more

Reviews (90)

For the Love of the Game
This book tells about Micjaels jordans life all the way from his college life in north Carolina to the nab playing on the Bulls. He led them to 6 nab championships. Then he went on to win the gold in the summer olympics. He is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For The Love Of The Game : My Story
In the book For The Love Of The Game. One thing that I learned about this book is that you should never give up and always keep on trying. Even if you are not good at something at first then you should not give up and keep on trying untill you get good at the thing. And that you should not just stick with one thing but, try other things. You might be good at it. And that things just do not come to you, you have to work at it. That is what I learned about the book.

Stats and Pics
The book is full of great photos. I especially liked the one of Jordan and Dr. J! It also has great statistics from Michael Jordan's career. The layout is very different. I did not like it all that much. I was also a little disappointed that we did not really get to see more of the real Jordan. For a brief moment, we saw his humanity when he wrote about his father. Briefly, he mentioned his family. But mostly, he wrote about himself on the court. I guess I was hoping for more humility from this superstar. I believe he has it in him but the book doesn't show it. He certainly has much to brag about, but I thought he always let his bragging be seen through his play on the court. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1963-    2. Basketball    3. Basketball - General    4. Basketball players    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Jordan, Michael,    10. People of Color    11. Sports - Basketball    12. Sports - General    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / Sports    15. Biography: sport    16. Jordan, Michael   

Reviews (33)

A photo memoir of Anne Franks' life
A nice little book about the life of a 16 year old girl killed by the Nazis.Despite the fact that Anne was persecuted and made to live in horrible conditions, she still maintained her humanity.Her killers however lost their humanity.This was a sad tale of a teenage girl living a life she should not have had to live.
A Great Resource For Learning A bout The Holocaust
I am in Sixth Grade and when my teacher started talking about some day in March and when she asked us "does anybody know what today is" only the war-historian in our class knew. It was holocaust remberance day...and I had no idea! We started this book and I started learning all these new things about the holocaust, what it was and how horribile it was. If you have the guts to read a 100% true book about the holocaust, then this is A GREAT BUY! BUY THIS FOR YOURSELF OR AS A TEACHING RESOURCE...IT'S GREAT!!!

Anne Frank the Diary of a Young Girl
I rated this book a five because while you read it makes you relize that you are so lucky you weren't born in those very tragic times.It made me think about how easy I, and others have it.I love this book because it teaches me about other peoples lives and how hard it was for them.I also think that it was well written and easy to understand.I'm not positive that you will like this book because of how sad and frightning the tale is, but if you are anything like me you will have your face stuck in a book 'till your done. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amsterdam    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography - General    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Children's Books/Young Adult Biography    6. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    7. Jews    8. Juvenile literature    9. Netherlands    10. Pictorial works    11. Europe    12. Historical figures    13. Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Historical    14. World history: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (43)

the best
a book every one should read, It touches the heart.And what a wonderful woman.Gracia is truly a Godly woman.

Real life but reads like a novel
This book reads like a novel.Even though I always knew how the story would end I kept hoping they would be resuced or escape.Gracia is very honest in this book.Some Christians might even think she should have trusted God more.But I see this book as a good lesson in real life through the eyes of a lady who is a genuaine Christian.The book will inspire you and teach you about evil and good.This book should encourage Christians and it will challenge those who are not Christians to seriously consider Christianity - not because of an arguemnt but because of a life well lived for her (and his) faith.

Emotional rollercoaster ride through the jungle of the Philippines
This book allows you to relate and sympathize with two missionaries kidnapped while celebrating their anniversary at a small beach resort.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Burnham, Gracia    4. Burnham, Martin    5. Hostages    6. Inspirational - General    7. Missionaries    8. Missions & Missionary Work    9. Philippines    10. Religion    11. Religious    12. United States   

Reviews (11)

Tesla ; A man beyond his time?
Nikola Tesla was truely a man beyond his time, as this autobiography shows. Little mention of him in our schools, as we are told that T.A. Edison was the true inventor of many electrical items. Through this book, the truth is told. This is a book that should be required reading in all grammer schools!

Superb
Excellent book!Tesla's dry style and wry wit combine to form a greatly intuitive look into the master's life.I whole-heartedly recomend this book!
Autobiography, easy to read
You can read this book in a weekend and it's very interesting.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Science & Technology    4. Tesla, Nikola   

Reviews (3)

Fascinating
There's plenty of dish, but it's never malicious.Carlyle is sufficiently realistic about his own shortcomings to earn your trust.It's interesting that a man so seduced by the allure of celebrity does such an effective job describing how bad stardom looks without its makeup.His intimacy with Judy Garland, especially, allows him to share some juicy stories only he can tell.He manages to do so while still remaining gentlemanly.All in all, it's a fascinating, detailed account of a bygone era, by a man who survived Hollywood with his ego a little bruised but his humanity intact.

very entertaining
I found the story very entertaining. I enjoyed how the author was able to bring his early years together with his adult life and how those early years define who he was. Especially in a time where society did not discuss homosexuality and problems in the home. His ability to describe his experiences enable the reader to keep turning the pages.

Worthless...don't waste your money
A major disappointment.So poorly written that you will find yourself skipping dozens of pages at a time.No insights of any interest, just the occassional bit of gossip that's been printed elsewhere.This guy was a total loser -- a wannabe actor who wasted away on booze and pills and clearly this wan autobiography demonstrates the results of years of waste.The reasons for his obsession with Garland go unarticulated and his tales are uninteresting to the point of laughable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    8. Film & Video - History & Criticism    9. Film And Society    10. Gay motion picture actors and actresses    11. History    12. Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.)    13. Motion picture actors and actresses    14. Personal Memoirs    15. United States    16. United States - 20th Century    17. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts   

Editorial Review

Captain James Cook's three epic 18th-century explorations of the PacificOcean were the last of their kind, literally completing the map of the world.Yet despite his monumental discoveries, principally in the South Pacific, Cookthe man has remained an enigma. In retracing key legs of the circumnavigator'sjourney, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tony Horwitz chronicles the culturaland environmental havoc wrought by the captain's opening of the unspoiledPacific to the West, as well as the alternately indifferent and passionatereactions Cook's name evokes during the writer's journeys through Polynesia,Australia, the Aleutians, and the explorer's native England. Horwitz skillfullyweaves a biography and travel narrative with warm humor that is natural and human-scale, and his restless inquisitiveness quickly infects the reader. Whilestriking dichotomies abound throughout that journey--Maori toughs who adopt Naziimagery to symbolize their own fight against white domination, millennia-oldPolynesian sexual mores that would shame the Reeperbahn, a sense thatChristianity decimated native cultures at least as effectively as Westernvenereal diseases did--few are more poignant than the ones that abound in Cook'sown life. This fine work is an adventurous reminder that answers to historicalriddles are elusive at best--and seldom as compelling as the myriad newquestions they pose. Read more

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Reviews (79)

entertaining (3-1/2 stars)
This account of Captain James Cook's three voyages is juxtaposed with accounts of what the author encountered two and a half centuries later at venues on Cook's itinerary. The reader switches between Cook's history (upbringing, family, strengths, faults, patrons) and the author's humorous travel impressions.
Great laid back, meandering read
Though the prose wanders a bit in places, one of the most entertaining travelogues I have read.Best read on a beach somewhere in the Pacific.The style is easygoing, but the author gets his point across.Read it!

Looking for an easy-going but comprehensive chronicle of Cook's journeys?
During a round-the-world trip, I travelled to Australia, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, Bora Bora and Easter Island. I came across lots of places visited by Captain Cook or otherwise connected with him, as well as plenty of monuments with snippets of information about his journeys. I was interested to learn more, but at the same time wanted to avoid academic histories. This book was recommended by my guidebook, and it was perfect. Tony Horwitz combines a chronicle of Cook's journeys in the Pacific with his own experiences of modern-day travel in some of the same regions. It's light-hearted and entertaining, as well as being interesting and informative. It's travel literature, not a literary classic, but it's perfect if you're after an easy-going but comprehensive description of Cook's journeys. Definitely recommended.
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Subjects:  1. Cook, James,    2. 1728-1779    3. Journeys    4. Voyages around the world    5. Oceania    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography & Autobiography    8. Adventurers & Explorers    9. Travelers    10. Special Interest - Adventure    11. Modern - 18th Century    12. History    13. Bargain   

Reviews (2)

Remembering the Genteel Royalty of Camelot
Focused and experienced editors Yann-Brice Dherbier and Pierre-Henri Verlhac have created the third volume of photographic tributes to the Kennedy Family, the closest this country ever came to royalty - in the most positive sense possible.Having successfully enshrined JFK and Jacqueline Kennedy for the still mourning public in their previous volumes, this sizeable portfolio likewise confines editorial comments to a few pages then lavishes the viewer with photographs, not all professionally created, but justifiably saved for posterity.
John Kennedy, remembered
For those of us lucky enough to remember President Kennedy and his family, this retrospective about his son John, couldn't come at a better time. With all the rage of war in Iraq it's nice to think about a time when life was more at ease. This book helps.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Celebrities    6. Children of presidents    7. General    8. Historical - U.S.    9. Photoessays & Documentaries    10. Pictorial works    11. Rich & Famous    12. United States    13. United States - General    14. Photography & Photographs   

Editorial Review

Stories of famously eccentric Princetonians abound--such as that of chemist Hubert Alyea, the model for Read more

Reviews (267)

Mathematics and Madness.
_A Beautiful Mind_ by Sylvia Nasar is a fairly interesting biography of mathematician and 1994 Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, John Nash, that raises more questions than it answers.Early on in his career, Nash established for himself a reputation for genius; he fearlessly tackled difficult mathematical problems and achieved many astounding results.However, like many geniuses Nash had his eccentricities which may have foreshadowed his later illness.In many ways, Nash was not a very likeable individual, prone to arrogant boasting and often treating those around him less than kindly.Later, when Nash was to recover his sanity, it appears he unfortunately regained many of the early features of his personality that could only be seen in a negative light.For example, while it is difficult to judge him for his treatment of his chronically schizophrenic son (given the inherent tragedy of the whole affair), his treatment of his other illegitimate son is appalling (both before and after his illness).Nash's early involvement in various "homosexual" relationships (including an arrest in Santa Monica for soliciting sexual activities in a men's restroom which cost him his job at RAND) offers another disturbing aspect of his personality that may have foreshadowed his later mental collapse.Like many other mathematical geniuses (including Cantor and Godel) Nash was completely ravished by mental illness and paranoia.In fact, the dividing line between madness and genius does not appear to be clear cut in the least, and the case of John Nash seems to offer further testament to the difficulty of assessing this difference.While Nash was eventually to be diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia tragically resulting in long periods of institutionalization and idleness, failed attempts to resume his career, and eventually becoming a mere phantom of his former self at Princeton University ("the phantom of Fine Hall") engaging in numerological dabbling, his subsequent and totally unexpected recovery of rational thought (a process he compared to dieting) led some to doubt his original diagnosis.In many ways those around Nash faced even greater hardships than he did, particularly his former wife Alicia, forced to hospitalize him repeatedly and met with criticism by both Nash and others, his "mistress" Eleanor, and his mother.All in all it was a very tragic situation, and despite Nash's brash and uncaring personality both before and after illness it is difficult not to sympathize with him throughout most of the book.And, despite the fact that Nash was to regain his sanity for the most part, offer some interesting new contributions (though on a much lesser scale), and win the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in game theory, realistically speaking this is hardly a "happy ending" (there remains the fact of his chronically schizophrenic though extremely mathematically gifted son, his tragically failed relationships with others, and his own loss of the greater part of his life).
Much Better than the Movie
Nasser's attention to detail in Nash's work and his illness brings a more life-like face to his struggle with genius and schizophrenia.The book spends an extraordinary time explaining game theory and the basis of Nash's theory which ultimately produced his Nobel prize.Highly recommended!

SOME ALIENS AND INSANITY BUT MOSTLY A STORY OF A GENIUS.
The thing that interested me in reading this book was Nash's battle with insanity and his obsession with seeing hidden messages from aliens in publictions. I had expected much of this to have been discussed in more depth but the book really focuses on Nash's college studies and career as a mathmatical genius. Most people will probably want to buy and read this book for exactly what it is and not for the story of aliens and insanity for which I bought the book. Though the book was not what I had hoped it to be for my own personal interest I have to give it a 5 star review because I think it's exactly what the average person buying the book would expect it to be. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1928-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Historical - U.S.    6. Mathematicians    7. Mathematicians And Their Works    8. Nash, John F    9. Nash, John F.,    10. Psychology    11. Psychopathology - Schizophrenia    12. Scientists - General    13. Specific Groups - Special Needs    14. United States    15. Biography & Autobiography / Science & Technology    16. Biography: general    17. History of mathematics   

Reviews (5)

jfk's children and their life in photo's
good to see how jackie kennedy was able to shield them until they could think for themselves . some very good photo's showing how close the three were , such a pity john's crash . so now i can see why caroline wrote her book ,"The right to privacy" .

JACKIE, JOHN AND CAROLINE: OH NO!
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then James Spada's pictorial biography should be priceless when it comes to praise. Alas, it is nothing more than an excuse to throw together about 250 photos (some of which, if you believe the book's hype, have "never been published") that exploit, more than honor, the Kennedy siblings. See Caroline romp around the Oval Office. (Yet again.) See John-John salute dead Daddy. (Yet again). See them grow older and harass photographers. (Yet again.)� See them with Mommy and friends and lovers and cousins and aunts. See them on- and off-Cape, in and out of the water, on and off the stage. See John and his "other" Carolyn---wife Carolyn Bessette--fight on the streets of Manhattan. See how quickly we close the book

One of the best photo books about the Kennedys
I am a devoted collector of Kennedy material, and have seen most all photos of John and Caroline that have been published. But James Spada has done a wonderful job of seeking out the lesser known photos and making editorial choices which create a truly unique book.This volume celebrates the joy of their lives and helps salve the pain we felt as we saw them suffer loss. I would suggest this book as a gift to anyone who loved John and continues to love Caroline. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (John Fitzgerald),    2. 1960-    3. Biography    4. Celebrities    5. Children of presidents    6. Documentary Photo Collections    7. Kennedy, Caroline,    8. Kennedy, John F    9. Photo Essays    10. Photoessays & Documentaries    11. Photography    12. Pictorial works    13. Portraits    14. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    15. U.S. History - Post World War II Period    16. United States    17. United States - 20th Century    18. Biography: general    19. Kennedy, Caroline    20. Photographic reportage    21. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    22. USA   

Reviews (15)

The death of a child... at the dawn of the modern world!
Read this book and weep. I am still numb with wonder that such a politically incorrect story about the evil side of the French revolution would be published at all. Cadbury is not a monarchist, she is only reporting the facts. I was a bit put off at first when she mentioned her belief that Marie Antoinette and Count Fersen were lovers, without giving any concrete evidence for such a claim, and yet at the same time affirming that Charles (Louis XVII) was definitely the son of theKing - well, who would know for sure? Other than that inconclusive distraction, the book is excellent. She recounts blow by blow the descent of the royal family into hell, focusing on the suffering and terror of the little Dauphin in the face of so many upheavals and atrocities as well as the terror of his parents who were helpless to protect him. The queen's agony is recounted in a manner that will break the heart of any parent. The nobility andunflinching Christian faith of the king, queen, the king's sister Elizabeth, and the young princess Marie-Therese is like something from the annals of the early martyrs, which Cadbury unabashedly decribes.The sadistic treatment of the eight year old Dauphin, taken from his mother and forced to testify against her, is an unmitigated horror to read. A weak part of the book is the conclusion about the DNA, which Cadbury asserts settles the question of the mystery of the Dauphin's death once and for all, although the results did not definitely prove the identity of Louis-Charles. I recommend this book as well as Elena Maria Vidal's novel "Madame Royale" which is a fictional, dramatic but accurate treatment of the same subject. I also recommend Meade Minnergerode's "The Son of Marie Antoinette," which has more details about the various claimants than Cadbury provides.

Engrossing
Just want to add my praise. Cadbury's compelling writing adds to the already enthralling story. One of the best books I've read in a long time. Beautifully researched and organized. Great history, yet it rivals the best of fiction.

a very sad story - disturbingly true!
Years ago, I read the novel "Madame Royale" by Elena Maria Vidal which covers much of the same information, albeit in a literary, dramatic form, as Cadbury's book. So recently, when I read "The Lost King of France" it enhanced my understanding of the novel, and made me want to read it again. However, I am a bit spoiled by "Madame Royale" because it has so much more information on the various claimants as well as detailing the life of the Princess Marie-Therese, sister of the little lost king. The strength of Cadbury's brilliant work is that it focuses on the abuse to which the 8-year-old Louis-Charles was subjugated by the revolutionaries, and reads like a police report of a sinister child abduction. Also included is the up-to-date information about the DNA tests, although Cadbury admits that it is still not certain that the sample belonged to the Dauphin, only to a "child of a Habsburg." I recommend this book as part of any course on the French Revolution. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Europe - France    5. Historical - General    6. Monarchy And Aristocracy    7. Royalty    8. Western Europe - History +    9. Biography & Autobiography / Royalty   

Editorial Review

In a stunning feat of meticulous reportage, Pulitzer Prize winnerRichard BenCramer ultimately puts to rest the "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?"question with iconoclastic bravura. In Cramer's evaluation, the hero Americaheld onto so desperately for so long was really a creation of a nation'scommunal imagination. The Joe DiMaggio that America tried so hard to believe inwas never really here at all.Read more

Reviews (115)

One-half of a good biography
Other reviewers have mentioned in detail the facts covered in this book - DiMaggio's phenomenal beseball career, together with his often seedy and less-than-heroic private life. I would only add that I quite enjoyed the book up through DiMaggio's retirement from the Yankees. Cramer did a masterful job of portraying his subject as a complex individual and often unique talent. Above all, Cramer gives the reader insight into the motivations that drove DiMaggio in both his public and private life.
A great insight into a great player
Never saw him play but my father did and I've heard all the stories so I recently picked up this little gem and was introduced to the story behind the legend. And its a tragic story in many ways. Cramer presents Joe D as a sad man, angry, lonely, aloof and uncomfortable in the spotlight but somehow needing the spotlight as well. Well researched and detailed "The Hero's Life" is a powerful and compelling look at what makes (and breaks) a hero. I certainly came away with a deeper respect for DiMaggio and Yankee's history. It would be great if he'd do a book on Gehrig or the Babe because few books have actually captured their lives the way this book has captured DiMaggios.

A Great Biography about the True Greatest
Richard Ben Cramer can't be said to be a Joe DiMaggio fan which makes this book extremely interesting because DiMaggio comes across as the greatest baseball player who ever lived - despite his many eccentricities.
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Subjects:  1. 1914-1999    2. Baseball    3. Baseball - History    4. Baseball players    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Di Maggio, Joe    9. DiMaggio, Joe,    10. Sports    11. Sports - Baseball    12. Sports - General    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / Sports    15. Biography: sport   

Reviews (13)

Two Books in One...Touching, Inspiring and Captivating
This is one of the best investments of time and money that I've made all year.How To Be Like Walt is a superb biography of a beloved American hero, but Pat Williams takes the biography one step further by adding a section to each chapter on how we can apply Walt Disney's experiences to our own lives.Although written with the permission of the Disney family, Walt Disney's character is fully examined, faults and all.
Very moving!
This book is one of the best Disney biographics that I have read. I had me laughing, crying and thinking! The concept of the book is excellent and has a great point! Not quite finished with it yet, but I will be sad when it is over for the first time

A book that should be read by all!! :)
If ever there was a book that should be read by all, it's this one. This book saved my life, literally. At the time I read it, I had just come out of a very bad situation and thought everything was over for me. My dreams seemed as far away as ever. Then I was looking through the last few pages of a Disney Magazine(one of the last issues published) and saw this book advertised. Being a Disney fanatic, I collect everything Disney, so of course I had to have this book. From the moment I started reading it, I couldn't stop. I'd read a lot of book about my hero(Uncle Walt) over the years but never one like this. Not only did it tell me the incredible story of his life but it gave me lessons based on what had been discussed in the chapter that I could apply to my life. I especially benefitted from the chapter dealing with living out your dreams and becoming the person you were born to be. The lessons were so personal, it was like having a conversation with Uncle Walt himself in some instances. This book allowed me to rededicate myself to my dreams and realize I had so much potential to do great things. I can honestly say my life has changed for the better and I owe all to Uncle Walt and this great book.So to all who haven't read it, READ IT!!! You won't be sorry. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1901-1966    2. Animators    3. Biography    4. Disney, Walt,    5. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    6. History    7. Inspirational    8. Motivational & Inspirational    9. Personal Growth - General    10. Personal Growth - Happiness    11. Personal Growth - Success    12. Self-Help    13. United States    14. Walt Disney Productions    15. Self-Help / Personal Growth / General   

Reviews (51)

A Great Book
I purchased this book because I am a leadership junkie. It is an awesome leadership book ... one of the best I have read. This book also does a great job on Civil War history and telling of Lee. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in any of the three subjects.

Great
Every Manager of every business should read and heed the lessons brought forth in this book. Too often managers today take the path of least resistance, to affraid to stand up and make decision and stand by that decision. Too many think of themselves first and nobody else. Don't care about their actions as long as it dosen't effect them. This country needs more leaders like General Lee.

Learning Leadership and Life Lessons from a Great General
~Robert E. Lee on Leadership: Executive Lessons in Character, Courage and Vision~ is in the words of former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, "A splendid and inspiring book." The author H.W. Crocker III sketches an extraordinary little book profiling the extraordinary character and courage of the South's esteemed General Robert E. Lee. This timely piece chronicles the man Robert E. Lee, his spiritual convictions and extraordinary character forged amidst great hardship. The Lee family may have had aristocratic roots, but Lee embraced the esteem of the family name with humbleness instead of pomp and splendor. The great Confederate general is renowned by southroners, Union sympathizers, and Europeans alike. The esteemed Lord Acton sought dialogue with Lee after the war. President Theodore Roosevelt said affectionately that Lee was "the very greatest of all the great captains that the English-speaking peoples have brought forth." British Prime Minister Winston Churchill observed, "His noble presence and gentle, kindly manner were sustained by religious faith and an exalted character."
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Subjects:  1. (Robert Edward),    2. 1807-1870    3. Biography    4. Business & Economics    5. Business / Economics / Finance    6. Business/Economics    7. Case studies    8. Command of troops    9. Confederate States of America    10. Entrepreneurship    11. Generals    12. Leadership    13. Lee, Robert E    14. Management - General    15. Military leadership    16. U.S. History - Civil War And Reconstruction (1860-1877)    17. Business & Economics / Management   

Reviews (5)

The Most Useless Journey in the World
"The Lost Men", by Kelly Tyler-Lewis is the sister book to the original saga of Sir Ernest Shcakelton's journey to Antarctica. The original called "The Worst Journey in the World" tells of Shackelton's failed expedition to cross Antarctica. His ship the Endurance was smashed by ice in the Weddell Sea and his men stranded until their eventual rescue by Shackelton himself after a harrowing journey in a 22 foot open boat across the southern ocean.
How the choice and use of dogs may have affected the outcome
The Lost Men: The Harrowing Saga of Shackleton's Ross Sea Party is not about Inuit Sled Dogs. It isn't even mostly a story of the largely mixed breed, non-polar spitz, pathetic lot of twenty-four dogs that actually survived the voyage to the Ross Sea side of Antarctica and were expected to relay tons of supplies along a treacherous route to establish a line of life-sustaining depots. There is no doubt, however, that the hindsight of "what ifs" and "what should have been done" regarding the dogs loomed large throughout the pages of this book. The year was 1913 and a war soon to engulf the world was heating up in Europe. Nevertheless, Sir Ernest Shackleton would embark on his audacious plan. He was motivated by the death of his fellow countryman and nearest rival, Robert Falcon Scott, who froze to death while coming in second to Norwegian Roald Amundsen's stunning achievement, the first to reach the South Pole. In his haste and relentless pursuit of glory, Shackleton put together a flawed strategy. As the pages of The Lost Men flew by, I came to understand how Shackleton was no different from so many others of his ilk. While he had some fine qualities, he had a colossal ego and was unwilling to let such details as a looming world war, acquiring suitable transportation, finding qualified men, ensuring an orderly command and securing adequate funds stand in his way once his mind had been seduced by the prospect of his country's adulation. The vicious Antarctic weather, its wind-driven seas and massive ice pack, a blind adherence to British military ritual, and a lack of commitment to collect up the right dogs for the job helped ensure the mission's fate.In a nutshell, the plan was for Shackleton, some of his men and the majority of the ninety-nine dogs, collected in Canada, to sail on the ship Endurance to one side of Antarctica while the Aurora and the balance of the crew and remaining dogs would navigate to the other side. The Ross Sea Party, ten men from the Aurora, would then be responsible for laying depots enabling Shackleton and his men to complete the first crossing of the continent, promoted as The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. And then everyone would triumphantly sail back to Great Britain on the Aurora whereupon Shackleton would be acclaimed as the hero. A fundamental plot of this story details the antagonism between Æneas Lionel Acton Mackintosh who, despite lack of any polar experience, Shackleton made Commander of the shore party, and Ernest Edward Joyce who, although assigned the role of Sledging Equipment and Dogs, enjoyed no decision-making authority regarding the care, training and use of the animals. Indeed it was Mackintosh who insisted on calling all of those shots despite having not one shred of skill or understanding of working sledge dogs, even though Joyce did. The odds were already against the dogs. They were sick, malnourished, parasite riddled, infected by fight wounds, not socialized into cohesive teams, unfamiliar with commands given by unskilled mushers who didn't know their original names. Putting a man like Mackintosh (who was not inclined to listen to the voice of reason and experience, let alone that of a subordinate) in charge of when and how the dogs were to be used, spelled disaster. Duty bound to follow Mackintosh's orders, right or wrong, the Ross Sea Party's success was in doubt. By the end of the first disastrous year, all but six of the dogs were dead, the depot-laying operation was far from complete and the men had no inkling of Shackleton's progress in their direction or if their failure to that pointwould spell doom for their commander-in-chief.Providing adequate communication was another of Shackleton's shortcomings. Between the end of December, 1914, when the Aurora steamed toward Antarctica from Australia, and January, 1917, when the landing party's seven survivors and their three remaining dogs were recovered, neither Shackleton's contingent nor the Ross Sea Party had any idea of the other's outcome. It wasn't until their rescue that the Ross Sea Party, miraculously having fulfilled their leader's orders to lay the all his required depots, learned that Shackleton was never able to set foot on the continent in the first place.Inuit Sled Dog enthusiasts will recognize that had Shackleton insisted on acquisition of more suitable draught dogs, and had given authority to a man competent in their training and use, The Lost Men might have had no reason to be written. Although it surely cannot be said that the right dogs would have all survived and would be singularly responsible for ensuring mission's success without enduring horrific hardship, the story of The Lost Men is a case in point of how not using the far better suited Inuit Dog can and has resulted undue suffering.This is a splendid narrative, beautifully written, replete with minute details, background and history preceding Shackleton's failed expedition. It offers readers comprehensive understanding of what drives men to dangerous places, and the socio-political-economic forces affecting their survival. The reader becomes intimately familiar with the lives of the characters before, during the expedition and, for the `lucky' ones, after their return to civilization. Kelly Tyler-Lewis leaves no stone unturned, including those elements relating to the dogs, in creating a yarn that will leave readers shivering.

A Fantastic Nonfiction Adventure
Kelly Tyler-Lewis' The Lost Men is the first full account of the Ross Sea Party side of Ernest Shackleton's attempt to cross Antarctica during World War I.The book simultaneously tells a harrowing tale of adventure as well as exemplifying outstanding historical research.Until this book, the men of the Ross Sea Party were truly lost and voiceless.Tyler-Lewis located diaries, photographs, and even film that no other historian could find.The result of her research is an outstanding, clear, and concise work of nonfiction.
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Subjects:  1. (1914-1917)    2. 1874-1922    3. Adventurers & Explorers    4. Antarctica    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Endurance (Ship)    9. Historical - General    10. Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition    11. Polar Regions    12. Shackleton, Ernest Henry,    13. Sir,    14. Travel    15. Biography & Autobiography / Adventurers & Explorers   

Editorial Review

Deep in the granite hills of eastern Arizona in 1880, H.C. Day founded the Lazy B ranch, where U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and her brother Alan spent their youth, a time they recall in this affectionate joint memoir.Read more

Reviews (30)

A Very Impressive Lady!
"Lazy B," like the title implies, is the story of Sandra Day O'Connor and her younger brother growing up on a ranch in south-eastern Arizona.They grew up in an isolated environment that mandated self-reliance and initiative.Sandra received much of her formal education through riding the train to El Paso to stay with her maternal grandparents while attending a local girls' school.Her father had wanted to attend Stanford but the responsibilities of taking over the family ranch prevented that.Sandra O'Connor was able to achieve that for him, where she excelled academically, was then inspired by one of her instructors to study law (also at Stanford), met her husband (and also dated classmate William Rehnquist), and then struggled to begin a law career at a time that women had almost no such opportunity.(Despite Sandra graduating from Stanford Law #2 in her class, her early job searches were at best met with "Can you type?")
An image of the old Southwest
This book meant a lot to me on many levels, a special tale for this transplanted Southwesterner. I was attracted first because of the co-author, who is one of Our Country's great ladies. She and her brother have put together an inside look at life in the Southwest, the cattle ranch family life, that is no more. A whole chapter on rain and what it means in an arid land. Their loving but reserved father and how he made a living off the land. It reminded me of my own stern but loving father - when dads were supposed to be that way. The ranch life, the family and characters that inhabited it are fascinating. Wonderful story of a different place and time.

O'Connor reminisces about her childhood
This book is a colorful portrait of the world O'Connor grew up in. It is simple and lovely - very little mention of her later life in the law. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. Arizona    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Judges    8. Lawyers & Judges    9. O'Connor, Sandra Day,    10. Ranch life    11. Regional Subjects - West    12. United States    13. Women    14. Biography & Autobiography / Women   

Reviews (49)

Nice work
Probably the most INsightful worK Of Probably the most misUNderstood and unKnOwn fathers of our constitution. AND THE UNCANNY thing about it is that many scholars, both american and CANADIAN ARE Just as ignorant as their viEWing audience of Fans And General readerS.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography creates a portal into the mind of one of America's greatest minds.Not only did Franklin play a pivotal role in the development of our nation but he also made huge advancements in the field of electricity.His descriptions of experiences such as the famous kite experiment grant some understanding of just how remarkable these revelations were in the mid-1700s.His subsequent invention of the lightning rod, something taken for granted today, is fascinating to read about in his own words.Learning about the electrical innovations that Franklin made, written in his own words and in the language of the period offers a unique approach to the subject of electricity.The fact that Franklin managed to accomplish all of these feats in addition to playing the role as a Founding Father is astounding and only adds to the significance of the his individual successes.

America's Original Genuis
Ben Franklin details his interesting life in his own words. If you want an investment guide, self-help book, historical read, business primer, and a look into the life of an American original, this is it, all in one medium length book. Some readers will find the phrasing antiquated, and sentence structure longer than normal. A small quibble that reflects more upon our modern age than the work itself. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1706-1790    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Franklin, Benjamin,    7. Historical - General    8. Historical - U.S.    9. History & Theory - General    10. Political    11. Scientists - General    12. Statesmen    13. United States    14. Un