Reviews (2)

One of my most favorite books
There is a magic to writing, when the author has a great affection for their subject.This is such a book, it is an absolute gem.Nancy Lindemeyer's stories of her growing up, and the people who populated herlife are a delight to read.This is a book you will pull off your shelfand read over and over again.

A Gentle Tribute to the Best Things In Life
Nancy Lindemeyer has written a beautiful tribute to the people and memories that she has "packed" for her life's journey. Her sweet remembrances of her grandmother are especially touching. This book is about cherishing what is truly important in life and making connections with people. The author's memories provided her the base, the strength, to accomplish her dreams in life. Lots of people have these strengths to draw on -- Lindemeyer reminds us to actually do so. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bildungsromane    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Bridgeport (Conn.)    5. Domestic fiction    6. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    7. Fiction    8. General    9. Girls    10. Literary    11. Popular American Fiction    12. Women    13. Biography & Autobiography / Literary   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. African American historians    2. African American journalists    3. African American political act    4. African American political activists    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Bruce, John Edward    9. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    10. History & Theory - General    11. People of Color    12. Political    13. Politics / Current Events    14. AFRICAN AMERICANS_INTELLECTUAL LIFE    15. AFRICAN AMERICANS_POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT    16. AFRICAN DIASPORA    17. Biography: general    18. Ethnic studies    19. History / Africa    20. PAN-AFRICANISM    21. POLITICAL ACTIVISTS    22. USA   

Reviews (2)

An Unbiased Review - Maybe Not
This is a book about books, the business of books, the way books come to be, the way they look and feel in your hands, the way they get from the author to the publisher to the shelf to the reader,the way they affect people and people's lives. It is written by a genuine book person and is also part of the story of her life and growth, how her "becoming" has been influenced by her lifelong love and respect for books and her profession as a publisher's sales rep.
Literate, intimate, brave & charming
You don't have to be a book rep to enjoy this.You don't have to live in LA to feel you know these people.You don't have to be a career woman.All these things tie this book closer to me & made it seem more vivid, but Wendy's clear, bright, honest writing makes it a book worth reading & telling your friends about. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    5. Literary    6. Personal Memoirs    7. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    8. Biography: general   

Subjects:  1. 1897-1972    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    8. Gossip columnists    9. United States    10. Winchell, Walter,    11. Biography: general    12. Press & journalism   

Editorial Review

On July 7, 1941, a young Colgate University football player named Andy Rooney reported for U.S. Army training. He was, Rooney allows, not prime military material. He had a knack for enraging the drill instructors with his wisecracks, and for pulling harsh assignments as a result, and his shenanigans got him disqualified from officer candidacy. Still, Rooney survived boot camp and served for a time as an artilleryman until being reassigned to the daily newspaper Read more

Reviews (36)

Wonderful, funny, and very self-affacing
This is a great book. Andy Rooney, who I hate, is likable here in his stories about the GReat War. He tells stories, and jokes, and rubs elbows with all sorts of famous people, and, yet, doesn't seem to be bragging as much as telling. Also, his descriptions of tanks running over bodies and the air war are heart wrenching, beautiful, and terrifying. This book isn't my favorite overall, but it is the biggest surprise I've ever read. I really did love it.

Worth Reading
My grandfather was in the Army Air Corp during WWII and would tell wonderful stories about his time in the war (the good and the bad). I think he would have liked Andy Rooney.
Above and beyond truth
Andy above and beyond potrayed his position in WW2 if anything played down. Yes he was a private that lucked out as many do in the service,but it seems he is able to tell the truth about it and feels no lesser for the facts. He tells of several heroes and some not so good officers. We have all known those. All in all I found the book very enjoyable and would highly reccomend it to all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Television Personalities    7. Military    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Personal narratives    10. Personal narratives, American    11. United States    12. War correspondents    13. World War, 1939-1945    14. American history: Second World War    15. Biography: general    16. Europe    17. European history: Second World War    18. Press & journalism    19. USA   

Editorial Review

The leap between dreamy child living in a provincial Australian neighborhood and journalisthopscotching through war zones is massive. In Read more

Reviews (19)

The Country I Wanted to know.
Geraldine Brooks has written a book that I can empathise with. I think of how I might have had that life in Australia had my parents not returned to England in the 1930's. I wanted, and still do, very much to talk to the author and ask her questions as she is such a good writer with a warm personality.

Not as wonderful as her other books
I have read several of Brooks' books (both her non-fiction and fiction) and I was excited to rec'e and read Foreign Correspondance.Unfortunately, I was deeply disappointed. Great one for book clubs!
I bought this as an "airplane read" but couldn't put it down. Geraldine Brooks has done us a great favor by not only illuminating the process of finding one's long lost penpals, but also by educating many folks about Australia in the process. It's fascinating to see her perceptions of the world, and particularly America, based on the letters that come in her mailbox each month. Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Brooks, Geraldine    7. General    8. Historical - General    9. Journalists    10. Media Studies - Print Media    11. Pen pals    12. Women    13. Biography & Autobiography / General    14. Biography: general    15. Press & journalism    16. Reading Group Guide   

Subjects:  1. American    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. General    4. Journalists (Collected Columns)    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Rock    7. Anthropology    8. Other prose: from c 1900 -    9. Press & journalism    10. Social Science / Women's Studies   

Editorial Review

When World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle left for the Pacific Theater in1945, he told friends and colleagues that he felt sure he would die there. Pyle was right;on April 18th, a Japanese machine gunner killed one of America's most belovedpersonalities, sending the entire nation into shock and mourning. In the years since Pyle'sdeath, his particular brand of journalism has been criticized: he's been accused ofignoring the stupidity of generals, of downplaying the horror of battle, and of presentingthe war in a better light than it actually deserved to be portrayed. James Tobin, author ofthe impressive biography Read more

Reviews (13)

America's Link to the Front Lines of World War II
James Toban has written a stunning book in "Ernie Pyle's War: America's Eyewitness to World War II". Toban has succeeded in giving readers the rare opportunity to see the human frailties concealed within one of America's greatest and most valuable World War II correspondents.
Ernie Pyle's War: Thorough and Entertaining Read
"Ernie Pyle's War" by James Tobin was a thorough read. Tobin described Pyle down to the very last detail, uncovering almost every aspect of his life. After reading this book, the reader had a clear view into Pyle's mind and was able to recognize the feelings he possessed about his professional and private life. The way Tobin intertwined Pyle's messages home with biographical details along with interviews of acquaintances, made this story an easy read. "Ernie Pyle's War" earned five "stars." Ernie Pyle's War: A Thorough Read
"Ernie Pyle's War" by James Tobin was a thorough read. Tobin described Pyle down to the very last detail, uncovering almost every aspect of his life. After reading this book, the reader had a clear view into Pyle's mind and was able to recognize the feelings he possessed about his professional and private life. The way Tobin intertwined Pyle's messages home with biographical details along with interviews of acquaintances, made this story an easy read. "Ernie Pyle's War" earned five "stars."Read more

Subjects:  1. American Journalism    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    6. General    7. Historical - U.S.    8. Military - World War II    9. United States - General    10. World War II    11. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (21)

Hear this book!
The best way to read this book is to hear it, to get the audio CD.I am not in tune with Mr. Buckley's political and religious views, but am in admiration of his love of the written and spoken word and of debate.His reading of the text is a treat, and I take inspiration from his breadth of interests and friendships with those whose views he does not agree.

Fear not the eschaton; Miles Gone By
"Herein lies an anachronism in the vast expanse of eternity." was to be carved into the headstone of Lord Peter Wimsey, a character written by Dorothy L. Sayers, however it is a fitting commentary to Buckley's collected personal essays. Buckley writes best when he writes personally, and his collection of pieces chosen here will stand the test of time more elegantly than columns with titles that read, "Robert S. McNamara, Crime Syndicate Head."(Although come to think of it, perhaps history has leant that some heft. However, most people alive don't know who the Whiz Kid was, and so much of what Buckley wrote of is meaningless to four generations, now. It is hard for many people to understand that most people under the age of forty in this country have very little memory of Ronald Reagan.) And yet, when we come to the personal, there is a voice for manners, for elegance in language, pride in scholarly pursuit and sportsmanship, that cries out like a voice in the wilderness. His writing on these subjects that touch his heart is timeless.I expect he has often repeated those words of Whittaker Chambers on Weariness, because they haunt him, when reflected upon, they resonate more deeply with me at forty than they did at seventeen when I first read them. His son Christopher once said his father was a Catholic with a Protestant work ethic, and I found the passage about the Sea Cloud, the very begininng when he almost misses his plane because of his demanding schedule, and his wife shows him a bit of temper for always having to be on Overdrive, very humorous. (Patricia Taylor Buckley's unwritten book is the one I'd really like to read.) Buckley has sucked the marrow out of the bones of life, and he has had interesting friends and experiences to share. Breaking into a gymnasium with Ronald Reagan, stealing his own boat with a hacksaw from the boatyard, standing on his head on the South Pole, Atlas-Shrugged-style. "The greatest sin passion can committ is to be joyless." is another quote by Sayers, and Buckley has lived with a joyful passion, and a twinkle in his eye that sparkles in these pages. How many of us will look back and wish we'd sailed the Atlantic, skied Alta, finished that novel, and been a polemical influence that toppled the Berlin Wall? At the end of an exhaustive interview for the magazine [...] decades ago in the time of radicals, when the interviewer asked him a complicated question aboutthe doom and gloom of American society and how could Buckley cling to his optomistic conservative ideals when the disestablishmentarianists were threatening the country he answered it was easy because, "I know my Redeemer liveth." You have to love it, just love the thought of Hugh Hefner's reaction, and that Hef printed it. This book will flaunt eschatology; it is the redeemer of Buckley's literary collections.I am pleased he had the courage to compile and publish these very personal writings, they are his best work.

Now What?
"Miles Gone By" contains a meaningful collection of essays, which to me, demonstrates 80 years unselfish attention to others. I've followed Mr. Buckley and his ideas for years, (decades)thoroughly enjoying his suggestions and wake-up calls for sanity. Yes, I see him as the guy who rides shotgun for the rest of us, as half asleep in our stagecoach, we Rumble Left and Right through Indian Territory on our way to Progress. Here, I believe is the epitome of his ethics: "Wake up! An ethical man wouldbe ethical even when no one waslooking." I thank him for that; after all, he has been a big player in the Great Work of the Maker.
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Subjects:  1. (William Frank),    2. 1925-    3. 20th century    4. American novelists    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Buckley, William F    10. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    11. Journalists    12. Literary    13. Novelists, American    14. Political    15. United States    16. Biography & Autobiography / Political    17. Biography: general    18. English    19. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -    20. USA   

Reviews (11)

Bravo! Janet!
for having the courage to tell your story about your rise from the projects of Indianapolis to being a member of a power elite.Yours is a story of struggle, guts and determination to make a name for yourself.Your interracial marriages did create a lot of controversy in the elite, for they don't accept the idea of black/biracial black women marrying elite, upper class nonblack men such as your husband.
startling
This is an autobiography so you'd expect Janet Cohen to present herself in a good light. She doesn't. Instead Cohen comes off as a very bitter, self absorbed woman who doesn't seem to have learned anything over the years.

Janet, you did a great job
Janet's book is very excellent, she deserves a standing ovation for a book well written. This book is so interesting and captivating. This is the first time, i have seen someone so clear-cut honest. Janet Cohen is a beautiful woman who deserved all the good things in life. She has broken down racial barriers like Oprah to become of the greatest African-Americans of this era. I strongly recommend this book to people who haven't read it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1941-    2. African American television journalists    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Blacks In The U.S.    8. Cohen, Janet Langhart,    9. Ethnic Cultures - General    10. Journalists    11. People of Color    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Television journalists    14. United States    15. Women    16. Women In The U.S.   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    4. Journalism    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy   

Reviews (2)

One of the best biographies ever
John Wain condenced 17 volumes of autobiography into this taught, energetic, flowing narrative.I was captivated!

A look inside the mind of an engaging scoundrel
James Boswell has been called everything from an engaging gentleman to a vicious scoundrel. A true man of his times, Boswell combined naivete with crudity, tenderness with violence, courtesy with thoughtlessness,enthusiasm with snobbery, true religious feeling with wanton depravity.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    4. History / General   

Editorial Review

Cantankerous cultural icon Andy Rooney has come up with a twist on a concept for his latest book: instead of printing letters that people have written to him, he has collected his own responses, prefaced with occasional editorial notes to get the reader up to speed. All together, they make an interesting chronicle of his career, spanning everything from his missive to CBS management's 1950 request to swear that he had never been a member of the Communist party to his response to a modern conspiracy theorist. Rooney is at his best when his sly deadpan humor comes out, as when he replies to the editor of a celebrity cookbook with a recipe for baked potato ice cream. Just as enjoyable for other reasons are the pieces in which he becomes almost breathtaking in his cussedness, stubbornly waging an extensive battle against the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and mercilessly ripping apart the letters of a fifth-grade class. Regular viewers of Read more

Reviews (17)

Contains his best paragraphs of all time
His letter about religion to his children is beautiful.It is as classic an attack on it's obsurdity as any shown by Sagan, Edison, Paine, or Mark Twain.
A Book of Correspondence from America's Favorite Curmudgeon
Andy Rooney is America's Grouch. He's a brilliant writer, humorist and commentator who has experienced just about everything and has little time to suffer fools gladly. Many of the letters in this book involve Rooney's response to criticism or undue demands of his time with his acid wit. It's clear that Rooney hangs up an "off duty" sign when he leaves the office and considers his private life his own and no one else's. Don't sneer -- it's not easy to write entertaining negative correspondence. Ann Coulter has consistently shown that a snarling, bitter and hateful person's rants about people she hates is as dull as plain oatmeal when it doesn't have any sense, compassion, intelligence or wit behind it. Andy Rooney's has entertained a lot of people and offended most people -- one gets the impression while reading this book that that is exactly what he sets out to do with his writings. One letter in particular -- a rant about organized religion to his children -- is refreshing during this time when phony Christians pontificate self righteously to others without practicing, or even understanding, what they preach.
Entertaining
Rooney's best book is this one. Extremely entertainng, it shows Rooney's impatience and wittiness. Although most letters serve a purpose, some letters are fluff, others are a bit boring, and some just too ridiculous. Nonetheless, we see just some of Rooney's world outside of television and his satrical commentary on government, media, viewers and people trying to sell something.
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Subjects:  1. Correspondence    2. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Television Personalities    3. Form - Essays    4. General    5. Humor    6. Humorists    7. Journalists    8. Letters    9. Rooney, Andrew A    10. Rooney, Andrew A.    11. United States    12. Biography: general    13. Essays, journals, letters & other prose works    14. Press & journalism   

Reviews (23)

Could not put it down
Really two books.One, a series of pieces about inside Washington stories, often with characters who are largely off stage but important in how things get done in the seat of empire. Rather than the usual insider's view, Ms. Williams has an extraordinarily keen eye for seeing what is there for all to see, perhaps along the lines of I.F. Stone's insistence on using only attributed sources.The second book is an account of her diagnosis and subsequent experiences with an ultimately fatal cancer, its impact on her life, outlook, work, as well and an account of her medical care.

Touching without being Treacly
I bought this book primarily because I enjoy memoir and it was represented in the media as a collection of personal essays by a woman who fought what was eventually a losing battle with cancer.
Wonderful and light
I didn't know what to expect from this book when I picked it up.The title "Writings on Politics, Family, and Fate" is the order of the book which works very well.I had not heard of Williams and was introduced to her beautiful profile writing in the politics section.Her profiles of Barbara and Jeb Bush, Vernon Jordan and the relationship between Clinton and Gore were outstanding.In the family section you learn more about Marjorie and her personal life and then in fate you learn more on her struggle with cancer.Its a wonderful, touching book on a remarkable everyday woman. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    4. Essays    5. Government - National    6. Government - U.S. Government    7. Manners And Customs    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Social History    11. Sociology    12. United States - State & Local - General    13. Women's Studies - History    14. Political science & theory    15. Social & cultural anthropology   

Reviews (7)

Prejudice in a neat little container
If we spoke of blacks and Jews like the other commentators speak of Christians, they would no doubt be blacklisted and widely renounced.As it is, Mencken offers nothing to the intellectual study of religion and philosophy except for an eloquent way to say he "doesn't like it."None the less, it would appear from the reviews of others that if you agree with Mencken's athiest world-view, you will indeed enjoy having him fuel you fire.For me, I like a little more philosophy and a little less rhetoric.

For thinking people only.
Considering most of the articles were written in the 1920s, one is shocked by how timely, fitting and appropriate many of his comments are. The rise of fundie thinking at the turn of last century lasted until the Scopes trial - which is brilliantly covered in this book. (Mencken attended the trial, and covered it with scathing wit) Then, it collapsed. it took the fundies until the late '80s, the 1980s that is, to return to their destructive power that they again hold in our society.
A Sane Perspective on Religion
An excellent read if you are looking for confirmation of the fact that all religious extremists are insane. This would, of course, include Muslim as well as Bible Belt loonies. Mr. Mencken was a long ways ahead of his time in recognising this and savages ALL religious dingbats, home grown or imported. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Christianity    3. Controversial literature    4. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    5. Philosophy    6. Religion    7. Religious    8. Religion & Beliefs   

Reviews (5)

Muggeridge; Spy,Sinner,Sage and Saint
It is almost sixteen years since the death of this great writer, broadcaster, actor, soldier-spy and latterly Christian apologist and his voice is greatly missed, particularly at this time with so many major and controversial issues dominating the news agenda.Because love him or loathe him, Muggeridge always had a unique, and often tangental, view to offer on the significant events of the day.
Publishing Event of the (Last) Century
While I don't claim to have read everything in English, this is the best-written book I've ever read. I remember hoping not to pass on before I'd finished it. Five stars is not enough for this absolutely delightful book, or rather two books. It was originally published in two volumes, "The Green Stick" and "The Infernal Grove", both included here. This is the first edition to include the remnants of the barely-begun third volume, "The Right Eye" (the Chronicles were to have been a trilogy).
One of the best biographies of the last century!! Malcolm rocks!
I have only recently discovered Malcolm Muggeridge's writings, and wow! what a man, what an awesome writer! He can make you laugh, cry, and scream all in the same paragraph. I could not put this book down, even though at first it seemed way too long. Every page was crisp with details of a fascinating life! Truly an inspiring, unforgettable memoir. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1903-    2. 20th century    3. Authors, English    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. General    8. Great Britain    9. History Of Journalism    10. Journalists    11. Muggeridge, Malcolm,    12. Muggeridge, Malcolm   

Reviews (4)

Disappointing
For years, I have been impressed by the quality of the essays in Dickens, Dali, and Others, Shooting an Elephant, and Such, Such Were the Joys.I was looking forward to reading more of Orwell's essays.I soon discovered, however, that Orwell's essays not published in book form shared all the faults of those that I had read, but few of the virtues.
Some of the best essays in the English language
...Country Right or Left is part of a four volume set of essays commissioned by Orwell's wife Sonia. Whatever the criticisms that have been made of her stewardship of Orwell's legacy, these four volumes contain much of the best of Orwell's essays, letters and diary excerpts. This volume covers the early war years and much of the writing is shaded by that war. Orwell--the Noam Chomsky of the War Era
This is a great collection of essays and other writers by one of the foremost socialist critics of totalitarianism and domination. It is also a great book for admires of writers such as Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and Edward said, as all share the same overarching purpose: to be a tireless critic of power and domination wherever it may be found. It is ironic to the extreme that so many conservative revisionists attempt to claim Orwell as their own, which is due to the tragically myopic misreading of his writings, especailly 1984 and Animal Farm. Both books are condemnations of totalitarianism, and in the case of Animal farm, the final page attests to Orwell's repugnance of capitalism. Let it not be forgotten that Orwell fought in the Spanish Civil War in the aid of the socialist-anarchists. This is truly a great collection, which should be required reading for those who may not be familar with Orwell's non-fiction work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1903-1950    2. 20th century    3. Authors, English    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Correspondence    6. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    7. Essays    8. Great Britain    9. Historical - British    10. Journalists    11. Literary    12. Literary Collections    13. Literature: Classics    14. Orwell, George,    15. Orwell, George, 1903-1950   

Features

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Reviews (23)

Wide Ranging. Honest but Guarded. Light.

Reassuring
A beautifully written account of Pauley's illness.As I have a son with bipolar disorder, I found this memoir very reassuring.I have hope that my son will, with the right treatment, reach his potential.

More a memoir of life as an anchor-woman than as life with bipolar disorder
Jane Pauley's struggle with bipolar disorder takes a backseat to her life as an anchor-woman.We are charted through an exhaustive and rather drawn-out summary of her rise to the top, her life as a wife and parent, and oh yes, the small role bipolar disorder seemed to play in any of it.
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Subjects:  1. 1950-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Television Personalities    8. Pauley, Jane,    9. Television personalities    10. United States    11. Women    12. Biography & Autobiography / Women    13. Bargain   

Reviews (1)

With Friends LIke These...
Like many other hostage tales, there are moments of true human interaction between the hostage and her captors in this book.Interestingly enough, but not surprisingly, some of these moments occur during various soccer matches that are watched by the kidnappers.Although Sgrena is anything but a sports fan, her Italian nationality gives her credence if only because of one of the kidnappers obsession with Italian soccer. She describes her discussions of religion and non-belief with the mujaheedin holding her and their difficulty in understanding her relationship to her unmarried longtime partner. Unlike other hostage tales, especially the recent storyby US journalist taken hostage Jill Carroll, Sgrena refuses to accept the rationale of the occupiers and insists thgoughout the text that it is the occupation that is the primary culprit in Iraq, not the resistance.The descriptions of the aforementioned conversations reminds the reader of the contradictory nature of the human condition--warriors able to hold a woman prisoner yet curious enought of this person from another culture to converse with her and debate, even though their commanders and clerics might not approve.