Subjects:  1. 1991-    2. Asia - Japan    3. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    4. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    5. Georgia (Republic)    6. Goltz, Thomas    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Military - Other    11. Post-communism    12. Travel    13. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. Georgia   

Editorial Review

"The man was stubborn," writes Calvin Trillin -- the second most stubborn member of the Trillin family -- to begin this memoir of his father.Although he had a strong vision of the sort of person he wanted his son to be, Abe Trillin's explicitadvice about how to behave didn't go beyond "You might as well be a mensch." Somehow, though, his messages got through clearly, and Calvin's work is a credit to his father's vision. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Dull
This book was a disappointment to me.Although it is only a slight volume I found it to be heavy going and very uninteresting.Avoid.

It Rings a Bell
I don't know anyone in the Trillin family personnally, but I recognize them very well. I learned something I didn't know--that Jews landed some place other than Ellis Island. As a father myself, I appreciate what Abe did for his son. So did Calvin.

Affectionate and funny
Humorist, journalist, food maven, the author of numerous books and a writer for The New Yorker, Trillin brings hisblend of self-deprecating humor and thoughtful observation to this affectionate memoir of his father.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Authors, American    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Businesspeople    8. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    9. Family relationships    10. General    11. Kansas City    12. Literary    13. Missouri    14. Personal Memoirs    15. Russian Americans    16. Social life and customs   

Editorial Review

Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) is best remembered today as a landscape designer, well known for his plans for New York's Central Park and Prospect Park, the grounds of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and the campus of Stanford University, among other noteworthy sites.Read more

Reviews (19)

Interesting study of a powerful man
A Clearing in the Distance is a great biography about a man who had great strength and deep sorrows.The first half of the book covers Olmsted's life before becoming a Landscape Architect.He was basically a very talented man who could not find his calling.Once he found it, he pursued his passion with commitment and daring that changed the way that subsequent generations have thought about their environment and surroundings.
good enough
Olmsted's life is fascinating and Rybczynski does an adequate job of presenting the highlights, but the writing style is something less than engaging.In addition, the author spends too much time on trivial matters while neglecting more important things.For example, he writes page after page about Olmsted's failures to connect with a romantic mate. Goodness, he wasn't much of looker or a lady schmoozer and this plagued him for years.There, I said it in one sentence.Had the author done likewise we might have learned more about the details of some of Olmsted's projects. If the author wanted to play up relationships to give the reader a fuller appreciation of Olmsted's psychological make-up, he would have done better to delve deeper into the parent-child relationship.

"A garment of beauty around our homes"
Olmsted and Rybcznski seem somehow destined together, and this book is a thoroughly readable and engaging introduction to both of them.If they had been contemporaries, they probably would have somehow connected as friends or collaborators or both.Through his work, Olmsted came to define the American public space as distinct from the English or French styles.Early on he was influenced by farming, the English countryside, naturalism, notables such as Carlyle and Ruskin, and by the American pursuit of happiness: our need for recreation and spectacle.In his works, he combined "economics, nature, aesthetics, moral and intellectual improvement, and salvation."He spoke of throwing "a garment of beauty around our homes."Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Artists, Architects, Photographers    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    6. Historical - U.S.    7. History    8. History: American    9. Landscape architects    10. Landscape architecture    11. Modern - 19th Century    12. United States    13. History / United States / 19th Century   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography And Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    6. Literary    7. Personal Memoirs    8. Popular Culture - Counter Culture    9. Biography & Autobiography / Political   

Editorial Review

A coolly objective look at the most controversial figure in the postwar crusade against American Communists. Whittaker Chambers (1901-61) made headlines in 1948 with his sensational accusation that former State Department official Alger Hiss was not only a Communist, but a spy, charges Hiss denied until his death in 1996. This scrupulously evenhanded biography concludes that Chambers told the truth, even as it pitilessly delineates his tortured family background, anguished sexual confusion, and political ruthlessness, which might well prompt doubts about his trustworthiness. Chambers' life makes a perfect case study of the most morally fraught period in American history. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

A vital book of an American conscience!
I cannot recommend this book highly enough for understanding the state of American politics, past, present and future. The inner turmoil of Whittaker Chambers is revealed to the world, leaving the reader without a shadow of a doubt as to his courage and greatness. His bitter childhood, his years as a Communist spy, his homosexual inclination, and ultimately his redemptive love for his wife and family, all lead to the climax of Chambers' courageous stance against Communism, which he wins despite all odds. This book fills in the gaps of Chambers' remarkable autobiography, "Witness," which I also recommend as essential political and moral reading.

The Moral Lodestone of the 20th Century
I grew up under the cultural shadow of Alger Hiss, stupidly thinking the term "commie" was a funny way to mock anyone concerned about the threat of Communism.
The factual side of Chambers' spiritual journey
Chambers' autobiography "Witness" had left me speechless. It was a magnificent book, but unknown in most circles. I was hungry to learn more about Chambers' own life and times. It didn't take me long to get to Tanenhaus's fine biography, which gave me an outside perspective and did not disappoint.Tanenhaus is at his most valuable recounting Chambers' post-Hiss-Case life, not covered in "Witness"; in fleshing out the HUAC cast like Nixon, Mundt and Hebert, putting their careers and ambitions into perspective; and in covering the seamier sides of Chambers' personal and family background in even greater detail than Chambers had.
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Subjects:  1. Anti-communist movements    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Chambers, Whittaker    7. Hiss, Alger    8. Historical - General    9. Historical - U.S.    10. History    11. Journalists    12. Spies    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / Historical    15. Biography: general    16. Reference works   

Reviews (4)

Behind the Scenes at CBS
This book is a quick read.The author often refers to Rather's previous book entitled The Camera Never Blinks in addition to a Playboy interview.Most of the book is about the shenanigans that take place in network television and the egos and insecurities of those involved including the network announcers.I didn't find the book to be a keeper for my library.

CBS up close
Excellent glimse inside of the workings of CBS News and the legendary Dan Rather.

A pro writes about a pro
Everybody knows the name of Dan Rather, the reporter who appeared on the radar screen at JFK's assassination and rose to CBS News favored son status reporting from Vietnam, the White House, hurricane lamp posts, the CBS News anchor chair and virtually every hot spot around the world, but most people have never heard of Alan Weisman, the author of "LONE STAR: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Dan Rather."
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    5. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Television Personalities    6. Television Journalism    7. Biography & Autobiography / Editors, Journalists, Publishers    8. Biography: general    9. Press & journalism   

Reviews (27)

On the Money
I am a lawyer from las vegas, that traveled to moscow, russia, numerous times to host a business venture.After my first trip, i came across this book and was startled to realize that Ames is on the money with his description of Moscow.Anyone planning a trip to Moscow, must read this book.It is an easy read and really allows the reader to gleen an inside to the beauty behind the beast that is Moscow.

A Hilarious and Compelling Read
You'll be disapopinted and wishing for more when this book ends.You will want to read more of the exploits of the eXile and its two fearless leaders, Ames and Taibbi, and fortunately you can at www.exile.ru.I learned about the eXile while reading Taibbi's book Spanking the Donkey about the 2004 election.Since discovering it, the eXile has been a tremendous way to pass the time at work.Despite finding much of what they describe of Russian life terrifying and disturbing it has not tempered my desire to visit the country as soon as possible.
Outstanding Work
This book is a must read for anyone that desires understaning of russian societal mores. Mark Ames particularly does an absolutely wonderful job with his gloomy delivery explaining Moscow sex, drug and media scene throughout the 90s.I must warn you, this is not your typical narrative about what has transpired but an actual account of first hand experiences that he went through.It is not by any means pretty, but it was reality.
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Subjects:  1. 1965-    2. Americans    3. Ames, Mark,    4. Anthropology - Cultural    5. Biography    6. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    7. History - General History    8. International    9. International Journalism    10. Journalists    11. Moscow    12. Newspapers    13. Popular Culture - General    14. Russia (Federation)    15. Social Science    16. Sociology    17. Tabloid newspapers    18. Taibbi, Matt    19. Ames, Mark    20. Political control & freedoms    21. Russia   

Reviews (4)

Siempre la misma pregunta
I won't give a synopsis of the book b/c everyone else has already done that for you. What I can say about this book is that it is an impetus. After you read it, you'll most likely be hungry for more information about this brutal time in a seemingly well-developed country. Questions to consider: Why the silence of the press, with the exception of Timerman's newspaper 'La Opinion' and the 'B.A. Herald?' How could someone treated so horribly come out of it okay? Why did this happen after Pinochet's regime and the Nazi regime? This is post WWII, so why? Where was the rest of the world? The book is splendid, the first chapter gut-wrenching and beautiful. You will love it as much as Elie Wiesel's 'Night.'

Que triste, Lo mismo ahora
Este libro es un resumen de un pais de tristeza.Anarchia, luchas, gobiernos coruptos, y la militaria- es lo mismo ahora en este pais bella y riqueza. Los maleducados hay un nivel de estupidez - ellos solo quieren el pavo, el dinero - la renta sin pensar de la gente. Excellent analysis of the totalitarian mindset
Jacobo Timerman has written a gripping and terrifying account of his experiences at the mercy of Argentina's Peronist regime of the late 70's.A well respected, professional journalist in Buenos Aires, he was editor of the major newspaper La Opini�n until he was kidnapped by the military for publishing articles critical of their terrorist tactics.He details how as a political prisoner, and more signifigantly as a Jew, he was held and tortured by a military carried away by their own delusions and rationalizations of violence - and by their virulent anti-semitism.Timerman displays a penetrating insight into the mindset of his captors and of a society that tried to ignore what was happening.A must read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1923-    2. Argentina    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Historical - General    8. History Of Jews    9. Jewish - General    10. Jews    11. Journalists    12. Political    13. Political Repression    14. Political prisoners    15. Timerman, Jacobo,    16. Biography: historical    17. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    18. Jewish studies    19. Literary Criticism & Collections / Jewish    20. Political oppression & persecution    21. Social history   

Editorial Review

Twelve dogs, a sled, and your wits versus 1,023 miles of danger, snow, ice, and wilderness. The Yukon Quest is possibly the toughest race on earth. Held earlier, farther inland, and at a more northerly latitude than its famous cousin, the Iditarod, mushers on the Yukon Quest routinely experience temperatures dropping to 40 below zero, with 50 below not uncommon. Winning isn't everything; just finishing is an achievement in itself. John Balzar tells the story of the Quest, the dogs, and the mushers in Read more

Reviews (16)

Patting his own back!!!
This writer is so self-absorbed and busy patting himself on the back that he doesn't even come close to giving an accurate report on this race.Having a LOT of experience with this race, I can truly say, this is the worst account of this race I have ever read.If you want to learn about what it takes to run this race, or what it's like to go through the training, the work, the effort, what the dogs are like, what the north is like.. then read Running North by Ann Mariah Cook.Now THAT is a good book.I have also met John and found him to be arrogant and self-serving while writing this book.He defeats the entire purpose of this book by spending more time trying to sound like an expert, or a "local", trying to sound like he fit in here, but no matter how hard one tries, sometimes they can NOT succeed... and he wondered why people wouldn't talk to him.This is the worst book on this topic I have ever read.It was tough for me to get through it but I did it because I was there during the race that year.I wanted to see what he was going to write next that wasn't accurate...seems he was more infatuated with Aliy Zirkle than the race itself, or getting to see his girlfriend, or pretending that he was one of the mushers himself.Just his account of his "mushing" experience (disaster) was so unbelievable, it made me laugh.I am an experienced musher and I can tell you, that was the most ridiculous thing I have ever read.... the entire book is just a bunch of garbage... but then again, he didn't do his homework, his research, and it shows... horribly!!!Don't bother with it. If this is the only exposure you have to mushing or the dog world, then you will be most misinformed... best to spend your time and money on a different book.DeeDee Jonrowe's book Iditarod Dreams is excellent.Tracks Across Alaska is also excellent, but this... a sad waste!!!

Not bad, not great...
Absorbing book, probably a good recommendation for anyone interested in the far north and outdoor adventure. John Balzar writes an interesting account of the Yukon Quest,the second-best-known dog-sled race in Alaska after the Iditarod, and the result is an entertaining story covering both the `mushers', their dogs, and the environment surrounding the competition.
A look into the Great White North
What a great book.After reading, and now re-reading, this book I wanted nothing more than to pack up, quit my city job, and move to the Far North in search of a life dominated by weather, dogs, and the will to survive.John Balzar does a great job describing a life dependant on dogs and neigbors (even though they may be 50-100 miles away) in the huge landscape of the Yukon and Alaska.Although the book mostly focuses on the Yukon Quest dog-sled race, it gives the reader an intriguing look into the culture of the people in and around the dog-sledding culture and the Quest itself.Definately worth the read! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alaska    2. Balzar, John    3. Biography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. California    6. Journalists    7. Mushers    8. Sled dog racing    9. Sport Riding And Racing    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Sports - General    12. Winter Sports    13. Yukon Quest International Sled    14. Yukon River Valley (Yukon and    15. Yukon River Valley (Yukon and Alaska)    16. Yukon Territory   

Reviews (9)

Could NOT put it down
This is an extraordinary story of an ordinary life.From comic books, to the Hardy Boys to Faust to the French classics, we go on a ride through books with Mike Dirda.I also grew up in the Midwest at about the same time and I can identify with just about every page of the book.Extraordinary.

Dirda's unique book on reading
As a frequent reader what struck me most about Mr. Dirda's book is that it is not quite like anything else out there.In this day and age, uniqueness is rare and that alone makes the book a standout
Memories
Everything Michael wrote in his book brought back so many boyhood memories for for my friend.It wasn't just the big things, it was the little things Dirda wrote about that brought smiles and tugged at the heart. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Journalism    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Childhood Memoir    7. Critics    8. Dirda, Michael    9. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    10. Journalists    11. Literary    12. Literary Criticism    13. United States    14. American history: from c 1900 -    15. Biography: general    16. Ohio    17. Places & peoples: general interest   

Reviews (6)

A great read
The value of this book is the simple albeit not so scholarly observations of the author.Reading it one feels like someone encountering with both curiosity and a bit of fear, new territory.Sure the historical or even common sense elements may be missing here and there, but it's the westerner sharing from western eyes, two world views that proves invaluable.Few authors who serve in third world areas like Pakistan and Afghanistan, ever write about the dizziness of returning to the United States where even the poor live in splendor compared to third world people.And I appreciate the authors reminder to me a woman from the United States, that I am spoiled and really have no idea what true oppression is all about.And as a side note I appreciate the authors love of animals in need.

engaging and courageous
I read most of this book on a long flight from Delhi to Los Angeles. I was inspired to buy the book by a favorable review in an Indian newspaper... For me, the greatest value of the book is the personal story of what it takes to bring us "the story" from conflict-ridden parts of the world, particularly Afghanistan in this case, but also Pakistan and to a lesser extent, Sri Lanka. Anyone aspiring to be a foreign correspondent should read this book... However, it must be admitted that Ms. Constable does not have a real sense of history. Her history on Kashmir and even the lead-up to the Taliban regime is full of gaps, as is the history of the Sri Lanka conflict. Noone should read this book alone and think they understand why Kashmir is what it is, who the Taliban were and how they came to power, and what is the diversity of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka or the long history of that conflict since colonization. Ms. Constable should not be faulted for this, she admits herself that this is more a personal document than history... As a personal document, and as a person, Fragments of Grace and Ms. Constable are worthy of admiration. What courage, what honesty, what compassion, what literature - her book was written not for personal profit, only somewhat for public enlightenment, it was written most of all out of a personal search for meaning, and on these terms it excels. One can only admire what it takes for journalists to give us the story we read with our daily cup of coffee, far far away from the conflicts we follow and can hardly fathom.

Astonishing, remarkable, unforgettable
This is an extremely important piece of literature.It is relevant and a must-read for any American who values her/his freedom.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - India & South Asia    2. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. History    5. History: World    6. Photojournalism    7. Travel - Foreign    8. Travel - General    9. Biography & Autobiography / Editors, Journalists, Publishers    10. Biography: general    11. India    12. Press & journalism    13. Travel writing   

Editorial Review

Long a familiar face to American television-news viewers, and more recently a familiar voice to public-radio listeners, Daniel Schorr recounts his 60-plus-year career covering some of the most significant events of the last century.Read more

Reviews (5)

Fascinating Look at An Incredible Journalist's Career
I have to admit to a certain fascination with news personalities. After all, as a confirmed news junkie, I have faithfully watched all the major netweorks and tune into NPR on my way home from work daily. Therefore, I was pleased to discover this literary gem by long-time TV and radio commentator Daniel Schorr, the seemingly omni-present conscience of the electronic media. Like many of his generation, his is a voice of reason and objectivity in a sea of faces otherwise clamouring for fame and notoriety. A Life in Journalism
I was most impressed by "Staying Tuned".This book is Daniel Schorr's auto-biography of his many decades in journalism.Few people have had the opportunity to be the eyewitness to history that Schorr has had.Schorr was present to cover Nikita Khruschev and the De-Stalinization movement in Russia.He was present to cover post-nazi Germany under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.He was able to cover aspects of the "Great Society" under Lyndon Johnson.Also, he was there during Watergate and was sufficiently critical of the Nixon Administration to make the White House "enemies list". Americ's finest broadcast journalist
Before reading this book I already believed that Daniel Schorr was America's finest broadcast journalist.But my admiration has only increased.This book accomplishes what I had only hoped the memoirs of other famous broadcast journalists (e.g. Ted Koppel, Walter Cronkite, and David Brinkley) would.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    5. Political    6. Biography & Autobiography / Political    7. Biography: general    8. Biography: political    9. Political leaders & leadership   

Reviews (3)

Good, but writer...
This book is a good and even thrilling description of the first gulf war and how CNN reporters reported from Baghdad. That being said, this writer couldn't be more self-adoring and congratulatory, or obnoxious. At the end of the book, he compares Bush's intelligence to that of his pet cat. Whether you are a Bush-lover or hater, that is a disgraceful, horrible thing to say about the president of our nation and it reflects Wiener's generally high portrayal of himself and low portrayal of others.

Dull from Baghdad
I found this book and thought it would be interesting to see what happened to the press during the war. Unfortunately for me all this author talked about was bureaucratic problems and drinking and smoking. I kept reading thinking that once the war started the book would pick up and at page 275 the war started but the book remained dull. I am assuming that the author is a much better TV producer then author or there is no way he would have a job with CNN. A portrait of cooperation, luck, and determination
Live From Baghdad is one of those books that you just cannot put down.Giving the details of the struggle to get the story out before and during the Gulf War,this book is a tremendous personal account of what it takesto succeed in impossible circumstances.Robert Wiener and his crew madeextreme personal sacrifices, sometimes in life-threatening circumstances,to get the story out and beat the competition.A great textbook example onhow to negotiate what you need through respect and patience, being rewardedwith sucess and a place in history.Great anecdotes about life behind thescenes make this a truly enjoyable read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Cable Television    3. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    4. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Television Personalities    5. Foreign Relations 1990-    6. History    7. Military    8. Military - Other    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Political Science / General   

Reviews (1)

Interesting memories of era in Washington and wartime China
As a staunch Cold War and extraordinarily connected political columnist in Washington for forty years, Joseph Alsop has many fascinating and amusing anecdotes to relate. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1910-    2. 20th century    3. Alsop, Joseph,    4. American Journalism    5. Biography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. General    9. Journalism    10. Journalists    11. United States    12. World politics    13. Alsop, Joseph    14. American history: from c 1900 -    15. Biography: general    16. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    17. Other prose: from c 1900 -    18. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    19. Second World War, 1939-1945    20. USA   

Reviews (39)

Definitely the Mensch!
Thank God for Michael Medved and his insight.As a Medhead myself, I love his witty style, clear intellect and humility.This book gives the reader an intimate look into the life of a very entertaining public figure who affects our world for the better; truly living into his calling to ensure that people realize there is indeed hope for the future.
Insightful Read, Hard to Put Down
I thoroughly enjoyed "Right Turns."I enjoyed his take on politics, romance, and religion.I have listened to Medved on the radio for many years and it was enjoyable to have this book tie all of the pieces of his life together.A must read, Medved fan or not!

A lonely man
I have not actually read this book but I feel very sorry for Mr. Medved. It must be difficult being a film critic who hates films and the people who make them and I wonder if he wouldn't have been happier in some other line of work. I also think it must be very lonely for him being one of the only Jews in Hollywood. When I read in the Washington Post review above the story of how he was forced to choose between his religious faith and the opportunity to go on the Tonight Show and make fat jokes about Elizabeth Taylor I was very moved and it reminded me of the film Chariots of Fire (a movie he probably hated). I'm glad the problem was resolved and he was able to go on the Tonight Show and make fun of Elizabeth Taylor after all, but then it occurred to me that she is also Jewish and maybe he could have had at least one friend in Hollywood. That made me sad to think about. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    6. Film Criticism    7. Film critics    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Political    10. Radicalism    11. Radio broadcasters    12. United States    13. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (7)

The Best of the Best
I have read many biographies of Dorothea Dix, and this one is the best of the best!She was a fascinating woman of her age.Devotedly religious, she found a life similiar in many respects to Mother Teresa of our age - although Miss Dix was much more effective using legislation as a tool in her relief work.Her work with the mentally ill has been studied by many professionals in the field.David Gollaher brings all the available historical documents together in an easy-to-read format for the general public.I hope this book will be rereleased for a new generation of students, social workers, nurses and doctors.Highly recommended for any public or private library.

Too cerebral and passionless...
Gollaher paints a very dull picture of Dorothea Dix.There is not one colorful insight into this fascinating, world-changing woman.If there was even a hint of love or respect, or even curiosity about his subject, the author never reaveals it.There is an inexcusable failure on the author's part to make this famous lady 'touchable'.He discredits her faith with one stroke of his pen and rambles about the more cerebral parts of her life and work.Yes, she was interested in other things besides helping people but I don't care to know about how many bugs she collected and how many famous persons she socialized with.I want to know about Dorothea Dix!This was one of the most discursive, spiritless biographies I have read in many years.Read another biographer's account of this amazing woman, perhaps one that is written by a woman.

A Gem of a Biography
I bought this book after reading the following award citation it received from the Organization of American Historians: "VOICE FOR THE MAD provides more than a fine analysis of how and why a key northern antebellum reformer came to her reform, more than a well-written, sophisticated account of how a well-traveled reformer sought progress in Europe and the Americas, more than an illuminating account of how and why Americans created asylums for the insane. Gollaher's study also throws important light on how a woman outside the home could be an important lobbyist inside antebellum male legislatures; on how and why antebellum religion generated a white-hot reformist passion; on how and why reformist passion often stopped short, as in Dix's case, of anti-slavery; and perhaps most astonishingly, on how and why the Yankee woman as a reforming fanatic could succeed in Southern legislatures...[A] gem of a biography."Amazingly, the book is even better than this, because it reveals how a person was able to use her own demons -- her anger, her feelings of abandonment, her incredible nervous energy -- as sources of strength in the public arena of politics. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Care    6. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    7. History    8. Medical - General    9. Mentally ill    10. Psychiatric Social Work    11. Social problems    12. United States    13. Women social reformers    14. Biography: general    15. Dix, Dorothea Lynde   

Reviews (8)

More than a book for Moms
Initially I thought this book would be focused more on parenting, in the traditional sense. But this book is so much more: Maria's inner struggle as a Latina in America- wanting more of her own culture, and wanting to succeed here in America at the same time; finding a man who helped her know herself... how all of this and more molded her as a parent.
Loved every line..
I read this book a few years ago and loved it so much that I am looking to buy a new copy so I can read it again. The writing is so VIVID and above all so HONEST, that you feel like she's sitting right in front of you. This book is definitely one of my favorites of all time and I would recommend it to everyone.

Wonderful to give to a new mom!
My mother gave this book to me right after my son was born.She liked the general mothering idea it proposed - sort of a "whatever you do, so long as you do your best, all will be OK."It was wonderful to read Maria's thoughts on motherhood (and all of it's ups and downs) while I was still adjusting myself.I read most of it while breastfeeding (the early months can be marathon feedings)! ... Read more

Subjects: