Reviews (84)

Status anxiety
Poor Toby Young. This is the memoir of the British journalist, Toby Young, who changed tack on a promising career in London (including a stint at editing the spiky but ill fated Modern Review during which he managed to piss pretty much everyone off including Robert Maxwell) and tried to make it in New York at the Queen of glossy high society mags, Vanity Fair.
God, I feel stupid...
I suppose the dollar or so I was able to pick this thing up for here at Amazon should have told me something. Young is a really unappealing character and just not very funny. Why he has been paid to follow this thing up with a second book is way beyond me. I too hate this guy.

Self-Skewering and Funny Biography
Toby Young's story begins with a nebulous one-month job offer from "Vanity Fair" in New York.Having just closed his British journalistic enterprise, Young is delighted and hopes to achieve great things in America.His missteps begin with Day 1 - he reports to work dressed in his (British) version of casual, and finds himself mistaken for a messenger.Then en route to his "office," he's shown a broom closet that's his, which he takes to be his changing room - actually, it's an office he shares with another.
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Subjects:  1. 1963-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    7. Great Britain    8. Journalists    9. Regional Subjects - MidAtlantic    10. Young, Toby,   

Reviews (2)

Jealous
Jealous
Gone With The Wind
Tom's is a touching and layered story; both a personal bio and a history of New Orleans Jazz and its creators. Tom pulls back the veil and introduces us, in a very personal way, to both his family and biological father, and to the "mens" as his jazz fathers called themselves. A tale of passages; Tom's from childhood to manhood; the mens' passage on to the great second-line in the sky, and, finally, the passage of a way of life for a whole region possibly passed into only the memories of people fortunate enough to have lived it, and a few graying pages.It is a poignant story told well and sure to be loved by all readers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Clarinetists    7. Discrimination & Racism    8. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    9. History and criticism    10. Jazz    11. Jazz musicians    12. Louisiana    13. New Orleans    14. Personal Memoirs    15. Race And Ethnic Relations    16. Regional Subjects - South    17. United States    18. Biography & Autobiography / General    19. Biography: general    20. Contemporary popular music    21. Social history   

Reviews (18)

An Amazing Story!
The Final Frontiersman is a fascinating story of one man's personal journey from a difficult background in Wisconsin to the freedom and challenges of life in the most remote region in the U.S.The man, Heimo Korth, unexpectedly finds romance and a life partner - and establishes a close knit family while living outside the margins of what some call "civil society."A clear and wonderfully told story which unapologetically describes how Heimo and his native spouse, Edna, live a subsistence lifestyle - primarily on freshly killed, free-ranging caribou and moose. It also describes how swiftly tragedy can strike.
To the Korths
I just finished reading "The Final Frontiersman" and would recommend it to anyone.It's well-written, entertaining, and truly educational, not only about the hardships and joys of life in the Arctic bush but about the politics of Alaskan wilderness "preservation."
Final Frontiersman
Most people do not understand what it is like to live in the bush, they are city people who just stay indoors most of their lives, they believe that people should not hunt or kill animals for their fur or for their meat, they read a book but dont like it becuase someone killed an animal in it, boo hoo.They are simpleminded people who dont know any better, natives and residents in Alaska do this everyday, and it most likely will no be changed for a long time, since they grew up around such things and live to do it every day. This book shows what it is really like in the Alaskan bush and if you dont like it, does it look like we care? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alaska - Local History    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. General    6. Regional Subjects - General    7. Social History    8. Alaska    9. Biography & Autobiography / General    10. Travel writing   

Editorial Review

The scrubby forests of southern Georgia, dotting a landscape of low hills and swampy bottoms, are not what many people would consider to be exalted country, the sort of place to inspire lyrical considerations of nature and culture. Yet that is just what essayist Janisse Ray delivers in her memorable debut, a memoir of life in a part of America that roads and towns have passed by, a land settled by hardscrabble Scots herders who wanted nothing more than to be left alone, and who bear the derogatory epithet "cracker" with quiet pride.Read more

Reviews (33)

LITERATE LOOK AT A TIME-WARP CHILDHOOD
We noticed when we moved south to Georgia some twenty-five years ago that in many ways we'd dropped back in time. Janisse Ray was born in 1962; it may as well have been 1932. I thank her for sharing her knowledge of the flora and critters around her - many now gone forever. Whenever I see a long-leaf pine from now on, I will treasure the sight.

A book for all.
Janisse Ray pens a memoir not only of her life, but also of the life of the forests she grew up surrounded by.She writes earnestly and with conviction about growing up on a junkyard in rural Georgia; she is forthright about not only her childhood, but also about how it affected her when she went off to college and was independent of her family.Additionally, she writes with this same passion and candidness of the other rural Georgia and its inhabitants: the forests that are being diminished and with them, their occupants.
A two part review
I would like to comment on the book, and also on her live readings.
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Subjects:  1. 1962-    2. Baxley (Ga.)    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Childhood and youth    6. Deforestation    7. Ecology    8. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    9. Forest ecology    10. General    11. Georgia    12. Longleaf pine    13. Nature    14. Nature/Ecology    15. Ray, Janisse,    16. Regional Subjects - South   

Reviews (16)

OFTEN OVERLOOKED WORK
I have been familiar with this work for a number of years and have been rather saddened that more attention has not been paid to it.Yes, they did a sort of TV movie some years ago, but while pleasant, it certainly did not do justice to this particular work by Rawlings.As other reviewers have pointed out, this is a rather autobiographical story of one womans struggle at a time when struggling was common, particularly for women.I personally perfer this work over the Yearling, as I simply feel it is better written and far more insightful.This work gives the reader a glance at what this country was like earlier in the last century, both good and the bad.The author does have way with humor and is able to laugh at herself, something that is always refreshing.For a pure joy and a wonderful read, I would recommend this one highly.

A woman for all seasons
`Cross Creek' is an extraordinary book written by a woman with the keen ability and insight to draw out the poetic from the mundane. An educated cosmopolitanite from the northeast, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings plunged into the rustic life of cracker Florida with a ferocity belying her Leo sun sign. She longed for the farm life, which ran deeper in her veins than did the comforts of urban living. A Pulitzer Prize writer, a naturalist, and gourmet cook, Marjorie was also handy with a shotgun as a person or two found out who mistook her gender for a sign of weakness. Marjorie was a great observer and devotee of nature which she expressed with a resonance that lingers on the heart. She animated the inanimate and bestowed upon the humblest of Florida's creatures, personality. 'Cross Creek' has reached out to me from the deep past to quicken my present experience of living in Florida. I find myself looking expectantly for personality in the natural world. The evidence already exists in 'Cross Creek'. I wish that I had known Marjorie. She died the year I was born.

intriguing look into the life of Marjorie Rawlings
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Pulitzer Prize winningauthor of The Yearling) moves into a cabin in Cross Creek and tells of her life in this tiny community in central Florida around the 1930's.
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Subjects:  1. 1896-1953    2. 20th century    3. Authors, American    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Cross Creek    9. Farm life    10. Florida    11. Homes and haunts    12. Literary    13. Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan,    14. Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan, 1896-1953    15. Regional Subjects - South    16. Biography & Autobiography / General    17. English    18. Modern fiction    19. Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan    20. USA   

Reviews (5)

Papa Lou: Honoring South Central's Hero & The Challenger's Boys & Girls Club
It was my privilege to recently read the autobiography of Lou Dantzler, founder of the Boys & Girls Challengers club in South Central. This book is called "A Place to Go, A Place to Grow."
A Marvelous Journey, a Must Read for Parents and Kids
I have heard about this book for four years, because Kathleen Felesina, the co-author, and her sister Laura Peterson, who plays a prominent role in Lou Dantzler's story, are longtime family friends, daughters of longtime family friends.The Peterson/Felesina families should be very proud, as, I'm sure, Lou Dantzler's beloved mom Narvis would be of him.
Must Read for Youth Development Professionals
This book shares the essential characteristics that a youth development professional must possess in order to make an impact on the lives of today's youth.The dedication, commitment, yet the simplicity of the concepts behind empowering and motivating today's youth to reach beyond the physical surrounding is embraced in this journey from the cotton fields of South Carolina to the urban inner city of Los Angeles.The determination to achieve by holding a community up to a standard of commitment to its youth is demonstrated in this epic story that shares how hard work with compassion along with sheer determination can change a community initially through its youth, then it parents, and bring forth the common good from mankind from all walks of life to help in changing a community.Anyone working in the youth development field would be inspired by this book as well as educated on simply methods to achieve change through parent engagement, establishing clear enforceable standards, and holding everyone accountable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Humanitarians    5. People of Color    6. Personal Memoirs    7. Regional Subjects - West    8. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Chicago    6. Chicago (Ill.)    7. Dictionaries    8. Illinois    9. Reference    10. Regional Subjects - Midwest    11. Women   

Reviews (46)

Riviting series- my only regret is that I didn't get to speak to Ralph Moody
This book is terrific for single digits to triple digits in age.
20th-Century pioneers
Ralph Moody has just turned eight when he and his family--father and mother, eleven-year-old sister Grace, and younger sibs Muriel Joy (five), Philip (three and a half), and Hal (going on two)--move to Colorado early in 1907 to settle on a rented "ranch" (more of a farm than anything).Ralph's father Charlie, though reared on a farm in Maine, has worked for years in a New Hampshire woollen mill and suffers from lung trouble, and Cousin Phil, a mining-stock booster in Denver, manages to persuade reluctant Mother that in Colorado his health can be restored in a year and he "can make as much money as he'd make here...in a lifetime."As you might expect of a stock booster, Cousin Phil's predictions fall somewhat short of the reality--it may be the 20th Century, but life outside the cities isn't too different from what it was 30 or 40 years earlier: indoor toilets are unknown, and cowboys still carry six-guns as they ride the range.But the Moodys make the best of it.Father turns out to be a creative manager who swaps livestock shrewdly and trades work for the goods the family needs (one of my favorite scenes involves the moving entire of a disused bunkhouse, bigger than the whole three-room house that comes with their rented land, to create bedrooms for the children and a bigger kitchen), and a perceptive parent who teaches the lessons of character in a quiet, understandable way--and realizes that boys shouldn't be turned into Lord Fauntleroys or expected to always "turn the other cheek."Though the family sees barely $100 in cash in a year, they manage to eat well, send the children to school, enjoy good books and accumulate an impressive menagerie of domestic animals, and Ralph falls in love with the West (a love that will later be expressed in a long list of books about it, including several sequels to this one).There are moments of thrills (the windstorm that nearly destroys their house and forces them to crawl to shelter in a nearby gulch), joy (picnics in the mountains, Christmas feasts), quiet family togetherness (Mother reading aloud in the evenings), humor (like the fight between Jerry Alder and the Denver man while Ralph and his father are helping a neighbor with his threshing), and even danger (Father's participation in a battle over the neighborhood irrigation ditch, which culminates in what may be the first recorded attempt at a drive-by shooting), besides an assemblage of unforgettable characters--Fred Aultland, the rancher next door, who drives around at full speed in a buckboard drawn by two mettlesome bays, and his mother and sister; Hi, the cowboy, who becomes Ralph's idol (one of the best sequences in the book shows them breaking in a new young horse, the twin of Hi's own blue roan, and training the two in a precision trick-riding routine that takes first place at the annual rodeo), Mr. Thompson who claims to have known Kit Carson and his partner the Blackfoot Indian Two Dog who can gentle the wildest horse and cure the sickest, and of course Cousin Phil--and Father.Through their four years in Colorado, until Charlie dies of pneumonia, Ralph comes to know his father as he never did before, and to love and respect him for his ethics, his skills, his gentleness and firmness, and his understanding of the human condition.And in the end he emerges ready to become, at 12, the "man of the family."This is a book for families to enjoy and young and old to read independently, a book that shows something of the reality of pioneering and would fit splendidly into a homeschooling curriculum.No American should fail to read it.

Pretty good reading
The writing style was simple; The storyline was engaging, the characters captivating.The story was narrated unsentimentally, but effects sympathy.
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Subjects:  1. 1898-    2. 20th century    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Colorado    6. Colorado - Local History    7. Family    8. Fiction    9. History    10. Moody family    11. Moody, Ralph,    12. Ranch life    13. Ranchers    14. Regional Subjects - West    15. Westerns - General    16. Agriculture & Farming    17. Biography: general    18. Moody, Ralph    19. USA   

Editorial Review

Jeanne Marie Laskas is 37, with a house, garden, dog, cat, flourishingwriting career--all of the perfect ingredients, in fact, of a happycity-person's life--when a childhood dream resurfaces. It is a farm dream, this"song I couldn't get out of my head," and it would make more sense, she ruefullyadmits, if she were "at least the farm dream Read more

Reviews (53)

Immensely Enjoyable Book
As a suburbanite animal/nature lover who has always dreamed of living on a farm, and a devoted Standard Poodle owner (my husband and I are on our third), I was attracted by the title and description of this book, feeling it was something I would enjoy. I was not disappointed. I had to laugh at Jean and Alex's constant description of Marley as, "A STANDARD Poodle, not one of those little yappy things," as we are constantly describing our wonderful dog in similar ways.
An absolute GEM of a book!
I absolutely loved this book - I also laughed and cried along with some of the other reviewers of this book.I got inside this book very quickly, once I picked it up, and didn't stop till the last page was turned. Not only is the subject matter interesting, but you are along with the author on this ride in her book.
Fifty Acres and a Poodle
This book is absolutely delightful. An easy read. I laughed, cried, smiled and was intrigued with the characters... It's everything a good book should be. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Farmers & Ranchers    5. Literary    6. Regional Subjects - MidAtlantic    7. Women    8. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (3)

Divorce Western-style...a real page-turner!
One thing we can always be sure of, the West is full of fascinating, little nugget-like niches and unusual stories. Given that, former dude ranch wrangler Bill McGee may have written the ultimate Western kiss-and-tell book in his and Sandra McGee's recently released "The Divorce Seekers -- A Photo Memoir of a Nevada Dude Wrangler." The title alone is enough to make you pick this hefty volume up, but the fact that this is a firsthand account by someone who saw that epic era of the six-week Reno divorce makes this book tough to put down. McGee had a front row seat during his years working at the Flying M E, an exclusive dude ranch south of Reno that catered to wealthy Easterners and the occasional titled European or Hollywood celebrity -- many of whom were seeking a quick "Reno Cure" from their matrimonial bonds. Everyone from Clark Gable to Frank Sinatra as well as Eleanor Roosevelt shows up in this page-turner. -William C. Reynolds, Cowboys & Indians Magazine, April 2005

Cowboys, Women, Movie Stars & History - The Good Old Days
THE DIVORCE SEEKERS has all the potential for a good film...a great setting in 1940s Nevada, interesting characters, cowboys, beautiful and intelligent women, a little-known social epoch, and terrific story potential for conflict, love interest and resolution.
A Hundred Romances Lost and Found!
Half a century old and I've only lived one year west of the Mississippi, yet the West still seduces me! Cowboys and log cabins, railroads and dude ranches... To find a book brimming with stories and photographs of no-names and celebrities on a Nevada divorce ranch in the 1940's, that was a nostalgia trip; then to read the deeper lines of a hundred romances lost and found, that was a serious journey into the evolving role of women. If only I had a family room with a roaring fireplace, THE DIVORCE SEEKERS would be one of a half dozen books strewn generously across the coffee table. Instead, this intriguing volume invites people in my waiting area at work to reminisce, to feel, to laugh. Sometimes they look like little birds, circling, chirping and pointing toward this picture or that. You'd think they found the last worm on earth!Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Divorce    4. Divorced people    5. Gambling    6. General    7. History    8. Nevada    9. Regional Subjects - West    10. Social History    11. Sociology    12. United States - State & Local - West    13. Biography: general   

Editorial Review

Born on October 1, 1924,Jimmy Carter grewup on a Georgia farm during the Great Depression. In Read more

Reviews (58)

Excellent!!!
This is one of the best books I've read the past year and one of the best biographies I've ever read.Jimmy Cater, whether you like/respect the man or not, is an excellent storyteller and he takes you back to the years of growing up on a rural Georgia farm during the Great Depression and segregation.The descriptions are so clear it seems like you're actually there. Quite a contrast to the middle class/suburban upbringing I experienced.I also read Carter's Presidential biography, which is also very good, but he's not as long-winded here so the book reads very fast.
Worth the time
President Carter discusses his experiences growing up in rural Georgia during the depression and how it influenced his future public life. Despite the institutionalized segregation that formally kept the races apart, many of the people that shaped the future President's young life were not white. It is amazing to compare the changes in American society from 70 years ago, some for the better (institutionalized segregation and racism), but mostly for the worse. Even though segregation is now gone, it is ironic that the informal happy-go-lucky youthful mixing of the races that President Carter claims helped shape his young life is probably gone now as well; but cynically, I believe Carter over emphasizes this point for political profit. Also, Americans were very frugal, resourceful, and resilient in those days.I don't think today's wasteful, whiney, latte entitlement generation could go through such economic hardship.
The boy behind the man
This is one of the best books I have ever read in any genre. I've always liked Jimmy Carter as a human being, and now I know what made this intelligent, unassuming, hardworking, humorous, and compassionate public figure the man he is. And in addition to that, the book gives a wonderfully rich view of rural life earlier in the 20th century. I would recommend this book to anyone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Childhood Memoir    7. Country life    8. Farmers    9. Georgia    10. Historical - General    11. History    12. Plains    13. Presidents    14. Presidents & Heads of State    15. Regional Subjects - South    16. United States    17. Biography & Autobiography / Presidents    18. Biography: general    19. Political leaders & leadership   

Reviews (5)

Fabulous!
I ordered this book from Doug after seeing him on a local TV magazine program discussing his book. My husband and I took a vacation of a lifetime last summer by traveling for 3 weeks through Alaska by car and hiking.We left our hearts there and this book brought back wonderful memories.I enjoyed reading about Doug's adventures, especially his experience at Barrow (one place we would have liked to visit).This is a great read for any lovers of the outdoors or who dream of escaping the rat race to come back to nature...

Self Discovery
ARRIGAA!!Journeying with Doug Fine on his many adventures in Alaska in pursuit of becoming "An Alaskan Mountain Man" is a truly wonderful experience.He leaves the safety net of a stable environment and heads for rural Alaska.His purpose was to discover his indigenous roots by learning the skills necessary to survive the subartic winter temperatures, create suitable shelter, and prepare a food supply to sustain him and his dog, Sunny, through the winter months.He is a 'cheechacko', a tenderfoot, who has some harrowing experiences as he attempts to master these skills.
Great book, a humorous look at survival
This is an excellent story which is told with a great sense of humor. Doug Fine morphed from New York City, through the American "west", to his rural Alaska living which he describes in the most entertaining manner. Since we share a love of animals, Doug's description of the moose around his cabin had special meaning. His free-spirited little dog, Sunny, is woven into the story leaving me surprised that a petite Golden Retriever mix could survive at all in the Alaskan wilderness, much less love her surroundings so much. Doug's trip to Barrow and beyond on the ice was yet another sensory level for me and perhaps for anyone who read Going to Extremes. Doug makes the ice and the native Americans feel like adventuresome but familiar friends -- it is a matter of focus. Doug's story struck home to the part of me that years ago secretly wished to homestead in the wilderness in Alaska - to live remotely and simply in a beautiful place without population pressures. (In my day dreams I added a dog team and sled training to my daily regimen, though it sounds like human survival would have been more than enough.) Though I worked in Alaska for several summer "field seasons" out of the Anchorage-Palmer area, and have been to Homer and the Kenai Peninsula, I never lived there and remain curious about Alaskan winter. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alaska    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Country life    4. Fine, Doug    5. Fritz Creek Region    6. General    7. Outdoor Life    8. Outdoor Skills    9. Regional Subjects - West    10. Sports    11. Sports & Recreation    12. Winter   

Reviews (2)

Do you really want to escape?
Sal Si Puedes, by Peter Matthiessen, is an excellent chronicle of the adult life of the farm workers' revolutionary, Cesar Chavez. This Biography written by Matthiessen is from the day he meets Chavez to the time he passed away in 1992. Chavez was a activist for the rights of all farm workers, and believed that union representation was not only a privilege, but a right of all workers. With the installment of the Bracero program, non American people brought into the united states were allowed to work in the fields, because Lobbyists in Washington were successfully able to determine that no American was willing to do the back breaking manual labor of picking and harvesting the fields in California.This book was simply put, is the best book that I have read in my young adult life. Sal Si Puedes means Escape If You Can
Am forever indebted to my mentor Bea Brickey for getting me involved with the United Farm Worker union locally, and for instilling in me the importance of getting involved and living by Christ's motto that what you do to the least of them you do to Christ.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1927-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Chavez, Cesar,    7. Ethnic Cultures - General    8. Farmers & Ranchers    9. Historical - General    10. History    11. Labor leaders    12. Mexican American agricultural laborers    13. Mexican Americans    14. Regional Subjects - West    15. United States    16. Biography: political    17. California    18. Chavez, Cesar    19. Ethnic studies    20. Political Science / General    21. Trade unions   

Reviews (3)

Captures The Soul Of The Logger & Decline of the Industry
They say write about what you know...LeMonds knows the soul of the past and modern logger and writes with as unpretentious style as I've seen in a long time.He uses the language (always loggers...never lumberjacks) and shares with the reader the language and techniques of everything from falling, bucking, setting chokers, to trucking the logs.Furthermore, he does it based upon the real-life experiences of his family.You learn how they used to rig a spar tree and what went through the climbers mind as he accomplished this task 150-200 feet in the air.LeMonds also shares the future of forestry (hand-seeding, herbicides, fertilizer & thinning) to move the life span of high-productive crops like Douglas Firs from hundreds of years to perhaps as little as 35 years as well as what the modern equipment does now and probably into the future..Perhaps you might find the short chronology of the work history of each of his family members in the logging business too detailed but it's more than worth the wonderful stories and perspectives that go with them.LeMonds acknowledges the scars on the landscape of the past but also the enduring scars on these tremendous men who contributed so much to this Country's development of the 20th century.I don't think one could ask for a more balanced view of this industry and have it written with such class.This is the best book I ever expect to read about this subject, which is so dear to my heart having been raised in a nearly identical community in Southern Oregon.Today I ordered a second copy to send to a dear friend still working in the woods.

Deadfall, an honest account of a changing industry
James Lemonds peels away the Bunyonesque macho image that has been falsely hung on the loggers of the Northwest and shown them as they are; broken down, disabled and discarded by the industry that exacted a terrible toll on both the workers and the forests. Sacrifices past, present and future
Logging in America's Northwest, an industry and occupation which arouses strong passions and polarizing viewpoints.Read more

Subjects:  1. Americas (North Central South West Indies)    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Castle Rock Region    4. History    5. History: American    6. Industries - General    7. Loggers    8. Logging    9. Northwest, Pacific    10. Regional Subjects - West    11. Trees & Forests - General    12. Washington (State)   

Subjects:  1. Air Force    2. Air pilots, Military    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. General    8. Military    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Refugees    11. Regional Subjects - West    12. United States    13. United States.    14. World War, 1939-1945   

Editorial Review

What is it about sports that makes some men wax as mystical as a Castanedan Yaqui? In the hands of writers such as David James Duncan and Norman Maclean, the simple, repetitive motions of baseball, fly-fishing, and golf have acquired almost numinous significance. In Read more

Reviews (53)

A portrait of the addicted person
My first up-close experience with drug addiction occurred several years ago at the hospital where I work. The scenario was remarkably similar to that described by Dr. Verghese. A bright, warm, wonderful nurse anesthetist succumbed to addiction despite having attended a rehabilitation program.
A satisfying read despite inherent flaws
Whether or not you have a background in medicine, this book will draw you in and keep you interested.The only parts that may seem a bit tedious to run through are some of the tennis sequences.This may seem odd coming from a tennis player, but reading about tennis is like watching grass grow.However, the sequences do bring other parts of the book together, and they are tolerable.
Recommended by my doctor
My doctor is an amazing person - not just a great doctor. We spend quite a bit of time talking about life, not just doing the clinical stuff. He recommended "The Tennis Partner" to me and I put it off for about a year before I dove into it. It's absolutely amazing. The depth of the writing is superb and the story captivates you from beginning to end. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (Abraham),    2. 1955-    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. El Paso    8. General    9. Medical - Physicians    10. Physicians    11. Regional Subjects - South    12. Specific Groups - General    13. Texas    14. Verghese, A.    15. Biography & Autobiography / General    16. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (4)

Doctoring the body and the soul
Dr. Walt Larimore returns with the second book of his series which chronicles the early days of his practice in the Smoky Mountains.This book is as charming as the first one, as the residents of tiny Bryson City try to get used to the big city ways of one of its newest practitioners.In the first book of the series, Dr. Larimore discovers that some simple country remedies work just as well or better than the latest medical technology.In this book, he learns that the key to curing patients is not only in the physical realm, but in the mental and spiritual areas as well.He goes into greater detail about his daughter's cerebral palsy, and does not hesitate to tell some funny stories in which he is the butt of the joke.This book and the others in the series make for delightful reading.

Terrific Read!
I very much enjoyed the first novel in this series, Bryson City Tales, and was delighted when this second book was published.If you are a fan of reading about small-town life, you'll love these books.Dr. Larimore's narrative brings the reader right into the story.The stories range from amusing, heartwarming, suspenseful, sad, to inspiring.I'm eagerly awaiting the next book, Bryson City Secrets, due out in March!If you're looking for a terrific read, I recommend these highly.

Bryson City Seasons
Very good!Really good for older readers who can appreciate the memories/stories of a young doctor ,husband, and father practicing in the N. C. Mountians.I recommend this book---as well as the first one---Bryson City Tales ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Bryson City    4. Christianity - Christian Life - General    5. General    6. Larimore, Walter L    7. Medical - Physicians    8. Medicine, Rural    9. North Carolina    10. Physicians    11. Regional Subjects - South    12. Religion    13. Biography: general    14. Christian Interest    15. Fiction / Religious    16. History of medicine   

Reviews (3)

Alaska by an Alaskan
Many of the best-known books about Alaska, its people and wilderness, have been written from an outsider's perspective (John McPhee, for example, or Joe McGinniss), with an outsider's sense of detachment and strangeness, as though what they were commenting on were just slightly odd on some level.