Reviews (34)

well written but not realistic
Ok, so this book took me by surprise, I expected it to be garbage but it's actually well-written (with exception to the "street language") and full of good no-nonsense advice.I was particularly impressed with the chapters on confidence, handling money, and relationships.BUT, Kimora lives in a totally different world with a LOT of money and it is easy to be fabulous when you have tons of $.This is not realistic for those of us who work 9-5 jobs to support our families and do not have the luxury of a housekeeper, nanny, cook, gardener, driver, etc etc. Case in point:I work a part-time job on the weekend so that I can be home with my children during the week.This past week both my kids were sick, and I was dealing with runny noses, fevers, vomit, and crankiness.Now I have to get ready to work 2 double shifts.When is there time to be fabulous??Perhaps she should write a book on Fabulosity:The abbreviated version for working mothers.

WOW
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this book!!!!! Within 5 minutes of reading it, I already felt empowered!!! Kimora Lee Simmons keeps it real with everyone no matter who you are. This book taught me how to be FABULOUS!!! It is well written and is a GREAT book for any woman. I LOVE KIMORA LEE SIMMONS!!!!!!

The Woman Has It Going On
I purchased the book with GREATTTT Expectations, I was notdisappointed at all, This book was worth every dollar I spent And it was worth my quiet weak-endhome alone reading.
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Subjects:  1. Conduct of life    2. Fashion    3. Personal Growth - Happiness    4. Personal Growth - Self-Esteem    5. Personal Growth - Success    6. Personal Guidance    7. Psychology    8. Self-Help    9. Success    10. Women    11. Advice on careers & achieving success    12. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts    13. Personal appearance & beauty care   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (1373)

Fast paced, educating account of extreme mountaineering
Mr. Krakauer's account of the deadly trip to the top of Mt. Everest has a credibility to the story that many other action filled, non-fiction works have.Due mostly to the fact that Mr. Krakauer was a reporter who was there, a member of a team who witnessed the way the disaster unfolded in one of the most unforgiving environments in the world.His book is a chronicle of the things that went wrong with the expedition, things that were red-flags to those there but were not heeded.Some of the book deals with the commercialization of Everest, where if you have the money, you can find a guide that will risk your life, his life and others lives to get you to the top.Some of those who died were Everest guides, people who knew the signs of things going wrong, yet they still made the fateful decision of pressing on for the summit.Part of the book, about Beck Weathers is amazing and does give some hope to the extents and abuse the human body can take with a certain frame of mind.Albeit, it cost him his hands and part of his face, the fact that he survived is amazing none-the-less.
Read "The Climb," too...
I give "Above Thin Air" 5 stars because it is a magnificently written work about Everest, but Krakauer's venom towards Anatoli Boukreev was and is inexplicable when the facts of that night are laid bare.
Non-Fiction at Its Best
I couldn't put this book down. To be honest with you, I rarely enjoy non-fiction, yet the way with which Krakauer creates tension - something that most likely is not that difficult as Everest on its own is a formidable place - is as effective as some of the best fiction writers out there. I was also impressed with how he was able to situate the expedition and the characters involved within the rich tradition of Everest mountaineering. His descriptions of Hall and Fischer are remarkable and he has immortalized them for the general public as they have been immortalized with climbers for years. I also like the way with which Krakauer is honest about what he is and is not sure about concerning his account. Being above 26,000 ft. makes it very difficult to be sure of what took place. Overall, I was quite impresed with this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Everest, Mount (China and Nepal)    4. Krakauer, Jon    5. Mountaineering    6. Mountaineering accidents    7. Mountaineering expeditions    8. Specific Groups - General    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Sports - General    12. Sports & Recreation / Mountaineering   

Editorial Review

One of the most recognizable women of our time, America knows Jane Fonda as actress, activist, feminist, wife, and workout guru. In her extraordinary memoir, Fonda divides her life into three acts: her childhood, early films, and first marriage make up act one; her growing career in film, marriage to Ted Turner, and involvement in the Vietnam War belong to act two; and the third act belongs to the future, in which she hopes to "begin living consciously," and inspire others who can learn from her experiences. Fonda reveals intimate details and universal truths that she hopes "can provide a lens through which others can see their lives and how they can live them a little differently."

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Reviews (162)

Gutsy...
While never a Jane Fonda fan, I lived in Fayetteville, NC during the Viet Nam era and remember well the evening that Ms. Fonda was in town.If they could, the hawks would have strung her up that night!I have to admit (with extreme embarrassment) that I did not have nearly the courage that she had in standing up AGAINST the war.Essentially this is the reason why I wanted to read her autobiography -- to hear HER side of the story vs some biased take from yet another angry hater of Jane Fonda.I'm glad I took the time to read a very readable book.
Growing and Changing
Like many of us, Jane Fonda has spent a large portion of her life trying to figure out her life. She writes honestly about her past, most personal experiences - the happy times and the not so happy times, the good and the not so good, the intimate and the more intimate. Through her writing she openly shares her family, her friendships, and her marriages.
intriguing story
I really enjoyed this book.Fonda tells an honest story of someone who is human and not afraid to admit imperfections.I found her candor to be refreshing.I found her strength to move forward to be inspiring. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1937-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    8. Fonda, Jane,    9. Individual Movie Actors And Actresses    10. Motion picture actors and actr    11. Motion picture actors and actresses    12. Personal Memoirs    13. United States    14. Women    15. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts   

Reviews (98)

entertaining but the conclusions are suspect
I enjoyed the book, except when the philosophy major came out. Her conclusions about the secret life of men are silly from the point of view of a lifelong male. However, the story if fun to read.
Tepid
While there was some useful information,this book appeared to be an effort to prove Ms. Vencent's prejudices, rather than the voyge of discovery that it could have been. The author seemed to be searching for the very worst in men, and of course, she found it.The fact that she would join a men's bowling league, when she couldn't bowl was simply amazing.I don't think a man (or most women) would ever consider doing such a thing. In addition to the lack of substance, I feel the book was written in a very unengaging and simplistic style. Overall, it was one of the few books I have bought over the years that I don't believe was worth the money.If you must buy this book, find a used one, or better yet, get it from the library.If I ever see another book written by Ms. Vincent, I will pass.

Thoughtful, honest and painful
One of the best books I've read in decades. This woman writes like a lyricist, digs like an anthropologist and observes like a scientist. She immerses herself in a shockingly foreign world, one we women didn't know existed. Our suspicions about what it's like to be male in America are completely right... and heartbreakingly wrong. Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Gender Psychology    4. Gender Studies    5. Male impersonators    6. Masculinity    7. Personal Memoirs    8. Sex Roles (Sociological Aspects)    9. Sex role    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Women    13. Popular culture    14. Social Science / Gender Studies   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Correspondence    5. Letters    6. Personal Memoirs    7. Political    8. Radicalism    9. United States    10. Women    11. Women In The U.S.    12. Women communists    13. Women journalists    14. Women radicals    15. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (3)

ALL SHE EVER NEEDED WAS THE MUSIC
All she's ever needed was the music and the mirror and the chance to dance for you . . . Musical theatre fans will always recognize the last lines of the 11 o'clock number from A Chorus Line. The show, returning to Broadway this month in it's first revival since it closed there after 6,137 performances in 1990, starred Donna McKechnie. In her autobio, co-authored by Greg Lawrence, who wrote Dancing with Demons, the definitive bio of Jerome Robbins, there is much to like. The book, however, is not without a few jarringly uncomfortable moments.
one opinion from Italy
a true indispensable treasure of information for a lover ofamerican musical shows.
I couldn't put it down.
This is a wonderful read.Broadway and musical fans will be thrilled to hear the insider stories, but also saddened that a woman as talented and driven as Donna McKechnie never became a household name.Unflinchingly honest, almost painful at times.I practically inhaled the book and I recommend it highly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Actresses    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Dance    7. Dance - General    8. Dancers    9. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Production Of Musical Drama    12. United States    13. Women    14. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (158)

Lacking a Knowlegeable Perspective
Yes, this book is a detailed account of law enforcement and of how Pablo Escobar was tracked down and assassinated by an international hit squad. And, yes, Escobar was most certainly un mal hombre who deserved to die. But the author never questions the methods of cops, soldiers and agents (like Colonel Hugo Martinez, for one) who debase themselves and the concept of justice by believing they are not only above the law but above humanity. The real story to me is how someone like Escobar, a diabolical and degenerate human being, can so easily drag society down to his level, and how so willingly law enforcment will adopt the "any means necessary" approach.
Narcoterrorocracy
You will not find the word "Narcoterrorócracy" in the dictionary.I made the word up and gave it my own meaning.
a great study of international law enforcement
Mark Bowden seems to have done his homework well with an insiders look at the pursuit of the infamous cocaine kingpin. The difficulties encountered by US law enforcement and the military in bringing justice to Pablo Escobar should be considered as we now hunt for the perpetrators of 9/11. Killing Pablo was no cake-walk, and neither will be the killing of Osama. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Colombia    5. Criminals & Outlaws    6. Fugitives from justice    7. General    8. History - General History    9. Narcotics dealers    10. Police    11. History / South America   

Reviews (101)

More Than About The Bulgers
As much as a simpleton that Howie Carr is, his recounting of the Bulger brothers' lives exposes the small-minded venality that taints so much of the city. That Billy became president of UMass was puzzling to anyone who didn't know the story behind the story. Carr's explanation of how it happened and how corruption followed him put it into context.
A Bulger retrospective.
Living in Boston, I am very famimiar with most of the stories floating around about the Bulger Bros.Howie corrals all of the stories that I have heard, adds a few new ones, and presents the lives of Whitey and Billy in a parallel comparison.In doing so, he believably implies that the Bros. consistently helped one another to increase their power, Billy in the Senate and Whitey on the streets.An interesting read, but does not contain much new info on the two men.

BostonWorking Man
I read it and I loved it.Finally, two of Massachusetts' worst sons are exposed.Despite the Boston Globe and plenty of sycophants long covering up their paths of devastation and destruction to our fair commonwealth, Carr's book will stand as the true testament to how the Brother's Bulgers actions destroyed lives.If you want to understand why people are fleeing Massachusetts for less corrupt states like New Hampshire and Florida, read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Boston    7. Boston Region    8. Crime And Criminals    9. Criminals & Outlaws    10. Gangsters    11. General    12. Massachusetts    13. Murderers    14. Political    15. Politicians    16. United States - State & Local - New England    17. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (80)

Melissa Albert's review is filled with inaccuracies
Like Catherine Maurice, I have two children that were diagnosed with autism at age two; one in 1994 and the other in 1996. I am a registered nurse and a long-time autism advocate. My kids are at opposite ends of the spectrum at this point but both were very severe at diagnosis. I cannot help but wonder what field Ms. Albert is in; perhaps a restaurant reviewer?She appears to have so little basic knowledge of autism, its symptoms and effective evidence-based treatments. Do you have or know any children with autism Ms. Albert?The Maurice kids displayed very classic signs of autism and the doctors that diagnosed them and later published a study detailing their descent into autism and recovery are some of the most respected autism experts in the country. To question their credibility and the reality of her children's diagnosis just makes Ms. Albert look foolish. And to actually endorse Martha Welch's holding therapy, which borders on child abuse, along with other useless or unproven treatments just adds to the absurdity of her claims.
Interesting, just a bit dated at this point
As a special ed teacher of an autistic classroom, I found this book very interesting. It was written at a time when ABA treatment for autism was a little known and cutting edge treatment, whereas now you can barely Google the word 'autism' without countless ABA references. As a result, Ms. Maurice describes a journey through a world of therapy options that have fallen by the wayside in today's treatment world...play therapy, holding therapy, and the like. This book is famous because it helped, in part, to make ABA the widely used therapy it is today.
Take with extreme caution
First the good points:
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Subjects:  1. United States    2. Autism in children    3. Family relationships    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Specific Groups - Special Needs    6. Methods Of Instruction In Special Education    7. Autism    8. Parents of autistic children    9. Parental Memoirs    10. Treatment    11. Behavior Analysis    12. Biography: general    13. Coping with illness   

Reviews (6)

Blends humor with adventure
SEAWORTHY: ADRIFT WITH WILLIAM WILLIS IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF RAFTING tells of a sixty-year-old who set out across the pacific Ocean on a homemade balsa raft with only a parrot and cat for company - in the heart of typhoon season. He survived on very little and spent four months at sea before arriving safely in British Samoa, besting Thor Heyerdahl by two thousand miles. Ten years later he did it again, crossing from Peru to Australia - and four years later he was on the Atlantic in a boat. SEAWORTHY blends humor with adventure in recounting his journeys and any boater will thrill to his many experiences.
Kon-Tiki solo
It's hard to image now, but when Thor Heyerdahl's set out "Kon-Tiki" in 1948, most people said he was crazy and was sure to die - so when he lived to tell about it, becoming a world-wide celebrity, it set off a raft of imitators in the 1950s and 60s, which Pearson calls the "Golden Age" of rafting.
An Absorbing Ship-Shape Tale!!
A gripping tale of a Sisyphus-like quest to cross the oceans on primitive rafts.William Willis survives (for a while, at least) despite his own bumbling ineptitude and lack of planning, at least until the sea has its way with him.Was it courage or a huge act of selfishness?
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Subjects:  1. Adventure and adventurers    2. Adventurers & Explorers    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography And Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. General    9. History - General History    10. Maritime History    11. Seafaring life    12. Voyages and travels    13. History / General   

Reviews (1)

A must read for anyone--buddhist or not.
This is an extraordinary, from the heart account of life with a Mahasiddha, written in the most intimate terms of a love affair that continues to this day.This book goes beyond the aspects of any religious dogma into the ordinariness of everyday love of a woman for a man.This book is completely inspiring.Just put yourself in the author's place to see how that feels.Dragon Thunder is a must read for anyone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1939-1987    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Buddhism    5. Buddhism - General    6. Lamas    7. Mukpo, Diana J    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Religion    10. Religion - World Religions    11. Religious    12. Trungpa, Chogyam,    13. Women And Religion (General)    14. Biography: general    15. Religion / Buddhism   

Editorial Review

Haven Kimmel's memoir Read more

Reviews (34)

Zippy's Memoir, "Chapter 2" Just Leaves Us Longing for More!
In this "sequel," Kimmel continues sharing her story of growing up in small town America."She Got Up Off The Couch" picks up where "A Girl Named Zippy" left off.Not surprisingly, Zippy is growing up: she's no longer smart but niave -- she's smart and realizing that the world is not just full of fun and magic, and things are not just peachy within her family. Her mom, virtually frozen on the couch for the entire period covered in Zippy, decides to go to college. Dad is not supportive. The family seems to be disintegrating.Although darker than the first installment, "She Got Up Off The Couch" is written with the same wry humor and charm.We can only hope that Kimmel will, again, bow to her readership's requests and write "Chapter 3."

Zippier yet
A Girl Named Zippy was fun and touching.She Got Off the Couch is funnier and so much richer. Finally the truth about her childhood comes out around the edges, and you learn what you suspected in Zippy, that there was much not right in her world. This is a happier story by several removes than The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, but it reveals some of that perplexing realization that children do love their parents, no matter what.If we are ever going to fix the world we will need to start with this truth.

Good Summer Reading
Gave as a gift & reports are good, provides laughs & reflexions. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 21st century    2. Authors, American    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Family relationships    8. General    9. Homes and haunts    10. Indiana    11. Mooreland    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Women As Authors (American Literature)    14. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Editorial Review

A breed of woman once existed who made their lives by marrying powerful men and polishing themselves to patrician perfection. These women would not think twice about traveling around the world with Truman Capote or going shooting with Ernest Hemingway. Slim Keith was one of the most successful of these women, and she'll charm your pants off with this book.Be careful. Howard Hawks and Leland Hayward couldn't resist her. What makes you think YOU can? ... Read more

Reviews (6)

not as alluring as thought
Slim Keith's name comes up in so many memoirs and biographies and it's a pleasure to finally know more about her.
Slim Keith is a class act!
I found this book wandering through my local library and what a find!Iwas thrilled to be able to order it through AMAZON.Slim Keith is an American original and one of my all-time favorites.Along with Claire Booth Luce and Lady Diana (Mrs. Duff) Cooper she was a beautiful blonde that was graced with extraordinary intelligence and a scathing wit. They just don't make them like they used to.

Slim Keith is a class act!
I found this book wandering through my local library and what a find!Iwas thrilled to be able to order it through AMAZON.Slim Keith is an American original and one of my all-time favorites.Along with Claire Booth Luce and Lady Diana (Mrs. Duff) Cooper she is a beautiful blonde that was graced with extraordinary intelligence and a scathing wit. They just don't make them like they used to. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1917-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Celebrities    6. Friends and associates    7. General    8. Keith, Slim,    9. Relations with men    10. United States    11. Women In The U.S.    12. Keith, Slim   

Reviews (12)

Fighting for Home and Country
There is so much to be learned from this book.It is a history lesson of Iran.It provides a window into Koranic teachings and Islamic law."In Islam, there exists a tradition of intellectual interpretation and innovation known as 'ijtihad', practiced by jurists and clerics over the centuries to debate the meaning of Koranic teachings as well as their application to modern ideas and situations.Sunni Islam effectively closed the door to 'ijtihad' several centures back, but in Shia Islam, the process and spirit of 'ijtihad' thrive."
Inside Iran . . .
Written by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, this highly readable memoir reaches out specifically to American readers to help them understand the Islamic Republic of Iran as the two countries continue on what gives every appearance of a collision course. While Iran (Persia) can look back over a history of 3000 years, recent memory of political history dates from the 1953 CIA-assisted overthrow of its democratically elected prime minister, Mossadegh. The more than 50 years since then, as remembered by Ebadi, are a record of sometimes concealed, sometimes open animosity between our two nations, leading to the current dispute over Iran's development of a nuclear capability.
Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope
Shirin Ebadi's book helped me to understand Iran's people.It is interesting to read what other countries think of ours and why.She has done remarkable work over the years in a country that holds women down.She was not born to wear veils and even when she married they were not worn.The book is not overly political.I would recommend it highly. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Iran    6. Middle East - Iran    7. Nobel Prize winners    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Political    10. Women In Islam    11. Women judges    12. Women lawyers    13. Women's Studies - General    14. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

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Reviews (146)

Not believable
It is impossible that someone as drunk as she claims to have been could have such absolute recall of details.I don't doubt this girl had a drinking problem and that some of this happened, but really, who remembers this level of detail about their teenage years even if sober?Much of this is just a made up story and that bothers me.I also found strange what others have mentioned - the author denying that she is an alcoholic.How strange.She states that alcholism has a genetic component that she lacks, but that is just not true, and made the whole confessional very odd.

Wrong book for the right time
The book made me ask some important questions about alcohol, particularly how it relates to college and how it can be somewhat overwhelming to function as a non-drinker in today's society. Given the cost and injuries of alcohol at a time when everyone is pointing fingers at drugs and tobacco, this book arrived at the right time to make a real impact in my opinion.
Amazing book about an "alcoholic"
I loved this book, and have reread it many times. Her guilt and shame from blackouts and experiences she has to apologize for to others will ring true for many. To lose time and never get it back from drinking too much is something truly dreadful, in every sense of the word. Her writing is fantastic, and she is truly gifted in getting the reader to feel they've experienced what she is going through on these pages. That said, I kept flipping back to the pages where she writes "I am not an alcoholic" in confusion and disbelief. No one is ever supposed to label another person as an alcoholic, but she fits every single criteria for it. She is obviously knows she has a problem, but just does not like that label whatsoever. I hope someday she can admit to herself that she, who is powerless over alcohol, is what she says she's not. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alcohol Abuse    2. Alcohol use    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography And Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Girls    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Substance Abuse & Addictions - Alcoholism    11. United States    12. Women    13. Women alcoholics    14. Social Science / General    15. Bargain   

Reviews (142)

Uplifting and timeless
"What would I have done, in their place?" That's the question any reader of this terrifying true story must ask, and the answer may not come easily.
A nice gift: A book
This book makes a nice gift for a person who heard about the event described in the book and is interested in learning more details.

Charlotte Bronte Seattle,WA
This book's controversial topic of cannibalism made it stand out from other books. Although some parts of the book dragged on, the book was overall a page turner. This book is about a clan of men and women: rugby players, their friends and family, and a few other p