Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2018
Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo
Author: Lawrence Anthony
4 Stars = It touched my heart, and/or gave me much food for thought.
This is a fantastic book. If you read the Goodreads synopsis, you'll get the gist of the book ... but you won't really understand what these people, and animals, endured until you read the book. The courage, persistence, blood-sweat-and-tears that went into this rescue is simply amazing. So many people risked so much just to make a difference in the lives of innocent animals caught in a war zone. I was deeply touched by Lawrence's efforts, and not only his, but the locals, and the American soldiers, that did all they could to assist. At a time when this land was torn apart, a few people stood up, and changed things for the better. Magnificent. Bravo!
My James
Author: Ralph Bulger
4 Stars = It touched my heart, and/or gave me much food for thought.
Many of us remember the gruesome murder of James Bulger ... inflicted by two 10-year-old boys. His murder devastated not only his parents, but his extended family. James' father has written this book for many reasons, but especially to share with all of us just what a special little boy James was, and how much he meant to him.
Ralph also talks about the numerous legal struggles that he, and other family members, have endured as they desperately tried to see justice done for their little boy. Needless to say, this crime rocked the people of England, and they rallied behind the Bulgers. Unfortunately, I don't believe the same can be said for the justice system.
I read a lot of true crime, but this one ... it really, really sickened me. As a parent, I can't even begin to imagine what the Bulgers went through. Ralph pours out his heart in this book, and in doing so, has honoured precious little James.
Outback Heroes: Australia's Greatest Bush Stories
Author: Evan McHugh
3 Stars = I liked the book. I enjoyed it. I'm glad I read it.
Good collection of notable men/women in Australia. I particularly enjoyed the bit about Steve Jefferys, at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
Table of Contents
1 THE WILD WHITE MAN 1803–1835: William Buckley
2 THE OVERLANDERS 1838: Joseph Hawdon & Charles Bonney
3 THE BUSHIE’S TELEGRAPH 1870–1871: John Ross
4 THE BIG STEAL 1870: Harry Redford
5 THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER 1890: Jack Riley
6 THE NOT SO JOLLY SWAGMAN 1894: Samuel Hoffmeister
7 BUSH GENIUS 1895: Sir Sidney Kidman
8 MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 1906–1910: Alfred Canning
9 THE DYING PILLOW 1910–1945: Daisy Bates
10 THE BLUE GUM FOREST 1931: Myles Dunphy
11 A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS 1937: Bernard O’Reilly
12 THE GUNBARREL 1958: Len Beadell
EPILOGUE: AND THE WINNER IS… 2000: Steve Jefferys
I & Claudius: Travels with My Cat
Author: Clare de Vries
3 Stars = I liked the book. I enjoyed it. I'm glad I read it.
After Clare's mum died suddenly from cancer, she took a long look at her job, and her life in England, and decided to opt out of both for awhile, and go on a road trip across the USA. Her main problem was that she had a 19-year-old Burmese cat, Claudius, to consider. Her options were; she could postpone the trip until after he dies, she could leave him in England knowing he might die before she got back, or she could take him with her. If she takes him with her, it will be a one-way trip for Claude, as she often calls him, as he could not return to England without facing several months of quarantine, and Clare will not subject him to that. So, they go together. They start in New York and head for California.
This book has gotten some criticism from cat lovers because they see it as her 'dragging her old cat' around the USA for selfish reasons. I thought a lot about this, as I am a cat lover, and I've shared my life with many, many cats over the years. I guess my take on this is "Live, and let live." It's obvious she loves Claude, and it seems he is crazy about her, too. Claude has been her cat since she was ten years old, so, it might be fair to say she knows him better than anyone else. She made the decision to have this journey with him, and let him see the Pacific Ocean, and that's good enough for me.
Just be aware this is about a single 28 year old London girl plonked down in the USA back in the '90s ... she doesn't spend her weekends going to Sunday School, if you get my drift.
Mod
4 stars
I was thinking there wasn't anything new in this book that I didn't already know and then when I came here to mark it as read I found I had already read it. That said, it is a quick read and time was not wasted by reading it again, especially in light of the world we are living in today. If only all of our elected leaders had the honesty and integrity, faith, work ethic, and love for his fellow man that this man has. He definitely has had a full life.
Just as I Am by Billy GrahamLike Father, like son...famous american evangelist Billy Graham passed away this year (or as believers say, went home to the Lord). This autobiography was written in 1997 when Billy was 78. He lived to be 99 years old. So a fair chunk of his life is recorded in 730 pages!
From his farming childhood, schooling, early days preaching for Youth for Christ and holding rallies, to being president of a bible college to going on worldwide crusades and meeting Presidents of other countries... quite amazing to look back on it and read all the places he went and shared the gospel to.
Because Billys life was a big mission, and he was preaching at each place, it could have read like a travelogue from one place to the next, but along the way he shares some of his friendships with people in high places, many testimonies, the diffculties and challenges of evangelism and about his family life. A biography of Billy Graham would not have captured all he had to say, it would have just been an account of going from place to place, so I'm glad I read his autobigraphy and got to know the man himself.
Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit
Author: John E. Douglas
3 Stars = I liked the book. I enjoyed it. I'm glad I read it.
John was one of the first agents to put together the skill of 'profiling' a crime in order to aid in catching the criminal that committed it. Very interesting stuff, and logical, too. You would think that cops, and others, would have 'seen' these patterns themselves. Maybe they did. But when the FBI moved the idea from a vague 'voodoo' kind of input to an actual crime solving tool, things began to gel into a fantastic weapon against killers/rapists/etc.
Concise writing made the book easy to read, and comprehend. I'm a true crime junkie, so, I was interested in reading the many excerpts from specific crimes that John had an active role in solving, or at least trying to solve. Some of the murders were solved after this book was first published, such as the BTK murders, and I read elsewhere that the updated editions include that information.
Mod
3 stars
I haven't seen very many of her movies, but I remember her best from the Laugh-in days. So I was disappointed that she didn't really say a lot about Laugh-in. I was also surprised that she was single and then all of a sudden you begin a new chapter and she was married. She barely mentions her first husband and their relationship. It seems they had a wonderful marriage until all of a sudden they didn't . She doesn't really delve into any of her relationships, including her relationships with her children, but instead chooses to focus on giving us words of wisdom. Unless you are a big fan I would skip this one.
Women I've Undressed: A Memoir by Orry-KellyFor those who are interested in old Hollywood films ...as I was intitially having gone through a phase of watching many of them, this is a memoir of one of the costume designers who worked at Warners in the 'golden era' and won three Oscars.
I thought it would talk about the clothes and the movies and how they were made but its just ends up being gossip and name dropping stars that mostly mean nothing to me.
I dont know if he even sewed the costumes or just dressed the stars or was a stylist or what as he doesnt really write about any of that. It was hard to follow, the first part was kind of interesting about the Sydney underworld he fell into (hes born in australia) and how prostitution and gambling was not much different from hollywood fashions. It seems like he only worked with women...what, no comment about what the men wore?
There is one chapter about the big designers that influenced the twentieth century like Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga, but that was all I got from it. The rest was just gossip (and even gossip about other gossip columnists) so mostly skipped it, there were pictures of stars in glamourous gowns, especially Bette Davis but not much was said about the gowns. He did write that Marilyn Monroe was difficult to work with, but no surprises there.
Mod
4 stars
This is the story of a group of college men who trained for the 1936 Olympics in rowing. The story specifically focuses on one of the men, Joe Rantz. I loved the story of Joe and his wife Joyce. I admired their work ethic and the fact that they overcame adversity. I think their story could stand alone with the rowing story secondary. At times I became bored with the training and racing stories and would skim ahead to read more about Joe and Joyce. I loved that the end of the book briefly told us how the rest of their lives turned out and was sad that they are all gone now, as they would all be well over 100 if they were still alive.
Unearthed: Love, Acceptance, and Other Lessons from an Abandoned Garden by Alexandra RisenThis is a memoir about finding the past. Alexandra's parents were Ukrainian immigrants/refugees to Canada. They fled unspeakable horrors of world war 2 to make a new life. Alexandra and her husband buy a property that has a huge abandoned garden down a ravine near Toronto, and in the process of restoring it Alexandra pieces together the mystery of her parents silence and unhappy marriage, while the garden gives her hope for the future.
I enjoyed reading this memoir as was a bit different, but also deals with difficult mother-daughter relationships, especially as mothers age and daughters feel guilty trying to do their best to look after them. At the beginning her father dies, so she deals with that then her widowed mother showed signs of dementia so had to go into a rest home. Restoring the garden in hope for her gardener mother's approval, it does not come because her mother is too far gone, but the garden teaches her the many things her parents had not. There's also unusual recipes in this book using materials foraged from the garden.
The only thing about this book, on further reflection, is the author seems a bit whiny. Ok she had a tough childhood with not much affection, but her actions as an adult are hard to relate to. She has a weird new age blessing ceremony for her garden, but it does break her back when she foolishly tries to trim a hedge on an embankment and we are not told how much money she sinks in this project where she hires contractors to do all the hard work for her. She also chucks out her sons ipod and gets annoyed when nothing goes her way and he doesnt understand her snippets of plant wisdom.
Mod
4 stars
A very sad story about an 11 year old boy that was befriended by a couple of thugs who later murdered him. About half the book is about the murder and the other half is about the father and how he handled the death of his son and how he changed his mind about the death penalty. Sister Helen Prejean is mentioned in the book. She has done a lot to change thinking about the death penalty. This is a very heartbreaking book with a lot to think about.
Bad Ground: Inside the Beaconsfield Mine Rescue
Author: Tony Wright
4 Stars = It touched my heart, and/or gave me much food for thought.
Excellent book! True story of miners trapped one kilometre underground for 14 days ... and rescued. Well written, reads like a novel, a real page-turner. Happened in Beaconsfield, Tasmania, Australia.
I've included the blurb from Amazon (since there isn't one here on Goodreads):
Bad Ground is the exclusive, authorised story of the 14-day entombment and rescue of Beaconsfield miners Brant Webb and Todd Russell and the fascinating aftermath. The blast and rock fall which occurred one kilometre underground on Anzac Day, 25 April 2006, killed their fellow worker, Larry Knight, leaving their shift manager certain they were dead. Tony Wright's enthralling, often spine-chilling narrative begins with a masterfully rendered portrait of the small Tasmanian mining township where the drama unfolded, a township that revealed its deepest secrets to him. Full of portent, Bad Ground reads like a psychological thriller as it follows the many intriguing and moving developments surrounding its central characters and their families, above ground and deep below. Russell and Webb, who were wary colleagues before becoming trapped in a cramped and crushed cage, share explicit details of their gruelling 14-day ordeal. They give an uncensored account of the darkest first five days during which little hope was held finding them, dead or alive, and the profoundly changed world they re-joined when rescued via the tunnel that served as their lifeline for nine agonisingly slow days. Bad Ground sets a new standard for this genre. Beautifully crafted, complex and, in parts, explosive, in the finest storytelling tradition, Tony Wright has written a compelling yarn that will stay with you long after the event itself has been forgotten.
Mod
4 stars
First of all, I have to say, I love Dollar General. 2 years ago my tiny town of 1000 people were amazed that such a beautiful store would want to come to our town. We had been without anything but a gas station for several years. And so we learn that that is their business model- to go where they are needed and people dont have anywhere else to buy common, every day things. The founding fathers of Dollar General were small town, country people that believed in hard work, honesty and helping your fellow man. There is one thing, though, that bothered me and from what I have heard I dont think it has changed in the few years since the Turners have no longer been in charge. Cal talks about paying low wages to keep costs down and from what I have heard in our town the starting wage at Dollar General is about $8 an hour. Cal states in his book that employees start low but if they work hard and work their way up the ranks by becoming managers and assistant managers that they can make good money by becoming share holders. I know the store in my town has a hard time finding and keeping help so I dont think this is a good business model. Cal also likes to tell us how rich he is so this kind of rubbed me the wrong way, that he makes millions a year while paying employees a poverty level wage. I dont know much about business but I'm guessing probably all big retail companies do the same thing. So, all in all, this was an interesting story. It did get a little bogged down in the middle when he gets more into business language that I didn't really understand but I was glad to know the origins of the only store we have in our town where we can get almost anything we need.
Koren wrote: "My Father's Business: The Small-Town Values That Built Dollar General into a Billion-Dollar Company by Cal Turner, Jr4 stars
First of all, I have to say, I love Dollar General. 2..."
Good review-this book sounds interesting!
Koren wrote: "My Father's Business: The Small-Town Values That Built Dollar General into a Billion-Dollar Company by Cal Turner, Jr4 stars
First of all, I have to say, I love Dollar General. 2..."
What was the TC book I read that involved a scion of the Dollar General empire? Was it Bluegrass: A True Story of Murder in Kentucky?
Joni and Ken an Untold Love Story by Joni and Ken TadaIf you haven't read Joni: An Unforgettable Story or seen her movie, then I suggest you go and borrow her memoir right now, but this book still stands up even if you haven't read Joni's incredible story.
At the age of 19 Joni had a shallow diving accident which broke her neck and she faced the rest of her life as a quadriplegic in a wheelchair as she was paralysed from the neck down. Her struggles and fears and her growing faith are recounted in her memoir, as she questioned her existence and a future on this earth where she would never walk again. She had a beef with God! Especially when complete healing, after many prayers, did not come.
But God answered her prayer in unexpected way, and she was able to overcome her disability issues and minister to others that were also disabled - she wrote and painted beautiful pictures with her mouth, and subsequently was invited to share her testimony all over the world.
This book tells the story of another of Joni's answers to prayer - the story of how Ken entered her life as her husband and their marriage, which is now over 30 years, and facing all the challenges of living and caring for a quadriplegic including on top of that a terrifying bout with cancer.
It's written by both of them but from the third person. It's quite a short book but it's touching. Ken is a Japanese American football teacher who she met at church. They got married, even though Joni tried to warn him what he was getting in for, (like changing her 'leg bag') and how exhausting it would be. Like many marriages they had their ups and downs but it was the cancer that really tested their faith. Needless to say they came out stronger in the end and more in love than ever.
Mod
If you haven't read Joni: An Unforgettable Story or seen her movie, then I suggest you go and borrow her memoir..."
Didn't the original book about Joni come out a long time ago> I think I read it in the 70's.
Yes it was first published 1976. She got married in 1982 and the love story memoir was published 2013. Joni has authored several other books, all about faith.
Blue Ribbons Bitter Bread : The Life of Joice Nankivell Loch, Australia's Most Decorated Woman
Author: Susanna de Vries
4 Stars = It touched my heart, and/or gave me much food for thought.
Excellent book! I love books where I start a new chapter, and after a couple of sentences, think to myself, "Oh, this bit is going to be boring. Ho hum." ... and that is the last analytical thought I have until I come up for air an hour later, and realise that I've just read HEAPS of pages, and wasn't in the least bored!
If you read the Goodreads synopsis, it outlines the book quite well. By the end of the book I felt that I had 'known' Joice, and I mourned her death, along with thousands of others. To me, a good biography gives your brain much to think about, and your heart much to love ... and this book excels on both counts.
Mod
[book:Blue Ribbons Bitter Bread : The Life of Joice Nankivell Loch, Australia's Mos..."
I agree. The best books are the ones where you disappear into the book and lose all track of time.
Mod
4 stars
This book reminds me of David Sedaris or Jeannette Walls. It is a humorous memoir about growing up poor in the south with a crazy family. So many times when I read a book like this I think the humor sounds forced, but not in this book. I liked her childhood years better than her adult years and I really could have done without the uplifting messages at the end, but I did enjoy this book and it was a quick read.
Homer's Odyssey
Author: Gwen Cooper
5 Stars = It made a significant impact on my heart, and/or mind. It moved me. I won't forget it.
I absolutely loved this book, and I don't say that very often, folks. The true story of Homer - who just happens to be a blind cat - and his catmum, Gwen. Gwen's love for Homer is stupendous, but even better than that, is the way Homer becomes a role model for Gwen. He gives her strength, by setting an example, throughout her own life's ups and downs. If you love cats, this book will steal your heart, as it did mine.
Kings In Grass Castles
Author: Mary Durack
5 Stars = It made a significant impact on my heart, and/or mind. It moved me. I won't forget it.
I really enjoyed this book. I have read a lot of books on Australia, but this one will always stick with me. Mary is the granddaughter of Patrick Durack, and she has written an interesting, in-depth chronicle of the Durack family history. Patrick left Ireland (due to the potato famine) in 1853, and over the years, with MUCH hard work built a life, for himself, and heaps of relatives he helped get to Australia.
It was intriguing to read of the differences between Patrick's generation, and his sons'. Like Patrick, I tend to feel that the sons have 'lost' something vital along the way.
Also, interesting to realise, yet again, how 'soft' modern folks are compared to the folks who settled Australia (or any other land, for that matter). The things they endured ... just amazing.
A Snowflake in My Hand
Author: Samantha Mooney
5 Stars = It made a significant impact on my heart, and/or mind. It moved me. I won't forget it.
One of my favourites. Warning - this book may make you cry. Samantha works in the oncology section of New York City's Animal Medical Center, a leading veterinary cancer treatment/teaching hospital. It is a positively focussed workplace where they endeavour to increase each animals' life span, and quality of life. We come to know, and love, many of the cats Samantha interacts with on the job, and at home. If you've ever thrilled to the sound of a cat purring in your arms, you'll easily understand the laughter, and the tears, of Samantha's life.
I don't enjoy reading about the end of a life anymore than anyone else, but I do like my heart to be deeply moved, and that is what this book did. The joy that cats bring to us in their short time (sometimes very short) here on earth is beyond wonderful, and this book reminds us of that, too.
Wear and Tear: The Threads of My Life by Tracy TynanNow here's a memoir by a costume designer that I appreciate because she writes about her work and her life rather than simply name drop famous people. The last one I read, Women I've Undressed: A Memoir by Orry-Kelly, was a complete dud.
Tracy Tynan did have reason to name-drop - her parents, Elaine Dundy and Kenneth Tynan, were famous celebrity hangers on, authors and theatre critics respectively. Tracy grew up an only child to parents who were extremely self-absorbed, and volatile, they split up when she was eleven. Tracy had a closer relationship with her dad than her mother, who she never referred to as her mother, always 'Elaine' - a series of au pairs and then boarding school was her upbringing, and when her parents split, her mother turned to the bottle. Elaine Dundy is the author of The Dud Avocado and a celeb obssessed bio - Elvis and Gladys. Kenneth Tynan, was infamous for being the first to say the f word on British TV. A complete scandal at the time. Tracy recounts how her mum and dad had these fights that made no sense to her and took lovers and in general behaved outrageously.
Tracy found solace in clothing - a costume could be a disguise or a way of making one feel better. Familiar with the world of film, tv and theatre through her well-connected parents, it was inevitable that she would enter that field, and become a costume designer. To me the world of costume or wardrobe is a frantic one, but, its a perfect opportunity to play dress ups. Tracy's films she worked on aren't that familiar to me - although Richard Gere is one actor she costumed, but she writes about the process of selecting wardrobe for characters and that's the part I found fascinating. And she's a good writer too, there aren't any need for photos in this book as her descriptions of clothing and the meaning and history behind them are vivid.
Her own complicated personal life gets an airing too, how she dealt with her parents lovers, and deaths. The account of her daughter's premature birth touching. Now a grandmother and reflecting back, maybe she turned out relatively sane after all.
Diane wrote: "Homer's Odyssey
Author: Gwen Cooper
5 Stars = It made a significant impact on my heart, and/or mind. It moved me. I won't forge..."
I gave this 4/5 stars when I read it a few years ago - it was a very nice book and I am glad you loved it.
Julie wrote: "Diane wrote: "Homer's Odyssey
Author: Gwen Cooper
I gave this 4/5 stars when I read it a few years ago - it was a very nice book and I am glad you loved it.
Me, too, Julie. I really loved it.
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
Author: Erik Larson
4 Stars = It touched my heart, and/or gave me much food for thought.
Fantastic book. As always, Erik Larson does a superb job with this true story about the hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas USA in 1900, and killed over 6000 people. Isaac Cline is employed by the national Weather Bureau in Galveston, and the book shows just how he helped, and hindered, the handling of the storm. You'll get an intimate look at the science of weather, political maneuverings in various departments, and an hour-by-hour record of the events which happened to the folks who lived, or died, on that day.
If you like history brought back to life, you'll love this book.
The Lost Boy by Dave PelzerThe second part of Dave Pelzers story following on from A Child Called "It". Having read the first part and rather horrified by the account of his childhood abuse at the hands of his drunken mother ending in Dave being taken away into foster care, of course I was curious to read the second part. The story simply couldnt end there!
'The Lost Boy' recalls Dave's years in foster care from age 12-17 which were a mixture of ups and downs, the ups being looked after and cared for by foster parents that loved him and the downs being bullied by other kids for being a foster child. The confusion over his mothers cruelty and fathers helplessness mean Dave never really finds the answers, he gets sent to pyschiatrists at his mothers behest to try and have him committed, but his foster parents love him so much that they dont want to lose him and try their best to guide him to stay out of trouble. Dave seems to get into trouble a lot or trouble somehow finds him - the life of a foster child is never easy. It is his resourcefulness and determination to survive that is remarkable, he doesnt give up, and the thing I found most touching and sad is that in spite of everything, he still loved his mother or the memory of her before she changed into what is arguably the wicked witch of the west. He didnt give up hope for his dad either, even after he reunites with him and sees he's now become a drunkard too.
The memoir ends with him being accepted into aviation school, and making his own way into the world. Am looking forward to reading the third part called A Man Named Dave about his adulthood. I dont know if many foster childrens stories are similar or Dave is an exception, but the memoir is an eye-opener and an inspiration. Foster parents make a difference. I used to see ads in the local rag every so often about children needing homes. It struck me that if people were kind enough to adopt stray animals, why not stray children, or at least give them a home or a refuge when they need it. The social workers task is a difficult one, and often its dealing with parents who cant admit they are unfit parents. And while Daves abuse was extreme, I wonder about the abused and neglected children who arent that obvious to others they live with parents who drink because they do everything they can to hide it.
Diane wrote: "Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
Author: [author:Erik Larso..."
I enjoyed this book- not my favorite of his but I will read anything by him. My favorite was Devil in the White City
and his last one, Dead Wake comes in a very close second.
Julie wrote: "Diane wrote: "Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
Author: [aut..."
I LOVED this book. So much so I have not been able to bring myself to read anything else by him in case it lets me down somehow. I am very encouraged by what you say.
Julie wrote: Diane wrote: Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History
I enjoyed this book- not my favorite of his but I will read anything by him. My favorite was Devil in the White City, and his last one, Dead Wake comes in a very close second.
I'm hoping to read both of those soon, Julie. Thanks for the recommendation.
A Man Named Dave by Dave PelzerHave got My Story: "A Child Called It", "The Lost Boy", "A Man Named Dave" and have just finished the third part. Continuing on with the story of Daves journey, his first marriage and his son, his divorce and second marriage, and his parents deaths. He doesnt find all the answers, but his determination to stop the cycle of abuse by sharing his story and helping others, championing social workers and foster parents, and finding it in his heart to forgive and not hate anyone, is a testimony in itself.
The darkness of his past had threatened to overwhelm him at times, but it seems adult children of alcoholics desperately need affirmation they were unable to receive frome their own parents. Another thing that struck me reading his story is never be afraid to stick up for a child you see in trouble, or is being bullied, because when they are in that situation they are unable to help themselves and need someone else to rescue them. DAve is forever grateful to the teachers who called the police, the social workers who had the patience to place him with foster families, and the foster parents who took the time to care for him and give him a safe home. He had a lot of things to learn after surviving that amount of abuse and trauma but his story is an inspiration to everyone.
While Dave mentions prayer and talking to God in passing I do think he could find answers that he seeks in the Bible because the suffering he endured was no different to what the faithful were out through who came out stronger through enduring their trials and tribulations. His wife mentions Job which seemd apt because at one point he had a happy childhood with loving parents but lost it all when his entire family seemed to turn on him.
Dave has written another book about the impact of his first book A child called IT and might be the one I pick up next. For me it was horrific just reading IT but Im glad I read the follow on memoirs.
Mod
4 stars
A humorous coming of age memoir. I think teenagers could get the message that it is ok to laugh at yourself and not take yourself so seriously.
Mod
5 stars and a heart
My favorite author. The only one I buy while they are still warm from the presses and keep to read again. I love this guy's family. The author tells about his grandmother and mother, who make old-fashioned southern cooking. These are not health conscious recipes. As a matter of fact, grease and fat factor heavily into most of the recipes. Each chapter tells a story pertaining to his favorite foods and then at the end of the chapter are the recipes. It is worth reading the entire recipe, as he writes them in his mother's voice and not in traditional recipe form. I might even make a few of them, although I think I will skip possum and squirrel
4 stars
Claire Lewis is a wedding photographer and she takes you behind the scenes of her job. I liked her humor, wish there was more of it. One story was heartbreaking, it was near the beginning of the book and I almost did not want to read anymore but I keep going, happy I did. Overall a good but it is slow at times.
It could be a quick read if you need it to be.
Mod
5 stars and a heart
I loved this coming of age memoir about a mother-daughter relationship and their dysfunctional family. The mother is very unstable. She moves from relationship to relationship and town to town and takes her children with her. At times the daughter is the one holding the family together when the parents are unable. She seems to have more maturity in her grade school years than the parents. At times this was a tear-jerker when the mother would take the kids away from relatives that truly loved them. The author went to at least 12 schools in her 12 years of schooling. It always amazes me when people overcome traumatic childhoods. I loved the relationship she had with her sisters and how they came first no matter what. If you liked Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle you will like this book.
Too Close to Me: The Middle-Aged Consequences of Revealing a Child Called "It". By Dave PelzerContinuing on Daves story, through to middle age, he's broken by his second divorce and I think this book was more coming to terms with his need for his abusive dead mothers approval. He writes that he now has throat troubles from being forced to swallow ammonia as a child. The success of his books meant a constant life on the road and strain on his relationships, and also his being taken advantage of. Some more detail comes to light about his mother's abuser - her mother, Dave's Grandma.
I felt this books was a real honest examination of himself, even navel gazing to an extent, and I do wonder if his military career was just a kind of offshoot from the abuse, because of his pride in obeying orders and trying to please people who will never be happy sounds kind of similar to his mothers former abusive bootcamp regime. It pretty much cost him two marriages.
He does connect with his brothers again but the most touching thing is when he goes to visit wounded soldiers and offers them words of comfort, if they can survive this, they can survive anything. The passages where hes trying to talk to his dead mother - shes in his head and in his nightmares...I found a bit creepy, if it was me I would tell her to go away, but he admits hes the one holding on to her. He should just learn to let go and let God, like everyone has learned to do with any kind of alcoholic, who can only offer empty promises. I guess when its your own mother its easier said than done, but at some point you just got to get on with your own life and not continue being a victim, when the perpertrator is long dead. Dave seems to cope with stuffing his feelings down by keeping busy, so am not sure this happy ending with his third wife means he's finally at peace with his past. But its an honest inventory and an attempt to make amends and deal with his own issues.
In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing
Just finished reading In An Instant by Lee and Bob Woodruff. This memoir uses two distinct voices, perspectives, and writing style very well.
Bob was covering the war in Iraq as an anchor for World News Tonight when he suffered a traumatic brain injury after an explosive device went off near the tank he was riding in.
Their memoir covers their lives before and after his life-changing injury. It is a compelling odyssey that integrates love, careers, marriage, children and tragedy.
I highly recommend it. I couldn't put it down.
Deep South
Author: Paul Theroux
4 Stars = It touched my heart, and/or gave me much food for thought.
I really liked this book, for several reasons. Paul Theroux was 74 years old when this was published, and it was SO good to see him enjoying himself so much. After 50 years of traipsing all over the globe, he more than deserves to 'put his feet up and set a spell'. One thing that really made these trips special was that he drove himself, instead of relying on public transport, as he has often done in the past. He fell in love with the whole 'road trip' scenario. I wholeheartedly agree. There's nothing like being your own boss, going where you want, when you want, and for as long as you want. Bliss!
He made four journeys into the southern U.S. states, one in each season. He kept off the beaten path, and out of the big cities. No one seemed to recognise him, and he liked it that way. To them, he was just an ol' white man from up north. So, he just moseyed up to 'em and starting chewing the fat about what it was REALLY like to live in the south. He was VERY impressed with their friendliness, and hospitality.
I could go on, and on, but I'll stop, otherwise, you won't have to bother reading the book! ... lol
Through the Eyes of a Foster Child: My Childhood in Over 30 New Zealand Homes by Daryl BroughamA revealing book from a former foster child now turned social worker's experiences. I learned a lot from this book although for reasons of privacy there are no names mentioned of all the families he stayed with or places. There are shocking incidents and also very loving moments in Daryls life, his parents basically met while staying in a mental hospital or rehab but none fully recovered enough to be a capable parent. The sad thing is some foster parents wanted to adopt Daryl and he was also wanting to be adopted but his biological parents forbade it. He ended up being placed in more than 30 homes. He had some good social workers and some awful ones who didnt have any compassion, and this drove him to become one himself so that others like him could have a better life.
She Had No Enemies, Dennis Fleming4 stars!
This is a very unusual book. Where many friends and family members of murder victims become legal or social advocates of some kind, Dennis Fleming went in a completely different direction, working to make his life more meaningful and making himself over into a more balanced, functional person. The book is painfully honest without overwhelming you with the sorry details of a job ending or a marriage falling apart. Always, the focus is on his sister Mickey and where she led him in the years after they lost her. Seriously, don't miss this one.
Mod
5 stars
This book was everything I like in a true crime story. The research is impeccable and not just taken from transcripts and documents. I wish he could have gotten an interview with the murderer but he did get interviews with pretty much everyone else in the book. He tells us so much about the victims that I felt like I knew them. What I really liked about this book was that it didn't just tell the story of a crime. The author tells us a lot about the town (Seattle) and how the city gives big tax breaks to business but gives very little money for mental health and fixing the things that are wrong with the town. He digs deep into the psyche of the murderer and explores reasons why he did what he did. Was it nature or nurture? He asks the question: What can we do as a society to help people with mental health issues before something happens that the already over-stressed court system has to address? And is it cheaper in the long run to finance mental health issues as opposed to waiting until it is too late and then having to foot the bill for a lifetime sentence in a prison. Lots to think about and discuss in this book.
Mod
Oops! I fixed it!
Mod
3 stars
I really think you have to be a big fan of Charlie Daniels' music to really like this book. There were elements of this book I really liked and started off thinking this was going to be a great book. The beginning when he talks about his childhood were the best but after that it was way too detailed about his music career and very little personal information, or maybe there is not that much to tell and his life really has been as blessed as he says it is. He spends way too much time telling us about which band members came and left and why but usually doesn't go into personal detail about them. If you aren't familiar with them you probably wont care who came and went from the band. Charlie admits in his biography that he barely graduated high school and isn't really an author and it shows here. Perhaps an bio would have been better than a autobio.
Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Wait, Koren, WHAT book!?"Oops! I fixed it!"
Goody, I just sent for that one.
Mod
Oops! I fixed it!"
Goody, I just sent for that one."
I recommended this one to Bel as our next group read.
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
Books mentioned in this topic
The Gardens That Mended a Marriage (other topics)Fortunate Isle: A Memoir of Tenerife (other topics)
I Am Matthew (other topics)
A Cat in the Window (other topics)
Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Derek Tangye (other topics)Jennifer Grant (other topics)
Derek Tangye (other topics)
Howard Carter (other topics)
Jan Ruff-O'Herne (other topics)
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3 stars
If you are looking for some dirt about her relationship with her Happy Days cast members you are not going to find it here. According to Marion, everyone got along and was one big happy family. As a matter of fact, for the most part the book has an upbeat, positive attitude. She even had a happy childhood growing up in southern Minnesota, and I was surprised to find out, she grew up about an hour away from my hometown. The book has a message that if you want something bad enough and are willing to work hard, you can do anything.