Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir read in 2018
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Koren wrote: "Julie wrote: "
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
[author:J.D. Vance|1510946..."
I don't know how Donald Trump factored into this story. That was not covered in the book but probably inferred by people who read the book.
Mod
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
[author:J.D...."
Actually Donald Trump is mentioned on page 262. In part it says:
And despite all my reservations about Donald Trump (I ended up voting third party), there were parts of his candidacy that really spoke to me: for his distain for the elites and criticism for foreign policy blunders in Iraq and Afghanistan to his recognition that the Republican party has done too little for its increasing working and middle class base.
That was the only time he is mentioned, but supposedly the working class poor saw him as someone who identified with them and that is how he got their vote.
Koren wrote: "Julie wrote: "Koren wrote: "Julie wrote: "[book:Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis|27161156..."
From what I had read about the book before hand, I thought there would be much more explaining about Trump and the working class. If you wanted to read a book about him on this topic, I wouldn't read this book but I did enjoy this book.
Educating Alice
Author: Alice Greenup
3 Stars = Okay. It was worth reading.
Your typical city-girl-meets-country-boy and they live happily ever after. Alice doesn't pull any punches though, she tells it like it is, and you get a real feel for her distress at all the changes in her way of life. But she also lets you in on how she comes to fall in love, not only with Rick, the country boy, but with the country lifestyle.
Ray: Stories of My Life - The Autobiography
Author: Ray Martin
3 Stars = Okay. It was worth reading.
As I don't watch TV (or even own one), I'm probably not in the target audience for this book. I did enjoy his reminiscing about his childhood, and his experiences as ABC's (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) New York City correspondent. When he started hosting the daily variety show Midday (where one feature was "Lithe young women in bikinis wrestled in a bath of baked beans." pg 235) I began to seriously lose interest.
If you're a Ray Martin fan, you'd probably enjoy this book. If not, well, you may not get much out of it.
Julie wrote: "From what I had read about the book before hand, I thought there would be much more explaining about Trump and the working class. If you wanted to read a book about him on this topic, I wouldn't read this book but I did enjoy this book. "That makes me wonder whether there's a revised edition out there somewhere with a "Trump Explained At Last!" section in the front or the very back.
Hollywood Heyday: 75 Movie Legends Discuss Their Golden Age Careers
David A Fantle
3/5 stars
Fantle and Johnson have interviewed stars, producers and directors for the last 40 years. This book recalls the interviews of the famous including Charlton Heston, Fred Astaire, Robert Wagner, Esther Williams, Ernest Borgnine and Tippi Hendren to name a few. This was an interesting look back on Hollywood at its peak and its descent through the eyes of the major players themselves.
Mod
4 stars
This is the story of the author's childhood and becoming a young adult. Her father was a career Navy Man. While her parents were a little odd and eccentric, it was refreshing that her childhood was happy for the most part and there was no abuse or neglect from the parents. The title refers to the rather strange fact that her father raised gerbils for pet shops and lab research facilities and actually made some pretty good money at it. He raised thousands of gerbils at one time. There were moments in the book that made me laugh out loud.
Koren wrote: "The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter: A Memoir by Holly Robinson 4 stars
This is the story of the author's childhood and becoming a young adult. Her father was a career Navy Man. While her..."
I read this a number of years ago and really enjoyed it.
Cats in the Belfry
Author: Doreen Tovey
5 Stars = Exceptional. It made a significant impact.
I love all of Doreen Tovey's books. This was her first one, originally published in 1957. Doreen has an amusing way of writing that perfectly captures the personalities of her Siamese cats. She, and her husband, Charles (real name is Rene), are truly 'owned' by their cats. The book starts out with their acquiring Sugieh, as a kitten. She grows up to have a litter of her own, and more madness ensues, of course.
They live in a cottage in Rowberrow, which is a small village in Somerset, England. The kind of place where everyone knows everyone else ... and all the antics they get up to. Because of the peculiar paces their Siamese put them through, the Toveys are seen by village folk as being a bit 'different'.
If you enjoy true cat stories told by an author who knows exactly how to tell them, you'll probably enjoy Doreen's books. I do. I've read this one at least 3 times ... which is high praise, as I very seldom re-read my books.
Raining Cats and Donkeys
Author: Doreen Tovey
5 Stars = Exceptional. It made a significant impact.
I love all of Doreen Tovey's books. This one revolves around their Siamese cats, Solomon, and Sheba, and their donkey, Annabel. As usual, if anything out of the ordinary is going to happen, it happens to the Toveys ... and someone from the village is usually on hand to observe, and later re-tell the event to everyone else. A humourous, warm-and-fuzzy, animals-and-antics in the country tale. If you're an animal lover, and enjoy nonfiction, you'll probably love Doreen's books, too.
A Comfort of Cats
Author: Doreen Tovey
5 Stars = It made a significant impact.
I love all of Doreen Tovey's books. This one revolves around their Siamese cats, Shebalu, and Saska .. called Sass, for short. Annabel, the donkey, of course, is still around. The villagers are still gossiping, and shaking their heads, about the latest 'goings-ons' up at the Tovey place. There is a heart-rending episode with a friend's cat, Franz .. but it comes good in the end.
If you're like me, and enjoy true tales about cats, various animals, and country living, then you'll probably enjoy Doreen's books.
Mod
A Comfort of Cats
Author: Doreen Tovey
5 Stars = It made a significant impact.
I love all of Doreen Tovey's books. This one re..."
I love all of those things so I will have to check this out.
Diane wrote: A Comfort of Cats "If you're like me, and enjoy true tales about cats, various animals, and country living, then you'll probably enjoy Doreen's books."Koren wrote: "I love all of those things so I will have to check this out."
She has an entire series of nonfiction about her life with hubby, cats, and various other animals. Hope you enjoy them, Koren. :)
Footsteps in the Snow
Charles Lachman
5/5 stars
Fascinating true life tale about Maria Ridulph, a 7 year old girl from Sycamore, Illinois who went missing and was later found murdered in 1957 and the trial of John Tessier (aka John McCullough) who was the last to have seen her. The trial took place 55 years after her death. Lachman does a wonderful job relating the case and the trial.
Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain
Author: Portia de Rossi
5 Stars = It made a significant impact.
I hope I can do justice to this book in my review. If you read the Goodreads blurb, you already know what the book is about, so, I'll restrict my comments to my own thoughts, and feelings.
This is not your usual memoir by someone who used to be anoxeric. She's not an immature teenager, she's an intelligent, introspective adult woman. She writes with skill, drawing you into her world, making you see and feel what she saw and felt.
As Portia walked us through her life she not only made it crystal clear how distorted an anoxeric's self perception truly is, she has also shown us how ANY eating disorder makes a person feel. Whether you're eating too little .. or too much. Either way, your concept of your life in relation to food isn't based in reality, isn't logical, and is so compulsive you can't see the error of your ways. You just keep on doing all the wrong things, thinking all the distorted thoughts, and eating in all the wrong ways, day after day after day .. year after year. The seemingly endless conversations with yourself about food is enough to send anyone 'round the bend. It never ends because 'you' are always talking to 'yourself' inside your head .. about food.
I'm going to include an excerpt here, and then I'll continue with my comments after you've read Portia's words.
"It's time to face last night. It was yogurt night, when I get my yogurt ready for the week. It's a dangerous night because there's always a chance of disaster when I allow myself to handle a lot of food at one time. But I had no indication that I was going to be in danger. I had eaten my 60-calorie portion of tuna normally, using chopsticks and allowing each bite of canned fish to be only the height and width of the tips of the chopsticks themselves. After dinner, I smoked cigarettes to allow myself the time I needed to digest the tuna properly and to feel the sensation of fullness. I went to the kitchen feeling no anxiety as I took out the tools I needed to perform the weekly operation: the kitchen scale, eight small plastic containers, one blue mixing bowl, Splenda, my measuring spoon, and my fork. I took the plain yogurt out of the fridge and, using the kitchen scale, divided it among the plastic containers adding one half teaspoon of Splenda to each portion. When I was satisfied that each portion weighed exactly two ounces, I then strategically hid the containers in the top section of the freezer behind ice-crusted plastic bags of old frozen vegetables so the yogurt wouldn't be the first thing I saw when I opened the freezer door.
Nothing abnormal so far.
With that, I went back to the sofa and allowed some time to pass. I knew that the thirty minutes it takes for the yogurt to reach the perfect consistency of a Dairy Queen wasn't up, and that checking in on it was an abnormality, but that's exactly what I did. I walked into the kitchen, I opened the freezer, and I looked at it. And I didn't just look at the portion I was supposed to eat. I looked at all of it.
I slammed the freezer door shut and went back to the living room. I sat on the dark green vinyl sofa facing the kitchen and smoked four cigarettes in a row to try to take away the urge for that icy-cold sweetness, because only when I stopped wanting it would I allow myself to have it. I didn't take my eyes off the freezer the whole time I sat smoking, just in case my mind had tricked me into thinking I was smoking when I was actually at that freezer bingeing. Staring at the door was the only way I could be certain that I wasn't opening it. By now the thirty minutes had definitely passed and it was time to eat my portion. I knew the best thing for me in that moment would be to abstain altogether, because eating one portion was the equivalent of an alcoholic being challenged to have one drink. But my overriding fear was that the pendulum would swing to the other extreme if I skipped a night. I've learned that overindulging the next day to make up for the 100 calories in the "minus" column from the day before is a certainty.
I took out my one allotted portion at 8:05 and mashed it with a fork until it reached the perfect consistency. But instead of sitting on the sofa savoring every taste in my white bowl with green flowers, using the fork to bring it to my mouth, I ate the yogurt from the plastic container over the kitchen sink with a teaspoon. I ate it fast. The deviation from the routine, the substitution of the tools, the speediness with which I ate silenced the drill sergeant and created an opening that invited in the thoughts I'm most afraid of--thoughts created by an evil force disguising itself as logic, poised to manipulate me with common sense. Reward yourself. You ate nothing at lunch. Normal people eat four times this amount and still lose weight. It's only yogurt. Do it. You deserve it.
Before I knew it, I was on the kitchen floor cradling the plastic Tupperware containing Tuesday's portion in the palm of my left hand, my right hand thumb and index finger stabbing into the icy crust. I ran my numb, yogurt-covered fingers across my lips and sucked them clean before diving into the container for more. As my fingers traveled back and forth from the container to my mouth, I didn't have a thought in my head. The repetition of the action lulled the relentless chatter into quiet meditation. I didn't want this trancelike state to end, and so when the first container was done, I got up off the floor and grabbed Wednesday's yogurt before my brain could process that it was still only Monday. By the time I came back to my senses, I had eaten six ounces of yogurt."
If you've ever had any kind of eating problem .. whether you're anoxeric or obese .. you've done this. Admit it. You have. You know exactly how Portia felt every second. Every second. You've felt the power of food ... over you, over your sanity, over your will ... crushing you.
That is what makes Portia's book so good. She can take that inner hell and put it into words on a page. Words that make sense. Words that completely convey the sheer torment of that life.
She, of course, talks about being gay .. being in the closet, being denied access to a loving relationship for fear of repercussions, being so alone.
She also talks about what drove her to eat again, and what life was like then .. not all that smooth .. food was still an out-of-control element in her life. She had to learn to think about food in a SANE manner. Sane food thoughts. Thousands of people strive to have those every day. More people than you could ever imagine would dearly love to have SANE FOOD THOUGHTS. Again, she is adept at sharing this new struggle with her readers.
After reading this book, I had a very honest talk with my husband .. about myself .. about things I try to 'hide' from him .. although I was never truly successful in that, as he informed me. Portia said, "It's ironic, really, when all I've ever wanted is to be loved for my true self, and yet I tried so hard to present myself as anything other than who I am." In talking about Ellen, her spouse, she said, "She would force me to live a truthful, honest life, to be exactly who I am with no pretence." And, so, I told my husband that I needed to live without pretence, to be accepted exactly as I am .. to stop feeling ashamed .. to start feeling like ME. Of course, he let me know that he accepts me, and always has. It is inside my own head wherein the problem lies. But thanks to Portia's book, I've cracked open my skull, and shone a ray of light inside. Here's to many more! Here's to SANE FOOD THOUGHTS! May we all be blessed with them.
Why did I tell you about my personal life? Every once in awhile a book reaches into our lives and actually CHANGES us. This book did that for me. Which means, it was a damn good book! :)
If you've read all of this, I thank you. May your kindness in taking the time to share my world, be returned to you a thousandfold.
Mod
Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain
Author: Portia de Rossi
5 Stars = It made a sign..."
I thought the name sounded familiar and then it came to me, she is Ellen DeGeneres's wife. I didnt see you mention her in your review. Does she mention it in the book?
Koren wrote: "Diane wrote: "Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain
Author: Portia de Rossi5 Stars = ..."
Yes, she's married to Ellen DeGeneres, Koren. I mentioned Ellen via a quote of Portia's. She talks about Ellen in the Epilogue.
Diane wrote: "Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain
Author: Portia de Rossi
5 Stars = It made a sign..."
Sounds like a heckuva read. Heckuva read.
Fishface wrote: "Diane wrote: "Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain
Author: Portia de Rossi 5 Stars = ..."
It was for me, most definitely, Fishface.
Mod
4 stars
The author loses her husband 2 months before Christmas and has a hard time getting through the holidays. She has 3 children and they are having a hard time also. But someone is mysteriously leaving gifts on their doorstep and it helps them get through. While it was kind of a sad story, it ends up being rather heartwarming.
Mod
4 stars
The author examines race relations comparing her coming of age in the 70's and her father's coming of age in the 40's. She grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and her father grew up in the south. I enjoyed her bio. It was somewhat unusual in that she grew up in a middle class neighborhood and didnt seem to have financial problems. Her father's story centers more around his time in the service and the fact that he was shot in the leg by a policeman after his duty in WWII. This really throws her for a loop and she feels a need to investigate what actually happened. I thought it was a good story but would have liked her to focus more on her own story than her father's.
Koren wrote: "The Grace of Silence: A Memoir by Michele Norris4 stars
The author examines race relations comparing her coming of age in the 70..."
Nice review, Koren. Thank you.
Heart of the Amazon: The Harrowing Life-and-Death Story of Survival in the South American Jungle
Author: Yossi Ghinsberg
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
Very good book by Yossi about the 3 weeks he spent lost, and alone, in an uncharted section of the Amazon jungle in Bolivia. The tale begins in Peru, where he meets the other men, and they decide to go into the Amazon. The first half of the book relates their journey together. The last half of the book is about Yossi's ordeal all alone, and his eventual rescue.
All Things Strange and Wonderful: My Adventures as a Vet in Africa
Author: Herbert Rebhan also goes by Dr. Reb
3 Stars = Okay. It was worth reading.
I enjoyed this book about a vet's life in Malawi, Africa. He relates stories about all areas of his life, not just vet medicine, which I found to be most interesting. As he had become deeply enmeshed in the locals lives, it was hard to leave at the end of his Peace Corps stint.
Gosnell's Babies: Inside the Mind of America's Most Notorious Abortion Doctor, Steve Volk4 stars
This was a very short read but super intriguing. The author is the only journalist Kermit Gosnell has spoken to since his arrest for what has been variously described as a pill mill and a women's health clinic masking the good doctor's serial-murder operation. The book is very biographical and psychological, fitting what the investigators found on the premises into the man's life as a fully-qualified doctor and provider of abortions from long before they were legal, who somehow failed to make the transition to treating abortions as the surgeries that they are, requiring clean hands and so forth. Without ever saying so, Volk also paints a picture of a man who is very slowly losing his mind and his ability to manage his practice. There are also some strong hints that the guy is just a lying sack of manure who's trying to seem mentally ill. The author never makes all of it fit together but he gave me much food for thought.
Mod
3 stars
The author was an American Indian activist in the 60's and 70's. He was accused of murdering two FBI agents at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation conflict in 1975 and sentenced to two life sentences. He says he is innocent and a lot of people agree. This book is his reflections and writings in prison. Most of it has to do with racial prejudice of the Native American Indian. It is so hard to believe that this still goes on but of course we know it does just by hearing about the protests over the pipelines going through Indian Reservations.
There was a moment during the book that made me wonder. The author is talking about his childhood working on a potato farm. The author says as a young child his job was to go ahead of the adults and shake the potatoes from the vine so the adults just had to walk behind him and pick them up. I think most of us know that you dig potatoes from the ground, not shake them off a vine. It made me wonder how many other things were false in the book and changed my opinion of the writing. But it does make you think about how poorly the American Indian has been treated.
The book came out in 1999. At that time he had already been in prison over 20 years. I did a google search to see if he is still alive or still in prison and found out he is still alive. While Obama was president he had a chance to issue a pardon but did not do it. He has a chance for parole in a few years. He is 74 years old now. I hope if he is truly innocent he will get his freedom.
50 Years of Silence
Author: Jan Ruff-O'Herne
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
Jan was the first European 'comfort woman' to come forward with her story of being forcibly raped in a brothel set up for Japanese officers. Before the war, she had purposed in her mind to become a Catholic nun. She tells her story with a gentle touch, and yet reveals the terrible toll they all paid as POWs during WWII.
The Tomb of Tutankhamen
Author: Howard Carter
4 Stars = Outstanding. It definitely held my interest.
I really enjoyed this book. I love all things Egyptian, and the discovery of King Tut's tomb is a special favourite. I like that the book is written by Howard Carter. Yes, he does go into details about the many items they found in the tomb, and those sections might be a bit long-winded for some, but not to me. I felt like I was standing next to him. I could feel the awe, and the excitement, of each new find.
Probably, my favourite quote is this one, "...as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold - everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment - an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by - I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, 'Can you see anything?' it was all I could do to get out the words, 'Yes, wonderful things."
Also, this one, "Three thousand, four thousand years maybe, have passed and gone since human feet last trod the floor on which you stand, and yet, as you note the signs of recent life around you – the half-filled bowl of mortar for the door, the blackened lamp, the finger-mark upon the freshly painted surface, the farewell garland dropped upon the threshold – you feel it might have been but yesterday."
A Drake at the Door
Author: Derek Tangye
5 Stars = Exceptional. It made a significant impact.
All of Derek Tangye's book are so awesome. He knows exactly how to combine a love of animals, enjoyment of the country life, and philosophical whimsies. In this one we get to know Boris, a Muscovy duck, a bit better ... plus, there are always other animals, and antics, to relate tales about, too.
Derek was a newspaper columnist (during WWII he worked for MI5) and his wife, Jeannie, was a hotel PR executive, before they gave it all up to move into a simple cottage on a clifftop, and raise daffodils. Their home was near St. Buryan, in Cornwall, England.
This book is one of many he wrote about their life.
Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant
Author: Jennifer Grant
3 Stars = I liked the book. I'm glad I read it.
Jennifer adored her father, and it shows. Because he was older than the average dad, he was able to see how precious ... and fleeting ... a childhood truly is. So, he made the most of Jennifer's. He gave freely of his time, his love, and his wisdom. I'm a big Cary Grant fan, and it was nice to read about how much he loved his daughter.
A Cat in the Window
Author: Derek Tangye
5 Stars = Exceptional. It made a significant impact.
Another of Derek Tangye's wonderful books. This one revolves around their beloved ginger cat, Monty. Derek started out as a dog-person, and didn't like cats at all. But, of course, from the very first meeting in a Savoy hotel room, a tiny kitten changed all that. If you've ever loved a cat, you'd probably enjoy this book.
Derek was a newspaper columnist (during WWII he worked for MI5) and his wife was a hotel PR executive, before they gave it all up to move into a simple cottage on a clifftop, and raise daffodils. Their home was near St. Buryan, in Cornwall, England.
This book is one of many he wrote about their life.
Mod
3 stars
A short read, it tells of the experience of a man who is drug addicted and living on the streets in California. While it was interesting, I dont think it could be called a typical experience. The book goes from one bad experience to another but offers little in the way of childhood or family experiences that might have led to his homelessness and only a short paragraph or two about how he got out of his homeless situation. Because of this, I felt like the author didnt really let the reader in to his experience and there was a lot left out.
Too many to list, but one in particular was Fortunate Isle: A Memoir of TenerifeI enjoyed reading about Ronald's adventurous experience as a young man. I learned a great deal about the island of Tenerife and the positive writing of the author.
Fortunate Isle: A Memoir of Tenerife.
The Gardens That Mended a Marriage by Karen MaloneyLast one for 2018. Its a memoir, but more of a love story than a memoir about a English couple that were empty nesters and were wilting in their marriage relationship, so decided to embark on a project together revive it...build a house and make a garden in Spain. In doing so, even though the project wasnt complete...the wife learns more about her husband and their marriage is strengthened. Of course the husband is the builder (hes an architect) and the wife is the gardener. And they are quite different personalities.
I enjoyed reading it even though sometimes a bit envious of this obviously well off couple got money to burn. The wife is a business psychologist earning a bit of money and can just jet set around the world on business...I mean they do SOME of the work themselves but mostly rely on foreign contractors to do the work for them. Its like watching Grand Designs but the ones that didnt make it to screen.
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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Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
J.D. Vance
4/5 stars
T..."
I read this book because ,supposedly, it was suppose to explain the rise of Donald Trump. I did not get that from this book, did you?