A Woman of Independent Means Review

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(More customer reviews)I just finished this book, of which I could not put down for a moment. It is an excellent read! I cried several times throughout the book. I was amazed by this woman, Bess. She was the obvious life-force behind her marriage and family. She always asked questions and made comments about life that were ahead of its time...classic...timeless! She was such a progressive thinker for her time.
The letters spanned from the beginning of the 20th century to the 1940s. Time and time again she surprised me with her observations and decisions: We should just do, instead of waiting for something to happen, since the future is unknown. She commented about philosophical concepts that many of us ponder today. Her thoughts on children-rearing were so refreshing too; that we shouldn?t lose ourselves in our children; that raising children doesn't necessarily mean one has to make it her sole occupation.
Her perception of life was so positive, even in the face of so many unbelievable tragedies. She treated death like an enemy, which forced her to live her life to the fullest. A very interesting, positive, way to look at things, especially in an age where a lot of us have become complacent about death. Her question about why society expects us to spend our lifetime of experiences with one person, is one that I'm sure many of us ask ourselves today! She sees the complexities of people and of life in general, which makes her so understanding, and so tolerant. Even her subtle way of introducing social change is brilliant, leaving a lasting impression. It was inspiring to read those letters, and reminded me of how important writing is...so much more thought goes into words when one writes them down. The written word can often be so much more powerful than words which are spoken.
It occurred to me that this book was written in 1978, which may explain why there's so much progressive thought here. However, history shows us that many women felt the way Bess felt. It was so thrilling for me to read these letters, imagining the setting of America in the 20s, 30s and 40s.
Most importantly though, I believed in this character. I felt for her deeply and her letters really moved me. Her life was astonishing...a wonderful read. I would recommend this book to every mother, daughter, grandmother...and every father, son and grandfather for that matter!

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A bestselling sensation when it was first published by Viking in 1978, A Woman of Independent Means has delighted millions of readers and was the inspiration for the television miniseries starring Sally Field.At the turn of the century, a time when women had few choices, Bess Steed Garner inherits a legacy--not only of wealth but of determination and desire, making her truly a woman of independent means. From the early 1900s through the 1960s, we accompany Bess as she endures life's trials and triumphs with unfailing courage and indomitable spirit: the sacrifices love sometimes requires of the heart, the flaws and rewards of marriage, the often-tested bond between mother and child, and the will to defy a society that demands conformity. Now, with this beautiful trade paperback edition, Penguin will introduce a new generation of readers to this richly woven story. . .and to Bess Steed Garner, a woman for all ages.

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After Silence: Rape & My Journey Back Review

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(More customer reviews)Nancy Raine's After Silence, her firsthand account of her rape and her life after the rape, is compelling, illuminating, and essential reading. Brutally honest, Nancy shares her private story of surviving and recovering from rape.
Raine helps her readers understand the severe and often lifelong psychological consequences of being victimized, the ambivalent reactions of other people to rape survivors, and the personal anguish in recovering from being raped. Raine elucidates her feelings of helplessness and terror during the rape, her treatment by the legal and medical system, other people's reactions to her rape, and her social and emotional isolation after the rape. She leads us through her coming to terms with the rape, with the new person she feels she becomes, with other people's reactions, and with her post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Through Raine's words, we watch a severely traumatized woman learn to regain control of her life and learn to trust and love again.
Raine's book raises many important questions: Why the shame of being a victim of rape? Why is the victim blamed? Why do some people still think that rape is "assault with a friendly weapon?" Why people's ambivalent reactions to rape? Why the silence?
Raine decided to end the silence about rape by bravely sharing her story with the world. Why should she be ashamed? She is the victim; she did nothing wrong. She purposely and insistently breaks the taboos about rape to try to pave the path for rape victims to speak out about this abominable and prevalent crime.
There were an estimated 9 million women raped in the United States alone between 1972 and 1991. In the United States, a woman is raped every two minutes; eighty-three percent of women with disabilities will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime; only twenty-six percent of rapes are reported to the police. Over fifty percent of rape survivors suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which can include the reexperiencing of the attack through nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and flashbacks; the avoidance of thoughts, feelings, places, and activities associated with the rape; difficulty concentrating; mood swings; and a diminished interest in former activities. These are just a few of the many terrifying and eye-opening statistics about the prevalence and seriousness of rape (in this country alone!)
Books like After Silence are necessary to combat the public's denial and apathy about the pervasiveness and seriousness of sexual crimes on women. After Silence can also help rape survivors understand that they are not alone and that their reactions to being raped are "normal." The general public should read the book so they can better understand the experience of being raped and life after rape. Hopefully the public and the legal system will learn to more supportive to rape survivors and more committed to ending (sexual) violence against women.
Reviewed by Vanessa Jackson

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The Problem with Women... is Men: The Evolution of a Man's Man to a Man of Higher Consciousness Review

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(More customer reviews)You Can't Judge a book by it's cover!!! "The Problem with women...is Men" by Charles Orlando is not a male bashing kind of book. It's for BOTH sexes!! This book is a great read...explains how a relationship works both ways and how it takes effort from both parties to make a relationship grow. I really enjoyed the Appendix: The Evolved Man's Gratuity guide....I feel that a majority of men and women tend to short change food servers, cocktail servers, & ect.Anywho,I would suggest everyone to read this book...its a quick, witty, and enjoyable read! Way to Go Charles!

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Relationships. Marriage. How do they work, and why don't they last? Flip on the TV or peruse the self-help section at any local bookstore and you see the same theme over and over again: Women need to alter their behavior, and should work harder at understanding men. But nothing could be further from the truth. Women in committed relationships are not to blame for men's bad behavior, or 100% responsible for failed relationships. Based on author Charles Orlando's past experience as a "morally challenged" young man, and hundreds of interviews with men and women, The Problem with Women... is Men: The Evolution of a Man's Man to a Man of Higher Consciousness takes readers on a humorous, blunt, tell-all romp through the world of men and their issues. Women can regain their sanity, men can evolve beyond their primal instincts, and perhaps society will start to raise the bar on what the term "man" means.

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The Last Time I Wore A Dress Review

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(More customer reviews)Daphne Scholinski wore the label of "inappropriate female" for much of her life. As a tomboy youth, she was often mistaken for male. On one grocery trip, a clerk caught the "boy" for using the women's restroom. When the clerk confronted Daphne's father, instead of correcting the clerk, her weary father slapped her hand: "Bad boy. I told you to stop doing that."
In 1981, at odds with her raging father and abandoned by her free-thinking mother, 15-year-old Daphne was committed to a psychiatric hospital, at which a treatment plan was designed to help her identify as a "sexual female." Over one million dollars (you read that right) of insurance money was spent on three years of make-up lessons, encouragement of flirtation with males, and points for hugging male staff members. Daphne was indirectly blamed for all her family's troubles and told that her depression and confusion were symptoms of her improper gender identification. Desperate for a mothering relationship, she latched onto nurses, begging to be adopted by the most compassionate one, and attempting suicide when her efforts were rebuffed.
In a series of institutions, Daphne busied herself working the system to earn more privileges. To entertain themselves, she and other patients competed to shock the staff and get unusual diagnoses added to their charts. Their every movement was already analyzed and reduced into psychobabble, so why not? Daphne often embellished alcohol and drug abuse to make her case more interesting, but she realized she was out her league when she was transferred to rehab. All the while, a host of therapists and staff failed to identify sexual assault in Daphne's life, both before and *after* entering treatment. At age 18, when Daphne's father's insurance money ran out, she was discharged as no more "appropriate" a female than when she entered, but without a traditional high school experience or preparation for the world, and a few more years of victimhood under her belt.
Daphne Scholinski survived institutionalization with her intelligence, sense of humor, and sassy rebellious spirit. Every time she was transferred, she felt hope few her new situation. She writes that she knows she was lucky to be middle-class and be offered treatment, instead of being kicked onto the streets. As an adult, Daphne channeled her traumatic past into an artistic career, and now lives as Dylan Scholinski in the San Francisco area (Dylan's identification as male occurred after the 1997 publication of this memoir). I only discovered Scholinski's gender identity when I started composing my review, and in many ways, Daphne's "actual" gender identity is irrelevant to this story of the failure of the mental health system to help a depressed youth and her family.

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At 15, Daphne Scholinski was committed to a mental institution and awarded the dubious diagnosis of "Gender Identity Disorder". "The voice of Daphne's teenage self--bewildered, frank, aching, and defiant--is so vivid it's like hearing a confidence whispered across a dormitory room deep in the night".--"Harper's Bazaar".

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Suits: A Woman on Wall Street Review

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(More customer reviews)...a book that really "gets it". The answer to all of those b-school man-thrillers. This is the pioneering book that I've been seeking for over a decade-- that tells it like it really is for women trying to make an impact and yet maintain their sanity and femininity, too. Godiwalla's voice is clear, authentic and strong. And very necessary. A must-read on every business leader's bookshelf.

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"Quite literally, I could not put this book down." --Manisha Thakor, Forbes"...told with alarming detail and considerable humility--it's a tale that will help the reader hone his or her ambition down to a finer, more human point."--Los Angeles Times"This book about choices and their consequences is a gripping read."--Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, bestselling author of The Mistress of Spices "heartwarming, heartbreaking, and hilarious in one great book. [Suits] is an absolute must-read."--Lois P. Frankel, author of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office"Fresh, funny and utterly convincing. Nina Godiwalla has perfect pitch." --Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of Top Talent No class can prepare anyone for a career on Wall Street. While others in Nina Godiwalla's Persian-Indian immigrant community were content to fulfill their parents'dreams, Nina's fierce ambition pulled her from Houston to New York to become a banker. The rarified taste of power left her hungry for more. Showered with Broadway tickets and ferried around in sleek black town cars, Morgan Stanley recruits led a fast and flashy lifestyle, but at a steep cost. In a world where strip clubs took the place of conference rooms, Nina was driven to fit the mold of her fellow recruits: wealthy, white, and male. But would she have to lose her Southern accent and suppress her family's heritage to prove her worth on the trading floor? Nina Godiwalla offers a behind-the-scenes look at the recklessness that ruled Wall Street during the dot-com boom days. But Suits is also a story of the family Nina left behind: a story of fathers and daughters, the pursuit of honor, swapping your grandmother's shrimp curry for takeout sushi and cocktails. A vibrant snapshot of an immigrant family with big dreams, Suits reveals how much we've been conditioned to trade for success.

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The Hindi-Bindi Club Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to admit to being skeptical about this book: I'm a male Indo-American writer, and I usually don't reach for what could be considered women's fiction. But after seeing Monica Pradhan speak at a local South Asian literary festival, I bought a copy. And couldn't put it down. HBC is a very fast read with just the right balance of drama, humor, culture, and insight, like a spiced-right curry. Much of the characters' journeys is internal, but Pradhan's skill with words and her ability to juggle multiple intertwined storylines kept me engaged. As an added bonus, this was the first book I've read that includes Marathi, the language I grew up speaking. Side note: the recipes are tempting enough to make this total non-cook consider trying them. Good reading and good food. Can't go wrong with that combination.

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Tell Them Who I Am: The Lives of Homeless Women Review

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(More customer reviews)Tell Them Who I Am is a tale about several homeless women and one non-homeless man. For all its merits as an ethnography of women's shelters, which are many, one of the most endearing things about this book is its author. In 1984 Elliot Liebow found out he had terminal cancer. He promptly quit his job at the National Institute of Mental Health and headed for the soup kitchens and shelters of a small city outside of Washington, D.C. Taking notes "out of habit" he gradually compiled his thoughts (and those of his informants) as he got to know the women of these shelters. His participant-observation approach led him to be very involved as an actor in the lives of the women he met, and they too became involved in the writing of their stories. The result is a fascinating book which details the trials of homelessness alongside the joys and sorrows of being human

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Is That Really You, God?: Hearing the Voice of God Review

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(More customer reviews)I've read this book many, many times. This last time I was seeking an answer from God and wondering if what I was hearing was really the voice of the Lord. I learned to seek the Lord not the answer, to focus on God not just the tools He uses in our lives. I learned some steps to be really open to hearing God's voice.

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This practical guide to hearing God's voice shows how an ordinary man who committed to hearing God and obeying Him, became the founder of the largest interdenominational missions organization in the world.Loren Cunningham's dream began with a vision -- waves of young people moving out across the continents announcing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the whole earth. Decades later, Loren's vision has grown into an interdenominational movement of Christians from around the world who are dedicated to presenting the Gospel to this generation.How did God move Loren's dream from vision to reality? He led Loren and his wife, Darlene, through a series of tough lessons in guidance. The exciting story of Youth With A Mission has much to teach us about the art of listening to God as we seek to be used by Him. Is That Really You, God? is not only a practical guide to hearing God's voice but also an amazing testimony to how following His direction can impact our lives and our world for the glory of God's kingdom.

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XVI Review

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(More customer reviews)4.5
XVI is one of those books that stick with you. Not just because it is a well-executed and thought-provoking dystopian, but because it has so many components that lend to its greatness. Nina, the MC and a 15 year old girl who is terrified to age that one year and become a `sex-teen,' is strong, but fragile at the same time; she's far too grown up for her years, but still just a child. Her life is dictated by the world around her - which isn't a great one.
Julia Karr has created a Chicago of 2150 that is eerily reminiscent of the world of 1984 (one of my favorite books of all time) and she constantly reminds the reader just how much control the government has over its inhabitants. The technology is believable, at times it's incredible and I wish I could experience it, but other times it just shows how much the government interferes in everyday life.
Nina, her sister Dee, her grandparents, and all of her friends truly have very little control over their own lives. The tier system is very much the same as a caste system and with little hope of moving up in tiers, the girls who turn sixteen sign themselves up to literally become sex slaves, only they believe they're signing up for a better life, just with a few strings attached. Even Nina's best friend, Sandy, is convinced that joining the FeLS (Female Liaison Specialist) is the perfect way to move up in life.
Karr throws Nina into the world of The Resistance and forces her to question all she has ever known, while introducing her to the mysterious Sal too. Nina's only hope at escaping a life of forced sex and possible death, is in the whispered words of a dying woman. Those words drive Nina to become a stronger person, with an unbreakable determination.
At times an emotional thriller, XVI touches on many aspects of the society that we live in and pushes the limits on what could be. Tense, horrifying to imagine, but impossible to put down - I was enthralled in this future world, the technology, and the characters. All the characters are developed and no one felt flat to me. My only complaint is that the ending is rushed. I would have liked to see all of Nina's struggling and worrying pay off in a more fleshed out way, instead of the quick wrap-up. But still, this is a dystopian that cannot be missed.
Opening line: "Nina, look." Sandy jabbed me in the ribs. ~ pg. 12
Favorite lines: I'd choked back so many tears, they'd become a lake of sadness in my belly. ~ pg. 36
And this one:
"Personal sacrifice lies at the center of change for the better." ~ pg. 189
4.5 for sure

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Bound Feet & Western Dress: A Memoir Review

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(More customer reviews)This novel was given to me by my younger brother for Christmas 1997. He said he thought it might be interesting for me--I think it is the best gift he's ever given me. I am the eldest daughter of a Chinese family; my own mother came from China and I and my brothers were born here in America. The biography "Bound Feet and Western Dress" serves to further enrich all the stories and experiences that my mother has been telling me about our own family history. For me, the book serves as just one piece to the complex puzzle of what happened to some of the families in China during the first half of the Twentieth Century. The novel's poignant story lets me know that I'm not alone in my mother's methods to raise me as a "good Chinese daughter" -- with her strange proverbs, her continuing treatment of me as second to the males in our family, and her insistence on a daughter's family duty. This book illustrates time after time how the main character, Chang Yu-I, deals with many unforeseen circumstances with strength and dignity -- surviving a short-lived marriage, changing cultural traditions, raising children on one's own, living in a foreign land, dealing with wartime, working hard, fulfilling family duty, and doing what is needs to be done. In this story, I do not believe the main character intends to push through major changes but, rather, she does not cower at what life brings to her. This gives the reader extra courage to know that you can deal with whatever the future holds for you. It made me laugh and cry. I especially love this book because of all the translated Chinese sayings. I saved the Christmas ribbons (which wrapped this gift from my brother) and I use the strips for bookmarks; the book sits cheerfully on my shelf bookmarked in numerous places with bright red and green to bring me straight to the poetic and beautiful sayings. The author was introduced to me last night at a dinner event as "Pang Mei" (prounounced like "Bang Mei") -- I was delighted at her beauty, animated enthusiasm and her down-to-earth approachability. I highly recommend "Bound Feet and Western Dress" for young and old alike. Be prepared for the jumping of the timeframes and the two narrative voices--the story will, nonetheless, enrich your life and hopefully it will help you understand a bit more about some of the Chinese women you may meet. The story is quick to read and would be a good springboard for the discussion of duty and honour, and the ability to change, be responsible, and succeed regardless of gender and class.

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The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers who Inspired Chicago Review

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(More customer reviews)When Douglas Perry saw the Broadway revival of Chicago in the late 1990s, he became fascinated with the factual events that inspired the show. He expected to be able to find a book about the real-life "killer dillers," but found that there wasn't one. An accomplished journalist, Perry sought to rectify the situation by producing a tome of his own.
The result is The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and The Beautiful Killers Who Inspired Chicago (Viking, 2010), a fascinating tale of the decidedly skewed sense of justice holding court in 1920s Chicago. Along with the Jazz Age came a rash of homicides committed by females, but the city's all-male juries were reluctant to condemn women murderers, especially the pretty ones.
Much of the general public ascribed such heinous acts by women to a loosening of moral values, and an overindulgence in the cabaret lifestyle and bootleg liquor. Or perhaps it was more of a general social malaise. "Something about Chicago was destroying the feminine temperament," writes Perry, not from his own point of view, but from the perspective of the general 1920s Chicago zeitgeist.
Enter Maurine Watkins, an aspiring journalist, playwright, and moralist seeking to acquire some first-hand experience as a crime reporter. Watkins became one of the few female crime reporters with the venerable Chicago Tribune. The Tribune considered itself the "hanging paper," in contrast to the Hearst publications, which sought to wrench as much human melodrama as possible from any given tragedy -- whether or not the details were actually true -- in the shameless pursuit of newsstand sales.
Shortly after Watkins arrived in Chicago, two sensational murderesses hit the real-life Cook County jail: Belva Gaertner (think "Velma"), a stylish former cabaret singer and three-time divorcee, accused of gunning down her married lover. And Beulah Annan (think "Roxie"), the beautiful car-mechanic's wife, who allegedly shot her lover and danced over his dying body to the strains of a jazz record playing over and over on her Victrola. What follows is a scandalous tale of sexism, racism, xenophobia, yellow journalism, and miscarriages of justices.
In The Girls of Murder City, Perry's descriptions of various murder cases and the attendant media circus are heavily detailed and thoroughly compelling. I did have to wonder, however, how he got as specific as he did with the precise descriptions of what the various characters were doing and feeling. Perry provides an extensive bibliography, and one can assume that his accounts are taken from those sources, but sometimes the level of specificity strained credulity. How, for instance, could he know that Beulah Annan, when attending church services, would be "leaning her cheek against her mother's elbow during services"? Perry's bibliography lists no source for this reference, so perhaps it's meant to be fanciful projection?
In any case, Perry certainly knows how to effectively set the scene. His descriptions of the rampant mob mentality during the funeral of one of the minor murderesses was alternately heartbreaking and terrifying. Perry also demonstrates a knack for building suspense during the trials of Gaertner and Annan, wringing compelling drama out court proceedings. Perry does devote a bit too much attention to the Leopold and Loeb case, which admittedly occurred during the time period, but would seem to be outside the scope of Perry's thesis.
Based on her experiences covering the Gaertner and Annan trials, a disgusted and outraged Maurine Watkins decided to turn these travesties into the play Chicago, which ran on Broadway during the 1926-27 season, and later toured the country. The play was made into a film twice, once in 1927 under the title "Chicago," and again in 1942, this time called "Roxie Hart." Watkins was unhappy with both versions, and to her dying day refused to entertain offers of a musical treatment.
When Watkins died in the early '70s, Bob Fosse approached her estate about creating a musical with John Kander and Fred Ebb, and you probably know the story from there. Fans of the musical Chicago will notice in Perry's book elements that have survived intact from the news reports and court documents, all the way to Watkins' play and Fosse's and Ebb's libretto. This includes actual lyrics, such as "We both reached for the gun," as well as plot elements, including Roxie's fake pregnancy.
One of the reasons the musical Chicago struck a nerve upon its 1996 revival was that the show's focus took on a new relevance alongside the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, a miscarriage of justice in a very different vein, which nonetheless made household names out of Marcia Clark, Kato Kaelin, Judge Ito, Johnnie Cochran, and Mark Fuhrman. I'm frankly appalled that even now, after 15 years, I can still recall those names. That's the insidious power of the media, and Perry's book puts a fascinating perspective on how another media circus evokes its own particular place and time.

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The Diary of Anais Nin, Vol. 1: 1931-1934 Review

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(More customer reviews)After decades of producing fiction that was rejected by mainstream readership and reviewers for being self-centered, exotic in prose, filled with psychological theory, and coterie in style, Anais finally found acceptance by integrating all of the above in this published version of her diary. Timing is everything, I suppose. The world of the 1930s-50s simply was not ready for her. The Aquarian generation of the 1960s was. When originally published this volume did not have a number in the title because no one thought it would sell enough to warrant a second volume. To the surprise of many, it would become the first in seven volumes - and then over 20 years later the unexpurgated versions of her diaries would be published, revealing that Anais was at the time having an affair with Henry Miller. Eventually this material would be fashioned into the movie "Henry and June" (which I highly recommend). It would also pave the way for the re-issue of many of Anais Nin's long since out-of-print earlier fiction.
Anais Nin began a letter to her father, on the ship that carried her, her mother and brothers, away from him, away from Europe and to New York City. The letter was never sent (her mother did not think it appropriate), but instead developed into a diary she would continue to keep for decades. In this volume we meet Anais Nin living just outside of Paris with her husband, banker Hugh Guiler (who is barely visible in the diary, a point of contention for many who did not know that this was at his request). She has just published her study of DH Lawrence and is about to meet Henry Miller and his fascinating wife June (Nin's descriptions of June are among the most beautiful portions of her work). Her father soon reenters her life. This is a very exciting time in her life!
But what have I listed above? Nothing but a pile of facts. Facts are often boring, and seldom poetic - two accusations rarely leveled against Anais Nin. It was only after submerging myself in the history of this volume that I came to realize this: the linear history of this diary does not really matter; the accusations that Anais Nin lied about her life are immaterial. Anais Nin had a beautiful way with words and she was a master of crafting an image, of creating a persona. She was not truly the person she portrays in this volume, which she edited with Gunther Stuhlmann. But this is a beautiful and unique piece of literature that paved the way for many future artists, particularly female writers (Alice Walker has praised her work as profoundly liberating, and I can't help but think Maya Angelou took a cue from Anais Nin's concept of the continuous autobiographical novel). I have come to believe that it is not the possibility that she lied about her life that has upset so many people (some of whom refer to this as a "liary"), but that a woman should have such control over her own portrayal all the while defying so many of society's conventions.
Anais Nin may not have truly been the woman she portrays in this or future volumes, but it is the woman she wanted to believe she was - wanted the world to believe she was. I find that quite revealing, as revealing as any diary should be.
Andrew Olivo

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This celebrated volume begins when Nin is about to publish her first book and ends when she leaves Paris for New York. Edited and with a Preface by Gunther tuhlmann; Index.

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Pink Boots and a Machete: My Journey From NFL Cheerleader to National Geographic Explorer Review

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From the moment you pick up this book you will be drawn into an incredible story of one woman's journey. It is a life full of adventure, exploration, and discovery--both personal and scientific. You will find yourself hard pressed to remember this is an autobiography and not an adventure novel.
Mireya Mayor grabs your attention in the opening chapter of the book when she recounts, in vivid detail, the sudden descent of her airplane in the Congo. As the aircraft drops she realizes that she may die in the crash. From that moment the reader is taken on a journey of her amazing life, recounting how she came to arrive at that moment.
You will enjoy reading about her life as a little girl growing up in Miami. You will actually find yourself laughing out loud when she recounts the menagerie she collected as a child. You will also marvel at the fact this little girl, who was not allowed to join the Girl Scouts because it was "too dangerous", would later in life come face to face with a charging Silver Back gorilla.
She is first and foremost a scientist---but unlike some journals written by or about scientist I have read in the past she does not talk "at" or "down", but rather "to" you the reader. Throughout the book Dr. Mayor shares her travels and discoveries with the reader. Her passion for discovery jumps off the pages, and as a reader you can't help but share her joy and wonder as she explores new lands and encounters new cultures.
You will also share in her frustration when she recounts being judged for her looks and her time as a cheerleader. You will applaud when she does not let comments from not only her colleagues, but also the media, affect her drive or determination. Her self-confidence is matched only by her sense of adventure and you will come to admire her.
She has a wicked sense of humor and a number of one-liners appear through out the book. Some of which I wrote down for future use! And that sense of humor shines in chapter 12 of the book. I found myself laughing several times as she recounted some---let's say unique--uses for a number of objects women find in their purses every day.
This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. Her descriptions of the locations she has visited are so well written that you will feel as if you are actually there standing with her. Pick it up--start reading--and enjoy the journey!

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When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge Review

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(More customer reviews)I read this book immediately after I finished "First They Killed My Father." Both are autobiographies by young women who were children at the time of the Khmer Rouge's rule of Cambodia. Rather than being redundant, I found that this book complemented the other.
Both girls were daughters of relatively privileged families who were part of the forced evacuation of Phnom Phen. The author of this one, Ms. Him, was a few years older, and this slight age difference provides some different perspective. In addition, Ms. Him's family evacuated in a different geographical direction, which also affected her family's displacement over those years. The author shows how, as a child, she demonstrated incredible determination and courage in the face of the most horrendous conditions imaginable -- she even escapes one work camp as she was near death from dysentary.
This book provides another necessary and compelling autobiography of a horrible time in history.

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A Thousand Days in Venice (Ballantine Reader's Circle) Review

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(More customer reviews)Details, the essence of domesticity, shine in this story. There are the travelogue-esque descriptions of Venice: Napoleon's observation about Piazza San Marco and viewing works of art sequestered in ancient churches. There's a discussion of making house, once in the Midwest in a little house I would love to see and again in the grotty chaos of a bachelor's digs. And throughout are delicious descriptions of food and drink and the ways and places to enjoy them.
Like youth, this book may be somewhat wasted on the young. The small ruminations, the reflections on how we find a place and make a place in life may seem over-wrought. Until the onset of my own middle-age, I felt the same way about such memoirs. Now, I greet writings like this with a mixture of recognition and enthusiasm: recognition of the silly ways we fumble along and enthusiasm for another's discovery that it is not too late to savour what is delicious about life. In that, I find a parable of encouragement.

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Purge Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow. This is probably one of the best books I've read in years - and I read a lot. "Purge" certainly cannot be described as "easy reading", although it's very suspenseful and a definite page-turner. From the very first page on, it drips heavy with deep, dark secrets, pain and shame. It cannot really be described as "depressing" either. Throughout the book I kept sensing some kind of a weak ray of hope... but I couldn't really understand where it was coming from, or what the title of the book meant. Until the very end. Then, suddenly it all made perfect sense.
It's one of those rare books that I kept thinking about even long after I'd finished reading it. I am well-familiar with the recent history and today's challenges of Estonia and Eastern Europe in general. This book opened yet another door to Pandora's Box. I know there are many "Zara's" in the world, but never once before had I a reason to stop and think WHO are they, and WHY are they where they are. Never before did I think that they, too, might just be your average girls with families, dreams and aspirations, and that perhaps they just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
And could someone like Aliide Truu be for real?! She certainly seems unbelievably believable. The more I think about it, the more I think that there may be just as many "Aliide's" as "Zara's" out there... Like they say, you shouldn't judge until you walk in their shoes, for everyone has their story and their reasons.
I have no idea how much of this is fiction vs. real peoples' lives, but it is a damn well written book. And, with the right cast and director, it would make a great movie.


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Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton & Caroline Kennedy: Female Force V1 Review

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(More customer reviews)On this surface, "Female Force" looks like your average, cookie-cutter bio-comic. However, these women are portrayed as real human beings with interesting backgrounds. I especially enjoyed the Palin section, where Mr. Bailey (who hovers over each story as an Everyday Joe, sharing his opinions of these figures) struggles to write an unbiased biography of the controversial conservative leader.
"Female Force" is an engaging read for anyone who's interested in the modern political elite, or Jiminy Cricket (you'll see...)

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As featured on CNN, FOX News, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, LA Times, OK Magazine, and MSNBC! Female Force is a series that features biographies on strong, independent women in modern politics. This graphic novel includes stories on Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, and Caroline Kennedy.

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