The Boy Who Loved Batman: A Memoir Review

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(More customer reviews)As a fellow Jersey guy and Batman fan, I was looking forward to Uslan's memoir and it was pretty much what I anticipated; a fun look at a comic book fan who was able to actually live his dream: Make a Batman movie. But not just any movie, but the revival of The Batman-The Dark Knight, a character beloved by real fans of the comics. Uslan takes us from his comic crazed childhood; a childhood filled with encounters with the comic book greats of the 60's, to his college years creating his own course on comic books while still an undergraduate at Indiana University with humor and a sense of whimsy. In these sections there is a touching look at Otto Binder, a wonderful creator whose life was filled with tragedy and a visit with DC comics which brings the place to life for this fan. The book drags a bit when he gets into the nuts and bolts of becoming a lawyer as a means to an end and the struggle to get the movie made lacks any kind of depth, but it's not that kind of book. It's just about the joys of being able to fulfill a dream told with an infectious and humorous style. (Of course I would have liked him to explain how the kind of terrible Batman Forever and the incredibly awful Batman and Robin Films came to be when he was still the executive producer, but I'll cut him some slack.)

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Is any superhero cooler than Batman? He's a crime-fighting vigilante with a tragic past, a lawless attitude, and a seemingly endless supply of high-tech gadgetry. In this fully illustrated memoir, author Michael Uslan recalls his journey from early childhood fandom through to the decades he spent on a caped crusade of his own: to bring Batman to the silver screen as the dark, serious character he was at heart. Uslan's story traces his path from the wilds of New Jersey to the limelight of Hollywood, following his work as Executive Producer on every Batman film from Tim Burton's 1989 re-envisioning to 2012's The Dark Knight Rises. Through it all, he helped to create one of the most successful pop culture franchises of all time.

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The New Kings of Nonfiction Review

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(More customer reviews)I love This American Life on NPR and was excited to discover this collection of essays assembled by the intelligent and original Ira Glass. I have always loved the viewpoint in Ira's broadcasts and looked forward to discovering the essays and writers he considered worthwhile.
This is an excellent collection of non-fiction. I won't use the term "literary non-fiction" because Ira Glass hates the term. (...I'm a snob when it comes to that phrase. I think it's for losers. It's pretentious, for one thing, and it's a bore. Which is to say, it's exactly the opposite of the writing it's trying to describe.)
I will agree with other reviewers here that complained that they came across some of these essays before and therefore the collection did not seem fresh. Ira writes that "some of the stories are very well known" but were included because the writers were trying to document remarkable experiences and the stories were "built around original reporting of one sort of another." You should view the stories in this book as a whole, even if you might have come across a few of them before. There is merit in assembling these stories in a collection which becomes evident after you finish the book. This story collection works because Ira is able to spot that certain something in a story or style or reporting that is original-but not novel, entertaining-but humane. You're purchasing the vision of Ira Glass in The New Kings of Non-Fiction and it's worth every penny if it were quadruple the price.
Stories included:
Johnathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities - Michael Lewis
Toxic Dreams: A California Town Finds Meaning In An Acid Pit - Jack Hitt
Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg - Malcolm Gladwell
Shapinsky's Karma - Lawrence Weschler
The American Man, Age Ten - Susan Orlean
Among The Thugs - Bill Buford
Crazy Things Seem Normal, Normal Things Seem Crazy - Chuck Klosterman
Host - David Foster Wallace
Tales of the Tyrant - Mark Bowden
Losing The War - Lee Sandlin
The Hostess Diaries: My Year At A Hot Spot - Coco Hensen Scales
My Republican Journey - Dan Savage
Power Steer - Michael Pollan
Fortune's Smile: World Series of Poker - James McManus
I'd also recommend The Best American Essays 2007 (The Best American Series (TM)) edited by David Foster Wallace. Another good collection of stories by an editor with excellent taste.

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A collection of stories-some well known, some more obscure- capturing some of the best storytelling of this golden age of nonfiction. An anthology of the best new masters of nonfiction storytelling, personally chosen and introduced by Ira Glass, the producer and host of the award-winning public radio program This American Life. These pieces-on teenage white collar criminals, buying a cow, Saddam Hussein, drunken British soccer culture, and how we know everyone in our Rolodex-are meant to mesmerize and inspire.

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Forty Beads: The Simple, Sexy Secret for Transforming Your Marriage Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book for my kindle after hearing about it on the Today show. I read the excerpt online and found it funny and truthful and was intrigued to learn about the Forty Beads Method. I know it takes two for there to be a lack of sex in a marriage and I was excited to be taking a step to try to improve things. We've been married eleven years with two kids (one being an infant) and I was sold on the idea of feeling more connected by getting our sex life back on track. Not only was I seriously disappointed, I feel like the book made us take a step backwards. (It put me in a serious funk where I started to doubt and question what I knew to be true about our relationship. My husband read excerpts and told me to quit reading it.)
I started the book all motivated and inspired and within the first third of it, I felt totally defeated and reprimanded as the author implied again and again that our lack of sex was mostly my fault. It's my fault because I'm not made like a man (who becomes the stereotypical football-loving, beer-guzzling, sex-maniac the media loves) and because I do things like raise children. At the end of the day she says I deal a soul-crushing blow to my husband by choosing to floss instead of have sex. What world does she live in? Her personal situation - which includes a much more broken-down marriage than I can relate to - is projected onto every one of her readers - to the point where she even says, "Do I sound like I know what I'm talking about? I've had some experience with this, and chances are, you have, too." I really should have listened to the review that mentions the lack of evidence and research to back up her wildly "hilarious" and exaggerated claims. If you want to hear that your husband craves sex 24 hours a day and will eventually hate you and leave you if you don't quit "snapping your legs together," then by all means buy this book.

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With a hilarious, tell-it-like-it-is, girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone, author Carolyn Evans provides married women with an innovative method that is sure to breathe new life into their marital relationship. The Forty Beads Method works by dissolving the negative tension that builds around sex (specifically, the frequency with which it does or does not occur) and replacing it with the sex life you always thought you should have, which in turn creates the relationship you've always wanted. In 40 short chapters, author Carolyn Evans illuminates her readers in psychologically-savvy detail why sex is so important to the success of a marriage, and exactly how to put it to the front burner of their relationship in a playful, fun way.

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A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution Review

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(More customer reviews)Like so many elements of history, there is rampant ignorance or misunderstanding among the American public regarding the origins of our Constitution. Sadly, a significant majority surely have no concept whatsoever of the failed initial attempt at a United States government. More significantly, among the historically literate outside academic circles, there has been a common misperception of our Framers as a set of omniscient statesmen who shared a clear view of the ideal government and crafted a structure that remains unchanged in its essentials to this day. The purpose of Berkin's book is, through a focus on the papers of constitutional convention delegates, to provide insight into the reality behind these myths.
Her theses can be summarized primarily as follows: 1) the process by which the constitution was written was one involving sharply differing views, particularly as to the sharing of power between the individual states and the national government, substantial uncertainty and pessimism regarding the document's capacity to forestall tyranny and a great deal of compromise from strongly held principles, and 2) the character of the current US federal government would astonish the Framers in certain areas, most notably in the greatly expanded powers of the presidency.
Berkin makes a compelling case for both theses through her narrative discussion of the drivers behind the scheduling of the convention, the twisting progress of debate during the sixteen weeks in session, the fierce fight for ratification by the states and the inauguration of Washington as our first president. The major strength of the work is the illumination of the key roles played by delegates such as Gouverneur Morris, James Madison, James Wilson and Roger Sherman. Interesting anecdotes abound, such as the amorous successes of the one-legged Morris ("He scandalized the convention's proper New Englanders by his open philandering, although he won the admiration of the more worldly New Yorkers and South Carolinians, who marveled at the success in the boudoir of this fleshy middle-aged man hobbled by a wooden leg."), the alcohol-induced tirades of Luther Martin ("The nationalists were fortunate that Luther Martin did not do battle with them in a sober state") and the surprising nervousness of Washington during his inaugural address ("His hands trembling and his voice unsteady, ..." ).
The book is not without its weaknesses. On the quibbling end of the scale, the editing in several places leaves something to be desired. There are several instances of repetitive diction in juxtaposed sentences and the biographical snapshot of Charles Pinckney contains an obvious editing error. A more important shortfall is found in the overall style of the writing. While Berkin writes with admirable clarity and economy, her utilitarian approach lacks the literary style and flair for communicating the drama of great events found in the work of popular historians such as David McCullough and Barbara Tuchman. In those rare cases where she ventures into more dramatic narrative, her effort comes off as somewhat contrived and incongruous with the rest of the work.
Regarding the content of the book, its chief shortfall is the puzzling treatment of the role of Washington in the debates and, more importantly, in the ratification battles. Berkin makes it very clear that Washington privately was keenly supportive of the nationalists' agenda during the debates and of the resulting constitution that was submitted to the states for ratification. She also notes his unparalleled prestige in the fledgling country and the tremendous potential for influence that this implied. Despite this combination, Washington apparently played little or no role in the contentious debates. When, apparently for the first time during the entire sixteen weeks, he finally rises to express an opinion regarding a relatively minor change on the convention's final day, Berkin rather blandly explains that "up until this moment, he had felt his position in the president's (of the convention) chair required his silence." It seems difficult to believe, notwithstanding his procedural scruples, that he did not exert some degree of influence on key issues of disagreement, even if he chose the channel of private conversation and lobbying over public speech. The unexplored issue screams for further attention during the tenuous ratification process. Berkin states that "the usually stoic Washington made no effort to disguise his hopes for ratification. `I never saw him so keen for anything in my Life,' a Virginian told Thomas Jefferson." Yet there is no discussion of his active involvement in the ratification fight. Not even the crucial and hard fought battle in his home state of Virginia, an essential member for a viable United States, appears to have moved him to action. She strongly implies that Washington had the power to ensure approval yet does not explain his apparent unwillingness to do so. This seems an important omission.
Notwithstanding these faults, this is an enjoyable and educational read. It is certain to excite the reader's interest in exploring the lives of some of the more colorful delegates and, at a time when the United States is engaged in a very challenging effort to build a representative constitutional government in Iraq, it provides a reminder of the painful, challenging and contentious birthing process of our own polity.

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The Inverted Forest: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)Unless someone beats me to it, I'm the first reviewer of this book on Amazon. What to say...
I saw "The Inverted Forest" as a B+ blurb in Entertainment Weekly and, it being summer and I being a lover of the adult camp counselor experience, I preordered it and when it came the day it was released, I put down my other reading and read, and read, and read. I found my heart beating with every page I turned, not only because of the desire to know what lay on the next page, but because every page I turned meant one less page of this book that I'd ever get to enjoy.
When I finished this book I actually physically hugged the book, tearing up. This is not to say that it's a beautiful little story, nor even a really sad one. "The Inverted Forest" is populated by probably the most wonderfully and horribly human characters I've read in my 32 years as a lover of literature. From the shadowy heat of Camp Kindermann Forest to all the other average locales of the narrative, I feel like I have known these people- these real, real people- my entire life.
This is summer lit, certainly, but only inasmuch as it will appeal (to a certain degree) to the wistful camp counselor in those who have enjoyed that experience. This is not a light book, by any stretch of the imagination. The plot turns will leave your mouth dry; the lives of these characters (each so frightfully real and flawed that it's hard to ever decide on a protagonist...though you'll probably realize who the real antagonist is after a certain point) will ring true to everyone. We know these people; some of these people are, indeed, ourselves and the ones closest to us.
This might not make much sense. I can't even find the right words to describe this book to even my closest confidants. All I can say is that the raw emotion and John Dalton's magnificent prose (I expect great things from this author) will not disappoint the strong of heart.

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Late on a warm summer night in rural Missouri, an elderly camp director hears a squeal of joyous female laughter and goes to investigate. At the camp swimming pool he comes upon a bewildering scene: his counselors stripped naked and engaged in a provocative celebration. The first camp session is set to start in just two days. He fires them all. As a result, new counselors must be quickly hired and brought to the Kindermann Forest Summer Camp. One of them is Wyatt Huddy, a genetically disfigured young man who has been living in a Salvation Army facility. Gentle and diligent, large and imposing, Wyatt suffers a deep anxiety that his intelligence might be subnormal. All his life he's been misjudged because of his irregular features. But while Wyatt is not worldly, he is also not an innocent. He has escaped a punishing home life with a reclusive and violent older sister. Along with the other new counselors, Wyatt arrives expecting to care for children. To their astonishment, they learn that for the first two weeks of the camping season they will be responsible for 104 severely developmentally disabled adults, all of them wards of the state. For Wyatt it is a dilemma that turns his world inside out. Physically, he is indistinguishable from the state hospital campers he cares for. Inwardly, he would like to believe he is not of their tribe. Fortunately for Wyatt, there is a young woman on staff who understands his predicament better than he might have hoped. At once the new counselors and disabled campers begin to reveal themselves. Most are well-intentioned; others unprepared. Some harbor dangerous inclinations. Among the campers is a perplexing array of ailments and appearances and behavior both tender and disturbing. To encounter them is to be reminded just how wide the possibilities are when one is describing human beings. Soon Wyatt is called upon to prevent a terrible tragedy. In doing so, he commits an act whose repercussions will alter his own life and the lives of the other Kindermann Forest staff members for years to come. Written with scrupulous fidelity to the strong passions running beneath the surface of camp life, The Inverted Forest is filled with yearning, desire, lust, banked hope, and unexpected devotion. This remarkable and audacious novel amply underscores Heaven Lake's wide acclaim and confirms John Dalton's rising prominence as a major American novelist.

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Verdi Review

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(More customer reviews)Verdi is a young yellow python who doesn't understand why the adult (green) pythons are such killjoys. He is playful and daring, until he hurts himself doing a stunt. The older pythons help nurse him back to health, while Verdi learns that once they, too were young and wild like he was.
The book is marvelous. It is extremely readable for young (3 - 6) year olds, and the art work is beautiful, with vivid colors and expressive characters (even for a snake!). Best of all, the story line is appropriate, with a message that is easily understood (be yourself; we were all young once) without being preachy. A wonderful children's book.

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Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words Review

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(More customer reviews)I enjoyed reading this book, and found it to be fascinating. However, I have since read "A Royal Duty" by Paul Burrell. Some of the statments made in these two books are conflicting. In "Diana, Her True Story", it is made to sound like Princess Diane was always at odds with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. In "A Royal Duty", Paul Burrell tells a different story. He maintains Diana had a loving and close relationship with the Queen and Prince Phillip right up until the time she died. It is a very interesting book, but after reading almost everything written about Princess Diana, there are so many different views and stories, it is hard to know which to believe.

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