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Interfaith in action
Everyone who's already reviewed this book has said so much about it that it's hard to find anything more to say about how well it's written, what a great gripping true story it is, and the amazing heroism of the four chaplains.This book is so well-written and has such a compelling and involving story that I read it in like two days, and wished there had been even more.Additionally, this heroic tale from WWII has special meaning to many of the people in my area (New York State's Capital District) because Rev. Clark Poling's church was in nearby Schenectady, providing a local connection.
A remarkable true story
With a sickening thump, an explosion wracked the troop transport S.S. Dorchester - a German torpedo had found its mark. It was shortly after midnight, February 3, 1942, and the ship was about to sink into the deadly cold waters off of Greenland. As men panicked and struggled to find a way to save their own lives, four men walked amongst them spreading calm and encouragement. Helping everyone they could find, even giving away their own precious lifejackets, the four chaplains - Rev. George Lansing Fox (Methodist), Rabbi Alex Goode, Rev. Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed) and Fr. John Washington (Catholic) - sought to serve their God and the fellow men. And when the end came, survivors saw the four chaplains, locked arm in arm, praying on the upside-down hull of the ship, just before it dove beneath the waves.
What A Great Read!!
If you ever feel that your fellow man has no regard for you, pick up this book and don't put it down untill you have finished it.What an inspiring story of four 'Men of God' and their dedication to that God, each other, and all those fortunate enough to have crossed their paths.You will be stunned by the character of each of these great men. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1910-1943    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Chaplains    5. Chaplains, Military    6. Fox, George Lansing,    7. History    8. Large type books    9. Military    10. Military - World War II    11. Poling, Clark Vandersall,    12. Religious    13. United States    14. Washington, John P    15. World War, 1939-1945    16. d. 1943    17. Fiction   

Editorial Review

I found a 1955 printing of this book in an old waterfront cabin and was struck by the care with which the previous owner had read it. Eve (the name inscribed inside the front cover and then again above the heading for chapter 3) made pencil marks on nearly every paragraph of the book, underlining a phrase, highlighting many passages with strong vertical marks, scratching out some words that she seems to have found superfluous and even x-ing out whole sections that apparently missed their mark with her altogether. Two rusting paper clips isolate several pages, absent any marking at all. Anne Morrow Lindbergh's lyrical words are still relevant and presage so many of the themes of today's most popular books: simplicity, peaceful solitude, caring for the soul, a woman finding her place in society and life. I heard that the woman who had lived in the cabin had actually passed away some time before. Thank you, Eve, for your gift... from the sea. ... Read more

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A gift from Anne Morrow Lindbergh
This is a terrific book for awoman of any age. It provides much food for thought and is a source of inspiration through her personal musings and easy flowing prose. I like the 20 year "report" from the author where she shares her surprise that her own refections and thoughts have influenced others. Obviously others have the same life experiences to consider and learn from.

Should be required reading...At least once every year!
There is much to gain by reading this book. This book captures the aspects of life and love by a woman's reflections while looking over her "Gifts from the sea."
Excellent Read
I picked this up at a bed and breakfast and finished it in 2 nights! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Inspirational    3. Large type books    4. Life    5. Motivational & Inspirational    6. Philosophy    7. Philosophy (General)    8. Biography & Autobiography / Literary   

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-----Disappointing-----
I came away from this biography of Robert E. Lee feeling that the author didn't like his subject very much. It was almost like he wanted to prove that General Lee was just another man with more than his share of faults. He kept trying to pick Lee's personality apart and gave meaning to every gesture and casual comment that Lee had ever made. I felt that the historic facts in this book seemed accurate as far as I could remember from other things that I had read, but I also felt that there was not enough information given to substantiate some of the negative comments. He painted Lee as somewhat of a flirt, ignoring his wife, and being a cold and indifferent father to his children.
General Lee (The Man, Not The Car)
In the pantheon of American history, few figures are as elusive and unknowable as Robert E. Lee, the commanding general of the Army of Northern Virginia and the principal Confederate military leader in the Civil War. To try and encapsulate his life into one small, concise little book is pretty much impossible, but Roy Blount Jr. tries his best. And for that, he is to be applauded.
Too quirky for me
I like the Penquin series of short biographies but this one was too much of a strange psychohistory. As other reviewers have pointed out, author Roy Blount seems to have a need to go into details 9at fairly great legnth) such as Lee's small feet and that he liked to play games with his children where they tickled his feet. First of all, I knew this because as a Civil way buff, I have read a lot about Lee so I come across such material. However, someone who knows less about Lee who is reading a very short biography would want to know more substance and less psycho nonsense in those few pages.
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Subjects:  1. (Robert Edward),    2. 1807-1870    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Confederate States of America    8. General    9. Generals    10. Historical - U.S.    11. Large type books    12. Lee, Robert E    13. Lee, Robert E.    14. United States - Civil War    15. Fiction   

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chickens calm a new life in this memoir
Who knew a memoir mainly about chickens could be so interesting? Catherine Goldhammer starts her life over in a house by the sea which might not look that appealing but has charm nonetheless. She divorces and her daughter, Emma who is 12, move about 1 1/2 mile from their old home and begin a new life. The only thing to ensure Emma's happiness at moving is to promise the purchase of chickens! There is heaps to do with setting up a new home and the caretaking of chickens is no small task.
Goldhammer's Got Game
Catherine Goldhammer's Still Life with Chickens delivers its promise of being a story about starting over, or restarting--after the author realizes that her life isn't working, and that she needs or wants another life: a different one, a better one.
Better than I hoped it would be!
I'm very new at raising chickens & can't get enough info about them.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Divorced mothers    6. Farm life    7. Farmers    8. General    9. Massachusetts    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Regional Subjects - New England    12. Women   

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Delicious, full-bodied novel...
This book was fantastic!I probably loved this book out of sheer envy for what Ms. Steinbach did - pick up, and travel around the world to take classes and participate in life!I would love to do exactly the same.Since I'm not at the place where I could do just that (unfortunately!), reading this book was the next best thing...
In search of kindred spirits
The best thing about this book was the interest it sparked in me for adventures I had previously not considered.I'm now seriously thinking of doing two-week learning stints in interesting locations rather than the relaxing visits or typical tourist approach to seeing other cultures and countries.
With Reservations
After having enjoyed Steinbach's previous book, Without Reservations, I was eager to see what she has been up to in the past few years and if she and Naohiro are still an item. In Without Reservations, Steinbach tells the story of how she took a year off from her job, bought an apartment in Paris and fell in love. It is a story of risk and reward. It really happened, but Steinbach tells it like a story.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. General    5. Journalists    6. Large type books    7. Steinbach, Alice    8. Travel    9. Travelers    10. United States    11. Women    12. Fiction   

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Subjects:  1. 1914-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Boxers (Sports)    5. General    6. Large Print    7. Large type books    8. Louis, Joe,    9. United States    10. Fiction    11. Louis, Joe   

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Bittersweet and loving
One of a handful of truly worthwhile books on Sinatra (joining a short list of Will Friedwald's "The Song is You" and Pete Hamill's "Why Sinatra Matters"...and that's it!).Although one suspects many of the quips and witticisms that abound in this book are probably from the brain of Jacob's co-writer, the feel and insight is purely inside stuff.While there is plenty of dirt, it is served up with affection and sympathy.The important thing is that "Mr S" is a very readable book.You will not be bored.

Come fly with him
Reading George Jacobs' memoir of his years as Frank Sinatra's right-hand man, I am struck by the star's sense of failure, despite having almost everything. He never got over second wife Ava Gardner. He sought but failed to get a Best Acting Oscar. His career declined while third wife Mia Farrow, barely out of her teens, hit it big with "Rosemary's Baby." Sinatra was rejected by the Kennedys, as well as gangster Sam Giancana, whose loss in some ways he appears to have taken harder. And he severed various friends - including Jacobs - ultimately doing more damage to himself.
My Life with an Obsessed Man
Yeah, on the one hand, it's sleazy.On the other, it's nevertheless interesting to look into the shiny life of Frank and the decadent world of entertainment.
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Subjects:  1. 1915-    2. 1915-1998    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Composers & Musicians - Pop    8. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    9. Sinatra, Frank,    10. Singers    11. United States   

Editorial Review

In 2000, novelist and poet James McManus was sent to Las Vegas, innocently enough, by Read more

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Great gift for Texas Hold 'Em fans
This book was written before no limit Texas Hold 'Em became the rage everywhere.The author does a good job of explaining the game and following Binion's World Series of Poker while covering a sensational murder trial.Some readers will enjoy as well digressions on the history of card playing and so forth.My only wish is that his prose was more vivid and exciting--it's a great topic but a little more of a Hunter S. Thompson fear and loathing bite would make it a superb book.

A reporter's memoir of covering a lurid poker murder
Poker is pure Americana, as is Las Vegas, the setting of James McManus's non fiction memoir of murder and gambling.
Where's the poker?
If you are looking for a book to read about poker, pass on this one unless you are desperate for any poker read.Do so for a very simple reason:there is surprisingly little about poker in this 'poker book'.
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Card Games - Poker    3. Competitions    4. Gambling - Card Games    5. Games    6. Games/Puzzles    7. Large print books    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Poker    10. Poker (Game)    11. Popular Culture - General    12. United States    13. World Series of Poker   

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Great Shirley Temple Book!
I am a Shirley Temple lover. I collect Shirley dolls and books. This is one of three books I have read on her life and it is very good. I really enjoyed it. It is honest, well researched, interesting and hard to put down. A must read for the Shirley Temple lover! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Actors and actresses, American    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. General    5. Large Print    6. Large type books    7. Motion picture actors and actresses    8. United States   

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Dolly And Friends...
Dolly had a hard life growing up in the wilds of East Tennessee; she started out poor and indeed did have a 'coat of many colors' as her children's book explained.She wore hand-me-downs in the backwoods of Sevier County where my paternal grandfather's people lived.She's funny.Coming from the country, it took some doing and lots of help to get where she is today.She has re-invented her personality through the years from the young lovesick girl who write 'I Will Always Love You' to Porter Wagoner.After all, she was a young country bumpkin from the Knoxville area, and we inexperienced girls fall hard for the first person we can admire.He gave her the first 'big' break, singing on his show in Nashville.
*****A Country Superstar!*****
Put simply, I LOVE this book! I've just finished reading it for the second time and it's even better than it was the first time.
A Real Life Country Song
Five minutes of fame has now become enough to justify penning one's self-serving autobiography. Fortunately, Dolly Parton's 30+year career is suitable for book-length, and she avoids the standard celebrity tell-all fare in favor of interesting vignettes.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Composers & Musicians - Country & Folk    4. Country music    5. Country musicians    6. Large Print    7. Large type books    8. United States    9. Women    10. Biography: film, television & music    11. Country & western    12. Parton, Dolly   

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Over Dramatics
I found this book similar to modern movies that are all special effects and no substance. Almost everything is told in an over dramatic way. The author tries to build excitement by creating it himself, rather than just telling the story. This book pales in comparison with astronaut Michael Collin's excellent autobiography, "Carrying the Fire".
What an insult!
If you want to know about Neil Armstrong - the real man, not the man conjured up in some author's mind - read "First Man" by James Hansen. Hansen actually sat down for 50+ hours of interviews with Armstrong himself.
I would give this book 0 stars if I could!
What a terrible biography!Leon Wagener's book is full of inaccuracies, is based upon "interviews" conducted with those tied to Armstrong that many of the interviewees claim never occurred, and is yet another shameful example of a writer with marginal talent propagating the same tired, FALSE urban legends about the first man on the Moon that have been circulating for decades.I look forward to the day when Mr. Armstrong will allow a true writer to accurately and justly tell his remarkable story.Leon Wagoner should stick to his day job as a writer for Star Magazine! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. Armstrong, Neil,    3. Astronauts    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Large type books    9. Scientists - Astronauts    10. Scientists - General    11. United States    12. Fiction   

Editorial Review

Millions have read Maya Angelou's national bestseller Read more

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Americans do not know how good they have it
I was born and raised in India on the wrong side of the caste system. I worked hard to become educated and to come to America. Perhaps in the 1960s, America was not as fair as it is now, but it was still better than anywhere else. I find books like this, where people whine about the amount of melanin in their skin, offensive. Angelou comments often about how much she hates white people. This is stupid and it shows how uneducated she still is.
The World Seen Through a Glass, Darkly
THE HEART OF A WOMAN continues Angelou's autobiographical series that begins with I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS and continues with GATHER TOGETHER IN MY NAME and SINGIN' & SWINGIN' & GETTIN' MERRY LIKE CHRISTMAS.It is the fourth "installment" in this series, and, while it is an interesting recounting of Angelou's life into the decade of the 1960's, it will be more instructive for the reader who has followed the series of books in their chronological order.
"The old ark's a-moverin', moverin' along."
For Maya Angelou, this line from an ancient spiritual epitomizes the civil rights struggle in 1957, a struggle in which she was intimately involved on many levels.Continuing the autobiography she started with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she reveals her personal life from 1957 - 1965, drawing the reader into the individual, human costs of segregation and detailing her passion and commitment to end it.It is her additional commitment to the welfare of her son, however, and her determination that he will become a man of honesty and principle that unite the several sections of this book and give it heart.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Authors, American    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Entertainers    7. General    8. Large type books    9. Literature - Classics / Criticism    10. United States    11. Women    12. Angelou, Maya    13. Biography: general    14. Poetry & poets: from c 1900 -   

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A Great Read!
Her life and her stories are so interesting and the way she tells them makes you almost hear her voice while reading the words. Her phrasing is almost like stream of consciousness (not like Virginia Woolf-stream of consciousness, just very fragment-y, incorrect grammar, etc.) I got the feeling that what she allows the reader to learn about is only a small fraction of what she really knows and has experienced in her life, not to mention that the stories are more than likely a little one-sided at times, as if the other person in the story, if you could talk to them, would have a completely different version of the same event. But that's part of the attraction of the book for me.
You could hear her voice!
Katharine Hepburn was an amazing American actress and icon. Although you wouldn't think so reading this book, Kate doesn't think of what she does as anything to be ashamed of or boast about. I could still see her in the documentary after this book came out. She said Oscars are nice but they won't garden for you or something like that. She was a remarkable human being. I just have one criticism. She left out the Golden Pond but she also left a very nice page to her devoted platonic secretary, personal assistant and companion, Phyllis. I thought it was so touching that she wrote something so nice about her. It can kind of gives you goosebumps to the amazing person that she was. Sadly, she discovered her brother's dead body from a suicide. Her struggles as an actress and her relationship with the love of her life, Spencer Tracy, is also there for the audience. She clearly loved him so much and yet, they could teach today's celebrities a thing or two about being discreet but they were truly movie stars and gifted actors beyond my comprehension. Katharine, we miss you and this book provides us some of your voice.

A great book according to Homer Simpson
One of Homer Simpson's favorite books, along with TV Guide and Son of Sniglet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Actors, American    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    7. Large Print    8. Large type books    9. Motion picture actors and actresses    10. United States    11. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts   

Editorial Review

Lou Gehrig started his professional baseball career at a time when players began to be seen as national celebrities. Though this suited charismatic men such as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, Gehrig avoided the spotlight and preferred to speak with his bat. Best known for playing in 2,130 consecutive games as well as his courage in battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a disease that now bears his name), the Iron Horse that emerges from this book is surprisingly naïve and insecure. He would cry in the clubhouse after disappointing performances, was painfully shy around women (much to the amusement of some of his teammates), and particularly devoted to his German-immigrant mother all his life. Even after earning the league MVP award he still feared the Yankees would let him go. Against the advice of Ruth and others, he refused to negotiate aggressively and so earned less than he deserved for many seasons. Honest, humble, and notoriously frugal, his only vices were chewing gum and the occasional cigarette. And despite becoming one of the finest first basemen of all time, Jonathan Eig shows how Gehrig never seemed to conquer his self-doubt, only to manage it better. Read more

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A Gentlemanly Hero
Even though it's 70 years after Lou Gehrig ran the bases, Mr. Eig has crafted a masterpiece that brings this athlete to life before our eyes. We see his rise to stardom as a quiet hero, and we see his hearbreaking descent into the physical hell of ALS.Everyone knows how this book will end, but even so, the final act will leave you weeping.
I'm 14, so call me a kid if you want
This book was the best biography I have ever read. I absolutely hate the Yankees with all my heart, but this book makes you love the Yankees a little bit more. Eig gave a good balance of personal life and baseball life where he excelled in both. The only complaint I have is that the 2-3 chapters of ALS coverage was really boring. All the letters to read were a pain and I just wanted to get done with it, but don't be discouraged to read it because everything else is flawless.

Triple Crown Winner!
Having read a number of biographies about Lou Gehrig, I was looking forward to reading this one and I was not disappointed.Mr. Eig gives us insight into the childhood of Gehrig, along with the domineering role that his mother played in his life.As he begins his professional career, we are privy to the insecurity that he experienced, even in times of success.In addition, we see the conflicted Lou when he marries and it causes problems with his mother. Finally we watch as A.L.S. chokes the life out of a strong and courageous man.This in an awesome and insightful work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1903-1941    2. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis    3. Baseball - General    4. Baseball - History    5. Baseball players    6. Biography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Gehrig, Lou,    9. General    10. Patients    11. Sports    12. Sports & Recreation    13. Sports - Baseball    14. United States    15. Fiction   

Editorial Review

When the editors of the Read more

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Intriguing!
This book is great in that it's both a very personal story about Minor (the "madman") and Murray (the "professor") but also about what went into making the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). For the most part, I was more interested in the latter because of the detail and, surprisingly, community that went into creating The Dictionary. It was certainly not the work of a few posh men sitting in an attic; rather, the entire nation (as well as the United States) were involved in scouring works in the English language to contribute samples to go in the OED. That to me was the most fascinating part.
And you thought dictionaries were boring!
Winchester takes an academic subject and makes it read like a Victorian thriller.He weaves together the lives of two strange and complex men to tell a story that has touched the entire English speaking world-- the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary: THE authority on the progression of the English language over the past millenium.If you love history, language, literature, and tragedies this is a book for you.Beware, this book will make you want to run out and buy your own OED -- well, a full set will run you at least $1000!There are compact and CD-ROM versions available for under $200.I guess I'll just add it to my amazon wish list and hope....

An excellent story excellently told
Some readers, I know, dislike Simon Winchester's conversational, discursive, sometimes off-on-a-tangent narrative style, but I for one find it richly rewarding. I first discovered it in "Krakatoa," his book about that Indonesian volcano where it's even more in evidence than it is in this title. But even here, reading Winchester is like settling into a chair, or around a fire, to listen to a talented storyteller weave an entrancing tale. If your taste in history runs to deliberate, just-the-facts reportage, then Simon Winchester probably isn't for you. But if you're willing to trust the author and follow where he's leading you, I predict you'll find reading "The Professor and the Madman" a most satisfying experience.