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An Interesting and Enjoyable Read.
I found this book rather absorbing. I have admired Guinnesses work for years and this book let me glimpse a little the man behind all the characters.
A fine actor admires the twilight
Where BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE and A POSITIVELY FINAL APPEARANCE are more organized as memoirs, this is simply a sequence of diary entries prepared for publication.They show a great actor, the dean of Ealing comedies and (to his chagrin) the great Jedi Master, admiring the twilight in his retirement.This is a gentlemanly, sensitive, yet vibrantly witty writer who once described heaven as sitting with one or two friends, sharing a drink and savoring the silence.There are no peekaboo stories about celebrities or iconoclastic commentaries on the state of the world; just an appreciation for an interesting life well-lived, deliciously and intimately inscribed for us in these daily entries. This Will Only Interest the Most Dedicated Fans.
"My Name Escapes Me" is a book of actor Sir Alec Guinness' personal diary entries from January 1995 to June 1996, which he wrote with publication in mind. I have to give Sir Alec credit: His diary is not as tedious as most people's would be. His writing has a nice pace, and the book is mercifully short. But there simply isn't anything interesting about it. Sir Alec was 82 years old and retired when he wrote this diary. He spent most of his time relaxing at his country home. If he were working, he might have had more interesting anecdotes to relate or perhaps some insight into the process of putting on a play or making a movie to share. But it takes a more talented writer to make something interesting out of the mundane. Sir Alec mentions music that he likes, plays that he sees, books that he reads, art in various forms, but he never expounds on these subjects, so we don't learn anything about the subjects or about him. He doesn't seem to be an opinionated person. Opinions, however trying, might make for better reading. All in all, "My Name Escapes Me" gives the impression of a man of moderate writing talent and moderate intelligence. It's really too bad that no publisher asked Alec Guinness to write a diary for publication earlier in his life. His style is both literate and easy-going. If it had been applied to the life of a working actor, an insightful and highly readable book might have resulted. But as it is, I think only obsessively curious fans of Alec Guinness will find anything of interest in "My Name Escapes Me". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Actors    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Diaries    5. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    7. Great Britain    8. Historical - British    9. Large Print    10. Large type books    11. Guinness, Alec   

Editorial Review

Inspired by Werner von Braun and his Cape Canaveral team, 14-year-old Homer Hickam decided in 1957 to build his own rockets. They were his ticket out of Coalwood, West Virginia, a mining town that everyone knew was dying--everyone except Sonny's father, the mine superintendent and a company man so dedicated that his family rarely saw him. Hickam's smart, iconoclastic mother wanted her son to become something more than a miner and, along with a female science teacher, encouraged the efforts of his grandiosely named Big Creek Missile Agency. He grew up to be a NASA engineer and his memoir of the bumpy ride toward a gold medal at the National Science Fair in 1960--an unprecedented honor for a miner's kid--is rich in humor as well as warm sentiment. Hickam vividly evokes a world of close communal ties in which a storekeeper who sold him saltpeter warned, "Listen, rocket boy. This stuff can blow you to kingdom come." Hickam is candid about the deep disagreements and tensions in his parents' marriage, even as he movingly depicts their quiet loyalty to each other. The portrait of his ultimately successful campaign to win his aloof father's respect is equally affecting. Read more

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The book is prodigious
I loved the movie, "October Sky." However, the book goes into more depth than the movie. The relationship between Homer and his parents is far more interesting than the movie's depiction. The book and the movie had the space race, the coming-of-age theme, science fair competition, and young love. The book is written very well. The characters come alive. The book is prodigious, to use one of the character's favorite adjectives.

Refreshing read
A really interesting and inspiring story, appropriate for people of all ages.You won't be able to put it down.

WOW!
Rocket Boys/October sky, by Homer H. Hickam (jr), tells about the writer's life when he was a teenager. Set in the mountains of West Virginia, this best-selling book truly expresses what it is like to be traped. Whith its twisting plots and great writing I don't thing anybody wouldn't love this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1943-    2. Aeronautics & Astronautics    3. Aerospace engineers    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Hickam, Homer H.,    9. Historical - U.S.    10. Large type books    11. Scientists - General    12. United States    13. Hickam, Homer H   

Editorial Review

General Powell may have undertaken this book as a form of paid political test marketing, but it turns out to be a success of an altogether different kind. We don't learn from this book if Powell is presidential material, but his recounting of the various steps of his career give us an unrivaled view of the ins and outs of military bureaucracy and shows how the modern American military, with its consistent emphasis on can-do attitudes and actual results, is a much more congenial place for realizing one's talents than our still-alarmingly pigeonholing general society. ... Read more

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thought for the day
I read this sometime after Powell had already become Secretary of State, but before 9/11. At the time I read the book, I thought differently about politics than I do now, and this book had a subtle, but important effect on that change in perspective. It was among the factors that served a deepening in me. I have become less reactive and superficial when it comes to politics. That deepening was served not so much by virtue of what Powell says in this book -- although he does make a number of concrete points which were enlightening to me. It was more as a result of the fact that although he must have written it because he was toying with a bid for the presidency, I sense that he represents himself here pretty faithfully. I could therefore incorporate that feeling about him into my understanding of subsequent events.
There must be something about Colin Powell...
There must be something about Colin Powell. All through his career his superiors continually sought him out; and wherever he worked they always wanted him back.
Inspirational book
I enjoyed reading "My American Journey" and was thrilled that Colin Powell wrote an excellent, candid and honest autobiography and resisted the temptation to be self-serving. General Colin Powell achieved his remarkable success through merit and despite the various obstacles (which he saw as challenges) such as racism that could have thwarted lessor people.
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Subjects:  1. African American generals    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Generals    7. Military    8. Powell, Colin L    9. Reference    10. United States    11. Biography & Autobiography / Military   

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The Great Correspondent
All the letters published in this wonderful book were handwritten by President Reagan, typed by secretaries and mailed to the correspondents. The correspondence includes letters to private citizens, famous and obscure lifelong friends, and heads of state. They reveal a noble spirit, a kind and decent man who took a personal interest in the lives of ordinary people.
Deep in the heart of Ronald "Dutch" Reagan lived a
truly warm and wonderful person and this book captures so much of his character! Only a sampling of the thousands of hand-written letters composed during his eight years as president; these documents give us an insight not only to a President and the issues of the times; but also an insight to the very human side of this remarkable man.
Insight into the Character of Reagan from his own Words
It turns out that Ronald Reagan, often derided for intellectual shortcomings, was a vociferous letter writer throughout his eight years in the White House.This collection pulls together in a single book, many of the letters he wrote on all varieties of subjects and to all manners of persons.There are letters to supporters, letters to opponents, letters to world leaders and letters to Americans who wrote either in support or critically.Most incredibly, there are letters Reagan wrote to a child with whom he maintained a "pen pal" correspondence throughout his time in Washington.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Correspondence    5. Government - U.S. Government    6. Large type books    7. Letters    8. Politics and government    9. Presidents    10. Presidents & Heads of State    11. Reagan, Ronald    12. United States    13. Fiction   

Editorial Review

"Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood," writes Frank McCourt in Read more

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a great account
After seeing howmany reviews "Angela's Ashes" have, I was hesitating if I should add my own. At the end, I decided to do so, without reading the other reviews. Maybe I will repeat things already said, but I wanted to express my opinion because this book deserves all the good words it gets.
IT'S A GOOD BOOK!
I have read many books, but I have never cried reading a book. This book is very sad and goes right to the heart. I could not put this book down. I wish that it never ended. I laughed at some moments and I cried. This has to be one of my favorite books. I dont have a top ten list yet but when I have one I know that this book will be in it. I recommand everyone reading this book.
Wow...
Angela's Ashes
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Ethnic Cultures - General    4. Fiction    5. Genealogy    6. Historical - General    7. Ireland    8. Irish Americans    9. Large type books    10. Limerick (Limerick)    11. Family    12. McCourt family    13. McCourt, Frank   

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Bette In Her Own Words...
I happened upon this book quite by accident. While impatiently waiting for one of my libraries to have 'The Girl Who Walked Home Alone' (the new Bette Davis Bio) available, I found this book, and figured, what the heck, maybe this would hold me over till I could get the new one. Well, it was much better than I expected! It was Bette telling her own stories in her own words, to her good friend and author Whitney Stine.
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Subjects:  1. 1908-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Davis, Bette,    5. General    6. Large Print    7. Large type books    8. Motion picture actors and actr    9. Motion picture actors and actresses    10. United States    11. Davis, Bette   

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An Interesting Tale of Aviation Service in the Pacific
Since I first read this book back when it first was published in 1988 by the Naval Institute Press, this review is not based on immediate memory. Read more

Subjects:  1. Aerial operations, American    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Campaigns    4. General    5. Hynes, Samuel Lynn    6. Large Print    7. Pacific Area    8. Personal narratives, American    9. World War, 1939-1945   

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Little more to add
I have little more to add to the reviewers below.Unfortunately, Mr. McMahon (whom I loved along with Johnny and Doc and Skitch before him) has little more to say than even casual fans of the Carson annniversary shows would already know, but stretched that little out into a book.It is a fastand empty read.I know there are people in the world who think Johnny Carson was not human and did not have a persona except what we saw on the tube or on stage, but surely McMahon doesn't think there were more than two or three.Anyone who saw the last week of Carson's shows must know that this was a complicated man McMahon was dealing with as his subject, but outside of telling us Carson was a complicated man, McMahon never helps us to understand him.Instead, from McMahon's anecdotes, they just sound like frat brothers who have never matured past the age of 21.I was shocked to find out that McMahon admits he had not seen Carson for over a year before he died.These hardly sound like bosom buddies, andthe lack of depth of understanding of Carson outside the show (there are a few asides in which Carson admits to anxiety but not much more) is a gaping hole in the narrative.Aside from the photos, one other positive.For those who, like me, were particular fans of Carnac, there are two pages of the best jokes from that series of sketches.I was pleased to read that Ed's favorite Carnac joke was mine too.Regrettably, I can 't recommend doing anything more with this book than looking those two pages up in your local public library in a corner where you can have a good laugh without disturbing other readers while imagining Ed and Johnny delivering those jokes as only they could.

Jumped Backwards and Forwards... All Around.....
I loved Johnny Carson, as did everyone.I have nothing against Ed McMahon and thouht he was wonderful on the Tonight Show.But, this book was a big let down for me.
Ed's Second Go Round
Ed McMahon was Johnny Carson's second banana on the Tonight Show duringthe years of the late 1960s thru the1990s.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Television Personalities    7. Large type books    8. McMahon, Ed    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Television personalities    11. United States   

Editorial Review

The sequel to Frank McCourt's memoir of his Irish Catholic boyhood, Read more

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'TIS A GRAND BOOK, !
Poignant,intense, exciting, gutwrenching yet heart warming are the scenes, actions and memories described inthis continuation of an indepth look at the the trials, tribulations and successes of FrankMc Court and his family. As you read it,you "are there" in New York, in Ireland, -at Mam's almost reunion with Frank's father, - in the army with Frank in Europe, - in church,- in the boarding house which provided meager temporary shelter, - in the countless dull mind-numbing jobs he had beforebecoming a teacher,- in the classroom trying to inspire lethargicstudents.With wit, and a lot ofmischievious charm, author Mc Court escorts us through his romantic liasons, marriage and birth of his daughter, -his brothers arrival and existence in New York,- his own "coming of age in America" as he matures, -and the death of his beloved mother, Angela, (Mam).
THE CONTINUING MEMOIR, BY THE AUTHOR OF ANGELA'S ASHES
Frank McCourt has a flowing, gifted writing style that is all his own. This, the second in his memoirs, tells the chapter of his life where he leaves Ireland for a life in America.How one can endure his hardships and still keep a witty sense of humour is nothing short of amazing.Low paying jobs, racial criticism, and scorn await McCourt upon his arrival.
Dissapointing but with a few gems
I felt that he was trying to gain sympathy for his situation unlike the frankness of Angelas Ashes. I was dissapointed with this sequal. He was brave to tell the truth of his situation, however he must have cringed upon reflection of his early life. He does use humor throughout the book and that makes it more bearable to read. I felt like slapping him rather than giving him a hug at the end of this second book. He does tell the truth, to his credit, and doesn't candy coat anything, a continuation of the first book in the context of style. Would recommend this to an older audience, because of the content matter. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Emigration & Immigration    6. Ethnic Cultures - General    7. Irish Americans    8. Literary    9. McCourt, Frank    10. New York (N.Y.)    11. Biography & Autobiography / Literary   

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An American Icon
Michael Munn's "John Wayne:The Man Behind the Myth" (2003) presents the life of one of America's greatest 20th century icons.This 386-page hardback is comfortably researched with 17 pages of filmography (describing, briefly, each John Wayne film), 5 pages of sources, and a two page annotated bibliography.
A personal look at John "the Duke" Wayne, American film legend
British journalist Michael Munn does a good job at delving into the core of a remarkable man, the motion picture legend we call "the Duke."Some people have criticized John Wayne over the years for not acting, but Wayne carefully crafted and honed his Duke persona to give his audiences something they could take with them, especially during the grim days of World War II.Wayne wanted to enlist, but he was a man of his word and under contract.Instead, he boosted morale through his films.
He deserves better than this
When is someone going to come out with a satisfactory biography of America's greatest star?It used to be that people scoffed at John Wayne's acting, but in recent years the circle has come around and i think we all know he wasn't a bad actor but an incandescent performer with infinite gobs of star quality radiating all around him like shooting stars.And yet the biographies of him lack his moral depth and complexity.Invariably they are written by people like Michael Munn, an okay journalist but a man with too many irons in the fire (18 previous books, including lives of Gene Hackman and Sharon Stone) to afford himself the luxury of time--the precious time it would take to write a first-class biography of this great, iconic presence.Munn has interviewed a lot of people, all of whom sound pretty much the same in his chatty transcriptions, and he has gotten close to many who were close to the Duke, and the book is readable enough, but it doesn't come close to conveying what happens to an audience when they sit through a John Wayne picture, the intense identification and mythologizing of his screen character as it moves from frame to frame, decade to decade.Munn also in British and gives Wayne through the Britishtabloid lens, when as we know Wayne was American as apple pie.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    5. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    6. Fiction   

Editorial Review

As Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command from July 2000 through July 2003, Tommy Franks led the American and Coalition forces to victory in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Unsurprisingly, the portions of Read more

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Boring Book about a great Soldier
I admire General Franks. As a Soldier, I feel and always felt as if he cared about us personally. That attitude is lacking a bit since his departure from service. That being said, this book is ok; but really does nothing to describe the man. On the other hand, can any book really do justice over actually sitting and talking with them personally.
A Clear Explanation of the Rightwing Worldview
This book gives a solid picture of the intellectual worldview of supporters of President Bush's policies.I give this book high marks for that because it helped me understand the reasoning behind viewpoints that I totally disagree with.
Everyone's a critic
Soldiers, especially generals, often find themselves second-guessed. These days, these armchair generals (I'm the first to admit I'm one of them, albeit a (hopefully) objective one) pick apart every decision a particular general makes, in an attempt to prove that, if no one else had been available, *they* could have done a better job. Tommy Franks, commander of CENTCOM during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has become the latest version of this phenomenon, which has seemingly snowballed in recent years. No one ever dared dissect George Patton or Douglas MacArthur's maneuvers publicly during World War II. If anyone had, they'd have gone to jail...or better yet, Patton might have shot them with that pistol of his. Franks is from a different generation, though, so every decision he makes is under a microscope the minute it's known publicly.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Military    5. Biography & Autobiography / Military   

Editorial Review

At a time when overwritten biographies arguably provide too much information about their subjects, astronaut-turned-politician-turned-astronaut John Glenn's breezy memoir is welcome. His life story is simply told, not terribly reflective but enormously compelling: an Ohio boy grows up to become the first American to orbit the earth, takes a shot at the presidency but misses, and triumphantly returns to outer space as a senior citizen and national hero. Following a section on his youth, Glenn describes being a fighter pilot in the Second World War and Korea (where he lived in the same Quonset hut as baseball legend Ted Williams), as well as a test pilot. The highlight of the book is Project Mercury, the early NASA effort that hurled Glenn 150 miles above the planet in a tiny capsule--"flying from one day into the next and back again." In less than five hours, Glenn observed three sunsets and sunrises. He also conducted a few basic experiments, such as "squeezing some applesauce from a toothpaste-like tube into my mouth to see if weightlessness interfered with swallowing. It didn't." Read more

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A good read
* There is a great story to be told about John's life and this book does a decent, straightforward job.
Wish I Had Stopped 100 Pages From The End
A great story and I am glad that I read it.However,my admiration for Glenn would have been far higher had I stopped a hundred or so pages from the end.Getting reacquainted with Glen as a young man, Marine fighter pilot and then astronaut was to see the very best.In addition to all his accomplishments his relationship with his wife was a great tribute to those left behind.
A true pioneer of the space age..
After seeing "The Right Stuff" I became intrigued with the Mercury Seven astronauts and wanted to read everything I could about them and when I saw John Glenn's autobiography I immediately snatched it up and pored through the pages!What a great and exciting life John lived!Poring through the pages I hung on every word and lived his experiences vicariously as he described them...I can only imagine how he felt when he was picked to be one of the 7 Mercury astronauts...He was in a elite group that was beginning to embark on a major adventure into a new frontier...How exciting that must have been!John's book to me was better than the movie..He talks bout his childhood days and test pilot years and ends with a wonderful passage on flying back into space again at the ripe old age of 77..What an inspiring book!If you are looking for inspiration..pick this book up and read about ambition and hard work and focus ande see what all these things can do for your life!John...thanks for being a great role model! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronauts    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Historical - General    7. Historical - U.S.    8. Large type books    9. Legislators    10. Political    11. Scientists - Astronauts    12. United States    13. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Editorial Review

The same fierce pride and love that animated Read more

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An Appalachian Writer Stands in Awe of "Ava's Man"
Ever since Rick Bragg won the Pulitzer Price for "All Over but the Shoutin'", I've been waiting for him to strike another chord with my heart.But with "Ava's Man," he's done more than strum a collection of musical notes:He's played the entire song.In April, 2006, Dr. James Gifford of the Jesse Stuart Foundation recommended that I read "Ava's Man," that it was the kind of book he had always wanted to write himself.So, having respect for Dr. Gifford's opinion, I purchased a copy.What I found at the end of each sentence was the longing that I had been the one to create that sentence.I don't know when another author has affected me in such a manner as this, if ever.It has indeed captured my soul.Thank you Rick Bragg.I didn't think you could outdo "All Over but the Shoutin'," but you did, and seemingly, you did it with ease.
Ava's Man
Rick Bragg has a distintive voice that is always interesting. This work is I think his best. There is a paragraph about Ava clinging to her kerosene lantern that is simply sublime and by itself worth the price of the book.

Ordinary, flawed humans can be heroes too.
It misses the point to argue that Charlie was too flawed to be a hero.Of course he was flawed.He was dirt poor, uneducated, drank too much, fought too much, and had too little respect for the law.Yet despite all of these flaws, he lived a moral life--hewing to his own personal code of conduct with strength that we should all envy and emulate.
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Subjects:  1. 1929    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Bundrum, Charlie    7. Depressions    8. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Regional Subjects - South    11. Southern States    12. United States - 20th Century/Depression    13. United States - State & Local - General    14. Working class    15. Working class whites    16. Biography & Autobiography / General    17. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

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Fast paced, educating account of extreme mountaineering
Mr. Krakauer's account of the deadly trip to the top of Mt. Everest has a credibility to the story that many other action filled, non-fiction works have.Due mostly to the fact that Mr. Krakauer was a reporter who was there, a member of a team who witnessed the way the disaster unfolded in one of the most unforgiving environments in the world.His book is a chronicle of the things that went wrong with the expedition, things that were red-flags to those there but were not heeded.Some of the book deals with the commercialization of Everest, where if you have the money, you can find a guide that will risk your life, his life and others lives to get you to the top.Some of those who died were Everest guides, people who knew the signs of things going wrong, yet they still made the fateful decision of pressing on for the summit.Part of the book, about Beck Weathers is amazing and does give some hope to the extents and abuse the human body can take with a certain frame of mind.Albeit, it cost him his hands and part of his face, the fact that he survived is amazing none-the-less.
Read "The Climb," too...
I give "Above Thin Air" 5 stars because it is a magnificently written work about Everest, but Krakauer's venom towards Anatoli Boukreev was and is inexplicable when the facts of that night are laid bare.
Non-Fiction at Its Best
I couldn't put this book down. To be honest with you, I rarely enjoy non-fiction, yet the way with which Krakauer creates tension - something that most likely is not that difficult as Everest on its own is a formidable place - is as effective as some of the best fiction writers out there. I was also impressed with how he was able to situate the expedition and the characters involved within the rich tradition of Everest mountaineering. His descriptions of Hall and Fischer are remarkable and he has immortalized them for the general public as they have been immortalized with climbers for years. I also like the way with which Krakauer is honest about what he is and is not sure about concerning his account. Being above 26,000 ft. makes it very difficult to be sure of what took place. Overall, I was quite impresed with this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Everest, Mount (China and Nepal)    4. Large type books    5. Mountaineering    6. Mountaineering accidents    7. Mountaineering expeditions    8. Specific Groups - General    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Sports - General    12. Krakauer, Jon   

Editorial Review

Like many Christians, Philip Yancey has often felt kicked around, abused, anddamaged by the institutional church. And like many Christians, he has found solace inreading about and getting to know some extraordinary individual believers. He profiles13 of those believers in