Reviews (3)

The Inside Story
Ok, if you are a die-hard Democrat, this one is definitely not for you.But if you are a fan of 41, or at least want to experience a real inside the whitehouse look at the life and times of an American president, then check this out and you won't be disappointed.I liked it because I like the man.I've met him and he was very nice.(See my picture with GHWB in 'customer images' above).

The Real George Bush Sr.
I just finished the book and enjoyed it. I have always had great respect for George Bush Sr. and I think Doro did a good job of bringing to light his kind, respectful ways. I really think history will judge him well. However, most of the book were things I have already read but at the same time, I enjoyed reading what it was like growing up with him as a father.

Loving tribute to a father
Whatever your politics-you will enjoy the story that Doro Bush Kich has written about her father. It is a story written about a father who is truly loved and admired by his daughter.I enjoyed the ancedotes about growing up in a famous family and how the lessons that President George H.W. Bush learned from his wonderful mother stayed with him throughout his life.She always told him to be humble and think of others.From the ancedotes in the book-he took those lessons to heart. There are several examples of his kindness and thoughtfulness sprinkled throughout the book-many are well known stories and some haven't been heard before. There are good times and bad recounted in this book (as in all family stories).Mrs. Bush Koch lists all the people in the back of the book who have been quoted, told her stories and written her letters about her dad-they come from both sides of the aisle.This is a great addition to my library of presidential biographies. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Children of presidents    6. Daughters    7. Historical - U.S.    8. Presidents    9. Presidents & Heads of State    10. U.S. History - 20th Century (General)    11. U.S. President    12. United States    13. 21st century    14. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    15. Biography & Autobiography / General    16. USA   

Editorial Review

The life and times of Abraham Lincoln have been analyzed and dissected in countless books. Do we need another Lincoln biography? In Read more

Reviews (204)

The Power of Patience
Lincoln has been the focus of seemingly endless analysis, yet Doris Kearns Goodwin offers a fresh and illuminating perspective.By focusing on the men around the president, Goodwin portrays Lincoln as a remarkable judge of human character, a consummate conciliator, and a man of remarkable wit.Goodwin obviously writes well, although her spotlight on so many players does confuse the reader a bit.She is a talented historian, and this is another solid piece of work.

Lincoln's strength in humility
Although at first I did not understand why writing about Lincoln's cabinet members was going to be revealing about Lincoln himself, I found myself pleasantly surprised.
WHEN THE MEN AND THE MOMENT MET
During this election cycle of 2006 I have been asking myself a question. When was the last time leftist could have unambiguously supported a Republican or Democratic Party candidate. As indicate below the clear choice is the Lincoln-Johnson ticket in 1864. By a happy coincidence Doris Kearn Goodwin's book under review here provides more than enough ammunition to confirm that opinion. Normally, my concerns as a fighter for socialism and hers as a fawning devotee of the New Deal, Fair Deal and New Frontier eras of the Democratic Party are miles apart. Here we can, at least for this moment, agree that Lincoln, as a man and politician was worthy of support by militants and those not so militant. Make no mistake Lincoln and his compatriots were big men who confronted big tasks. And did it. Underlining Goodwin's thesis is a belief that what passes for today's Republican leaders pale in contrast. Again we agree. Here's why.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Case studies    6. General    7. Genius    8. Historical - U.S.    9. Political    10. Political leadership    11. Presidents    12. Presidents & Heads of State    13. U.S. Political History    14. U.S. President    15. United States    16. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (6)

Now I understand the private Hepburn
I could never understand why Kate Hepburn would be so in love with a weak, drunk like Tracy. I never thought he could act.He just played his bully self again and again. It never made sense what was his deep guilt that made him drink.Now we know he drank because he was gay and could not cope.Very detailed when and with whom by the author.Explains how their relationship fit both their needs.At least 100 pages of footnotes, names, names.
A great, enjoyable read and a must have for Kate collections!
The first thing I look for in any book is a great storytelling style; one that makes me want to turn the pages and leaves me happy that I bought the book. William Mann's story of Katherine Hepburn is certainly that kind of read. Enjoyable, witty and well researched. Never stiff or boring, he asks the questions that other bios have seemed to tip-toe around. What exactly were Ms Heburn's relationships like and with whom? There are tidbits of Kate's childhood that I found fascinating as well as tales of that old-guard Hollywood machine we know as the "Golden Age".
The Private Affairs and Staunchly Maintained Public Persona of Kate the Great
That Katharine Hepburn was consciously defining and redefining her feisty, self-reliant persona for the purposes of public endearment and career longevity would seem to be an understatement, according to film historian William J. Mann's new biography of the legendary actress. The contrast between this specifically deliberate image and her private self, in particular, her love life, is the focus of the book. However, instead of the expected gossipy, posthumous dismantling of Hepburn, the author takes a more sobering look at what motivated her to maintain this dichotomy throughout her life.
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Subjects:  1. 1907-2003    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    8. Hepburn, Katharine,    9. Motion picture actors and actresses    10. United States    11. Women    12. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (4)

terrific look at Marie Antoinette through her fashion
This is a terrific look at Marie Antoinette through the fashion she wore that defied French society over the objections of the aristocracy yet set trends with these same nay-sayers imitating or parodying the monarch while the hookers and madams copied her.The premise of Caroline Weber's fashionable biography is that the doomed queen was her own person from the time at fourteen she first sat on the throne to her last dance with Madam Guillotine.This book is well written and fascinating and fans of the French Revolution era will be enthralled by the detailed accounts especially the haunting all in white final ride to the execution as the author uses the clothing to symbolize the extravagance and ruin of a regime.With a salute to Arnold's Clothing Theory, Caroline Weber provides a fresh look at this violent period through the wardrobe of its most representative figure.
a tour-de-force!
I am glad that Carrie Weber's fascinating book "Queen of Fashion" is making a headway into American and Canadian popular culture to counteract some of the false information that will undoubtedly be generated by the Coppola film. No, Marie-Antoinette was not an empty-headedteenage spendthrift just trying to have fun. There was a method to her "madness." In spite of her joie-de-vivre, she was a Habsburg, and the Habsburgs always knew how to wield power. Weber, through anecdotes and vivid descriptions shows how the ill-fated queen used costume throughout her life to make a statement, which ultimately shaped her destiny. She dressed stylishly as only former courtesans had dressed to show that she and no other was her husband's mistress.An excellent book!

Sartorial savoir-faire
"Queen of Fashion" is a stylish and engaging tour de force that offers a truly original perspective on the life of France's ill-fated queen. In her absorbing and rigorously researched account of Marie Antoinette's life, Weber convincingly shows that the history of the queen's wardrobe and the court politics at Versailles are inextricably interwoven threads of French history. The stylish essence of this book is its ability to communicate the complexity of the period's politics with an accessibility and elegance that will appeal to a broad range of readers. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of fashion or France. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1755-1793    2. 18th century    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Clothing    5. Courts and courtiers    6. Europe - France    7. Fashion    8. France    9. Historical - General    10. History    11. History: World    12. Marie Antoinette,    13. Queen, consort of Louis XVI, King of France,    14. Royalty    15. History / France   

Editorial Review

In the past, Antonia Fraser's bestselling histories and biographies have focused on people and events in her native England, from Read more

Reviews (67)

Great Read
This book was wonderful to read!! I even read it a second time a few weeks later, excellent!

best biography I have read
wonderful work of history, takes the reader beyond the myth and caricature of Marie Antoinette, to reveal a complex, very interesting queen. Not a dull moment in the book.

Another soap opera
There is no doubt that Antonia Fraser's "The Journey" is written in the author's usual wry, witty and highly engaging style (although I must say that I never before heard of sex described as "lugubrious.") There is also no doubt that Fraser has done a great deal to redeem Marie-Antoinette's shredded reputation by accurately describing her as being compassionate to the hardships of the French people. The book is full of vivid detail which makes it very readable. However, I was disappointed to see that Fraser resorts to many popular misconceptions. For one thing, why does Fraser act like Marie Antoinette was the only princess to be sent away from home as a teenager to seal a dynastic marriage? What about Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst (Catherine the Great) who was also a young stranger in a foreign land? This sort of thing happened all the time - it was what being a princess was all about. I was glad that Fraser did not fall into the myth of Louis XVI's impotence/ phimosis and surgery and all that. She simplistically portrays him as being asexual, which was not true, because he told his aunt after consummating his marriage that he enjoyed "it." But never has any other biographer subjected the reader to the spectacle of Fersen and the queen fiddling withprimitive prophylactics while consummating their grand passion. I must say, it is a first. Fraser insists that Marie Antoinette slept with Fersen for many years and yet gives no solid proof, while at the same time maintaining that she was a woman of high moral character. I usually do not think of a woman who is shared by both a lover and a husband as having a high moral character, but I guess Fraser does. Oh, well. It is such romantic fantasies that turn this book into more of a soap opera than a serious biography. I found it absurd when Fraser insists that the tormented queen of France was ultimately a martyr for the cause of the socialism and democracy which the French people now enjoy. If the queen had had her way, her descendant would be reigning today, and that is just the reality of it. For a better study of Marie Antoinette's relationship with her husband, I would recommend Vincent Cronin's "Louis and Antoinette." As for better biographies of the queen, let me join some fellow reviewers in the hope that the works of Delorme and Bertieres will soon be available in English. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1755-1793    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. France    7. Historical - General    8. Marie Antoinette,    9. Queen, consort of Louis XVI, King of France,    10. Queens    11. Women    12. Biography & Autobiography / General    13. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (3)

Graceful and Often Affecting
Donald Spoto's new biography of Audrey Hepburn will please those who wish to gain a fuller understanding of Ms. Hepburn's private life and rise to stardom.
Enchanting!!!
I am very impressed with Donald Spoto's review of Audrey Hepburn. Reading Mr. Spoto's biography of Audrey Hepburn shows a huministic side of the actress and woman the world loved and adored. This book is a wonderful addition to Sean Ferrer's book and Barry Paris's book. I am sure anyone that buys this book will enjoy it as much as I do.

Hepburn's Life and Career Skillfully Examined With Sympathy and Offers Some Surprises
There are already a number of posthumous biographies of the fabled star on the market, the most notable being her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer's loving 2003 memoir, "Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit: A Son Remembers". Author Donald Spoto adds another one, a respectful portrait that may lack the personal detail Ferrer provides but at the same time, allows enough distance from the subject to be a bit more objective. In 1983, Spoto wrote a fascinating profile of Alfred Hitchcock where the legendary filmmaker came across as a repressed, twisted individual whose outlet was the terror he could instill in his films. This time, he etches an in-depth portrait of a woman whose vulnerability, personal insecurity, and innate love of family endeared her to all those exposed to her - Hepburn's inner circle, friends, colleagues, lovers and ultimately the world.
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Subjects:  1. 1929-1993    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Entertainment & Performing Arts - Actors & Actresses    8. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    9. Hepburn, Audrey,    10. Individual Movie Actors And Actresses    11. Motion picture actors and actresses    12. United States    13. Women    14. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts   

Reviews (16)

Nothing new here - move along
It is shameful that "Best Friend" Billy Noonan felt the need to dish about John Kennedy and his family.We all know that John valued his privacy and one would think that he would be horrified at this betrayal.
Boring, Screams, "I'M THE REAL BEST FRIEND", and Poorly Written
Carol Radziwill's book was a tribute to her husband, and wonderfully and warmly written.The mentions of John and Carolyn were in context of their relationship, and truly showed their personalities.The retelling of John singing a boyhood song to Anthony brought tears to my eyes.
Poignant and Humorous Story of Friendship
The author does summon up a particular demographic (affluent Irish-Catholic third-generation young men in the Boston/Hyannis/Cape Cod area) and epoch (those coming-of-age between the mid-70s and 1990s) in this tale of friendship set against a larger backdrop with regard to the identity of one of the friends and, of course, the ultlimate tragedy that overtakes them.Noonan is generous with the details and challenges in his own life, from testicular cancer (and apparently a recurrence a year ago made him all the more intent on sharing his own story with readers) to the loss of his own father to personal flounderings with regard to college and overall life-direction. Naysayers who regard this story as an "invasion of privacy" overlook the fact that this tale is an intensely personal one and that it is the privelege of a writer to share as he pleases. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Celebrities    6. Children of presidents    7. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    8. Historical - U.S.    9. Noonan, William Sylvester    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Publishing Industry And Trade    12. Rich & Famous    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (53)

Great leaders inspire others to lead
This book does a great job of focusing on Lincoln's leadership traits without get sidetracked on other aspects of Lincoln's life and times.This focus on leadership traits, combined with the relative short length of the book (about 170 pages) and the author's compelling writing style, make it a quick and delightful read.
A New Appreciation for Lincoln
After reading this book, I have developed an entirely new appreciation for Abraham Lincoln.While always believing him to be one of the greatest leaders of the country, I never really grasped why he was a great leader until now.Phillips does a superb job here of gleaning Lincoln's leadership principles from the many details available regarding the 16th president's life.
An interesting and helpful read!
Before my review, let's have a quick reference of it per chapters/principles delivered by the author.
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Subjects:  1. 1809-1865    2. Business & Economics    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Leadership    6. Lincoln, Abraham,    7. Political Process - Leadership    8. Political leadership    9. Politics / Current Events    10. United States    11. Views on political leadership    12. Biography: general    13. Business & Economics / Leadership    14. Business & Management    15. USA   

Reviews (3)

Poor Logic
Thomas Dilorenzo shines at misinformation in his new book.Among the lies he states is that it is not widely taught that the Civil War was not just about slavery but also for economic reasons.This is interesting to me as a history teacher, since any modern text, college, high school or grade school would have this information.
Lincoln Unmasked: Dishonest Abe. By Thomas Dilorenzo
A lot of research examines Abraham Lincoln and other origins of American National Socialism. Much of the work helps to explain the massive growth of government in these United States of America and the growing police state. More work needs to expose the influence of American National Socialism upon socialists worldwide, and upon the National Socialist German Workers' Party.
A Real Inconvenient Truth
I've already read DiLorenzo's The Real Lincoln; and I must say, this new book of his is far more trenchant in its libertarian exegesis of creepy "Father Abraham."Anyone interested in human freedom and dignity should get this book.Its a twelve-pound sledge of intellectual dynamite to evicerate the socialist propaganda of Eric 'Stalinikov Marx-o-holic' Foner with.
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Subjects:  1. 1809-1865    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Historical - U.S.    8. Lincoln, Abraham,    9. Presidents    10. Presidents & Heads of State    11. Public opinion    12. U.S. History - Civil War And Reconstruction (1860-1877)    13. United States    14. United States - Civil War    15. History / United States / General   

Reviews (1)

Yet Another Dose of Audrey This Time in a Meticulously Presented Scrapbook Format
With clips of her lithe figure spotlighted in the Gap's new ads for their skinny black pants (anachronistically accompanied by AC/DC's "Back in Black"), screen legend Audrey Hepburn continues to engender new fans with her unearthly gamine qualities and timeless sense of style. Two years ago, her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer penned a loving tribute filled with remembrances from colleagues and family friends (he also wrote the foreword to this book) , and celebrity biographer Donald Spoto just released a somewhat more objective but still fawning account of her life. This one falls securely into the same perspective, as it is a relatively pricey volume which takes a more souvenir scrapbook format complete with a stunning gallery of photos, many never before published, and most creatively, copies of personal mementos slipped into thirteen glassine envelopes inserted in the book.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    5. Individual Actors And Actresses    6. Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts   

Reviews (85)

A Hard Adventure
A Hard Adventure
Unbelievable!
Can you imagine an overweight, past-his-prime ex-president with lingering injuries today disappearing into an unexplored part of the world for many months, with mostly useless provisions, without any communication with the outside world, while the world wonders if he is dead or alive?The first part of the journey is a trek through a barren wasteland, with pack animals dying all around you.The second part is down a river that no has ever traversed.What is around the next bend?A village of Indians who have never seen a white person, who would rather pump you full of poison arrows than befriend you?A series of impassable rapids, only to be followed by more rapids?
Millard finds a hidden gem of a story and tells it wonderfully.
Reading this book makes you wonder how many great stories from the past we never get to hear because someone like Candice Millard doesn't find them and tell them.As you read this wonderful book, you realize how easy it would have been for this amazing adventure tale featuring one of the premier figures in US history to just slip unknown into the past.Fortunately for all of us, Millard found this story, polished it up and presented it to us for our enjoyment.
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Subjects:  1. 20th Century World History    2. Amazon River Valley    3. Biography    4. Discovery And Exploration (General)    5. Expeditions & Discoveries    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Latin America - South America    10. Modern - 20th Century    11. Natural history    12. Presidents    13. Presidents & Heads of State    14. Rain forests    15. United States    16. United States - 20th Century    17. History / General   

Editorial Review

The angry ranting of an obscure, small-party politician, the first volume of Read more

Reviews (138)

hitlers book
the reason ichose to recomend this book is because i belive it is the only one which tells the truth about nazi germany.its really not "racist propaganda" as the school systems would have you belive but an account of a man who loved his country so much,he tried to perfect it.its basicly just a philosophy book.remember ,hitlers allies in ww2 were a half black man ,mussolini and the japanese leader.so,if you want truth,read this book.if you want a bunch of tree huggin hippie bs,read any other book on the matter.this book was the most widely owned book in the world in its day.if you cant handle the truth,steer clear.if you want the german equivelant ofthomas paines's"common sense",then read it.

A Terrible Beginning Indeed
This is a very difficult book to read, not only because it is the product of the hateful and ignorant mind of a man that seized control of Germany and plunged the world into one of history's most devastating wars, resulting in the ethnic genocide of millions of Jews, Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals and others.
Putrid, but Important to Take a Look at
During the Nazi Era, this book was the most un-read bestseller in Europe.Lots of people purchased the volume, but very few took the time to read it.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Dictators    4. Europe - Germany    5. Fascism    6. Germany    7. Germany - History - Third Reich (1933-1945)    8. Historical - General    9. History    10. History & Theory - General    11. History: World    12. National socialism    13. Nationalsozialistische deutsch    14. Political    15. Politics and government    16. Biography & Autobiography / Historical   

Editorial Review

Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Robert "Buzz" Patterson was a military aide to President Clinton from May 1996 to May 1998 and one of five individuals entrusted with carrying the "nuclear football"—the bag containing the codes for launching nuclear weapons. This responsibility meant that he spent a considerable amount of time next to the president