Television Books

One would not think that a book on Marilyn Monroe by Gloria Steinem could be any good. However, this book is that and more. A picture book published in 1986, with photogrphS by George Baris, both the text and the pictures are quite good. That is a rare combination. The pictures were taken in summer, 1962 by George Barris and continue all through the book. These pictures were never shown in close to their entirety before, so that was the main reason for the existence of this book. The photographs, especially the beach ones, are some of the best ever taken of Marilyn, looking relaxed and very girlish in the last summer of her life. She does not look like she had any problems at all, much less the ones she had. The photographs did need a showcase, and this book is a more than adequate one.

The text is surpisingly good for something that was written expressly for a photo book. Usually, in those cases, the text is neither good nore relevant. Mariyln Monroe and Gloria Steinem are an unlikely combination, but that does not mean that it diod not work. It did-fabulously. Gloria Steinem does a insightful job oif writing about Marilyn's life, and who she was. Gloria Steinem, although the queen of feminists, is not overbearing here. Marilyn Monroe was no feminist, but Gloria Steinem recognizes that, and interprets Marilyn Monroe from a feminist viewpoint without going overboard. She could so easily have overdone things as Mailer did in his book. This is Marilyn in a different light, but one that suits her. The comments are enjoyable to someone who is not remotely intetested in anything feminist. This is a good book, not just a curiosity that raises eyebrows.

i loved this book "marilyn " because of the most beautiful pictures of marilyn, these pictures were the last pictures ever taken of marilyn and they show the real true beautiful person and that is norma jeane and the glamor beautiful star marilyn monroe. these pictures show two people one the shy , beautiful, loveable, true, norma jeane and the funny , glamor, beautiful, free, loving marilyn monroe, but it really shows the true norma jeane in these pictures. this book is for the marilyn fans like me, but i am more than a fan of marilyn's , marilyn is my idol my icon and she is real . i reccomened this book to whoever loves marilyn. this is a collectible. what i did not like about this book is the author gloria she says marilyn had killed herself, which i DO NOT BELIEVE , which i beleive is not true, but i ignored that , but the pictures are amazing.

This is a beautiful photo expose' of Marilyn just six short weeks of her tragic and untimely death. As the first reader/reviewer has stated, this book was written with references to the stars' sexual abuse and family history, which lead to her emotional problems dating from adolescence. Gloria Steinem wrote this work without any 'bias' to this movie legend. I found her writing to be sensitive and understanding throughout. George Barris' photographs are as beautiful and will forever be timeless images of this very remarkable screen star of the 20th century throughout the next millenium. This book should be considered a "must have" for the Monroe fan and collector.

Gloria Steinem explores Marilyn's life through an empathic and feminist perspective in one of my favorite Monroe biographies. Ms. Steinem respectfully addresses the Marilyn's life within the context of her era and retrospectively. She also addresses the impact of Marilyn's childhood sexual abuse and family history on her functioning. Marilyn would likely be proud of this intelligent, compassionate, historical and cultural treatment. I place this book in league with biographies by Carl Rollyson, Graham McCann and Fred Lawrence Guiles. Of course, the timeless photographic images by George Barris accompanying the brilliant text are refreshing, delightful and touching. Steinem truly strives to understand Marilyn, celebrate her strengths and re-evaluate her for our times. Marilyn seems "to speak" through Steinem's insights and in Barris' photographs.

Having recently read the axe-grinding Marilyn Monroe "biography" by Ted Jordan, finding this gem by Gloria Steinem (with beautiful photograhps by George Barris) was such a relief. Whether kind or unkind, most Marilyn biographers are men; it makes sense that a woman (and a feminist) would have a much different understanding of her. Steinem pays much attention to the remaining Norma Jeane personality in the grown Marilyn, a little girl who was abandoned, abused, shuffled between the orphanage and foster homes, and married off at 16. This, Steinem writes, explains much of Marilyn's troublesome behavior: she still had the insecurities of Norma Jeane, but tried to get the love she needed by being the sex symbol Marilyn.

This larger sized paperback is split into chapters, for example: "Norma Jeane," about her childhood and background, and "Work and Money, Sex and Politics" about Marilyn's battles with the Studio, her marriages, and her affairs with powerful men. Each chapter is a complete essay unto itself. And the accompanying photographs, most taken by George Barris the month before her death, show a natural, cavorting, and thoughtful Marilyn at 36 years old.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone curious about the REAL Marilyn Monroe. In truth, she had many realities, but I think that Gloria Steinem captures the most important one.

Excellent! Loved it! Marilyn was and truly is beautiful. Every Marilyn fan should purchase this book. You won't be disappointed!

These are extremely high quality photos on very nice paper. It is like having a marilyn scrap book of photographs. I was very pleased.
The paperback I have seen recently. It seems just as nice, but I bought the Hard back so nothing would get creased or bent. Favorite one so far. I am very picky.

I love Marilyn Manroe and one of my friends knew how much I loved her so she got me this book. And I loved this book it had tons of grate pictures that a marilyn lover will love or just anyone that wants to remember her in some way or another. Or just someone that collects Marilyn stuff this would me amazing to add to your collection.

This book is one of the best books on Marilyn that I have ever seen! There are so many great photos of her from the beginning of her career until the untimely end of her life. Harvey not only includes many lovely photos of Monroe, but includes little tidbits of information about Marilyn and the photos. It is written in a very eay to read manner and since the writing is mainly centered around the photos you can easily read a little bit here and there without getting completely lost. I really enjoyed this book's content and would strongly recommend it to any Marilyn fan!

I have this book and it is by far one of the best. It has beautiful images of Marilyn. It also has a lot of information on events in Marilyn's life and things that happened during the filming of her movies. If you are a fan of Marilyn Monroe, this is a must-have!

hi,
We are twins to and we love mka.Our names are:Marjolein and Christine.This book has a lot of high qualid pictures but there is not much whriten in it.The best part is,when there IS something whriten,mka themselves say it.It seems like their talking to you in person.It's a fun book and if you like ptp a lot,you must get it (...)

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are teenagers now and off to Paris, the City of Light, to flim the new movie Passport to Paris. The girls have a great time shopping, eating snails!, and riding on montorbikes with two handsome french boys. They each talk about how pretty Paris is and they have a great time there. This a great inside scoop of the hit movie.

This book is very cool, there are alot pictures in it, and if you like the movie you will LOVE this book.... Every Olsenfan Must have this book, it's great!!

Totally Awesome. Deserves a AAA. Has great pictures from the movie and even pictures behind the movie. Great for anyone who loves the Olsen Twins or loves the movie.

This book has GREAT photo's from the movie Mary-Kate and Ashley "Pass Port to Paris" there sare the GREAT time they had and much more do you love mary-kate and ashley can't watch the movie or watched it and LOVED it than this Scrap book is for YOU!

I love Michael Jackson,so of coarse I am bound to like books about him that.This book was Wonderful,it has alot of information on his songs when he was in the Jackson 5

Michael Joseph Jackson has made milions smile with his voice, passion and love, but what a lot of people don't know is where his roots of love come from. Michael is a man of soul, way back with the legendary Jackson 5.
With the book MJ The Early Years, it captavates Michael from way before Steeltown, to Steeltown, Motown, Jackson's, and every album and song that help led up to who Michael is today. Many unheard of people are discovered in this amazing book. I urge you to give it a try! You will love it, and most of all: It will place you in a state of shock!

Michael Jackson the Early Years: An incredible book! The very first in a long time to tell you just where Michael came from. MJ The Early Years, paints you a picture of the Jackson household, telling you the ever lasting story of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael.Remember Dancing Machine, I Want You Back, Ben? Well these are all here with the stories to back them up! You think you know so many things about Michael, and how the J5 started... You don't until reading this book. I dare YOU to try it.

this is really cool a book that covers early MJ&His Career&whatnot.this Book does a Great job of refelcting on the artistic side of MJ&going over His work.also a Great reflection on Jermaine,Tito,Marlon,Jackie&later Randy.it's about time the real reason why people got into MJ is mentioned&showcased fr more here with this book.

Any fan of Michael of any age is perfect for this book. Full of very rare stories of each album, and photos. Pure heart and soul of one man from a child to growing, but fully grown. Get a view of Michael we don't ever see anymore. From the J5 to solo with his bros, to acting as a man of his own in Epic. A true and beautiful book.

I found Dr. Donald A. Berman's novel, Mount Doomsday, to be an easy, entertaining read. The story of a radioactive volcano erupting in present-day time is interwoven with short chapters about the earth's volcanic history as viewed from the inhabitants affected by volcanic disasters. I found this effect to be successful in building up to the conclusion of the story. This is an entertaining, exciting story that is definitely worth reading!

Having written two novels myself, I was excited about reading one from another Florida author. Don Berman has a meticulously researched fast paced engaging story about a radioactive volcanic eruption and presents a scenario that is as captivating as the title. It is a fast paced,provocative read and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

David Thomas, MD JD

I heard about the book, Mount Doomsday, on the Howard Stern show and I consider it a must read.

Alan Kornman
Orlando, FL

Don Berman has constructed a page turner on par with Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code." The weaving storyline and the suspense driven plot create an exhilarating journey for any reader. Berman has shed light on the gloomy possibility of a disaster stemming from both natural and man-made events. The recent disaster in New Orleans has demonstrated just how dead on Berman was in predicting the shortcomings of modern engineering when nature decides not to cooperate. This disaster story is incredible because the scenario it presents is a real possibility. Berman did a great job of researching a couple of thousand years of volcanic disasters in order to make his fictional story come to life and make the possible seem inevitable. Nearly unfathomable volcanic disasters have occurred in the past, Berman is asking his readers to think; why couldn't it happen now? By tying man-made nuclear technology in with mother nature's fury, Berman has devised the ultimate disaster/horror story. This makes the scenarios of the Cold War seem like child's play. Any reader is going wonder why nobody had ever thought of this before. There could not be a worse fate awaiting humankind than the one Berman imagined in this book. The scary part is, this book is as much science as it is science-fiction.

I read the Book, Mount Doomsday, and was very impressed with it. I loved the way the author blended the present story with historical facts that explained the underlying geographical issues. This book could predict a future headline story on CNN. It was very interesting

I couldn't put this book down once I started and I am looking forward to the sequel.

Colorful and easy to read. Nice acompniment to the show. Easy to follow each misson. Cool extras, including - the radio station list and things to see and do in each state visited.

Road Rules, Road Trips gives a wonderful insight in what goes behind the first two seasons of Road Rules. It allows to not only see the process behind the missions and other aspects of the show but it allows you to get to know the chracthers behind each season in an entirely different light. While I enjoyed the television series this book showed it to me in a wonderful new light. A great read for those who want to know more about Road Rules and the people who make it. :)

I haven't seen Road Rules but I was curious about the series. The book is excellent and provides much detail into each mission and the performers. This book is much better than Road Rules Passport Abroad and Road Rules Journals (which assumes that the reader has seen Road Rules).

I am a big RR and RW fan. This book had a lot of really interesting information that you wouldn't get by just watching the show. I liked getting each person's reaction to situations. I would have liked more reaction to Mark's skydive that went wrong. All in all - a very good read for fans interested in the series.

I applaud the writer of the book for only writing about the first two seasons. They were the hands down winners for best seasons ever. It was interesting to find out everything that I didn't see on the show. The cast was also very interesting.

As a child, my very favorite movie was THE WIZARD of OZ. My favorite scene was when the tiny Muchkins "Came out ,came out, wherever they were".

I always wondered about the actors and actresses that played the parts of the delightful little Munchkins, & therefore I was thrilled to finally get this book (as a Christmas gift).

This book will not disappoint. Not only does it give a wonderful background as to where the Munchkin actors came from, but also this book goes into specifics, regarding the most famous of the Munchkins actors/actresses (eg: the Lollipop Boys, etc). Such endearing folks they were! (Sadly, most of them have passed away by now...sniff!)

After reading this book, you will forever love and appreciate the little people that were part of such a unique movie.

This is probably the most interesting Oz book in my collection. Finally someone reveals who these little people are, and in such an entertaining manner. I couldn't put this book down. I've read so many books about Prod. 1060, aka "The Wizard of Oz" (MGM) which are dry and stale. This book puts the whole experience into perspective and provides a human side to the Munchkin actors. I'm glad to hear some of them survive. The photographs in here are glorious. The color photography jumps out at you. Bravo to Steven Cox for doing such a handsome job and such a respectful job with "The Munchkins of Oz." If you want a book on Oz that is unique--this is the one.

We would certainly highly recommend this book! Meeting several little people throughout our years, our family found this book to be a Top 10 book! It is full of stories of the Munchkins, and what it was really like to be a part of OZ. We found out things we never knew, even after hearing so many personal stories of those who shared their experiences with us personally. We believe Meinhardt Raabe is the last of the Munchkins still alive, and would also highly recommend his book, Memories of a Munchkin: An Illustrated Walk Down the Yellow Brick Road.

I loved this book so much that this is the 3rd edition that I've bought. I bought the first edition back in 1989 and the revised edition many years later. When this one came out, I knew I had to have it too. With each revised edition, Stephen Cox really outdoes himself. I've found that any revised edition of this author's books are always even better than the original, as he adds more info and photographs!

This book is a must-have for all Oz-fans, young and old. It's filled with rare photographs, little-known trivia and fascinating tid-bits. There is also a section about bloopers (find out about a scene where Judy Garland can clearly be seen wearing brown bedroom slippers instead of the Ruby Slippers!) and "urban legends" (no, the Munchkins did not get drunk & disorderly every night as portrayed in the Chevy Chase/Carrie Fisher movie "Under the Rainbow"!! Nor did a Munchkin commit suicide on set during filming; F.Y.I.: it's a large, exotic bird moving its head & wings that people think is the hanging Munchkin).

Reading this book will increase your Oz-IQ several points! What are you waiting for? Buy this book now!

I first read this book when the first edition came out, and was really impressed with the depth in which the author went to gather the information for this book -- hours spent locating and contacting the surviving Munchkins, all the interviews that took place, etc. This is NOT one of my favorite movies, by any means, but I always liked the first seen in Oz, where Dorothy meets the Munchkins, and this book really showed you who these people were and how they managed to get into the movie. Alot of great pictures help make the book really stand out. With each reissue (this is the third edition of the book), the author is able to provide a little bit more information on the Munchkin actors and actresses, and provides additional pictures to keep the experience of the book fresh. I would highly recommend not just this edition, but the two previous editions if you are able to find them. A great read!

I don't have this book yet but I've read the excerpts...

I truly love Barry and Barbara also. I've always loved Barbara, ever since I was a little girl, I wanted her to be my sister. I've always thought that she's just as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. It truly shows...

Heh heh, and Barry could be my brother. I love Barry's writing. It's personal and friendly, the feeling I get from it is that he's a very nice man. I love his voice also, as well as his acting. He is multi-talented...

Barbara definitely is BELOVED (and Barry too)...

I'm a fan, always have been. And hey! People may find it hard to believe, but I don't even have a single one of Barbara's movies or albums!

I was very poor and never could afford to buy much of anything (except for food, well actually, I always have bought lots of books). Recently though, my financial situation has changed (I'm very happy to say) and I plan on rectifying my dismal lack of a collection, having recently also purchased an absolutely awesome stereo system (finally)...

And I plan on buying Barry's book too!

P.S. I just can't finish this without adding that Barry was the best Pilate that there ever was...

Being a Barbra Streisand fan, I loved how the book gave you a glimpse into her past, from an insider, it felt like I was really there experiencing it all with her! The best book I've ever read is "My Life with Barbra"

There have been many Streisand biographies. She's accomplished so much in her life. Barry Dennen's sweet book MY LIFE WITH BARBRA is a slice of Streisand's life. It's also a snap shot of Mr. Dennen's life and contains many personal details about him. Dennen tells a good story and has an ear for dialogue. Of course, there is no way Dennen could remember the conversations he quotes verbatim - but I don't think he claims to. Rather, his book is a sort of "misty, water-colored" memory of the days in Manhattan with Barbra Streisand. He catches Streisand's cadences very well, though.

It's nice to hear about Streisand from someone who knew her personally. Everything I've always suspected was true - at least in her early career. Barbra was sweet and tough, ignorant and brilliant, self-absorbed and giving. She was very taken with her "look" and it's interesting to read about how she concentrated on her makeup and clothes so much.

The most fascinating part of the book is Dennen's recollections of some phone calls from the "adult" Barbra in 1992 and 1997. We see Barbra as we suspect she is: a little burdened with stardom; obsessed with the truth and trying to control how others tell it.

This book is great! At the end, I was most impressed that, despite the years that lapsed between Dennen and Streisand's love affair and friendship, Streisand still kept in touch. I suspect she is a loyal friend, despite her eccentricities.

I found this book to be very enjoyable. I have long been a Streisand fan and have read many of her biographies, but this one, I would have to say is one of the best. Dennen takes us thru Barbra's early years, when she was just starting out as an actress, and describes his part in pushing her toward being the greatest singer of our times. This book is very sweet and I definately recomend it to any Barbra fan.

My Life with Barbra is an absolute must for anyone interested. No other book written about her can boast of such an intimate perspective. Mr. Dennen was there from the very beginning, even before she attempted to sing in public for the first time. If you're considering a Barbra book, make this the one.

I just finished reading "Myself Among Others" by George Wein. This is the best book on Jazz I ever read. Politics, craziness, love, trust, friendship, race relations... are all inside by a major insider.
I even learned things I did not want to know about my idols. That is a must read book for anyone who has any warm corner in his heart for the "classical music of America."

I'm only up to page 128 in this wonderful book but am already completely enthralled. As Nat Hentoff said, "He has known more musicians-some very well indeed-than any writer on jazz, and he certainly knows the business end." To read personal accounts of his relationships and experiences with almost every jazz legend I've ever heard of (and some from before my time as well) is mesmerizing. And George Wein's personal life outside of jazz is not exactly "chopped liver" either!! The book is written with a wealth of knowledge, intelligence, insight, warmth, humor and humility. The only criticism I have is that the book is only a little over 500 pages!!

George Wein has blessed music lovers by utilizing his God-given business acumen to influence the way live music is presented. He has blessed us again with this warm and well written memoir that contains a wealth of anecdotes regarding a who's who in American music in the later haalf of the 20th century. George Wein started out as a jazz pianist but his exposure to so many legendary jazz performers brought him to the realization that his talent for the business side of music may have exceeded his actual musical ability. He devoted himself to promoting jazz performances and performers ultimately becoming the driving force behind the famed Newport Jazz Festival. Along the way he has countless stories to share regarding the great legends of jazz with whom he became acquainted. Branching out to promote folk music festivals and having some intersting experiences with the newly emerging Rock culture , George adapted his approach and enjoyed some additional successes. The book includes characters such as Ellington, Basie, Armstrong, Monk, Coltrane, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, etc, etc.

This is a very entertaining book for music lovers of all stripes but will have special significance for the jazz lover since George Wein is clearly a jazz lover and speaks the language. A great book.

Without question, the best book on Jazz I have read. Mr. Wein's story by itself is fantastic. His life is interesting and his writing excellent. Additionally, he dicusses numerous musicians and offers personal observations which bring them to life. He recommends Lp's, CD's, songs and sets. What more could you ask for?

George Wein's wonderful memoir, "Myself Among Others", might just as well have been titled, "Payback Time". Although he chided Alberta Hunter for using the expression, as she mounted the stage, after many years in obscurity, followed by renewed stardom in the eighties, I can't help feeling that George is muttering that phrase to himself, as he rollcalls those sometime irresponsible, sometime neurotic, sometime drug addicted children the world knows as "jazz artists".
George knows the territory very well. As a teenage fan, very competent pianist and singer , jazz night club entreprenuer, and promoter of the "daddy" of the outdoor music festivals, "The Newport Jazz Festival", and oh yes, lecturer at Harvard, in his custom designed jazz course, dare anyone tell George anything about jazz, and the wonderful lunatics that people the jazz world?
Here is what it's like to do business with artists worshipped the world over, like Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Chet Baker, Count Basie, Stan Getz, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus. Space precludes naming them all. In addition to dealing with these "darlings", were the torrential rains at outdoor perfomances, political opposition from irrate townspeople, and the piece de resistance of booking concerts, other promoters dissapearing with George's money.
Maybe the presence of a natural built in Prozac machine kept George sane through this craziness, but I have another theory. His passion for the music. When you are hearing a Louis Armstrong, or a Charlie Parker and you truly "get it", there is something that goes beyond mere entertainment, or an expert improvisor. I can't even find adequate words to describe it, but when these men improvise on a popular song, it becomes like a classic solution to a philosophic, or mathematical theorum. It's hard to state the "problem" to be solved, but the true jazz fan knows that Louis, and Bird, and the other masters, came up with incredibly beautiful solutions night after night, year after year.
If you love jazz, and the artists, this book is a must.

This book is very different than I thought it would be, but was definitely an interesting read. It is basically a series of essays dissecting various aspects of the show - from Veronica's relationship with her father, to what Veronica's voiceovers add to the show. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a more intellectual viewpoint on the series, rather than just campy fun. A must-read for Veronica lovers.

Although this book made me cry wishing there was still to be more Veronica to come, it was amusing in itself as it dissected the series.

Ordinarily when I read an anthology that attempts to make an analysis of a TV series or film, I find at least a couple articles I cannot agree with. However, in Neptune Noir, despite there being different approaches by the authors I found them all superlative. It may also be that my wife and I are suffering from withdrawal pains of there being no Veronica Mars after this Summer's reruns of season three.

I will not comment on individual articles except to say that each author covered verious aspects of this great show, using examples from the scripts of the first two seasons. Even more interesting was the introduction and commentaries by Rob Thomas. As a retired high school teacher myself I had no problems understanding what he was doing.

I have to say that my wife and I are late blooming fans. In fact we met Kristen Bell at a convention, getting her autograph, before we had seen the series. We picked up the first couple episodes of season one at a video store and that was enough to get us to order the first two seasons. Never have we gone through a collection so quickly as we just couldn't ration them out. We now await our order for season three.

I understand there are movements to revive the show or to at least have a movie. TV Guide even rumored that Veronica Mars could show up on 24 as an FBI agent. That wouldn't work as Jack Bauer couldn't keep up with her. Also, Kristen Bell is a superb actress, as witness the Lifetime film Gracie's Choice. By now she probably has had countless offers.

I do hope that we have not heard the last of Rob Thomas and that his genius will again give us something special.

I ordered this book the day after the last episode, and it's just what I needed for mourning the end of the series.

A bit too intellectual at times, but generally a good read about the philosophical implications of various scenes and episodes from Veronica Mars. Focuses largely on the first season, which is great if you enjoyed it. A bit heavy for a summer read, but if you are into philosophy or want to read some deep thinkers' opinions, definitely a worthwhile read. And there is enough "lightweight" content to make it a good read for all.