Biographies Books

I have always wanted to get a copy of this particular work of MT's under one volume. This appears to be it!

It doesnt take comments from people such as myself to speak of the brilliance of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemmons). His body of work simply speaks for itself. If you are new to Twain's work I would highly reccommend that you try reading this novel first. It is short, entertaining, witty, and beautifully portreyed. This novel is worth absultely every penny you pay for it!

Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice

Short and very sweet. The Diaries present a charming and enlightened view of the relationship between the First Humans. Written late in Twain's life, the Diaries are considered his most personal work. Contain typical Twain wit, iconoclastic thinking and sardonic good will. Adam's later entries are believed to reflect Twain's feelings for his beloved, deceased wife, Livy. Adam and Eve's love for each other and Adam's grief for Eve moved me to tears. Beautifully illustrated.

I truly loved this book and have shared it with many people. Few books are so funny and end with such a good heartwarming message. Not everyone, I have found, thinks it is as funny as I do as their humor obviously needs a little refining. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes to laugh, has a sharp wit, and likes the Twain type of writing style and charm it posesses.

unique and intriging. fun and fast to listen to. very creative.

DOI is a hilarious odyssey into the twisted, troubled mind of Patrick "Bad News" Hughes. Some of the situations he describes would make me want to live underground and eat canned food for years until it all blew over. But not Pat. He wears it on his sleeve in this no-holds-barred autobiography.

Organized into a multitude of short stories, this is some great light reading. Pick it up now (or Patrick will invite himself into your life and screw it all up for you!).

Patrick Hughes' stories, told by anyone else, would make the average reader wince or vomit, or both. There's more wall-to-wall depravity here than in the average Bukowski story. And you will laugh until you cry. His Ren Faire photo essay alone made me laugh until I thought I'd injured myself.

At the same time, Hughes has a sharp eye for detail and reserves of compassion and decency that you generally don't expect to find in what's basically a book of drinking stories gone horribly awry. He's a talented and thoughtful writer whose subject matter just happens to be growing up poor, dumb, and horny in the American South.

If you read a funnier book this year, I want to know about it.

DIARY OF INDIGNITIES first came to light on the blog Bad News Hughes, documenting indignities generated by the author's life and talent for personal failure. Anticipate a good deal of foul language and a whole lot of laughter: while the former might put off a conservative library holding, any collection strong in humor needs DIARY OF INDIGNITIES. From strange relatives who show up at a wedding to the ironies of hippies and nature, it's a winner.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A funny thing happened while I was reading "Diary of Indignities". My husband said to me "you're not laughing out loud as much as I had expected" and at first it was dissettling. I should have been seized with hilarity... but then I realized why. My ear-to-ear grin wasn't just from reading the absurdities of fried turds or being relentlessly arm-molested by a retard. I was smiling because it felt like coming home. In some other galaxy or perhaps Seinfeld bizzarro universe, you and I were part of the same gang, my friend. I was that girl. The one on the periphery of the group, the brazen get-away driver, the alibi-creator, the conscious one who would drive you home at 5am. Even when you lived 8 hours away. The one who paid for your stitches and lied to the cops for you. In so many ways, I was right there with you. Dick House? I know that place! Some family bought it and is raising their kid there! Hope they know how radioactive it is. The squatter house? We had a corporate development with no security. Minnesota Wristwatch? I actually saw a guy do the "rodeo" stunt at a frat party.

It made me smile and fondly reminisce. Probably the best part of these indignant stories is that it gave a little... how to phrase it? Validation? to all all of the craziness of my past. The mental scars of a jack-off party and peeing on a trampoline. For once, it felt like finally someone else knew, understood. It freaks me out sometimes being Ms. Corporate America and my co-workers having NO IDEA. And knowing that not only could they not understand, but that their minds would melt with the knowing. Like all "regular" people who didn't spend their formative years hanging around inside freshly dug graves.

So THANK YOU, Patrick Hughes. By sharing your indignities, you made me feel a little better. And not because I'm any better off than you. But because at least I don't have an anal fissure.

xoxo

Mia

This may well be the funniest book ever written. There were times I had to put it down because tears of mirth were streaming from my eyes and I was afraid I'd have trouble seeing clearly enough to land the 747 I was flying. Even thinking about some of the wickedly twisted episodes Hughes describes is enough to give me the giggles. Thanks to Hughes, my family thinks I'm on nitrous oxide again and they're arranging an intervention. But I don't care! This book is so funny that I don't care about anything anymore except reading it and talking about it and urging other people to read it. Oops, gotta go. The flight attendant just told me the oxygen masks are all dropping and the passengers are screaming. If it's not one damn thing it's another.

As this book states, it is the sayings of Jesus FROM the Diary of St. Faustina - but it is NOT the diary.

The diary itself is the story, as a diary would be, of St. Faustina's life and her interactions with Jesus and His messages throughout her life.

The sayings alone, without knowing the content of what was happening at the time of each saying, can easily make it seem like something totally different then when you combine the whole picture of what had and was happening when Jesus spoke each quote to Faustina.
(it is the same as only getting one side of the conversation, very disjointed and out of contest).

That said, if one knows the whole story and has read Faustina's diary, then this is a nice book just to be able to have the actual sayings of Jesus to St. Faustina in one compact and easily to review book.

The complete Diary:


Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska - in Burgundy Leather: Divine Mercy in My Soul

Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (Mass market version): Divine Mercy in My Soul

Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (Polish Version)


Very well written, easy and fast paced story of St. Faustina's life:
Faustina: Apostle of Divine Mercy


Another book that sorts out parts of the Diary:
Revelations of Divine Mercy: Daily Readings from the Diary of Blessed Faustina Kowalska

The many excellent reviews that have been written about St. Faustina's Diary are correct! I have been reading this for Lent and it is a fascinating book that can be read over and over much like the Bible. Someone once told me this book is really deep; please don't think this book is too deep for you, it's not.

Page after page reaffirms God's great mercy. Reading the words that Jesus actually spoke to St. Faustina is so moving. You will want to meditate upon them. I find it is a great book to take with me to Eucharistic Adoration.

So, if you only have a couple of Catholic books in your home, this should be one of them.

This is a must read for everyone. It assures us of the Divine Mercy of Jesus, especially good if you are going through a difficult time in your life.

I found this book to be a wonderful aid to my spiritual life. At one point in the book Jesus tells Sister Faustina to write in her diary because it will be helpful to souls who would read it later.
I am one of those souls. At times I felt as if Christ was speaking to me through her. This book helped me so much to understand more fully how vast is the love of God. So vast that none of us will ever be able to understand it. Much larger than the worst sins that any of us can ever commit.
This book made me more aware of my own sin on another level than what I was previously aware of. This book has taught me new forms of prayer that have helped draw me closer to Christ.
This book has taught me more about how to love God. It has greatly enriched my interior life. My relationship with God has now moved up to a higher level.
It has also helped me to understand more about the living presence of God in the Eucharist.
I am not Catholic, I am an Episcopalian, (but I am rather Catholic at heart). And although I have always believed in the living presence of Christ in the bread and wine, it has now moved to a higher level of understanding and reverence. I anxiously look forward to every oportunity I have to join with the living Christ in the Eucharistic feast.
The book is a bit long and does repeat a bit, but it is beautiful and well worth the time to read.
My copy is underlined, and marked with sticky notes and folded over pages of places that I have returned to again and again to meditate on.
I have nothing but praise for this book and recommend it to everyone of any religion.

This book is a gem. It covers daily spiritual thoughts. You have something deep and worthwhile every day to read and reflect on, if you read just a little each day. Or you can read the whole book in one sitting, then re-read each day what moves you the most.

Good book till halfway through, then the author loses her vehicle, as it were--"Driving With the Dead" jettisons its macabre hook and becomes one more descriptive self-help tome, and that's a shame; the author should have been able to thread her metaphor all the way through--her talent suggests that this book could have used an aggressive editor. Also, I'm forever wary of books with a "Note to Reader" which announces some individuals--and thus some occurrences--are composites. For example, Holloway's pregnancy at the hands of the guy who claims sterility: not saying this isn't exactly how it was, but it's such a cliche as to be transparent, leaving the reader wondering if this is one of those composite characters/occurrences. Memoirs thrive on versimilitude; one false note and much can collapse. It does here. And what profits an author to note that "All incidents are portrayed to the best of my recollection"? Why does Holloway have to say that? Because, in doing so, she loses the reader's confidence in the whole sordid tale before he or she even starts the read.

It IS commendable, IF she's remembering correctly, and IF the characters are true--and not just objective correlatives, that the siblings represented here did not form a pact and murder the most horrid-sounding parents in recent non-fiction (?) memory.

that the support system you expected from your family is simply not there:

"Knowing there is no cavalry is much better than hoping for a cavalry that never comes. I am strong because I have to be. I am the cavalry."

This memoir of family dysfunction admirably traverses the path that brings the author to write those words.

I loved this book. It is such an incredible story written so incredibly well. It completely blew me away. Amazing. I'd recommend it to anyone.

I just finished this book, less than 24 hours after its arrival in my mailbox. The author has a refreshing sense of humor relating to topics such as death, embalming, and driving a hearse as a sixteen-year-old girl. I laughed out loud many times, and had to pick up the book again after my children left for school. As a mother, the lack of parenting in this book is apalling, but also a lesson in how much of a responsibility we as parents have to protect our children from harm not only outside of our nhome, but within it. I applaud the courage of the author to search her soul for unthinkable ugliness and gain strength from the family she made her own, those that truly cared for her. I highly recommend this book, in spite of its less-than-rosy reality.

I like some others, purchased this book thinking it would be a lighthearted read and it is; just about a heavy subject. I absolutely loved the book. It was expertly written, sad, funny, and moving. Everything you would want a book to be. Above all odds, Monica rose above the chaos. I just wish her dad and mom could get what they deserve; a long stay in a nasty jail cell. Bravo Monica.

This book was very well titled and illustrated. It looked as if my own cat ERNIE posed for many of the pictures himself. If you have a black and white(tuxedo cat), I strongly urge you to purchase this book. It will mean so much to you later when you lose your cat(to death) like it did with my ERNIE. I highly recommend it.

I was recommended this book by a colleague as I was starting to get into photography. My first thought was that it'd be boring - I mean photos of cats?! If I wanted that I'd buy a calendar. However I ordered it and it is brilliant. The photos are outstanding - nothing like your typical cat-calendar shots, but rather they capture the essence of the subject, which in this case just happens to be a cat. Add to that, the fact that it is beautifully presented, it could only be 5 stars.

I encountered Ernie while visiting the Tate Modern bookstore here in London over the weekend, and was instantly won over by his crazy, self-possessed ways. The genius of Mendoza's work lies in his ability to faithfully capture the personality of his feline subject, with the same amount of detail and devotion one would expect to see in photographs of people. As a filmmaker and photography enthusiast, I have accumulated a library of photography books by those renowned in their field, and Mendoza's masterful memoir deserves its place amongst them. Sure, he is not a Pulitzer Prize winning war photographer, the subject is light-hearted but it is also sincere, which is the most you can ask of an artist. Ernie is a fine example of what photography and portraiture should be: an engaging and revealing insight into its subject, one that compels the viewer to revisit the photographs again and again, delighting and inspiring with each subsequent reading.

I love this book. As a cat lover the book captured this cat's character perfectly. Loved the narratives of both the photographer and especially when he wrote on behalf of Ernie!! If you love cats, you will definitely enjoy this book and its pictures. I love Ernie!

This little book is a personal favorite. After spotting it at a bookstore a couple of years ago, I've given it as a gift to several friends and family and all of them have loved it too.

The book shows its star -- Ernie the cat -- in a variety of poses: being playful with the author, fighting with another cat, yawning, stretching, sleeping, growling, chasing bugs, perched on the fridge, watching people from the window, and exploring the world. Each of the great black and white photos shows another side of Ernie, making him a lot more complex than one would consider a feline.

This book is a must for any cat lover. If you like cats, buy it. I think after you're through you will find yourself looking at it again and again. Definitely the mark of a classic.

I recently went to Tombstone, AZ. for the 1st time in my life even though I'm an AZ native. I loved it so much I have been 2 times in a month. I learned there about Wyatt Earp and Josephine and their love romance. It had me wanting to know more. I got the book and started reading and couldn't put it down. I loved hearing of all the adventures Josephine and Wyatt went on together through out their whole life together. What an amazing couple they were. I highly recommend reading this book. Lots of history and how the old times were.

The so-called controversy around this book has been discussed to exhaustion in my opinion. For those who cant seem to understand the how and why of this book, I offer this suggestion: Move on and let it go. There's no need for me to defend a book that needs no defense. For those seeking to learn some truths about Wyatt Earp and to view his life from the angle of someone close to him, this is an excellent source. Not only is the book informative, it is a good read. A great chance for the historically interested mind to find out more about the Earp's life, before, during, and after Tombstone. If you read this, don't miss out on the interesting notes in the back of the book. You may wish to go back and look at them at the end of the chapter later to avoid disrupting the flow of the story, or you may read them as you go. Either way, some interesting footnotes and commentary by the author, Glenn Boyer. I am awaiting one of his other books, "Tombstone Vendetta" and am looking forward to reading it. Highly recommended, a must for any student of Earp history. D. Lindley

I found this book very interesting, due to the fact that I have always been interested about the life and times of the Wild West. Reading this book has helped my research for a story that I am working on. Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp was a women before her time. I found her as a strong spirit, intelligent, and fascinating. Her recollections of her life and time with Wyatt Earp as her true soul mate that one can share and find in a life time.I imagine her life with out him was a great loss. Wyatt Earp was a true man of his time, who dodge bullets and live to see the turn of the century. And also very handsome.

I was glued to this book. I even read all of the research notes. This was truly a remarkable work of history and a great perspective on an event that has been over dramatized and blown out of such proportion by Hollywood.

Josephine Marcus Earp was born with a sense of adventure, she ran away from a prosperous and loving home in San Francisco not to join the circus, but a theatrical troupe playing Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore that was bound for Tombstone.
Young, attractive and impressionable is a prescription for trouble in a mining town. Josie accepted Johnny Behan's offer of marriage before she had time to look over the whole field, and it came back to haunt her. Behan bought her a ring but put off the wedding. Wyatt Earp caught Josie's eye and opened up a classic love triangle. Then to further complicate matters both suitors were in a race to become the next sheriff of Cochise County.
Josie's accounts of Tombstone are right on the mark and two of her best friends Addie Bourland and Marietta Spencer had first hand knowledge regarding two of Tombstone's major happenings - the shootout at the OK Corral and the murder of Morgan Earp.
Josie tells about the bloodletting after the shootout and how in order to get out of the line of fire Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday along with several allies leave Tombstone and go to Colorado. Josie followed Wyatt a short time later and they soon got married. While they were in Colorado they spent time with Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson and did some mining in the Gunnison area.
Then it was on to the silver strike at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and the gold fields of Alaska. Back in the states Wells Fargo hired Wyatt to do some detective work in Texas. When that job was finished they traveled to San Diego, California in search of business opportunities. The two dined out, went to parties, attended the theatre and saw the famous Lily Langtry perform in Shakespeare's "As You Like It." Wyatt made a number of profitable investments in both saloons and real estate. He also won a fine trotting racehorse in a poker game. That one horse peaked Wyatt's interest in racing and he eventually bought and raced a sizeable stable of horses. Following those days on the racing circuit and a stint as a boxing promoter Wyatt and Josie settled in and lived out their lives in Los Angeles entertaining and being entertained by stars that were part of Hollywood's burgeoning motion picture community.
Wyatt died in 1929 and Josie lived until 1944.
Josephine Marcus Earp tells a compelling story of an era filled with colorful characters and fascinating events.

Tom Barnes Author of "Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone"
"The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle."
"The Goring Collection."

The Hurricane Hunters And Lost in the Bermuda Triangle
Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone: The Life and Times of John Henry Holliday
The Goring Collection

As the author of The All-American Boys, I never miss an opportunity to read space books by others. Into that Silent Sea takes you into the early years of human spaceflight and tells the story in a way that will appeal to both space buffs and the public at large. It is full of little-known facts about well-known Soviet and American space flyers along with new and interesting information about lesser-known astronauts, cosmonauts and behind the scenes players.

I found Into That Silent Sea extremely interesting, and written in such a readable style with so much new material that I hated to put it down. French and Burgess did a great job with the cosmonaut chapters. They are loaded with new and interesting material about Yuri Gagarin, Gherman Titov and Alexei Leonov's harrowing first spacewalk. The book is a rare opportunity for a behind the scenes look at the competition between the two superpowers as they raced to the Moon.

Into That Silent Sea humanizes the Russian program as well as our own. I highly recommend this excellent book.

This book is probably one of the best books i have ever read. Very rarely a book comes along that you just can't put down. This is one of those. There have been thousands of book about this era is spaceflight but only a handfull really stick out. At first i was skeptical as to what this book would be, but as soon as i started reading it i knew that i loved it. Get this book along with In the Shadow of the Moon. You will not be dissapointed.

A MUST READ!!! French and Burgess really know how to sum up the early space program and make it completely relivable. For previous generations who were not around to partake in the early threads of space exploration this book will take them into that silent sea.

This book would make an excellent documentary covering all the brilliant aspects of the beginnings of our space program. A fantastic journey and pleasure to read, I got to relive this pinnacle of time in the history of space exploration. GREAT STUFF!!! Dorice Odell

A must read for anyone with a love of Space, Astronauts, etc. Very well written.

I am an Apollo astronaut who entered the space program in 1966, and I knew and worked with most of the Americans that are profiled in this book. In the intervening years I have met most of the Russians also profiled. I was in the space business for many years, including making a flight to the moon on Apollo 15 in 1971, ten years after Alan Shepard made his historic flight. This book is a wonderful history of the original pioneers in space. I could not put it down once I started. French and Burgess have a great touch when it comes to writing. I found it especially interesting when reading about the Russian program and the men and women selected for their spaceflights. The book clearly and engrossingly explains the differences between the Russian Cosmonauts and the American Astronauts, including fascinating personal details of how they were selected, trained and carried on their flights. I found the book a great source of new information that was both well documented and thoroughly fascinating to read - in fact, I believe it is deserving of winning some awards. Before I flew in space, these men and women in America and Russia paved the way and were my personal heros. If you want to know who they were, then this is the book.

A fantastic, light, accessible, engaging, and easy-to-read guide to Jane Austen, her life, her world, her novels, and her impact on our world. I have read all of Jane's books and some of her biographies, but this book still provided new information for me, explaining things I only had a vague idea about (concerning her characters and the world/manners). Whether traveling through Gregorian England or contemporary England, this book is a real help. My only complaint is that the author does do some interpretation of Jane that I might disagree with (i.e. characters, etc.) without making it clear that it was interpretation. Otherwise, a great read, for both the seasoned reader and the reader just beginning to dabble in Jane. I definitely will be recommending this one to friends. Grade: A-

Interesting background. More indept than I thought as it included societal and economic restraints

Thank you Ms Ray for a book that helps readers, like myself, who are not academic but need help in understanding certain aspects of Miss Austen's world and her wonderful books. Recommend it to all but especially those who need help with the period culture. Thanks again.

It's a really quick read and it's a fun way to learn the very basics about the Regency era. It covers fun topics like dancing, dinners and courting and even gets into more complex topics as wills and entails. The author constantly sites examples in Austen's novels, so if you haven't read all the novels, I believe it's possible some of the information might spoil things for you.

My only complaint is a few obvious typos and for some reason Edward Ferrars is called Edward Dashwood a few times(not sure if it was just overlooked because the proofreader didn't know anything about Austen or not, but it is annoying to say the least). Otherwise a great introduction to Austen's life and times.

This book was quite helpful and amusing to read it provided the information in a very interesting method and doesn't bore a person when reading it.

This is a full-length, 500 page biography of the fourth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Marshall. It is superb. It is very detailed, yet easy to read. Smith follows the conventional chronological format for a biography, starting with Marshall's birth, and then describing his life sequentially from his childhood, his education, his youthful service as a light infantry officer in the Revolution, his work as a lawyer, his early political career, his rise to national fame as an envoy to France during the time when the nation almost went to war with France during the Adams Administration, his service as Secretary of State to John Adams and finally his long service for 35 years as the Chief Justice who established the power and prestige of the Supreme Court.

What I find most admirable about this book is its balance. It gives you everything that you want in a biography. It is very scholarly, and very readable. It gives you a very good sense of John Marshall, the human being, but it also fully explains the significance of the events in which Marshall participated. As an example of the human side of Marshall, Smith gives us a very moving picture of Marshall's lifelong love affair with his wife, Polly, starting with the dramatic courtship by the penniless young officer and ending with the 80 year old Chief Justice walking twice a week to visit her grave. As an example of how Smith explains the significance of what Marshall did, not only did Smith explain the key decisions, but he gives the facts on what impact they had. In the steamship case, for example, Smith both explains the legal and political issues and gives the economic statistics on what effect the decision had on trade.

I highly recommend this book, both for the excellence of its writing and the importance of its subject matter. John Marshall is one of the most important people in American history. He was instrumentals in making real the balance of the Constitution envisioned by Madison and Hamilton in the Federalist Papers. He was critical in creating the pre-conditions needed for America to be a rich and prosperous nation, with great opportunity for the great majority. Marshall was also a wise and a good man, which shines through on every page of this book. The book is worth reading, finally, as a way to come to know such an extraordinary man.

Not all historians are fine, interesting writers. Fortunately, Jean Edward Smith is a superb writer, making Chief Justice Marshall's long life an interesting, even fun, read. Moreover, the writing paralells the substance contained in the Book. I wish all historical biographies were of this quality. Buy the Book.

This was one of those books I knew I SHOULD read, but its heft put me off for months. When I finally did pick it up, I couldn't put it down.

John Marshall doesn't have the cache or enduring fame that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or many others have - and it's a shame. He formed the institution of the Supreme Court, and in so doing, shaped many of the ways our country (tenuous at the time, mind you) began its journey, and perhaps why we've endured this long.

The author does a fantastic job of painting a picture of life in the day, John Marshall's life and contributions, and how he and others in his era related to each other and the world at large. The cases that came before the early SCourt were fascinating, if only to illustrate the thorny issues and perils of the time. The extent to which he was able to be brilliant, rationale, and to build consensus focused on the original intent and vision for this country is impressive, and sorely needed today.

Funny story - I finally DID start reading this book on the beach in Mexico. Not quite the fluff one typically carries to the beach. The first day, people remarked as such, and by about day 3 or 4, they are saying "wow, you are really making progress on that!" as the bookmark moved steadily towards the back.

Don't wait for the beach - get started!

.....though we can still debate whether he defined it correctly. John Marshall, fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was, and remains, one of the absolute giants of our history. Washington fought the battles, Jefferson and Madison composed the theories, but it remained for Marshall to elucidate what it all meant. This is, to my mind, the definitive biography of a titan.

John Marshall was born in what is now Northern Virginia in 1755, the child of a fairly well off family. On his mother's side, he was descended from the famous Randolphs; his father was a surveying associate of George Washington. His dad taught him a love of education and good books that continued all his days. Before embarking on a career in Law, Marshall was a soldier of the Revolution, serving with Washington in several major battles. After marriage to young Polly Ambler, he was a law student of the great George Wythe [also the law teacher of Jefferson, and of Spencer Roane] at William & Mary. Successful practice, and politics, soon followed...Marshall served on the Governor's Council, and was the leading advocate for Constitutional ratification in the Virginia convention; his battles with Patrick Henry are the stuff of legend [though they served as co-counsel in several cases]. He was a constant supporter of Washington, served as one of Adams' three ministers to France in the XYZ affair, and was briefly a Congressman and Secretary of State. He it was who said of Washington "First in War...", though he let Light Horse Harry Lee speak the words, and get the credit. In 1801, John Adams made a "midnight appointment" of Marshall to be Chief Justice, preventing the incoming President Jefferson from making his own choice...

For the next 34 years, Marshall solidified Federal power, freely interpreting the interstate commerce clause, and the clause which allows Congress to make enabling legislation. Marbury v. Madison asserted the right of judicial review, and further cases expanded it. He wrote the judicial opinions that remain the basis of Federal centrilization of power to this day. Smith gives great detail of individual cases.

One of Marshall's great strengths, and we shouldn't make light of it, was that he was a nice guy. A sociable host, his friends loved him, but even total strangers could find him thoroughly modest and charming. Quoits, and good Madiera were real passions. Even his enemies [with two profound exceptions] liked him. His basic decency certainly aided his consensus building.....

...the two exceptions were Spencer Roane and Thomas Jefferson. Roane was the son-in-law and political ally of Patrick Henry. A long time neighbor of Marshall, and Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, Judge Roane believed completely in States Rights and held the US Constitution to be a voluntary compact of free and independent states that could be broken at will. What Spencer Roane proposed, Jeff Davis disposed... Alas, where Marshall was a prince among men, Judge Roane was of such acid, unpleasant, temperment that even his friends and allies couldn't stand him...

....and then there was Mr. Jefferson. The feud between Marshall and Jefferson is one of the absolute central themes of American history. It was multidimensional...personal, familial, political, philosophical...for about 40 years, the conflict was one of cordial, respectful, dislike; after the Aaron Burr treason trial of 1807, it turned into blind, unreasoning hatred. Part of it was rivalry between branches of the Randolph family; part was Jefferson's civilian service during the revolution while Marshall was in the field; part was publication of a letter to Jefferson from his daughter stating "Mrs. Marshall is insane" [sadly, true]. Mostly, the problem was that Marshall and Jefferson had totally different theories of government and visions of America. [They agreed about religion, though Marshall was a founder of, and regular attender at, Monumental Church in Richmond]. In 1807, Aaron Burr was charged with treason, accused of wanting to set up his own empire. He was tried in Richmond, with Marshall sitting as trial judge. Marshall's friend, neighbor, and occasional law partner John Wickham served as defense counsel, along with the drunken genius, Luther Martin. In what is today generally considered a rigged trial, Burr was acquitted. During this trial, an incident occured that is the only evidence of improper conduct on John Marshall's part that I can find; while Burr was out on bail, Wickham threw a grand dinner party for him. Marshall was invited [not improper], went, and stayed the whole evening. You can well imagine the spin that sympathetic Jefferson biographers put on this; Smith doesn't mention it.

John Marshall was a great and brilliant man; he was also a good and decent man. He had his problems; Polly was an invalid with a combination of physical and mental problems for years...one of his sons was essentially worthless. Thru it all, John Marshall was faithful to both his public and private duties. Now, I'll get personal....my copy of this wonderful book was a Christmas present my wife bought me at the John Marshall House in Richmond. Located at 9th. and Marshall, near the Capitol, it is lovingly maintained by a fine staff of really nice people [the Director even helped me with research for a small biography I wrote of Spencer Roane]. The house, and Marshall's grave in Shockhoe Cemetery a few blocks away, are cared for as monuments to greatness, which they are. The house is nice, but not spectacular; Marshall was a modest, unassuming man [John Wickham's house, two blocks away, IS spectacular]. At the John Marshall House [yes, I contribute financially], and at his grave, I feel awe, intellectual interest, and profound respect; at Monticello, I feel reverence. Maybe I think Jefferson was right about the issues, but I can still look up to John Marshall. If you want to understand America, you need to read this book.

This is the best available biography of Marshall, maybe the best ever. If all you want is case histories, read Hobson; if you want a highly technical biography, read Newmyer; if you want to understand the great cases, AND the great man who decided them, start right here. Newmyer and Hobson wrote fine books, but any intelligent person [not just specialists] can read this one.....

I think it can be argued that, next to Washington, Marshall was the most significant of the whole colonial group, and fortunately, this excellent biography rises to the occasion, telling the story of this truly remarkable American. The best proof of my enthusiasm for the book is that I have already purchased four copies for friends with more undoubtedly to come

This was a very good book, one of the best I had read about people sentenced to prison. Most of the books in this genre have been written by men, it was nice to see Eugenia Ginzburg give a woman's perspective. She tells a very touching tale & every page you feel closer to this brave / intelligent woman. The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn was the most recent book I have read on the same topic. This is also a very good book but I would say I preferred "Journey into the Whirlwind" a little more just because it was one person's personal tale & I think her translator did a very good book translating this book into English.

I did have a few minor questions & if you haven't read this book you may want to stop reading here ....

What I wanted to know as I was reading the book & never did find out by the end of the story was : 1) She mentions her husband countless times through the book but you never find out what happens to him. 2) She has two children that she is separated from while they are young - you never do hear what happens to them & how they get together (if they do). She does mention in the epilogue that she wrote things intending to give them to her grandchildren so I assume she gets reunited with her children & lives to see her grandchildren. 3) She is sentenced to a 10 term & 417 out of 418 pages total are dedicated to her first three years in captivity - the last page is an epilogue that says she ended up serving 18 years in total. It doesn't say why she ended up serving 8 extra years & really 15 of her 18 years in captivity aren't even mentioned in the story.

If you haven't read this book don't let these last few points stop you from reading her story - you would be missing out on a great read.

This book reminded me of Holocaust accounts and the novel 1984, but it surpassed both of them in terms of what humanity is capable of. It is simply unthinkable that Ginzburg could be put into jail and tortured by the party that she was devoutly loyal to, and that she could hold out hope and stick to her moral values for so long. The stories of some of the prisoners are heart wrenching- escaping the Gestapo only to be sent to the gulag, or having your son raised essentially his entire life in jail after jail. This memoir illustrates the whole range of human capability from the evil party leaders, the spiteful accusers (life-ruiners), the brainwashed party followers, and the disillusioned survivors.

Think about it. You are completely devoted to a political ideal. You give your heart and soul for the cause of this ideal, only to be accused of Terrorism against the politics you stand for.
This is the life of Genia. This is a true story of a Woman who is stripped of her family. Tortured both mentally and physically, on false accusations that she was involved in terrorism against the Russian Government.
This book is fascinating. Eugenias account of the days she spent being interrogated, and locked up in Solitary confinement are not only horrifying in its own right, but downright uncomfortable knowing that she, and thousands of others were being falsly accused of treason against the Soviet Union Government back in the late 1930's.
The book itself is very well written. Eugenia recalls, in detail, events that happened to her and her "Comrades" during Stalins reign of terror. I could not, personally, put the book down.
If your interests lie in History, this is a very interesting account of an era that was confused, both Politically, and personally.
You are not wasting your money. This is an excellent read. I would recommend it to anyone.

I've read both Journey into the Whirlwind and Within the Whirlwind. I've also read most of Solzhenitsyn's work and this is different and all the more horrible because it is a memoir.

Imagine yourself, an up and coming professional, married to an up and coming professional, two kids, nice apartment, all the benefits of being successful. But there is something in the air, people are disappearing, and the government is denouncing traitors and conspiracies at a fever pitch.

People you know, professionals like yourself, start to disappear. The fear is palpable. To talk about it, it is believed, is to bring the same fate down on your own head. Everybody just carries on. But you can feel it coming. Your friends no longer contact you. Are they afraid of you? Is this your imagination? Do they know something you don't? You reflect back. Who could have denounced you? Did you make an ill considered remark? Were you friends with the wrong person?

When the authorities finally come it is not a surprise.

You enter into the maw of the gulag, slowly pass into its guts and there, utterly alone, isolated, you exist and time drips slowly by....

Eugenia "Genie" Semyonovna Ginzburg spent seventeen years in the Soviet prison system, escaping death, unlike millions of others. She never again saw her husband after being imprisoned. The Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn, Man is Wolf to Man by Bardach, Kolyma Tales by Shalamov and Journey into the Whirlwind all include overlapping and similar information, but differ in format and style (although hers is most similar to Man is Wolf to Man in its telling). Her memoir of life in the Gulag is one of few written by women and so provides a unique and interesting perspective. All are fantastic books, well-written, often unbelievable and mesmerizing, but there is a noticeable difference between the multi-volume The Gulag Archipelago and Journey into the Whirlwind (seemingly short at just over 400 pages).

Genie is first brought in for questioning in 1934. With her young children in the other room and her husband away on business, she takes the call. Her beliefs at that time are such that she would willingly die for the party. Soon thereafter, she is incarcerated at Black Lake and is eventually sentenced to ten years of solitary confinement for not denouncing a coworker who had written an article offensive to the party.

During her interrogation sessions, in which she repeatedly refuses to "denounce" that is, lie, about the activities of acquaintances facing the same fate, she comes face to face with people who she thought were friends, but who have willingly denounced her in hopes of receiving special treatment, or lighter sentences. She herself never caves. Some of the interesting and different information found in her telling of life in the prison system during Stalin's rule, she is able to provide information about life within prison and receive information about the outside world using (coded) "Aesopian Language." Prisoners also use a system of knocks to communicate messages to one another and keep track of goings on within the prison and the status of their prison mates. Although it's a boring, lonely, (she has one cell mate most of the time), damp, horrible, hungry life, she survives long enough to be sent to Kolyma, where she realizes just how "good" she'd had it in solitary confinement. What she recounts from Kolyma is similar in many instances to the recollections of other Gulag prisoners, except for anecdotes referring specifically to life among the women.

Readers who enjoyed the aforementioned books should include Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum, which provides a general overview of the prison system, in their list of companion reads.