Biographies Books

Charles L. Granata is a Sinatra Historian and Archivist, and he has distilled a wealth of information into his book: Sessions With Sinatra. It covers Frank Sinatra's career, from his first recording in 1939, until his last in 1993. It focuses on the music, and only mentions his private life if it pertains to the music. The book is about Frank Sinatra, the singer, but it is also about the Art of Recording, and the development of recording technology, which parallels the career of Frank Sinatra, or that is the central thesis of the book. "Chuck" Granata puts up a very good case, and documents his case with extensive detail. But with evidence like the illustrious career of Francis Albert Sinatra, it is an easy case to make.

Frank Sinatra is quite a paradox, someone with a dark side, but also a sensitive artist, the greatest singer of the 20th Century--but sometimes he could be a real jerk. The book doesn't pull any punches, but since we mostly see him in the recording studio, he is on his best behaviour. There is mutual respect between him and the musicians, the producers, and arrangers, with him occasionally pushing them to do their best. Yes, there are tantrums at times, and it is all in this book.

As well as information about Sinatra, his singing, the arrangements, and the music, there is also a tremendous amount of technical information. The various microphones used, the recording equipment, the echo chambers used to enhance it, the various studios and their construction and acoustics. Sometimes this can be a little dry to the non-engineers who might be reading it, but what is fascinating about it is that Frank was there making records when they were recorded on laquer covered disks, and he was along for the ride for all of the technical innovations that followed. To study the recordings of Frank Sinatra is to study the history of recording. He was not only there when it happened, but often the force making it happen, or at the very least the catalyst.

It is all there in Mr. Granata's book: From his early days with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, through his solo career at Columbia and Capitol. He left Capitol to form his own company, Reprise, and then finally at the end, for the Duets I and II he was back at Capitol. The great arrangers and producers that worked with Sinatra are all covered: Axel Stordahl, Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Gordon Jenkins, Don Costa, Johnny Mandel, Jimmy Bowen, Mitch Miller, Claus Ogerman, Ernie Freeman, and many others.

If you have ever wondered what is was like at the creation, this book is for you. If you are skeptical about Frank Sinatra's talent, if you doubt that he was the greatest singer of the 20th Century, and if there is a greater one in the 21st, he or she has yet to reveal him or herself, then listen to the songs listed in the book, then read the book. Songwriter Sammy Cahn knew Frank when he was just starting out, and as his career was just starting to gather momentum, he told him of a dream, a vision, that he could be, was going to be, the greatest singer the world has ever known. And he was.

Essential Sinatra:

Songs for Young Lovers (Nelson Riddle, August 1954) My Funny Valentine, The Girl Next Door
In the Wee Small Hours (Nelson Riddle, April 1955) In the Wee Small Hours
Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (Nelson Riddle, March 1956) I've Got You Under My Skin
Close to You and More (Nelson Riddle, January 1957) Featuring The Hollywood String Quartet
Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (Nelson Riddle, September 1958) One For My Baby (and one more for the road)
Come Fly with Me (Billy May, January 1958) Come Fly With Me
Ring-a-Ding Ding! (Johnny Mandel, March 1961) Let's Fall in Love, I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
It Might as Well Be Swing (with Count Basie) (Quincy Jones, August 1964) The Best is Yet to Come
September of My Years (Gordon Jenkins, August 1965) It was a very good year
Strangers in the Night(Nelson Riddle and Ernie Freeman, May 1966) scoobey doobey doo!

Sessions With Sinatra sets a unique standard of excellence in balancing historical research with respectful recognition of Sinatra's importance to Twentieth Century music.

"I adore making records. I'd rather do that than almost anything else." ~ Frank Sinatra, 1961 ~

"Frank had the color and the fire and the brains and the imagination. Intellectual background strangely enough. Artistic sensitivity." ~ Nelson Riddle, 1983 ~

"Most Sinatraphiles would argue that his finest work, and the style he will ultimately be remembered for, was forged with Nelson Riddle. Sinatra-Riddle partnership was musically ideal and illustrates how a symbiotic musical relationship between orchestrator and singer can make a world of difference in what we hear and how we hear it." ~ Chuck Granata, 2004 ~

"Sessions with Sinatra and the Art of Recording" is indeed a wealth of information on everything you should know about Frank Sinatra's recordings. It is divided into five parts: The Big Band Years (1937-1942), The Columbia Years (1943-1952), The Capitol Years (1953-1962), The Reprise Years and Capitol Revisited. Mr. Granata did an excellent job in outlining Frank Sinatra recordings during his entire musical career, and his vast knowledge on all aspects of recording, technical in particular, is so amazing.

The Foreword was written by Phil Ramone, who himself is very well-versed when it comes to recording session engineering, and once said that he "was in heaven on the day that he realized his dream of engineering a Sinatra session."

Nancy Sinatra, who herself is a star in her own right, has written a very loving tribute to her famous Dad and "her hero" on the Afterword. I would single out a quote from her that I found so moving, here goes. . .

"My father always had a genius for picking the right songs, and when you consider the relationship between the tunes he selected, and the remarkably different themes that comes with each passing decade, you can see that his music tells a story that parallels his life and ours. Those songs, and their changing themes, represent Dad's most passionate dream - the one he talked about on dates with my mother - and the realization of that dream, which brought him almost insurmountable pain along with irrepressible joy as he experienced it, and as he lived it."

This wonderful and well-written book also features over a hundred black and white photos of the star himself with his fellow artists, musicians, conductors and arrangers such as Nelson Riddle, Quincy Jones, Billy May, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Mitch Miller, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, his daughter Nancy, among others; Nelson Riddle's original score for "Close To You" in 1956; a vocal lead sheet of "April In Paris," (from Come Fly With Me sessions in 1957), which Mr. Granata cited as an example of how great Frank Sinatra was in legato-style phrasing, breath control and vocal maturity.

Mr. Granata wrote about the collaboration between Sinatra and Riddle (Part 3, Pg 92) and called it "A Musical Marriage." Frank Sinatra believed that Nelson Riddle was "the greatest arranger in the world, a very clever musician who was like a tranquilizer - calm, slightly aloof. And he's got a sort of a stenographer's brain." If Sinatra tells him, "Make the eighth bar sound like Brahms," or "make it like Puccini" - Riddle will make little notes, and will obey the Chairman. Their partnership was so fruitful and creative as well, and had produced the finest recordings of all-time, there's no doubt about it. They were truly musically made for each other. They both had good work ethic and the same musical goal. They knew what "each other was doing with a song and what they wanted the song to say." They had a very good rapport in all their collaborations, which is the most important factor to the success of a recording.

This is a very detailed source of information to any new Sinatra fan looking to start a collection of albums for the appendices show lists of Companion Recordings, Basic Collection, Concept Albums under Columbia, Capitol, Reprise, QWest Records. It also enumerates "Fifty Songs That Define the Essence of Sinatra" and most of them are meaningful, special songs that are my all-time favorites.

Congratulations, Mr. Granata for an excellent and well-crafted book you've written. And thank you very kindly for inscribing my copy. :)

Very highly recommended to any Sinatra buff.

This book comes from a different perspective and reminds the reader that really , it should be about the music .

I had read some silly books about Mr Sinatra and was glad to come across a serious one - I've always been fascinated by recording studios , having done some recordings myself . I wish I could have been at some of Sinatra's sessions .

This book is the next best thing for me .
I loved it .
Buy if you are even a small fan - this will make you into a bigger one .

Read this one cover to cover. Incredible detail, both technical and artistic. The only thing that would have made this book better is a complete sessionography or a description of the recording process of each album rather than just select dates. That said, it is an incredible resource. This book, along with Will Friedwalds excellent "The Song Is You" are the definitive works on Sinatra's recording career.

That which was good (Inside the Third Reich) is now even better for "Spandau" is Speer's soul-searching account of and reflection on himself and his life while he was imprisoned for 21 years. The book was written in a day-by-day diary entry form so one almost feels one is there with him sharing his emotions and observations. He made it quite clear from the very outset that writing kept him sane but ".. it must be more than a matter of organizing sheer survival. This must also become a time of reckoning. If at the end, after these twenty years, I do not have an answer to the questions that preoccupy me now, this imprisonment will have been wasted for me. And yet I fully realize that even at best my conclusions can only be tentative..." Upon his release in 1966, he left the mass of papers of his prison diaries lay untouched, unread for over ten years before he finally published them. Apart from the historical importance, readers will enjoy the writing of a fine intellectual mind despite his sad observation that "Diaries are usually the accompaniment of a lived life. This one stands in place of a life." This is an immensely personal and moving book that no one could afford to miss and deserves much more than a running commentary.

No figure emerged from the Second World War with greater controversy and attention than did Nazi architect and Hitler confidant Albert Speer. Sentenced to twenty years in the military prison in Spandau for war crimes, Speer was the only one of the principals tried at Nuremberg to admit his culpability in the horror that was the Third Reich. Many questioned his sincerity, for although he said all the right things, it was extremely self-serving to do so at the moment of final judgment, for his capitulation surely saved his life. Yet Speer served his twenty years and then was released to live out his life amidst even greater controversy, for Speer had compiled an amazing 25,000 page secret diary during his long confinement.

This treasure trove of personal anecdotes, reminiscences, and observations was eventually serialized into two distinctive books. When the first was published in 1969 in Germany, the diary, entitled "Recollections", caused a literal firestorm of controversy based on a range of observations and positions taken by Speer. Yet the book, released a year later in a translated version for the English-speaking world as "Inside The Third Reich" was a runaway best seller based primarily on the detailed and absolutely spellbinding descriptions Speer offered regarding the principals of the Nazi regime. Shortly thereafter, Speer released the present volume, entitled "Spandau; The Secret Diaries". His observations, tidbits, and anecdotes about Hitler himself were endlessly fascinating and occasioned a lot of dinner conversation all over the world. Likewise, his portrayal of the day to day life within the so-called Nazi elite gave reader s a graphic and telling account of what these people were like, and how it was possible that they could do so much of what they did.

It also establishes a consistent pattern of personal denial of any real responsibility for what had happened on Speer's part. He claimed to have been only tangentially involved in what happened to the Jews, and that he never understood that the policy of deportation and relocation to 'work camps' was part of a conspiracy to systematically murder all of Europe's Jews. Yet careful readers find that his role as Chief Administrator Of Armament Production, which employed slave labor by both Jews and other subjugated prisoners of war certainly had a systematic policy of working these slave laborers to death.

In later works he claimed to be less involved in the politics of the Third Reich than in the day to oversight of functional management of its policies. This is a fascinating book, and one cannot help but to come to admire this man and his struggles to maintain his balance and his sanity during the two decades he was held at Spandau. It provides a penetrating look both at his own mental processes as well as sharing his ruminations about various details and aspects of life within the whirlwind of excitement, agony, and horror that the years of Nazi reign in Germany represent. This is a book I can highly recommend. Enjoy!

What a good story. I couldn't put the book down. I recommend that you read a book on the Nuremberg trials (Persico's is a good one) before plunging into Speer's diary. Speer wrote his diary while paying his 20 years sentence at Spandau prison for his responsibility as one of the leaders of the Thirch Reich.

First hand accounts of the workings of the German High Command and the interactions between the parties, including Adolph Hitler, are rare and becoming rarer. Many of those involve left memoirs, but those are becoming difficult to find, as most are now out of print. Speer's Spandau writings are among the endangered species.

Anyone who wishes to understand the minds of the men who made the Reich work and particularly the mind of Adolph Hitler can do so by the evidence of their deeds at one level. However, the records of their thoughts, conversations, behavior and rationalizations while they did so is certainly a facet of understanding. The writings of Von Manstein, Doenitz, Rommel, Guderian, and the diaries of Joseph Goebbels are each worth the reading in this sense. As is Albert Speer.

Speer was imprisoned longer than any of the other members of Hitler's inner circle. He had many years of solitude to contemplate his deeds and reflect on how and why he came to be imprisoned in Spandau. Maybe these musings qualify as revisionist history. Maybe they're merely self-serving rationalizations. But his anecdotes will definitely add to your understanding of the 3rd Reich. You don't have to believe everything he says, but it's worth reading it and making the choice for yourself.

Speer thought of himself as a 'nice guy'. You can't make an informed decision as to whether it was true without reading what he had to say. In the end most of us believe we are 'nice people' and are justified in whatever horrendous deeds we pursue.

Albert Speer give a day to day account of what it is like in Spandau. The diaries are divided daily so you soon feel that you are there. You soon feel that his memories are yours and wonder what you would have done. Sure you know now, but wait until you read this book. There are 32 pages of exclusive photos. It is weird win you think what you or a relative was doing on the same days. Albert got out just one month before I went in to the military. Even his epilog is impressive.

STUKA PILOT is the autobiography and Second World War adventures of Hans Ulrich Rudel. Rudel, one of the most highly decorated officers in the German Third Reich, was Hitler's favorite soldier. His unbridled passion was to be a pilot and keep flying. Wounded severely several times, he continued flying combat missions until the end of the war. Often incorrectly stereotyped as an "Unrepentant Nazi," STUKA PILOT's emphasis is on Rudel's experiences as a Luftwaffe pilot and commander. Born to humble circumstances, Rudel struggled to gain acceptance into a Luftwaffe officer candidate program. Though an exceptional athlete -- and often a dare-devil -- Rudel chose a dive bombers as his piloting career field.

The book follows Rudel through his early frustrations in missing out on early campaigns and being grounded by unforgiving squadron staff officers. The invasion of the Soviet Union offered Rudel the opportunity to hone dive bombing operations to a fine art. Rapid promotion followed. At the end of the war we find Rudel commanding anti-tank dive bombing units as just about the only force remaining to stem the Red Army.

STUKA PILOT provides excellent military history reading along with lessons in leadership. Though highly recommended, the book does harbor shortcomings. Rudel's printed story is too closely translated from German and the verbiage is sometimes confusing. Rudel's narrative also sometimes strays from a chronological recounting of events. As noted in other reviews, most versions of this book lack maps of any sort and so it is difficult to appreciate the extensive geography involved in this story. Rudel's story also abruptly ends with the end of the war. It is too bad that he did not append later version with his post war activities.

Do not expect to find much about Rudel's personal life in this volume. This book is devoted to Rudel's wartime exploits. Consider STUKA PILOT a military classic. If you enjoy military aviation books about World War Two, this book should find its way into your collection.

As so many of the previous reviewers indicate, Hans Ulrich Rudel was an amazing man. Set aside the sad truth that he dedicated his talents to the service of The Third Reich and instead focus on his individual achievements, which set him apart from nearly every warrior of history, except perhaps Achilles.

I was simply unable to put the book down. Rudel's experiences from bombing Soviet ships, to blasting Soviet armor, to cliff diving, river swimming, foot racing from the enemy to flying with one leg are just a sampling of the adventure this man lived. It's no wonder that he alone bears the highest version of the Knights Cross of all Nazi Germany's many talented warriors.

Rudel's exploits will inspire the reader with unapologetic admiration. His politics were flawed and remained so for the remainder of his life, but he never wavered from his dedication to Germany and to his own ideal of National Socialism. For this too, a man can be admired. Many other great warriors in history also fought for causes that did not deserve their individual greatness.

the lines between hero, fool and lucky are often hard to distinguish and more often ignored. rudel's accomplishments, as he remembers them, are indeed extraordinary. imagine a single pilot sinking capitol ships, destroying hundreds of front line tanks and thousands of trucks and artillery pieces all while flying an aircraft that was obsolete at the war's begining. in addition to rudel's flying stories, he also shares with the reader the more 'traditional' views of germany's enemies and its leaders both of which the author openly embraces. rudel is strictly 'old school'. i first read 'stuka pilot' at the age of twelve, it being the first of dozens of books i have read by enemy combatants over the years. i have found the book an excellent primary source to life 'on the other side' and during subsequent readings of the rudel book over the years i am always as impressed with his skill with an airplane as with his skill with a typewriter. rudel should be remembered for his accomplishments as both writer and pilot along with such other heros of the sky as billy bishop or gregg boyington.

This book is terrific in terms of action as recounted by the most decoated soldier of the Third Reich. After an inglorious beginning, Rudel's star shined on the Eastern Front where he flew 2,530 operational sorties and destroyed a huge amount of enemy material. In this book he analyses many of his tactics, the conditions in Russia, the loss of many of his comrades and his narrow escapes from death and capture. He received his higher decorations from Hitler himself, thus he can also give his imrpessions about the dictator and the private conversations he had with him. Rudel was a real killing machine and he didn't stop flying even when he had his right leg amputated from a direct anti-aircraft hit. The book ends with his months of capture in England and France. Rudel states emphatically that he fought for his country and not for a particular Party, but many times in the book he repeats his horror seeing the "asiatic hordes" invading the German soil and his sorrow that the Western Allies didn't side with Nazi Germany to save the European civilization! Apart from this propaganda moments though, the book is an excellent first hand account of the colossal battles on the Eastern Front and the great carnage that experienced fliers like Rudel caused to the advancing Soviets. The only serious drawback of the book is that the English translation made a lot of errors regarding the Luftwaffe units nomneclature. Thus the Gruppe became a Squadron and the Staffel became Flight, which is absolutely wrong. The same applies for the highest command echelon, which became just Group. The ranks were also translated to their RAF equivalents (correctly this time) which is really absurd for most of the readers who are not familiar with this system. There are also some minor mistakes regarding aircraft types, which shows a lack of a good editing.

Not perfect, but close.

Highs - Historically correct and well told firsthand viewpoint of possibly the best ground attack pilot to fight in WW2.

Lows - Some things are a little bumpy in the stories and don't flow as good as say "Iron Coffins". British translation makes Hans seem "british" at times! More maps of where he was talking about would be helpful.

How did this guy survive!

Overall, excellent. 96/100.

Swami Kriyananda is a modern renaissance man, and in "Swami Kriyananda: As We Have Known Him" tells of author Asha Praver's nearly four decades of experience with Swami Kriyananda, a spectacular man who has written over eighty books and composed over three hundred pieces of music, all while being viewed as one of the leading lights in the spiritual world today as the last living direct disciple of the great master of yoga, Paramhansa Yogananda. "Swami Kriyananda: As We Have Known Him" is enthusiastically recommended across the board for spirituality, religion, and biography community library shelves alike and anyone who just wants to learn more about such a great man.

I received my book Swami Kriyananda: As We Have Known Him through a book club. I picked the book up at home just to glance at the beautiful cover and skim what was inside. Time just flew by. One hour later I was still reading and feeling very inspired. The stories shared about Kriyananda's life not only uplift and inspire but make you feel you have been touched by the life of a saint.

When I first began to read this book, I was surprised by a joyful feeling, coming from nowhere and everywhere, that seemed to wash over me. It was a strong experience; perhaps the most intense I've ever had from reading a book.

It was so pronounced that, a friend, walking by at that moment, gave me a curious look, as if to say, "What on earth has got into you?"

The stories in this book are very special: some are humorous, some are profound, some excel in giving us an example to model our lives on, but they are all inspiring. This is a good book not only for someone interested in Swami Kriyananda, or in disciples of Paramhansa Yogananda, but also for anyone who would like to know what it is like to be with a saint.

The book is well written, and, because of its short-story format, is something that you can benefit from reading even if you only have a few minutes. A warning, though: I found it easy to pick up and hard to put down.

If you listen to his talks, or read his books, Swami Kriyananda seems like almost a normal person: wise, intelligent, clear, and kind, but not *that* different from everyone else.

This book gives another perspective! It can give you an experience of what it is like to be with a great lover of God, as it seemed to give me the first time I read it. Having met Swami Kriyananda, I can say: he is a step above anyone else I have ever known.

If you long to know what it takes to be a true saint and how one lives his life, this book is the key to that understanding. One such as Swami Kriyananda never speaks openly about himself but always draws the listener's attention and devotion to God and his guru, Paramhansa Yogananda. It is therefore, incumbent upon those who have lived closest to him to reveal to others the sanctity of his life. Asha Praver has done a remarkable job of revealing, through the stories of many who have lived close to Kriyananda, what his life of discipleship to God and Guru has been like. The writing is done with clarity and great sensitivity, appealing to both the mind and the heart. If you are sincerely longing to know the truth of life, this book can shed light on one who has found truth and has spent his life sharing it with others. The only challenge I had with the book is that it ended too soon. I hope that others of its caliber will follow!

I found the lecture 'new agey' and boring!
from the book:
p. 316: "Except for Swamiji's voice, the room was silent, the audience spellbound, hanging on his every word. Suddenly, the inward mood was shattered by the ringing of a telephone. ... Sternly, Swamiji asked that the phone be turned off. ... Still the ringing persisted. `Would someone please do something about this matter?' Swamiji said again. Then, with a look of sudden comprehension, he reached into his own pocket. `Oh!', he said, `It is my phone.'
......SO MUCH FOR HIS INTUITION IN THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION!!!!!!

I just finished reading this book, and i could not put it down! This is one amazing book, i highly recommend this to anyone who wants to hear a true account of a courageous undercover detective who infiltrated the mob. All true, amazing work by Rick and the NYPD. A must have! "It's in there" everything Rick was involved in, is in there!

An unbelievable yet true story that kept me engaged, too engaged for my wife on our cruise! I highly recommend for vacation reading.

What a pageturner!!!! I was very afraid for Mr. Rick Cowan throughout this whole book. Man, what guts!!! Why isn't this guy being heralded all over the place like Joe Pistone? No disrespect to Pistone but he infiltrated a fractured and disorganized crime family(Bonnano). Cowan got in with the class of the mob, the Genovese and Gambino families. I could not put this book down. I always heard that New Yorkers were being fleeced by the "garbage gangsters" but I never fully understood how. Or why couldn't our government stop it? This book breaks it down. This one is in my top 10. Fantastic!!!!

I'm of two minds on this book. The history of the mob's control of the trash and paper recycling industries in and around NYC are fascinating. But a great deal of the book consists of verbatim transcripts from wires worn by Cowan in his interminable dealings with the mob, many of which are repetitive. Only for the real lovers of mob stories.

Over the course of the past few years, my love of reading books about the mafia went dormant. When I arrived upon a copy of "Takedown" in a used book store, my interest was revitalized. The story in "Takedown" is unbelievable not because it is untrue, but because it is unbelievable how many times Rick Cowan avoided certain death. Though it is unbelievable at times, it is a true story.

By chance, Rick Cowan was in the right palce at the right time. This young detective made the mafia believe he was a cousin in a garbage hauling family. Through this false pretense, he was able to infiltrate the Gambino Fanily to its highest level. Such a task was thought to be out of reach to the NYPD. The stories Cowan tells of his interactions with the mafia have a level of authenticity to them. You can almost hear the stereotypical accents being spoken as you read. I question whether some of the stories were exaggerated to make the book a more exciting read. Surely any man faced with some of these circumstances would crack or slip.

Cowan even discusses the strain three years uncover put on his family. This is an aspect of the investigation that receives little attention in similar books. I also enjoyed the epilogue in which Cowan discusses whether he felt remorse for "ratting out" the friends he made in three years.

Reading a book about the real life mafia is much more exciting than any movie or TV show available. While there certainly must be some fabrications present in the book, none were so glaring to take away from the story. I would recommend this book to any person with an interest organized crime.

Coach Wooden is the Monet of coaching. His philosophy and work ethic, both as a player and a coach, are unparalled. This book will instruct anyone on how to deal with adversity both on the court and in the game of life.

You can't miss with Wooden's thoughts, words and advice. If you're coaching yong people, he hits home lessons that every player and coach should know and understand. Even if you're just a parent or someone's business supervisor, read this book to learn how to better deal with and motivate those who rely on you for leadership. Don't let the coach down and pass these wonerful skills on to the next generation. Wooden's vision will live long past his coaching days. Find out all about it right here.

I purchased this book as part of a Ph.D. level class as a lesson in leadership. Coach Wooden shows his ability to lead and educate through his expertise in the fundamentals and the basics. He demonstrates his ability to change tactics and styles with different individuals, which is essential in good,effective leaders. I would recommend this book on several levels. At face value, it is an exceptional story about an exceptional coach and man. At a deeper level, I think it portrays a good example of how to lead and and how to set an example for those you are trying to lead.

Excellent book examining the life , philosophy and thoughts behind a great coach. Not just about basketball but good for anyone coaching any sport or anyone wanting insight to a great life.

John Wooden is perhaps America's greatest coach. His UCLA basketball team won ten national championships, including seven in a row. Concomitant with winning was his insistence on character and virtue rather than getting caught up with results.

This autobiography is a fascinating glimpse into Wooden's extraordinary life. It chronicles his life as a player (many forget that Wooden was elected to the basketball hall-of-fame as a player and coach), his coaching days (mostly at UCLA), and a little bit about his activities after his retirement. Interspersed in all of this are Wooden's coaching philosophy, pictures, box scores of the national championship games, and Wooden's opinion on how to improve the quality of NCAA basketball.

They Call Me Coach is tremendous for any sports fan, especially basketball. It can also be enjoyed by those who enjoy reading about what it takes to achieve success. Wooden was not a dictator, but imparted his insistence on doing one's best to his players with meticulous detail.

TCMC is not a complete autobiography, and it omits many aspects of Wooden's life. It is certainly not a "tell-all" account, nor is it perhaps the best book on articulating Wooden's coaching philosophy. For that I would recommend another of Wooden's books, appropriately titled Wooden. There are also others out there.

They Call Me Coach is a wonderful account of a man who as achieved true life success, and you will enjoy this read regardless of your previous knowledge on Wooden or college basketball.

I rarely read a book more than once but this one is worth the time to do that. What a life the bride lived.

Since so many have commented on the story, I'll skip repeating all the wonderful things others have already said. Here's what I have to say:

I bought this book in 2001 when my wife and I got married at Alred's in Telluride (we were the FIRST couple to be married there). It wasn't until last month that I "found" this book on my shelf and decided to read it...I couldn't put it down!

This book should be mandatory reading for all high school kids for several reasons: they can learn what life was like back then, and to show that life doesn't own you a thing! You have to earn what you want and take the good with the bad.

Mrs. Backus was an incredible woman that lived through some incredibly difficult times, all the while never giving up or having a bad thing to say.

I would rank this book right up there with "Narrative of the Slave"; it's easy to read, extremely fascinating and leaves you with lump in your throat when it's over.

This book would make an incredible movie (just don't let them "Hollywood-ize" it. Keep it true to the story.

My son gave me this book as a gift and once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. It is a wonderful story of a young girl who marries and moves to a mining town in Colorado with her mining engineer husband in the early 1900s. As you turn the pages, you live day by day with Harriet and can actually experience the hardships of living in such remote areas.

It is one of the best written books I have ever read and I recommend it to everyone.
Brenda Ritter

Fantastic book. Well written with humor and sorrow. I picked this book up on a whim at a $1 book sale. Best dollar I have ever spent. I couldn't put this book down. Really a great read for anyone interested in mining life esp. what it was like from a womans point of view.

I visited Telluride and purchased this book while there. I read it, loaned it to several friends and they read it and loved it. My daughter loved it so much she didn't return it, so I purchased a second book. The author has a knack for writing and has led an extremely interesting life. At first I thought I enjoyed the book because I had visited a lot of the places that she talked about, but later found that people who had never been to CO enjoyed the book as much as I did.

I read this about 6 years ago when it was assigned in one of my undergrad classes. There are enough online reviews for you to read about the plot and like. Rather I want to tell you how her voice has stuck with me. I think of her ability to see the slivering when everything is just gray, and her amazing capacity to keep going. Whenever I think I can't go on, this death/or lost/ or series of unfortunate events as shattered the very last of my will I remember her words. I highly recommend it. I regally give this as a gift, I know I'm not just giving someone a powerful story, but really I'm giving someone a packet of extra strength for when they need it most in life.

This is a well-written, quick read. Heda's 27 years of suffering - first at the hands of the Nazis & then under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia - is heart rending. It's a book that should be part of high school curriculums to raise awareness of what too many people had to endure in the middle of the last century. It would be much more effective than relying on a history textbook that deals only with the 'facts.'

I would recommend this book to anyone. Even if you think you don't like reading about history, you'll like this book. In fact, it is books like these that are the reason I love history so much, and why I'm majoring in it. It isn't about the politics or the wars or whatever else (although those are certainly important), it is the story of a woman trying to survive through a hell most of us cannot even imagine has existed on this earth, especially not in the last 50 years. Peoples' lives are what connect us to the past, and what make it relevant to the future. It gives a little meaning and heart behind all the dates and events that you have to memorize in class...make them more personal. And furthermore, you will be inspired by this woman. Her strength and character is admirable, to say the very least. Actually, I don't think even a fictional writer could invent a heroine more honorable than this one.

So please, read it. stories like these deserve to be shared.

it is a great book use in my world civ class, and highly recommmand by my professor and TAs.

Clive James, in "Cultural Amnsia' - his magesterial review of literature and totalitarianism - said: "Given thirty seconds to recommend a single book that might start a serious young student on the hard road to understanding of the political tragedies of the twentieth century, I would choose this one". It tells a remarkable personal tale of a Jewish girl in Prague caught up by the Nazis and going to Auschwitz, then her escape and return to her beloved Prague, and subsequent worse sufferings under the communist government in the 1950s and 1960s. Her husband was a high ranking government official but later was put on a show trial and killed.

"Under a Cruel Star" (also called "Prague Farewell" in some editions) is not as bleak as the story sounds. It is a slim volume of hope and understanding, written elegantly by a woman who later in life worked as a translator from English and finished her working life in the Harvard Law School library.

This personal narrative set in the midst of global history is a tremendous story. A touching and humorous account of an unforgettable era, told with skill. Couldn't put it down until it was finished. One reads it thinking, "This would make a wonderful movie."

This book is a compelling story about a young man who grows up on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama on his family farm and goes on to serve his country in World War II. Sacco made the unique decision of telling the story in his father's voice, which adds to the authenticity of the account.

This tactic also makes the writing come across as glib in places. While the elder Sacco tells anecdotes about bad food, and seemingly endless hours of drills in all types of weather, he glosses over some of these hardships as the story moves on. The book would have been strengthened a bit if the author had filled in some of those gaps for the reader. The liberation of Dachau gets surprisingly few pages, as one would expect this event to be the pinnacle of the young soldier's life.

However, there are a number of places where Sacco's first hand account proves very effective: The story is full of wiseacre remarks about the shape of a woman, and while these types of comments aren't acceptable in our time, in most circles, they add to the realistic feel of a group of young GIs serving half a world away usually without female companionship.

Sacco's account of the group dynamics in his unit is fascinating. There are a number of anecdotes about race relations in the Army. The elder Sacco seems to pride himself on having been more enlightened than some in his time, in part because he himself experienced prejudice. Finally, his account of falling in love with a young woman named Monique during a stint in a small French village on the border with Germany is truly riveting.

In sum, the book seems to serve as a realistic account of military service and of the horror of war. And while I was disappointed by the casual telling of the story in some places, one has the sense that the elder Sacco's sense of humor, combined with his ability to minimize certain aspects of his tough experience, helped to keep him going during some of the most harrowing experiences of his life. Indeed, the author's style provided plenty of comic relief. This book is more for those who like biographies rather than those who want a straightforward account of the facts and dates associated with these historic events.

I concur with the excellent reviews preceeding mine. This is a beautifully written account of the guys from the 192nd Signal Battalion from basic training to the end of World War II. I'd like to identify three significant elements undergirding this excellent account of the incredible fortitude of teenagers turned warriers in a brutal environment. First, Joe Sacco and his buddies had the immense good fortune of being under the capable direction of First Sargeant Ernest Thomas. His presence in the background is a constant element in keeping these young men the best that they could be. Next, Joe Sacco and his buddies were among those who forever identify themselves as members of "Patton's Army". Through Joe's eyes we can appreciate the inspirational leadership he offered in the worst of times. Last, these guys were such good guys--in their treatment of little children, a child German soldier, and others, it makes one so proud of all those very young American soldiers who could see the worst, and yet keep their faith in the importance of each human being.

Superbly written! At once epic in scope and intimate in detail, WHERE THE BIRDS NEVER SING effortlessly transports even a casual reader on an emotional and unforgettable journey. Author Jack Sacco masterfully recounts the true story of his father, Joe Sacco, an American GI in World War II. Instead of using the tired genre of third-person documentary-style writing to tell the tale, the author speaks in the first person, through the eyes of his father. The result is one of the most powerful and honestly moving accounts of the human drama in World War II in recent memory.

The story begins in 1943 on a farm in Alabama, when the young Joe Sacco receives a letter informing him that he has been drafted into the service. From there, it seamlessly moves through his training with the 92nd Signal Battalion, shipping out to England (where the soldiers witnessed the stirring and famous speech by General Patton), landing at Omaha Beach in Normandy, surviving the Battle of the Bulge and fighting their way across Nazi Germany to eventually arrive at the notorious concentration camp at Dachau by war's end.

The book, already powerful and moving up until that point, then takes the reader to a new level of realism as horrifying details of the camp are revealed. Considering all he had seen and experienced since landing at Normandy, the emotional response of the young Joe Sacco to the carnage inside Dachau may leave the reader near tears. Rarely, if ever, has there been a written account of the reality of the concentration camps so graphic, gripping or compelling. As if that wasn't enough, Jack Sacco has included actual historic photographs his father took during the dramatic liberation.

All along the way, the author crafts memorable and beautifully written scenes, from the terrors of battle to the tranquility of a snowfall in the forests of Alsace-Lorraine, from the sorrows of the death of a buddy to the simple joy of decorating a makeshift Christmas tree with gum wrappers. In describing the emotions of the men before leaving Dachau, Sacco writes, "Now, after a year of combat, each of us finally and forever understood why destiny had called us to travel so far away from the land of our birth and fight for people we did not know. And so it was here, in this place abandoned by God and accursed by men, that we came to discover the meaning of our mission."

This is not another book about World War II. It's an intimate journey into the heart of an American soldier, and as such, it is as triumphant as the men it depicts. Readers will not only delight in WHERE THE BIRDS NEVER SING, they will gain a new appreciation for the accomplishments of their own fathers, uncles and grandfathers who may have served in World War II as part of the Greatest Generation.

Where The Birds Never Sing is the story of Joe Sacco's years in the army during WWII as written by his son Jack. From the time he was drafted until the time that he returns home we live with Joe as he experiences everything from basic training to the liberation of Dachau, which left Joe and the men of his company, soldiers who had witnessed everything that war has to offer, speachless and sickened. It also, as Joe so eloquently tells us, brought home, all too clearly, to these soldiers just why they had left their homes to "fight for a people we did not know."

A remarkable story about a remarkable man. This book must be read by all who are interested in "The Greatest Generation."

Excellent -Written in a unique style that was easy to read and it held your attention. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. It provided insight as to what a veteran actually had to endure - something most of us simply cannot understand.

A great book and a fantastic tribute to a World War II veteran. What I enjoyed most was that the author also goes to great lengths to show the behind the scenes back round of this american hero. Many books are written about history but this book tells the history of one of the individual soldiers. Anyone who enjoys WWII history would enjoy this. Great reading!

Not only did Kathleen Belfiore Schuman honor the Schuman family with this wonderful tribute to Donald, I felt as though I was experiencing each dramatic occurance first hand. You can only image the countless hours of research that went into writing this book when you see the copies of journals, telegrams, letters, news articles, pictures, etc.

This book captivates you - you won't want to put it down.
This story would make a wonderful family war-time movie with reuniting a family torn apart by vindictiveness and war.

This book is first a tribute to an American WWII hero. It then abruptly switches to a detective story as the author searches for the hero's grave. The author's description of the search is so real, unpretentious, and down to earth that you feel you are there and a member of the family. Kathleen Belfiore Schuman talks to the reader as if she were standing in the room with him.

The book is very well documented. She includes actual scans of the original documents including the terrible telegram telling the family of the loss off their son. There is so much in the way of scans and/or verbatim transcripts that it would make a good reference book if only there were an index.

A family history is hard to write in such a way that it is interesting to outsiders but she pulled it off.

Thank you Kathleen for letting us share this story.

Action, drama - you name it, this book's got it! A storyline that runs a full range of emotions, from sorrow and despair to triumph and joy. A definite must-read for all ages!