Interviews Books

We moved to Maryland from California about 4 years ago. Eugene Meyer's book was helpful for us to understand how our new state evolved and how its people and its culture changed through the years. Its amazing how true the statement is about Maryland - its America in a small package. You have the big city (Baltimore), the mountains, the Southern ways, the nation's capital, the suburbs (affluent and rural), you have the Chesapeake Bay, you have the historic Annapolis, the port town of Baltimore (old and historic, new and changing), you have Tobacco and gambling, you have the snooty Eastern Shore (both the gentrified few and the struggling fishermen)...its pretty amazing all the stories and the ways of life in such a little state...and here we thought California had all the stories...Maryland is such a beautiful little state and the whole family loves it...

Eugene Meyer captured the warm folksy feeling only a resident can feel. It would have been nice if he had added more tales from around Montgomery County (Rockville, Germantown, Gaithersburg), but I guess Poolesville is close enough. Great work and very recommended reading.

Eugene Meyer's book on Maryland is a fascinating look at various parts of the state, with an emphasis on the human interest stories that bring it to life. I moved to Maryland a year ago and reading this book brings me much closer to feeling like I've been here for awhile. One criticism: where's the map? Maryland is a geographically complicated state and a map would have provided a great service to understanding where Mr. Meyer's was writing from and off to next.

Maryland is a geographical diverse state that offers mountains, magnificent waters, and communities that range from small, intimate villages to large, thriving cities. In Maryland Lost And Found...Again, Eugene Meyer provides the armchair traveler with a guided tour of the state and explores the people and places that made Maryland special both in the past and the present. His essays touch upon Maryland's relationships and features including megalopolis, Appalachia, the Chesapeake Bay, the Deep South, the industrial North, rich farmland, a major port, the nation's capital, as well as the primary car and rail routes carrying East Coast interstate traffic. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Maryland's "The Free State" history, geography and demographics, Meyer's engaging, informative, and "reader friendly" text is enhanced with black-and-white photographs.

I have lived in Maryland my entire life (with the exception of a few years between 1985 and 1994), and through the years I've done a lot of travel writing. This is an absolutely fabulous book: a must-read for anyone interested in the fascinating quirks and hidden stories in Maryland's geography and history. I think I'm familiar with just about every history/travel book that's been written on "The Free State," and this is certainly one of the best, and perhaps the best ever. Utterly fascinating and delightful reading.

Fasinating stuff. During some of the time covered in this book, I was a Mississippi lawyer, and I gotta say that this is a well researched piece of work. And it is reader friendly too. A helluva of job. A+ in my opinion.

Fabulous and balanced walk through the political scenery of Mississippi. Nash and Taggart should give lessons to current politicos on how to have different perspectives and still get something done!

Nash and Taggart are two insiders from opposing sides, and so it follows that their story of Mississippi politics records the men, mostly, who fought one another for the benefits of power in the state of magnolia, and also that they do it without creating one dimensional characters. Here is the clash of races and of regions and the clanging of gavels and of gaming houses.

Looking at the state through a left and a right lens Nash and Taggart tell a story too about local power structures broken and dissolved and reconstituted amid the larger national movements.

In the lives and deaths of some of the actors this binocular vision reveals an unexpected pathos - in the stories of Jon Hinson and Aaron Henry and, of all people, James Eastland.

For my money, having lived here through those same 30 years, there were plenty of pure scoundrels, so I acknowledge and recommend their superior version.

The authors have exhaustively mined existing non-book sources (oral histories, theses and dissertations, inter alia) as well as conducted their own interviews to present, in very readable form, this 30 year report of Mississippi politics. I highly recommend it.

John Quincy Adams
Emeritus Professor of Political Science
Millsaps College
Jackson, Mississippi

As the author of a recent book on the job market, I was drawn to Monster Careers because of Monster.com's...well, monster reputation in the world of job market resources. The book was a pleasant surprise. Not only did it offer the spectrum of standard interview-conquering exercises and tips one would expect, but it also tackled some of the "softer" issues that can make or break an interviewee: maintaining your confidence level, selling yourself without sounding boastful, establishing a comfortable rapport with the interviewer. This is a great all-around read, and especially helpful for those who need a refresher course on the ins and outs of interviewing.

A very insightful book filled with great advice on inteviewing methods. A must read for any candidate - Executives to Engineers who wants to increase their chances of a successful interview and ultimately recieve a job offer.
A Must Read !


-Gary Perman
Sr. Partner
Perman Willits Langone
permanwillits.com

This book will help. As industries and career opportunities change, most of us will be in the job market. Sooner or later, you will need this book. Current, informative, a how-to guide of the interview process.

Suggestion: Read this with a hi-liter or page stickers. You WILL be returning to what you have read.

I recently acquired this book and found the information to be very valuable. I am graduating early from college this December and having never worked in the corporate world before I found the words of this book to be very encouraging and a great tool. I have definitely utilized this book to its fullest extent in my career search and have recently passed it on to many of my friends. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is inexperienced at interviewing or anyone who is looking to brush up on or learn a couple of new skills.

If you are familiar with Cage's art, you will love this account of Cages views on art and life. Joan Retallack's compilation of interviews and thoughts are precious and informative, to those of us who are fond of Cage's work and thinking. Great writing. If you are not familiar with John Cage, where have you been?... Well, it is not late to start. Excellent book.

I know nothing about music, but I loved this book! Cage's conversations brim with humor, wisdom, and amazing insights into every subject under the sun. It's an enormous pleasure to spend a few hours "in his company" by reading this book.

Joan Retallack is immensely gifted. If you're familiar with John Cage, you'll like this book. If you're not too familiar with John Cage, well, I have someone I'd like you to meet.

This is entertaining, compelling, thought-provoking stuff. I can think of few other people who are so mindful of WORD USAGE, or in this case, I guess, WORD "USCAGE." Many insights in this book. I recommend it highly.

Joan Retallack, a long-time friend and colleague of John Cage, has done us the favor of publishing this series of conversations between the two of them. These conversations (for they lack any conventional formality that might render them 'interviews'), which took place not long before Cage's death in 1992, run the gamut of topics. Through their amiable banter, one gets a great sense of what was going on in the oft-misunderstood artist's mind--especially as regards his fixation on chance operations and the I Ching. The talks also give ample insight into Cage's writing and visual art, practices for which he is lesser known. When not provoking thought about Cage himself, the two (and I mean both of them equally; Retallack has a meticulously rich and compelling mind, and expresses many enlightening points-of-view herself) have revealing conversations about everything from Duchamp to Joyce, Buckminster Fuller to the Koran.

Perhaps the most interesting and rare aspect of the book is the pervasive inclusion of the environmental and more mundane details of the conversations. She is careful to note the frequent occasions when Cage laughed, what he might have been cooking that day, interactions with an artist who stopped by to fix a bookshelf as a favor to Cage and to Merce Cunningham. Especially valuable is the penultimate conversation, when we are made privy to the beginning of Cage's composition process, as he begins to write a new piece on the spot with cellist Michael Bach. These insights into Cage's daily domestic life are perhaps the most revealing aspects of the book into his personality and philosophies.

For those familiar with Cage, this is a must-read. If you are skeptical or confused about his work, these talks will clarify a lot for you. If you have yet to be exposed to Cage, I recommend this book highly as an accurate and exhaustive portrait.

With all due respect to hard-working surf journalists everywhere, author Bruce Jenkins contributes an overdue dose of world-class penmanship to one of the world's most profound human challenges-- Big Wave Surfing. As a professional sportswriter, Jenkins has covered events such as the Stanley Cup, PGA, Superbowl, and World Series. But his true love of surfing shines forth here. He captures the attitudes, lifestyles, and mystique of the world's legendary watermen, in their rightful environment: the North Shore of Oahu. I grew up surfing on Oahu, and I can attest that, for a sane person, North Shore surfing is first and foremost about conquering horrendous personal fear. Although beautiful, the waves there are huge, thick, fast, churning, and unforgiving. One must endure deathly wipeouts and end-of-the-world-type situations, and cultivate Herculean stamina to survive the hellish ocean conditions. Each surfer chronicled here has somehow overcome these odds to make it to the elite inner circle. They represent vastly different personalities, backgrounds, physical builds, but all possess one thing in common: Big Brass Ones, and the respect of the entire surf community. I especially enjoyed the interview with big-wave rider Tom Nellis and his opinions of the scene. Nellis is entertaining and forthright as he pays respectful homage to his legendary surf peers Michael Ho, Clyde Aikau, and Gerry Lopez. All in all, Jenkins does a marvelous job capturing the "Wild West" feel of the North Shore lifestyle. He's right: talk and posturing matter very little there-- in the end, it is ultimately about who has "sack" and who doesn't. The North Shore is truly a macho frontier, and in this book you'll understand why. You'll enjoy all the profiles-- Jenkins' selection of featured surfers is very well-balanced, deep, and lasting. Even if you've never surfed, get this book. You will be intrigued. And if you suspect that these wonderful tales seem somehow exaggerated or too mythic, try paddling out to a routine, Hawaiian-sized 10-foot (i.e., two-story-high) day at Sunset Beach. If by chance you live through it, thank the Lord and remember that these guys handle waves and ocean conditions SEVERAL TIMES that heavy. Hats off to Bruce Jenkins-- and I hope he writes another one!

Bruce Jenkins explores the heart and soul of the North Shore; The monster waves that ravage it and the amazing men that ride the beasts.

great stories and great pictures! it gives a wonderful insight ito the most fearless men's lives, a must read!

north shore chronicals is a mind boggling book that will make you take a secound look at surfing in hawaii. With all the stories being true you will have a deep understanding for how the true hawaiian watermen live there lives.

There are many works that seek to compile interviews with writers, but none I have found approach them from this unique angle. Rather than have the authors muse over a variety of topics and soliciting the same stock responses, Margaret-Love Denman and Barbara Shoup--like all good writers--have a singular, distinct focus: inquiring into the artistic process of some of America's finest artists. The answers they receive are therefore both focused, informative, and encouraging to anyone who is curious about the many things that go into the making of art, and the variety of ways that writers achieve what they set out to do.

This is an incredibly real, wonderful book about the craft of novel writing featuring interviews with many different writers. I had published 3 novels with a major publisher and won a national award, and then became quite stuck;I couldn't finish anything in good enough form. This book helped immensely; every problem I faced artistically was discussed by one novelist or another. I felt as if I were sitting around a round table of peers and friends, talking through difficulties in the craft and celebrating its joys. NOVEL IDEAS was very important in helping me over the bump. My copy is dog-earred and much underlined. Many thanks to the authors!

In NOVEL IDEAS, twenty-three literary novelists interviewed by the authors share their writing experiences. They reveal how their novels developed or "gathered," the relative importance of characters versus plot, whether or not they knew the ending before they wrote it, and the extent to which they used an outline or simply started writing without knowing what their characters were going to do.

There is good stuff here for anyone curious about the literary fiction writing process, but don't expect to discover a magic formula. There were only two consistencies amongst the 23 authors. First, that characters drive fiction and the invention of characters precedes the development of plot. Second, although nearly every one of the authors interviewed had an MFA (or PhD) in writing, none thought that the MFA itself helped them become writers. These authors became successful writers by writing. The value of the MFA, for them, was the contiguous time dedicated to writing and the association with other writers.

After nearly five years, I recently finished my first novel. I cannot tell you that my struggle would have been easier had I read NOVEL IDEAS first, but I certainly enjoyed reading it afterwards. Read this book if you are interested in the truth about the process of writing literary fiction, which is evidently quite different from writing genre fiction.

What a breath of fresh air in a market that is flooded with books that offer formulas for writing and getting published! Instead, Novel Ideas offers the reader real life experiences of those who have gone before them and lived to tell. Those of us struggling with the writing life will find solace in the words of those interviewed and guidance in the chapter text itself. It was like having the modern version of the Algonquin roundtable at my fingertips!

This book has everything you need to get started in the industry! Nancy gives a thorough overview of all aspects of reporting, (including which types of reporters need education and experience and which just need personality) what employers are looking for and even tells you where to get camera-friendly makeup! A must-read for any newbie wondering "where do I go from here"? Nancy will definitely see me in her class!

Nancy has given the interviewer the real inside track to this process. Although it can be a very stressful set of events, Nancy helps take off a lot of the edge. The book is written with care and good humor, and would be a real asset to all people who interview, and employers alike. It's concise and focused on key aspects of interviewing , without the fluff. The writing style is down-to-earth and personalized as if Reardon is coaching and encouraging the reader through the process of interviewing. The tone is not pretentious as I've observed in other books of a similar nature. The chapters are well-organized and build upon each other.

After reading "On Camera", by Nancy Reardon and Tom Flynn, I want to report this is the first time I have seen so many anchoring and reporting lessons and learning techniques in such a consise and easy to follow format. Not only was the book itself enlightinging but the added DVD gives real, honest and practical advice which anyone will come away from with more basic and professional skills.
This new book should be a "must read" for anyone studying "On Camera" television or video reporting, from the student to the still learning reporter. And aren't we all still learning.
Hightly recommended.
Jackson M

Nobody can tell it to you like an insider, and Nan Reardon is all that. This book gave me many more practical tips than I expected (and now I can't live without this book) -- but, also, the book is supportive and inspiring, too. It's a keeper. I'm not lending it out, buy your own!

Mr. Casalini's book is incredible -- I found myself tearing up at some of the descriptions and pictures. These men are incredibly brave, but at the same time, none seemed to be anything but the guy next door. The wonderfulness of ordinary was truly captured and championed in this amazing book.

While attempting with words to enter into the souls of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, Tim Wallis' commentary ebbs on the ordinary heroes, who are protectors of the Medal of Honor. The tremendous impact of the words that are spoken is second only to the full page photographs of the father/husband/patriot's in all their splendor. The photographs are not of men in full dress with the Medal around their neck, as you would think, but of them on the back porch, in the orchard or merely on the couch in prayer. The book shows us all what can be found if only we look a little harder. We too might discover the wonderfulness of ordinary.

There are a couple of good books about CMH winners. The thing I liked about this one was the photo's. All the winners in this book survived, and we get to see the man, as well read about his actions.
I really enjoyed this one. A very fast read

Ordinary Heroes is a remarkable and memorable compilation of portrait studies showcasing winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Each photo is accompanied by an insightful caption or quotation arising from photographer Tom Casalini's personal interview with the recipient. Ordinary Heroes is a virtually unique contribution to military studies and a very highly recommended addition to community library collections -- especially as a Veteran's Day memorial acquisition or as a memorial donation by a Veteran's group or association.

This is a highly informative, easy to read book of interviews which is geared to anyone interested in contemporary analytic philosophy. Technical language is kept to a minimum and the book was very inspiring to this newbie to philosophy.

Just finished this wonderful collection of interviews. Past reviewers have been accurate in their high assessment of this collection. Let me add that as a professor of philosophy at a top 10 department who knows many of these men being interviewed personally, I found this collection to be profoundly revealing (though The Harvard Review of Philosophy, quickly becoming quite a prestigious publication, has never requested an interview from me!)

The interviews have a nice even keeled pitch to them which both reveal the individuals being interviewed as academics, and also as people. If you have not had the chance to have lunch at a conference at the same table as Hillary Putnam (who is charming) or coffee with Cora Diamond (who is absolutely wonderful) this may be as close as you will ever come (some of the interviewees have passed away, such as Quine, so this is particularly valuable contribution here). Grab a copy of this book right now, for yourself or for a friend. Give it as a gift - it is quite a handsome-looking volume.

Those who have not bought the book (and quite a few of my fellow colleagues have - it has become a kind of guilty pleasure for the members of the department) do not know its structure. For each philosopher here is a photograph, a brief and fair biography, and then an informal but rigorous interview. Thus, through a picture, a history, and also an interview each philosopher takes on a multidimensional personality. I particularly recommend the John Rawls' piece. He is not getting out as much nowadays and but his kindness, generosity, and brilliance come through in this rare interview.

A collection of interviews from the Harvard philosophy journal. It has a number of big names like Putnam and Rorty, and anyone who studies philosophy will be familiar with the work of everyone in the table of contents. Part musings a la "Culture and Value", part anecdotal, part confessional.

A good read for anyone who wants to gain insight into the "whole person" of those who've put forth some of the big ideas in contemporary (analytic, or 'post-analytic') philosophy. In addition to some stirring showings by (for e.g.) Rorty and Nehemas, the John Rawls interview is all we have of his more personal musings, on everything from his life's oeuvre to the morality of flying the Confederate flag (some internicene trouble among the undergraduates.)

The interviews are easy to handle in length (a dozen pages or so on average), and give you some of the best that a philosophical 'confession' would. They also have a nice 'in the moment' conversational style.

I just finished this wonderful collection of interviews with great philosophers (some of whom I studied with during my undergraduate days). The interviews convey a picture of the philosopher that is both personal and professional. It is eminently readable and thoroughly enjoyable. I recommend it highly. Philosophy is a serious hobby for me now, venture capital taking up more of my time, but I imagine that this collection would be a pleasure for someone interested in the subject at any level.

Perhaps first and foremost, this is a collection of interviews about Jesus with a variety of famous people--writers, preachers, scholars. Interviewees include Christians from the liberal (eg. John Shelby Spong, Marcus Borg) to the conservative (eg. Jerry Falwell, J. I. Packer), as well as those outside the Christian tradition (eg. Rabbi Harold Kushner, Deepak Chopra). Almost every interview is worth reading and has interesting, insightful things to say. No matter what your own views on Jesus are, you'll find things you agree with and things you don't, and probably some food for thought.

All the interviewees are answering the same questions, which gets a bit monotonous after a while, but fortunately, we get more than the interviews themselves. We get to know something of the interviewer, of the interviewees, and of the process of tracking them down. The book is part spiritual autobiography, part travel memoir, and partly the story of the author's attempts, successful and unsuccessful, to get his interviews and write his book. It's a bit of a jumble, but it works, and turns out to be quite readable. Elliott is an appealing guy, sincere, open-minded yet opinionated, unpretentious; and it's a pleasure to spend time in his company as he tries to learn more about Jesus and about how different people view Jesus.

William Elliott's "A Place at the Table" is a mostly successful attempt to present the many faces of Christian spirituality in America today. To do this, the author set out on a cross country journey to interview many religious and spiritual leaders on their beliefs about Jesus and the Bible, everyone from Marianne Williamson to Jerry Falwell. The author's approach is inquisative without being didactic, and his more open minded approach makes this a vastly better book than Lee Strobel's similar "A Case for Faith". His struggle to get the project financed is inspiring, and his folksy musings on the road are a breath of fresh air amongst the more serious theological interviews.

The book is not without its problems, though. For one, the interviews have a ring of similarity to them, since all the interviewees are answering from a boilerplate. For another, the folksy musings between the interviews create a tone that at times is hard to pin down. I suspect the author is sincere, but some of these scenes -- like the one where images on a Last Supper painting are speaking to him -- seem unintentionally comic. It's as if he has temporarily detoured into Hunter S. Thompson's Las Vegas.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for spiritual seekers. It has some insights, and an ultimately peaceful message, that will inspire and stimulate.

Elliott takes us along on a journey to know more about Jesus. I have been in church all of my life and appreciate this fresh perspective on the incredible being of Jesus.

The writing captures each turn in Elliott's journey, allowing each of us to find Jesus through these people--including through Elliott himself.

Even if you don't agree with everything that is written in this book you can appreciate the quest of the author who is trying to answer his questions about religion and Jesus. There are so many different points of view expressed - it creates an unobtrusive and honest reflection about Christianity. Bill's personal commentary is also amusing and is a great enhancement to this wonderful book.