Biographies Books

American children went missing before and after Adam Walsh, but his was the first to gain national media attention. His parents were likable, educated and well-spoken, and Adam was kidnapped from the safest place anyone could ever imagine, from inside a Sears department store. The Walsh family's story could have been any American family's story. I remember seeing the original news stories, and the national TV interview of John and Reve Walsh, on the same morning that their son's headless body was found in a Florida canal.

The true story that John Walsh tells is about a family nearly torn apart by the senseless murder of a little boy, and the anger and rage that they turned into positive action and change, establishing the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and later, becoming host of the TV show America's Most Wanted, which has brought home missing children and helped police to solve murders and bring killers to justice.

The murder of his own child remains unsolved, but Walsh believes that he knows the identity of the killer, a homeless drifter who later died in prison, where he was serving time for crimes unrelated to the murder of Adam Walsh.

I've never read a book so gripping or heart wrenching. My condolences to you and your family Mr. Walsh; my heart breaks for you.

John Walsh has decided he is the voice for victims everywhere. The problem is, fewer and fewer people want him to be. Why? Because of things like this book.

He seems to ignore reality in favor of what he wants us to think.

I agree that this book is very sad and heart breaking. I can only begin to feel the sadness and heart break that this man and his wife went through. This book reveal that. I could only somewhat feel his pain because I have never been through it. This book proves that something good can come out of tragic happenings.

This book is more political then I thought. This man has accomplished a lot Worth the buy.

AS A MAN YOUR NOT SUPPOSED TO CRY, BUT I DID, READING WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS SON AND THINKING OF MY OWN SON I JUST COULDNT HELP IT! ITS A GREAT BOOK AND MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF IT HAPPENED TO YOU!

A fascinating look into the world of a troubled 14-year-old girl and the ghost writer who sucks almost as bad as she does at making sentences.

I gave it five stars because really, don't you know what you're getting here? This book is review proof.

Drew Barrymore captured the hearts of the world, as the adorable wide eyed seven year old Gertie, in ET, in 1982.

Barrymore was born into the acting profession, coming from a long line of acting talent extending back nearly 200 years
Faced with an abusive father, the execrable and vicious degenerate John Drew Barrymore( it is shocking to read of the physical and emotional abuse he subjected the little girl to) , a mother who was not always there, and nasty schoolmates, she drifted into the company of an older crowd and began her descent into drugs and alcohol by nine, when she began drinking alcohol, began smoking marijuana by ten (offered it by a friend's mother),and was snorting cocaine at twelve. She also craved the approval of boys on whom her self-esteem depended.
This is her story of why she took refuge from her unhappy young life in parties, alcohol and drugs, and her difficult and painful rehabilitation. but she succeeded. I found myself really feeling Drew's pain and empathized with what she went through.
Drew wanted to be an actress by five.
I really admired how she told her abusive pig of a father to get out of her life, when she was eight, after achieving success in E.T
She also tells of her work on movies such as Firestarter, Irreconcilable Differences,Babes in Toyland and Far From Home.
Drew talks about the support given to her by Steven Spielberg who she says gave her the best advice she ever been given on acting : "Drew, you can't act your character, you gotta be your character."

She made it though and in by 16 had cleaned up her life, to go on to a string of successes in a series comedies and dramas . By the late 90's her bubbly personality made such movies as Ever After, The Wedding Singer. Charlies Angels and Never Been Kissed a lot of fun and charming to watch.
It is a sad story of a child whose life was marred by what no child should go through, but who overcame her self-destructive habits and proved those who said she was burned out at 13, so wrong. How she repaired her life is incredibly inspirational. Drew is offering advice to young actresses entering rehab these days: ""If you don't pull it together for yourself, no one else will," she says in the March issue of Vogue. "That's coming from a person who had to try it all ... and who still loves to have a good time."

Remember this book was sritten when Drewwas only fourteen years old.


One has to admire her.
I hope she will be making films for decades to come.

I read this book 5 times in High School. (1992-1996)
I LOOOOOOOVED it!!!

Drew Barrymore is to be congratulated. Her honesty is painfully refreshing and hasn't been seen lately since the new Star Jones book ... or possibly the Burt Reynolds biography.

She's seen the depths and the heights and knows the difference. She's drank the champagne (even though she was 8 at the time) and sipped the sewer water and prefers the former. She's been on the carpet and also received carpet burns on her knees when she was short rent.

Thank you Drew for being an inspiration to all the preteens with drinking problems ... they don't have to suffer in silence anymore.

Literally one of the greatest books I've ever read. No, I'm not saying that because I'm a Drew Barrymore fan. I mean, if acting isn't what she wanted to do, she could've been an author! Written when she was still in rehab circa late 1988 and published in 1990, this book gives all of us an insight into her early years, and the hell she went through at such a young age. She tells us about her first taste of alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine, and marijuana. She also tells us about her first kiss, and her first makeout session, and how she was always fighting with her mother. She tells us about living at the rehab. She tells us about her visits with her father as well. She shares all of her stories and adventures, her mishaps and her first achievements. With this book, I've learned how truly strong this woman is, and how no matter what she went through, she didn't ever back down at achieving what she wanted. Drew Barrymore is a true idol for anyone, and this book proves that.

Enjoyed the book very much. I lived in Baltimore for a couple years but had no idea there were such great things going on in the inner city. Very inspirational!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not a huge fan of football...but, when I read this book a year ago, I handed out copies to quite a few people! I just bought another copy for myself because I keep giving them away! I'm sure I'll have to order more.
Read this book.

Joe Eherman has captured what is wrong with sports. This is a must read for all coaches.

I had heard that this was an amazing book from so many people and I was definitely not disappointed - what a great story of what God can do through the life of one man wholly sold out to His glory! Marx is a journalist who grew up as the ball boy for the Baltimore Colts. One larger-than-life figure on that team of the 70s and 80s was Joe Ehrmann whose life took a radical turn when his younger brother passed away from cancer. After years had passed, Marx once again reunited with Ehrmann and was struck by what he found - the flamboyant football star was now a coach and mentor to young men using the game of football to teach about the necessities of life. Ehrmann's life was now invested in the lives of others teaching these young boys how to be men - Building Men for Others is the name of his program, but it's much more than a program or a set of principles, it's a way of life, a way to see others, a way to live that completely transforms others around you. The book was a great read and should be near the top of "must reads" for every father and coach.

It has been such a long time since anything I have read has spoken to me like this book did. The writing itself was run of the mill, usual sports cliches (some parts read like a sports illustrated piece) - but the message is its strength. After reading it, this book would not leave my consciousness. Days later I had to go back and read passages again, Joe Ehrman's "Building Men for Others" concepts invading my thoughts at all hours. Honestly, I do not even know how this book ended up on my bookshelf. One day I needed something to read and found it sitting there. Only hours later I am left dumbfounded, reflecting on who I am and ultimately determining that I could be doing much more with my life and perhaps finding satisfaction I never knew possible. Please read the book, you'll be glad you did.

Best historical military related book I have read. Very well written and honest comments by the author and easy to understand. Great reading as well as a good history lesson on the U.S. army after WW2 by one of America's greatest warriors!

This is a story of a soldier in an army in decline, a lost war and a premature end of a magnificaint career. It is also the most motivating war story that I've ever read. It is the story of a man with barely a 7th grade education who joins the army at 15 years old and earns a battlefield commission in Korea and in Vietnam becomes the only soldier to be awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses, 10 Silver Stars and three times nominated for the Medal of Honor (which he did not recieve) and became the youngest Colonel in Vietnam. The book is a cry for military reform and it is also a war story. Hackworth tells of the desparate fights on nameless hills in Korea in a fasion that makes you wish that you were there, not an easy task, with the Korean War. When a lackluster soldier is killed Hackworth is proud that he died well and makes him a hero to the unit. He never seems to feel fear-"I guess I just like war...I like the cameradship. Adversity brings out the best in men"- Hackworth told Ward Just in the book "Military Men." In Vietnam Hack often took hopeless situations and turned them into victory. In a way his resignation was a victory, this self educated soldier stood up to a buracatic army that was losing a war while others went along. This is the most motivating book that I've ever read, so much so that I retured to active duty after reading it, insisting on infantry. David Hackworth may have been "Once An Eagle" but he was no colonel Kurtz-as the hardback dusk cover suggested. Hackworth died in 2005 from cancer, the only fight that he ever lost.

Colonel David Hackworth was a soldier's soldier. Born too late to see active service in the crucible of WW II, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Army as soon as he could. Often credited as being the most decorated American soldier of his era, Hack was well-known within the U.S. Army for his courage, honesty, and derring-do exploits.

Hack ranks right up their with the U.S. Marine's Chesty Puller and Gregory "Pappy" Boyington as the sort of officer who is a pain in the a** to have around in peacetime -- but who is exactly the sort of leader you want when the bullets start to fly. It is impossible to read about Hackworth's battlefield experiences during the Korean War without getting a lump in your throat for the privations those poor guys suffered. (Many U.S. Army units were airlifted from the States via Japan directly into combat in Korea, still wearing their Class 'A' uniforms -- totally unprepared for the Korean winters and the raging fighting they found upon landing.)

Col. Hackworth's Vietnam experiences are fascinating, too. As he rose in rank he displayed an uncanny ability to call a spade a spade, and his dismay with how the war was being fought eventually led to his being personally cashiered out of the Army by the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army!

Buy this book and read it -- you're in for a real treat! Hack was the real thing, and his demonstrated courage and abrasive honesty make him worthy of study and appreciation by both junior and senior officers throughout the armed services.

Captain Michael L. Pandzik, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)

Excellent Read......... Highly Recommended ... 5 stars

About Face chronicles the experiences of the youngest colonel serving during the Vietnam circumstances. The book itself begins in February 1951 with Hackworth facing the enemy in Korea and is divided into twenty-three chapters. About Face follows David Hackworth the length of his military journey from the days when as a young soldier nick-named 'Combat' he charged into the face of the enemy along a path to near ruin at the hands of disgruntled superiors. The work includes maps, author's notes, a foreword by Ward Just, an Epilogue and an Appendix including a Glossary, Index and final notes.

About Face is a well written page turner presented in language clearly understood by the typical reader. The book is certain to interest those who have any link at all to the Vietnam situation faced by so many men and women from our country. The book helps to demarcate what happened, when and to whom.

I first read About Face written by Col. David Hackworth during the late 1980s. I found it particularly helpful in helping me...a woman with little knowledge of anything military, understand better my children's dad, a land based Viet Nam combat vet and the problems he had to deal with before his death.

As the wife of yet a second Viet Nam combat vet, special forces, I suggest this book for anyone who wants a better understanding of the debt of gratitude and respect we citizens owe those who served during the action in Vietnam and those who willing to serve in The United States Military today.

Molly Martin
Reviewer

This book was an inspirational read. Even though it takes forever to read this book, it's well worth the time. Hack's experiences shared in this book changed my outlook on life, and my outlook on human interaction/organization.

I would recommend this book to anyone, as I'm sure his experience can be applicable to anything you will ever have to deal with in life.

Let me share part of the first paragraph of Harold S Kushner's introduction:

"Typically, if a book has one passage, one idea with the power to change a person's life, that alone justifies reading it, rereading it, and finding room for it on one's shelves. This book has several such passages."

There's nothing more to add to that, really. You can read the other reviews to get an indication of why I say that passage is accurate, but it most assuredly is. Maybe I should've bought the hardback...

There are few men that can absolutely compare to Viktor Frankl when it comes to groundbreaking thoughts on the human experience. His ideas on the existential vacuum and its effects are simply amazing. He paints a picture of his time in a concentration camp that is simply spell binding to say the least. If this weren't enough he goes on to show how that singualar moment in his life has impacted his work. Absolutely a tour de force do yourself a favor and read this book when you can. The Kindle edition is formatted a bit awkwardly but not unreadable.

Beautiful. Disturbing. Transcendent. If you read only one book on your own "search for meaning" -- though let's hope for at least two or three -- this is the one.

For Frankl, if life has a meaning, it has to be found in suffering. And he knows what suffering is.

A brilliant student who writes essays on Schopenhauer, Psychology and Philosophy when he is still in high school, reduced to a beggar child in WWI and excluded from Alfred Adler's circle, without any reason at the age of 19.
At 23 he already enjoys international recognition for his free work with suicidal youth in Vienna.
In 1938, already a respected psychiatrist, he is invited to live in the US, but prefers to stay close to his old parents, only to be deported, 4 years later to a Jewish ghetto in Prague, where his wife is forced to abort their child and where his father dies from exhaustion 6 months later. Sister Stella manages to escape to AUS. In 1944 the whole family is separated and send to different concentration camps. Only when freed by US troops in April 45, he comes to know that all were killed, including his brother and sister in law. He is kept alive to take care, as a doctor, of other sick prisoners. "Man's search for meaning" was written in 9 days in 1946, and sold 9 million books until his death in 1997, and is considered one of the ten most influential books among lifetime readers in America today.

"Man's search for meaning" makes an analysis of the psyche of a concentration camp prisoner.
What becomes of man when everything is taken from him? To Frankl what one becomes is the result of an individual choice, the choice of weather to behave with dignity and according to moral values or renounce to his freedom of choice, dignity and self respect and behave and become like a scum and an animal.
Suffering is part of life as much as death. The meaning and purpose of life lies in making use of suffering to exercise our freedom of choice, to chose how to take and accept suffering and in this way grow as a human being. Unavoidable, unescapable suffering is in fact a blessing. We must be worth our suffering. Man is free to chose to transform suffering into growth, guilt into change and life's transitoriness into action.
Just as life has a meaning, even under the most miserable of conditions, so does a human being have value independently of its usefulness to society.

The meaning of life in general is less important than the specific meaning of one's life at a specific moment, because that meaning may change every moment. We have to decide every moment what we want to be.
Logotherapy, the psychoanalytical method he devised, concentrates on the responsibility one has for his own life. Responsibility to one's conscience or to society. It identifies the what and the who, one's responsible for. And no one can be responsible for someone else's acts.
Man is free to chose to transform suffering into growth, guilt into change and life's transitoriness into action.

No 2 persons can be compared, No 2 lives are the same.
Sometimes we have to take action, sometimes, we have to accept things the way they are. We all have to suffer, no one can suffer for us. We are alone in the Universe for this task. We have to face suffering bravely and don't cry more than is necessary. Those who see us in our suffering (family, friends or God) expect us to do it with pride and not miserably.
The meaning of life lies outside man. Lies in the people s/he loves and the causes s/he serves.
We cannot know someone completely but through love. Only love sees the potentialities and is able to help realize them.
Sex is only an expression of that love.

A person that has fulfilled the meaning of his life, actualised his potentialities and suffered with dignity, is a person that looks back on his life with pride and does not envy youth.

While I have never really warmed up to the second part of Frankl's book, the "Experiences in a Concentration Camp" section has to be one of the finest examinations of meaning under terrible circumstances ever written. Frankl is insightful, unpretentious, incisive, elegant, brilliant. The first section is an existential masterpiece.

I guess my difficulty with logotherapy is that meaning as experienced and conveyed by Frankl feels like it gets reduced down when put forth as a psychiatric theory.

But part one is just brilliant beyond any attempt to review it.

My son will read this in school this year in 6th grade, so I read it when we purchased it. I could not put it down. It was a great book. I will look for more by this author!

I am also impressed by our school system - this story will give our 6th graders perspective on what real 'problems' are - not just the trivial things preteens and teens are usually concerned about.

In our modern age of vaccinations, it seems inconceivable that in 1949, 42,033 cases of polio were diagnosed. It was a disease without a vaccine or antidote that meant excruciating pain, followed by extensive physical therapy assuming that the patient didn't die from complications. There are three main variants: spinal polio, which causes rapid paralysis of the arms and legs (generally asymmetrical), bulbar polio, which causes difficulty breathing and swallowing (and frequently requiring the use of iron lungs as breathing muscles and mechanisms are greatly weakened), and respiratory polio, a combination of the above two. Peg Kehret was twelve years old when she contracted respiratory polio; she was the only victim in her small Minnesota town that year.

Peg recounts her terrifying illness in a very matter-of-fact yet gripping narrative. Paralysis set in rapidly, and she had a fever of 102 for nearly a week as her muscles weakened, requiring her to use an oxygen tent. But Peg was lucky; once her fever breaks (aided by a contraband chocolate milkshake), her recovery is much more rapid than her fellow hospital and rehab roommates. Even though Peg is nearly a teenager, there are small poignant touches of the remnants of childhood; her brother Art sent her a teddy bear that had to be burned once she left the polio ward, and her mother recommended that she donate her old books and toys to the children's polio ward. Peg resists, recalling happy memories with her old books and toys, and is dismayed to find that her parents have redecorated her old room as a surprise.

Peg is an engaging narrator who brings a distant era to life through radio dramas such as The Lone Ranger and the simplicity of a time where books and friendships filled our hours instead of electronics. Her rehabilitation is tempered with humor and spirit; no self-pity here, only the desire to become the best she can be. The Sister Kenny method of polio treatment is described in detail, along with physical and occupational therapy exercises. Peg has a crush on Dr. Bevis, a handsome doctor who makes her feel special by painting her toenails when she's still in intensive care, and promises him that she'll return to walk for him. She makes friends with several other girls recovering from polio, including the bitter Alice, who's lived at the rehabilitation center for ten years after her parents couldn't care for her. The girls are brought together by their shared experiences as polio survivors, and Peg is apprehensive about rejoining her school and the outside world.

The novel is brought full-circle by the sad mention that Peg, along with her former roommates, suffers from post-polio syndrome; around 25% of childhood polio sufferers develop additional symptoms decades after the initial infection, including muscle weakness, fatigue, or paralysis. After working so hard to overcome polio, she's certainly not giving in now. There are also vintage photographs of the author and her roommates scattered throughout. A marvelous introduction to polio's debilitating effects and the power of positive thinking on recovery.

Small steps was an enjoyable book and i would definatley recommend it to all of my friends. During this story, a polio patient named Peg, changes, not facial or look wise but mentally. At first she would worry about winning first in something however when she gets diagnosed with polio those worries change. Now she worries about whether she'll make it or not, and she realizes how lucky she really was without the polio. One of my favorite things abobut peg is that she can always take a sad thing and make it better, such as whenshe needs a wheelchair, instead of outing she learns how to wheelie on it! there is one thing i would warn you about; there isnt a lto of dialoge. If you love dialoge and cant get enough of it, then you are just like me! I dont really like books without dialoge. however, when i read this book I realized it has enough dialoge to keep me coming back for more. Although i really like the way it was written too. When in saw that this was a biography, i hesitated to pick it up. But when i started to read, i realized that this wasnt one of the ordinary boring biographies, but a biography written in fictioin form! Also, if your looking for a book written by the author then that is anothter reasen for you to, go out and get this book. Small steps is written in frist person. The plpot of this book is very easy to follow now read carefully; a 12 year old girl named peg is diagnosed with polio, and is taken to many different hospitals. While she is being transfered, she is fighting with all of her gut to kick this polio out of her system. That is as far as i am going with that.
Wait there is more, if you are also not a fan of long expositions; this book is probably the best one or you. Tyeh exposition is npt long at all. It simply describes where Peg lives how old she is and what she like sto do, and then the action starts.

p.s. if you are going to read this book i hope you enjoyed it as much as i did!

My daughter, age 9, was assigned to read this book as part of a Reading Olympics program in her school. I found it at the library and read the first chapter to her while we were still in the library. She did not want me to stop reading. We read it together every night after she had finished her homework. She was so fascinated with Peg Kehret's story that she would work hard to finish her homework in order to leave time for reading before bed. I highly recommend this book for older elementary and middle school age children. The author offers a very engaging glimpse of her experience as a child their age going through an enormously difficult and challenging ordeal. Her courage and humor in the face of her disease will give children insight into coping skills they can use someday.

This book is a must if you are looking for a book for your Mother/Daugther book club. We read it when our daughters were 10 yrs. old, but you could certainly be older. All the moms loved it.

There are things that I didn't expect, that surprised me a little bit about his character, but if anything, seeing Anthony come through all of these situations only upped my respect for him as an actor, as a writer, and as a person.

This book really moved me with Rapp's emotional honesty, and I echo the praises from previous reviewers. I rate it as 4 stars because, like a previous reviewer suggested, I feel it tended to drag a bit at the end and could have ended a chapter earlier. I strongly suggest the audio recording, especially for fans of Rent and of Anthony. Hearing him read the story himself (particularly for the small and poignant personal moments, like the frequent "Hi, Mama"--"Hi, Tonio" exchanges with his mother--it broke my heart every time) was an intimate and powerful experience, and when I finished I felt I had just had a long and passionate conversation with a friend--which i was very sorry to end.

Anthony Rapp tells an emotional story about personal life, love, and loss as he describes the years surrounding the phenomenon that is Rent. This is a book no Renthead should be without. Afer reading this book, I feel like I have gotten to know Anthony as a person, and gotten a rare glimpse through Anthony's eyes of the man that was Jonathan Larson.

Anthony Rapp was in on the creation of the masterpiece which became the Broadway sensation "Rent," almost from the beginning. He has written his memoir of that experience with great sensitivity and insight.

This book is a riveting tale about the creative process, how a play goes through its evolution to get to Broadway, and how every once in awhile a theatrical miracle can happen which changes everyone's lives. "Rent" is such a miracle. I just saw the play once again on Broadway this past weekend. I took my teenaged daughters to see it. After eleven years, it is finally closing down some time this year. If you cannot get to New York to see the play, rent the movie. It's not as good, but almost.

I loved this book, and recommend it to anyone who has ever overcome adversity to pursue a dream.

This book is amazing. It's a great read, easy to follow and really hits at your heart. I would reccommend it to everyone.

I felt that this was a nice "thought for a day" book. He offers some very sound and basic ways of living with values. It is a quick read and enjoyable.

I bought this book for my student/athlete son. I had him read the book and find five things that he could immediately apply to his life. The book is written in such a manner that the parallels between sports and life are seamlessly interwoven. By using sports as a platform of relativity, I feel I am raising my son to be a confident and responsible man. This is a must-read for fathers and sons.

This is one of my favorite books of tidbits. Basically coach Wooden gives his ideas on life, hard work, sports and manners. Through different stories of his life and experiences.

It really was a pleasure reading this book and I feel that the philosophy of coach wooden, based on hard work, trust, learning and being a good person is straight forward and a throw back to simpler values.

I have never heard of John Wooden until last Thursday. This book was recommended to me by two friends, as first I thought how is a retired basket coach going to give me some direction and clarity on life? WOW!!!!! Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down! I took to every word and read it in one evening (not a long read, but it makes you ponder over each sentence) and I was really sad that the book was coming to an end. It's an amazing book, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it anyone no matter where you're at in life. This is a book that I will refer back to time and time again throughout my life (I just know it!).

John Wooden has been blessed with such wisdom and he has used this blessing to build up and influence millions of people, young and old. I have many books by John Wooden and even though I usually buy them sight unseen I know I will never be disappointed...and I never have. This particular book is jammed packed with wonderful, thought provoking quotes and stories. I will treasure this book, along with all his others, forever.

thisbook is perfect if you want to know everyting about U2
I really love it !

This book is one of the few really great rock biographies. It does a great job of chronicling the band's past by giving a distilled view of their present, in both personal lives, internal processes, and musical career. All of that is the essence of the music of U2, and the legacy their music has created. Flanagan does them a great service in this bio, but also himself, for presenting them so well and staying out of the way. Well, mostly. His humor about touring with them is fairly expressive...

An outstanding work of rock journalism. This is far from a starry-eyed fanboy tribute -- Flanagan is one of the most intellectually gifted rock critics out there, and here he turns his intellect on travel, music, pop culture, his own foibles, and, of course, U2 and their art.

Flanagan, one of the first American journalists to champion U2, is a confidant of the band, but it doesn't stop him from critically appraising their work. The book starts with U2 taking the last flight into East Germany before reunification, and follows the band all the way through the writing of Achtung Baby, Zooropa, and the tour that surrounded the two albums. It's probably U2's most creatively active period, and it's our good fortune that a writer of Flanagan's calibre tagged along for the ride. A must-read if you're at all interested in U2.

This is one of the most well-written biographies that I have read. Mr. Flanagan covers every aspect of U2, mixing the present with the past and the anticipated future of the band. As an avid reader of various non-fiction subjects, I have to say that this kind of a biography was a first for me. You wouldn't think that a book about a band would have any transferrable application for non-musicians, however I found that these guys are fairly down-to-earth. Reading U2: At the end of the world helped me to dispell some of the superstar myths that I had. That being said, I feel compelled to put a disclaimer about some of the language. While, it didn't seem to bother me, I would have to give this an "R" rating, as far as language is concerned. It's not as if the f-bomb appears on every other page...maybe once or twice a chapter. But, for those who might be sensitive to such expletives, beware. 5-Stars, with a warning.

After reading this book, I felt like I really understood what was going on in their heads while writting Achtung Baby! and the music was better for it. I've read some of the more recent books about U2 and also about Bono and this tops them all. It's a day in the life, before 9/11 and before all that came after for them. If you love U2 like I love U2, read this book.

Stephen Nasser recently came to my company to speak about his account during the Holocaust and I have just finished reading his book. I have to admit that I wasn't exactly motivated in the beginning to read the book as I like to stay away from depressing subjects such as the Holocaust, but once I got started it was hard to put down. Reading much like a diary - which is what his writings are based on - it's very light and easy reading. As with any book about the Holocaust, it's filled with many descriptions of unimaginable cruelty and viciousness, some of it very graphic. Yet despite what the author went through on a day to day basis, not knowing if and when his living hell would ever come to an end, the fact that never gave up hope was inspiring to say the least. Most of us thankfully will probably never face the level of hardship that Stephen Nasser experienced. It makes you think that if a barely teenage child can have everything taken away from him and still live for the next day, why can't we?

I found the book, My Brother's Voice, to be extremely powerful, moving, challenging and awakening. I was unable to put it down once I started it and would recommend it to anyone who feels they may have challenges in their life. Mr. Nasser shares that it is the power of your mind that triumphs over all. It was a truly moving and thought provoking read. I give it my highest recommendation.

I just finished listening to Mr. Nasser speak with 3 classrooms of fifth graders and admit I was moved to tears. Even though few "gory" details were given (naturally to fifth graders) the essence and horror of what he endured could be felt in the room. How courageous a man to keep alive and share those horror-filled times; not to mention the sadness of losing your entire family. Thank you mr. Nasser for your honesty and courage and for not allowing us to ever forget. "Never again."

I just purchased this book right from Mr. Nasser. I attended a talk that he gave to some students this afternoon. Before even reading this book, I can tell you that it will touch our hearts, and more importantly, will change the future. Hearing about how he put together his diary to make sure the truth was finally told makes me think that I will start and finish this book tonight. G-d bless you, Mr. Nasser.

Before I begin..because this comment is long if you want a heartfelt personal account of the Holocaust READ THIS BOOK!!
On a recent trip to Poland I was fortunate (or unfortunate enough) to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp. The visit heigthened my interest in the Holocaust that we have all heard of, read books and saw pictures of. However, the impact of actually being there in the buildings that housed those that survived the gas chambers by being "strong" enough to work. The gas chambers and crematorium where hundreds of thousands of the weak, the sick, the old, most women and children too young to work, met a horrific end to their precious lives! This very camp is where 13 year old Steven "Pista" and his 16 year old brother Ardis, along with their family members, began their journey after being rounded up by the Nazis.

After visiting Auschwitz and returning home to Las Vegas, I became thirsty for knowledge to understand how such a horrific event could have occured right under our noses as WWII was in full bloom! I began reading and watching everything I could get my hands on, beginning with Schindler's List. I had seen the movie when it first came out, but it was far more impactful after actually visiting the factory, which is also being turned into a memorial much like Auschwitz. As I read book after book and watched movie after movie I still could not get my arms around the event. One morning I was reading our local paper, The Review Journal I came across an Ad about My Brothers Voice. I hurried to the nearest bookstore and bought the book. I began reading the book and could not put it down. I would read before I went to work.....worry about Pista and Ardis all day, hurrying to return home at the end of my day so I could read more, and to make sure they were OK. I read the book in 2 days!

Of all the books I had read, including the Diary of Anne Frank..all paled in comparison to the extremely well written account of Dear Pista and Ardis' horrific journey. As I read the book I felt like I was there with them, could see what they saw, and feel what they felt! At this point, I will add that I am an American Catholic with an unexplained ignorance of what really happened from 1939-1945....that ignorance no longer exists! After reading this book I felt I knew Pista and Ardis, that is how well written this book is. It also helped me to put some closure to my recent obsession...the Holocaust.

About one month after reading this wonderfully written book, I had the pleasure of meeting Pista, who it turns out lives right here in Las Vegas! I saw another Ad in the paper advertising his book and a phone number to call if interested in having him speak at schools, churches, and other organizations. I work for MGM Mirage which is a huge advocate of Diversity Training. I thought how wonderful if we could have him speak at some of our many Diversity Classes! I called the number and to my surprise it was PISTA that answered the phone. I was speechless, for a couple of seconds!!!! After a lengthy conversation with this wonderful man it turned out that he was having a book signing that very night. After work I rushed home to get my daughter and went to listen and learn more from Pista! He is such a sweet and passionate man, now fortunately much older than the 13 year old boy that endured what no child or adult should have to. He is not bitter, he is not predudiced, he has forgiven, but not forgotten what we must all learn more about. Not just to be better Americans and appreciate how lucky we are to be born in the US, but to be better human beings!! To love our families and our friends, to be grateful that we have good food and plenty of it to eat. We have a warm comfortable bed to sleep in and we work hard to have these things, not work because we are forced and beaten falling into "bed" starving, having eaten only a small piece of sawdust bread after a hard days work. Unimagenable...you bet, but TRUE! It would be impossible to write a book like My Brother's Voice without having lived through Pista's misfortune of being born to a family of Hungarian Jews! Same as my opening comment, my closing comment is the same.....READ THIS BOOK!!! I promise you, you will see the world through different eyes!

Denise Fillmore
Las Vegas, Nevada