Biography Books

I read this book in adolescence and it has stayed with me since then--over 20 years. I have thought of Eric's story many times over the years, especially now that I have my own son. I think that I will read this book again and add it to my permanent collection. It is very touching albeit very sad.

Eric is the heartbreaking, inspirational true story of Eric Lund, a seventeen-year-old boy who is diagnosed with Leukemia just days before he is set to leave for college. This book is a memoir written by his mother, Doris Lund, about Eric's unwavering will to survive, and about how his cancer affects not only himself, but everyone around him.

When it's a story about a terminal illness, there can be no unexpected twist. As soon as I read the description on the back cover of the book, I knew basically how it was going to start and how it was going to end. But it's what happens in between that makes Eric Lund's life so interesting. What makes him different than many whose lives have thrown seemingly indomitable obstacles at them is that Eric refuses to give up. Even when the doctors, despite their greatest and heartfelt efforts, can offer only ominous warnings, it doesn't prevent Eric from living his life to the fullest. In this way, Eric isn't just the tragedy of a boy whose life deteriorates little by little. Instead, it is the motivational story of a man whose confidence, positive outlook, and exceptional will to live bring hope and joy to everyone around him.

Of course, Doris Lund doesn't leave herself out of the picture. A lot of the book is focused on her own hopes and fears instead of Eric's, on which she can only speculate in many instances. She is also honest about her rocky relationship with Eric and the difficulties that they sometimes had communicating, which is something that most teenagers and their parents can relate to. I couldn't help noticing that there are places in the book where Doris Lund interrupts the flow of her writing, perhaps with a misplaced or awkward metaphor, but then she quickly remembers that this story is beautiful and memorable on its own without too many fancy words and phrases to distract from it.

Even if you don't usually read this kind of literature, I still recommend Eric. It may be depressing, but it's not cynical, and it leaves you with the kind of hope that Eric held on to his whole life.

I have probably read this book 8 times since it first came out. The first time I read it was shortly after my brother had been diagnosed with a form of leukemia. This book is a wonderful tribute by Doris Lund to her son, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

This story is just a good read, and such a testimony of a young man struck with lucemia, his spirit his valor...emotions are stired to beyond words.

I hate to be the skunk in the five-star garden party, but I remember reading, or rather trying to read, this book when in high school some *cough* 20 years ago. I could barely get through it. Apparently I wasn't alone, because someone else had graffitoed on the (soft) cover, "This book sucks. Don't read it."

Sometimes I think there should be a moratorium on grieving parents writing about their dead offspring. Aside from one brief moment when Lund catches her son checking out girls in a hospital corridor or waiting room, I don't remember a single aspect of Eric's personality aside from "Mama's Little Angel." And although my memory is vague on this, I seem to recall the book contains a fair amount of delusional mumbo-jumbo about "God's will" ('scuse me while I barf).

If you want to read a superb book by someone who lost a child to cancer, read "Death Be Not Proud" by John Gunther. That book preserves every quirk of his late son Johnny's wry sense of humor and considerable intellect, and actually makes you regret that the son didn't live to take up the father's pen. Not only that, but Gunther deals with hard questions of mortality and loss without resorting to the kind of sticky sentimentality you'd expect from Oprah or the "women's channels" on cable TV. Cripes, even Marie Killilea's books about her handicapped (no, NOT "differently abled") daughter Karen are better than Lund's book.

The entire genre, for obvious reasons, is for the most part manipulatively mawkish, but that's what sells, I guess. If you have an "I Believe in Angels" bumper sticker on your car, Thomas Kincaide "paintings" on your walls, and every CD Whitney Houston ever recorded in your music collection, go ahead and order "Eric." You'll cry your eyes out and write a five-star review.

An over-simplistic view to me is the only view anyone lacking the sensitivity to absorb this book correctly can have. Judging this person is irrelevant to the whole point of reading the book, it's not a textbook, of course there is more to the story, and of course anyone can be offended by anything. But, if your looking for a story of a young man who cheated death more then once during the Nam conflict, you will be hard press to find a better book.

The name of General "Chesty" Puller brings a proud smile to the lips of every Marine. He is part of the pantheon of "the few and the proud." His son, Lewis Puller, Jr., has written a memoir that tells the story of growing up in the shadow of a legendary father, becoming a Marine officer in his own right, losing his legs in an explosion while serving in Vietnam, and struggling to build a life for himself in the aftermath. This thoughtful and thought-provoking book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

Lewis Puller, Jr. demonstrates a great deal of transparency in recounting his pilgrimage from the son of a war hero to a wounded warrior looking for his rightful place in the world. The New York Times called this book: "A haunting tribute to the names on the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial . . . An important contribution to the personal literature of war."

The fact that much of Puller's personal journey took place during the same time the nation was struggling with building the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial adds a special poignancy to this memoir. Several of my friends who have served recently in Iraq and Afghanistan commended this book to me as one that had helped them in their own process of reconciling their experiences in war with their return to the United States.

This is a story of great loss and of commensurate courage and determination. I think you will find it inspiring and well worth reading.

The book, a true account of a dissalussioned idealist - a trouble soul. A
lead in to my sad tale of woe. My fellow Americans/Vietnam veterans, do
not be fooled by the administration's rehtoric; read McNamara's "The Fog
of War" and please don't forget the book "A Bright Shining Lie"! If you
truly believe the lies of the "CHICKEN HAWKS", then I've got a bridge in
Utopia I'll sell you. You are listening to people who never served a day in their misrable lives in war and when most of them had their chance to fight for our country, during the Vietnam war,they chose to "Cut and Run"
(Guard duty and college deferments). There is only one way to end this
fisco in the middle east; reinstate the DRAFT with NO LOOP-HOLES! Every-
body goes when the 6x6 (military truck) rolls up (ages from 18 to 50),
city/state/federal legislators, the whole nine yards. I'm speaking truth
to power here today, people. Because when death becomes a shared sacri-
fice, people's whole prospective changes; it's different when everybody's butt is on the line. Believe me, I know because I served three tours in
"Nam (all voluntary) not in surrounding countryside (Thailand, Philippines, etc), but in country. I too believed in the government's
lies (Gulf of Tonkin incident) at the time, but after a lot of years since then, I've had time to reflect and my reflections are not pleasant.
So, if the country really wants to stop this current mistake, follow my
advice, THE DRAFT!

The recent scandal exposed by the WASHINGTON POST's coverage of conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center reminded me of the power of this book. One legacy of America's unfortunate invasion of Iraq will be untold numbers of young Americans--and Iraqi civilians--who will live the same sort of horrific nightmare that Lewis Puller describes so vividly in this harrowing autobiography.

My retired Marine father once served under Lew Puller's legendary father, and the two of us stood in line to get our copies of "Fortunate Son" autographed by Mr. Puller, an experience I still remember vividly all these years later. Puller's prose is equally memorable, and this book should be required reading at any American high school in 2007--and for any American who plans to vote in the next election. Lewis Puller's words are more important than ever.

It is difficult to not be moved by the horrific series of incidents related by Puller here. As pointed out by other reviewers, the self-portrait he renders is of a person so unappealing that the reader must conclude that what he has written with an eye first to honest description, as well as he can render it.
That said, this book is not really worth reading as a book. The writing is stultifying flat and, for whatever reasons, the only thing Puller does here is whine, in an equally grating voice and with an equal intensity about whatever happens: the mortifying loss of his legs and much of both hands is treated with exactly the same weight as minor slights that occur in his run for office. Furthermore, a very great deal of the book is devoted to pointing out the obvious: for example, Puller insists on notifying the reader that his son learns to talk while his father (owing to a stroke) is losing the capability for speech. Should an editor have cut out this and the many similar needless explanations, the writing would have far greater impact than it does.
Should the story of Fuller have any lessons for us, those lessons will surely be better learned by reading a (much, much shorter) article about him rather than this tedious book.

This is an excellent book that tells the story of cpl. Dunham and Lima company in Iraq. It has a smooth introduction that breaks off into an ambush with intense second by second battle recounts and then takes a turn onto the more emotional path of Dunham's and his squads wounded tales and their path home through many hospitals. This book will emotionally drain you, but has lots of comedy relief to bring you back to life and has a ver spiritual ending. I am very glad I picked up this book at the library when I saw it sitting on a shelf where it did not belong. This book should be a bestseller and be placed on many book club reading lists. Why has this book went unnoticed? It is too good to be placed in the shadows.

A quick read that will help the family of this fallen Marine heal their pain. Would be a good basis for a course or discussion or analyis of how wishful thinking and hope by well meaning people falls short when they lose sight of the realities of the situation and circumstances. None of which takes anything away from the valient heart of Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Jason Dunham, USMC.

This is also a non-fiction book about the trials of becoming a Marine, then a leader of men, and then a victim of the tribulations of that position. I have been reading the Wall Street Journal for over 50 years, and have been ever salutory of the reporters that have produced stories for that instituion----and this is NO exception! This reporter dug up the very varied backgrounds of these Marines, and brought them into focus of a VERY controversial time in the U.S.----and the M.D.'s and nurses that played their roles in the very lives of these fighting men and women----that are on the the frontline--------so that we do not have to be.

This was an incredible book about an incredible young man and his sacfrice for our freedom. As a USMC veteran of the first GUlf War I was interested in reading what these guys are dealing with in Iraq. As a father I was so caught up in what his family went through and how they dealt with the decisions they had to make. This book will be on the top of my list of favorite books.

I know it's only January but this book is fantastic - an extremely well-written account of a fascinating story of a true American hero. Strongly recommended.

This remarkable book describes the commitment of a young American (17 years) in the Marines in 1968, as a server of the famous M60 rifle gunner. "Guns up" - the order of battle and odf immediate fire - became a classic Overseas Atlantic story of the war in Vietnam. It has all the ingredients for success: good writing, humility, joint commitment ( "team spirit") and even religious faith (not that of George Bush, however, and fortunately).

I found this story in the spirit of the commitment of the elite troops at the French war in Indochina. 7 months of fighting without having set foot in a barrack, living in the jungle: what warrior feat indeed! Embuscades, fraternity, weaknesses of man.

A great book for a superb story.

Vietnam another generation, another war,life in the bush;death nearby everyday,war buddies killed.Life as a teenage Marine, either you grow up or die. A great read if you want to know what life as a Marine is.

if you want to know what the south end of Quang Nam province was like in 1968-69, this is it. i was there, just like johnny clark; but i was in 1/7. he's done a great job of capturing the feel of the time.

This is one of the best books I've read. The writer says in the end that some of this is fiction, or that certain characters are made of multiple people he knew, but the bulk of this story is true, regardless of who it happened to. I have yet to know someone who read this book and did not have to fight back tears at least once. I have read this book 4 times now. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

I read this book at the suggestion of a friend (Sgt. Watson from the book). It was one of the quickest page-turners I have ever read. The reader is quickly made to realize the challenges of war as well as the personal sacrifices made by our soldiers. Anyone who is a soldier or knows one will appreciate this honest and well written account of this group of Marines' tour of duty.

I bought this book a few years ago, and I often still think about Hannah and her story. It was so touching, and I cried through most of it. This is a book that I felt compelled to pass to a friend. I almost wish that I hadn't, so I could read it again.

I got a great price for this book and it arrived with in 2 weeks from the date of purchase. I was a little dissappointed when i opened the package because the cover and binding was damaged. It looked like they had tried to bend the book. Besides that the book was okay. You get what you pay for.

Oh boy, this was beyond tear-jerker for me. This was such an emotional story. I read this book in one day, while my husband was away. I was glad he wasn't here to tease me about sobbing all the way through this book. Maria Housden is a such a strong woman, what a horrible ordeal she and her family went through losing Hannah.

Hannah's Gift is the story of a remarkable little girl and her fight with cancer.

From the moment she was diagnosed, to the moment of her death, Hannah treats her disease and her fight for life in a unique, touching way.

Despite being only three years old, she appears to understand the cancer fully and is not scared of death, instead, she asks her Grandmother - 'Grandma, when I die, promise you wont forget me?'

Hannah lived her life fully and with no self-pity. I found Hannah's Gift to be less of a record of a families loss, but more a celebration of Hannah's life. Hannah truly brings to life the phrase - 'Only the good die young.'

I loved this book and it really helped me. Some think that Hannah was preceived as the "perfect" child, and I can relate to that. We just lost our Granddaughter on her 2nd. birthday, she had Cystic Fibrous, but died, not from CF, but during a "simple" 15-20 min. procedure in surgery. Two months after her passing I read Hannah's gift. I took care of our little Bethany, while our daughter worked, and they live within walking distance right next to us. We were together every day, so I saw all the same signs. These children ARE so special. They have so much love, they are almost perfect, with very small "wrongs". Like Hannah's mom, I got that feeling, that they know, their time on earth is short,just by the way their eyes will sometimes look at you. They know you love them so much as they love you, but they won't be here to share that love. Yes, Hannah's Gift was a touching story

The author describes in just the right amount of detail, what his residency in orthopedics was like at the prestigious Mayo Clinic. The struggle between the incredibly demanding hours of training and his responsibilities as a husband and dad are intense. Throw in some moonlighting on weekends in the ER and "you're good to go insane." A perfect summer read.

I really enjoyed this book. The author was very down to earth and had a great sense of humor. He included a number of wonderful stories about his experiences during his residency as a surgeon. I found it very hard to put this book down.

From the moment I started reading it, it was like the initial incision with the scalpel on my brain and I could not stop until I got to the end (close the incision--take the patient to the recovery)!! Dr Collins has done a great job in this fast paced easy to read manual of the 4 years of residency at the prestigious Mayo clinic revealing to us the incredibly long hours of residency while raising up a family, living from pay check to pay check(earned mostly by moonlighting), driving cheap cars(esp the Battleship, ha!),dealing with life and death decisions on a daily basis and eventually making it through it all. The doctor has a great sense of humor (I guess 'tis one of the survival tactics in the battle of life.) His scalpel sharp pen can touch the soul of the reader! You will laugh and weep through it all(as must have Patti(his wife) and the kids). It has given me a greater appreciation for doctors--they have a high endurance coefficient! A must read for all the doclings and doctors-to-be.

After making the decision to return to school after 7 years to become a cardio surgeon- I seriously doubted my own abilities. I read everything I could get my hands on concerning others and there first year experiences. Hot Lights, Cold Steel was amazing. I was able to relate with Dr. Collins and soon realize that I too may be ill prepared for like as a resident but along with anything, time, experience and studying will prove that I too can be just as amazing as he is. (Only difference- he has 12 children, whereas I only have 5). This book is a 5-star hands down.

I can tell when I am reading a book that I really enjoy, it keeps pestering me until I finish it. Read it in 2-3 days!!! Very enjoyable. I even like the binding on this hardcover, large inside margins, etc. Hey Doc, how about writing another book??????

Finest biography on Churchill ever written. A pity Manchester died before completing the third book of the trilogy.

William Manchester informs and entertains in this excellent historical account of the critical years leading up to WWII, juxtaposing the appeasement practices of predecessors Baldwin and Chamberlain with the unwavering belief in the principles of freedom held by Churchill. The book (along with Manchester's first volume) gives terrific insight into the transition from the glory days of the British Empire to the Post WWI apathy that beset the British public. As well, the work provides delightful commentary on the characters surrounding Churhill's life including his colorful mother Jennie, his wife Clementine and his nemesis Adolf Hitler.

The Last Lion, Alone covers the history of Europe from the time Hitler first came to power in Germany to the time that Hitler invaded the Low Countries and World War II began. During this period Churchill, who continually fought against the appeasement policies of Chamberlain, rose from Back Bench irrelevance to become Brittan's Prime Minister.

The history of this period is a gripping saga of one man's malicious attempt to dominate Europe and another man's noble efforts to stop him - a classical case of good vs evil - told as an almost unbelievable story in the words of a master story teller.

I was adrift when I finished this volume.
grasping at pathetic things to read for a while - nothing satisfied - Manchester can set the stage, his historical background is so rich that you'll find yourself spouting about it to your friends.

You'll learn more from this book than a two semester course in 20th century history.

Churchill himself is the lead player in a panapoly of exciting elements. But manchester never lets the reader forget the place in history - the man was a masterful writer.

After the fall of France in June 1940, Winston Churchill was begging USA President Roosevelt for military aid (in fact, all sorts of support was then needed) as no one knew what would the 'fate' of the French fleet was going to be.
Churchill kept reminding the American president that Britain would not surrender even if left alone.
Churchill was defiant despite the fact that the two 'key' American ambassadors, in France and Great Britain, were pro Hitler (or at least they were not anti-Nazi).
Joseph Kennedy (USA Ambassador to GB) openly cautioned his fellow Americans against entering the war because the 'allies' would soon be beaten.
However, I would have liked to see more comments about the position and reaction of the king - king George VI.
Was he indifferent?
We should remember that Hitler had been addressing the King as the man whom the British Government circles have loathed, and as the only 'hope' for a reconciliation between the Third Reich and GB.
In this context it is true that Churchill was indeed ALONE

The most important thing that I gained by reading Janusz Bardach's book is that the will to survive is as important as food when it come to survival. More times that he imagined, he survived because he felt that he would, like he had a special angel or just more "good luck" than other people. It doesn't matter if it's true, it only matters that you believe it.

Luck is also helped by brashness and the will to succeed. His story about becoming a medical assistant, though he had absolutely no formal training, reminds me of Solsenitsyn's tale of how he survived the Gulag by lying about having training as a nuclear engineer. It's the ability to adapt that keeps you alive. Goebbels said that if you told a big enough lie enough times, people would begin to believe it. The only way to survive in the Gulag was to lie to yourself and everyone else.

Since so many of the NKVD were corrupt and brutal, the only way to survive in there world was to also appear to be corrupt. Stalin sent so many of the NKVD and those who worked for them to prison, that they were well cared for by their ex-comrades, because they knew they had a good chance of joining them. Who could survive better in a criminal state within a state then a criminal?

This is a story of hope without all the 'hearts and flowers'. It just the true story of what went on, warts and all (lots of warts).

This is one of the most unbelievable stories I've ever read. It's written with superb simplicity, making it a rapid and engrossing page turner. What a great gift Bardach has given us in writing this book about his horrific and heroic experiences. This is the best account of any world war 2 camp survivor, period. He clearly illustrates that the Soviet Union was about as horrible a place to be as Europe at the time. The book is as well written as the story is interesting. Fantastic. Thank you, Janusz!

I read this after reading The Unquiet Ghost: Russians Remember Stalin. This book may be bleak and shocking, but remember, the author survived! It is an amazing, gripping, shocking story about humanity. I loved it.

I can't really say anything that hasn't been mentioned already, and I think that it would be inappropriate to give away any of the plot.

This is simply the most fascinating story of survival of any that I have ever seen. It is incredible as well as inspiring. It teaches you to value your life, and the relationships that you have with the people you care about most. There were so many instances when he could have resigned to his fate and accepted death, but instead he kept going. Millions of people died in prison camps during the war, and unfortunately all of their stories cannot be told. But to understand what they had to go through in their fight for survival, nothing beats this book. Besides telling his story, it examines the history and psychology behind what happened to him. And overall I believe that it is a valuable read for anyone interested in Russian Gulags or prison camps in general during WW2.

Janusz Bardach, who became a plastic surgeon in Iowa City, Iowa in 1972, recounts his experiences in the Gulag in this bleak tale of survival reminiscent of Solzhenitsyn's The Gulag Archipelago. A secular Jewish man and supporter of Stalin and communism living in Poland In 1939, he and his family fear their future as Germany's military forces are set up along the border. He is eventually drafted into the Red Army, but when he inadvertently gets his new tank stuck in a river, he's arrested and given a sentence of 10 years of hard labor. He, like the other prisoners, spends most of his time working to meet ridiculously high work quotas, while in a constant state of starvation. He travels from camp to camp during his six years in captivity working in various work situations including a mine, the forest felling trees, and as a medical assistant working with tuberculosis patients (which he eventually contracts). Once he recovers, he's sent to work in a psych ward, where the main focus is exposing the "fakers," those trying to get out of work. His job is to inject them with a seizure-inducing drug, which he does reluctantly. With a little help from his one surviving family member, Polish army officer brother, he is eventually released and finds out the fate of his grandparents, parents, sister and girlfriend. They were all executed.

It was said a while back that Larry Fine was the best *actor* of the team. For the casual fan, that statement might bring as big a laugh as any of Curly's antics. But an objective look beyond the thrashing, poking, slamming, and general mania, and into this performers' technique, just might cause one to remark: he was pretty good...too bad he didn't do more...too bad some of the scripts were poor.
This book won't get into the art of low-brow or slapstick as a legitimate genre in movies. It's an over-all appreciation of that Stooge who was dumber than Moe but smarter than Curly or Shemp or Joe or Curly Joe. He truly was the center of gravity for guys who spent alot of time spinning out of control.
It's duly noted that a disproportionate amount of material relates to the '60s/'70s - but we should be sensitive that perhaps alot of detail comes from a man recovering from an illness and in his early 70s.
I would have really appreciated alot more stuff on the Curly era, and not just 1932 to 1947: as I understand it, Larry was the first person to write that a second, post-retirement Curly cameo was filmed (for "Malice In The Palace") but never used. Of course, this book is about Larry, not the most popular Stooge, but such information should be a chapter unto itself! Were there serious plans for "The Four Stooges"?
I guess I'll have to remain mystified that there seems to be zero interest in this footage.
This book has alot of rare photos and behind the scenes memorabilia, but in spots there are too many mixed mediums at work. Also, and it's not a big point, but the cover photo is ludicrous. The book's about Larry Fine and he is positioned beneath two other Stooges. How about a center shot of the "Stooge in the middle" - not below - and have a full set of Stooge images in a halo effect?

I thought this was an excellent book. It was well written and a lot of great pictures in the book. One criticism that I heard was that a lot of the information was recent information with Curly Joe DeRita ... and it is true... there is a lot of information on this and all their speaking engagements in the sixties... but that is OK, that is what the author knew about and what the people the author interviewed knew about .... the Curly and Shemp information has all been said, not much more can come out of them. A lot of the people that knew them are all dead... hence the detailed description of the stooges in 50's thru mid 70's... The book is well worth reading.

It's about time a book was written on Larry Fine. Without a doubt the "glue" of the Three Stooges, and possibly my favorite stooge, he finally gets his story in print. I enjoyed the book and was surprised at facts that I didn't know about the Three Stooges, and I know a lot.

I highly recommend this book.

This book does an absolutely marvelous job at delving into the life of Larry Fine, finally going beyond old urban myths, stereotypes, and the general perception that he was just the Stooge in the middle, some guy who got lucky but who wasn't as accomplished or funny as his partners. His character truly comes to life in this book, starting in his childhood days in Philadelphia, going to his early days in vaudeville with his future wife Mabel and her sister Loretta, to his 25 years of making shorts at Columbia, to the unexpected revival and mass popularity the Stooges received in the late Fifties and through the Sixties (when unfortunately they had to seriously tone down their trademark violent antics to please the parents of the children they were being almost exclusively marketed to), and finally to Larry's final years in the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital, after he'd had a stroke. Though some sections of the book do read like a standard bio of the Stooges, only with the emphasis on Larry, the majority of the book goes so much deeper. There are so many stories that have never been written about before or which most people don't know about, such as Larry's deep love of his wife Mabel, a woman whom he continued to adore and stick by even through her alcoholism in her later years, his love of his children Phyllis and Johnny, the story of how he met a little blind boy backstage after a show in the Sixties and got really choked up by the encounter, his relationship with his hairdresser and her husband in his final years, how he found out Shemp had passed away, his relationships with the other Stooges, and even the point of view that Ted Healy, the Stooges' founder and original straightman, might not have been murdered at all but died from other causes and only coincidentally happened to die shortly after receiving a brutal beating. There are also lots of great pictures and mementos, some of them very personal and touching, such as Larry's handwritten letters to young fans, get-well cards young fans sent to him, pictures of him with his children, and the hand-written calendar he made for his daughter Phyllis to let her know when he'd be coming home from the road. There are so many sweet things about this lattermost memento, really showing what a nice sweet guy Larry was, and what a devoted family man. It's really touching to read about how in real life the Stooges were quite the opposite of their screen characters.

The only shortcoming I can find with the book is that it does seem to be a bit skewered towards the Stooges in the DeRita era. That chapter is by far longer than either of the chapters on Larry's life as a Stooge when he was working with Curly and Shemp. It might have been their most financially successful and popular period, but how many fans today seriously consider that their best and most memorable work? To put it mildly, I'm not exactly a big fan of the watered-down non-violent child-friendly latter-day Stooges, though I am of course happy that Larry and Moe lived long enough to finally start making serious money and to get the respect they deserved. And while the cover photo is really beautiful, looking as though it were taken yesterday instead of decades ago, I'm not happy that DeRita is the third Stooge on it. I'd bet almost anything that the infamous Comedy III is behind that one. It should have been Curly or Shemp, and everyone else knows that! Still, in spite of how the book does lean a bit more heavily towards the Stooges' latter-day career instead of their classic glory days, and the illogical choice of the third Stooge on the cover, it's a great book, with a lot of great information about a truly underrated comedian and a truly great man.

I just finished reading One Fine Stooge and found it to be very interesting. It truly covers the Stooges' entire career with a focus on the Stooge in the middle, Larry Fine. His story is often melancholy, but he seems to have enjoyed his life and success. The book is poorly laid out with sidebars regularly interrupting the flow of the book and often retelling content found in the body of the work, but it covers a lot of ground and seems to be a good history. I found it worth my time and would recommend it to anyone with a particular interest in classic Hollywood comedy and history.

We bought this for our young children (5-year old and 4-year old) as they were excited by the Pirates of the Caribbean movie trilogy.

We bought this book along with "Pirateology: The Pirate Hunter's Companion" last year. We take the books off the shelf every couple months and read through them for bedtime. The books will stay in our collection for years to come.

This book helps introduces kids to a large amount of new vocabulary but, more importantly, covers so much ground that it acts as a fantastic springboard to further study history or science.

This book is so interesting! I love it! My 5 y.o. daughter even loves this book!

This is an all around excellent book, I am completely satisfied with this purchase, and I highly recommend this book for the pirates enthusiast in your family!!

My adult daughter is mad about pirates. Her niece and nephew (6 and 10) bought this for her for Christmas. It was a hit.

I bought this for my 7 year old nephew who had a newfound fashion for all things Pirate. Being a book (at a birthday party) it didn't get his full attention until later on when he asked his parents to sit and read it to him.
Now it's a year later and I found out the book was a tremendous success from the get-go. He brought it into school to share with the class and every kid there wanted his own copy so phone calls were made and the hunt was on. A few parents were able to get a copy. My nephew and his friends dressed up as pirates and went together to see the latest Pirates... movie. Later my nephew was huddled with his special book, relishing all the details it provided. This book is interactive by design which makes the reading all the more personal and imaginative.