United States Books

Darned straight. And it's a bargin at that. Timeless, hilarious, and a fantastic respite from serious thinking. If you're not amused by this, you must be a "Ziggy" fan.

The Complete Far Side is enough to keep you in laughs for a very, very long time. An incredible collection! And Amazon had the best price!

I orderd this for my 27 year old son. He was thrilled with the set. The binding and overall structure will ensure this set is enjoyed for many years.

I owned this book when it first came out, then lost it in a house fire. Amazon had it as Deal of the Day recently, so I was finally able to afford to replace it. The two volume set is my "therapist in a box". It is guarantied to make you laugh out loud and raise your spirits. Also, you gain muscle tone by hefting it up to read it, as it is a pair of weighty tomes.

When I saw the Complete Far Side on the Deal of the Day I was very happy. I had seen it in retail at a discounted price but the price on Amazon was much better. I enjoy opening up one of the volumes and randomly reading the cartoons. It is great.

I rarely laugh when reading books, even when its really funny.
Reading this book though, I was constently cracking up.
The advice is ACTUALLY usefull, it tells the good and bad of film making.
Im keeping this short and simple, so to sum up. This is a truely awesome book.

I don't think I read through 300+ pages so fast in my life. It's incredibly informative on making your own flick from conception to distribution and it is one of the easiest reads I've had. Its also funny as hell, filled with that Kaufman wit.

If you liked Rebel Without a Crew, you'll love this one.

If you're a Troma fan pick it up. If you want to make movies pick it up. If you want a look into the life of a man with an extremely interesting story pick it up.

This is a book I will be returning to both for reference and enjoyment.

I bought this book hoping to have a fun read about making movies and this persons experience. Sadly, what I got was a book load of expletives and degrading ideas of what to throw into a scene them film it. I take away three stars for the no effort put in to not writing a fun book that many can read. I understand the shock value of the title, fine, but curses in every paragraph? I'm not saying to write like a bored, stiff, old tenured expert... But the name calling and mud slinging is not necessary (atleast not all of it). I give it two stars for the street level info. all independents need to know before making a film. Please do protect yourselves.

This is an interesting book for Troma fans and independent film fans. It is really just a book that is meant to entertain and tell stories rather than provide real helpful insight about how to make films. While I appreciate the show of support for independent art, the book doesn't really seem to support independent creation other than Troma's own brand (despite the title of the book). While I will admit that the book is very funny to read, I think sometimes it crosses into somewhat arrogant and self-important banter.

To me this book is more about Troma patting itself on the back and reflecting on their wacky stories then about really empowering anyone but themselves. Read if you are a fan of Troma, not if you are looking for encouragement.

Make Your Own Damn Movie book is the best make your own movie books on the market. You won't find better and honest information like this anywhere, and not for the price either. I have met Lloyd Kaufman and talked to him about making films and he really knows what he is talking about. His book gives you a very fun and enjoyable read, and the information will help you get on the right track to Making Your Own Damn Movie. This book has become my bible for making films, His view and way of speaking has changed the way that average Joe's can go out and Make Their Own Damn Movie!

If you are interested in making a film or just looking for a good laugh you must buy this book.

The information included in this book has made my job much easier and has expanded my knowledge base and expertise. The organization I have derived from it is most valuable.

Very informative kit. Many people hear the word foreclosure or pre-foreclosure and automatically think, bargain or a steal or buying a home for dirt cheap; but there's a lot more to it than that and this book gives you a very good insight of how the process works. Buying distressed Real Estate can be time consuming, costly and a real challenge, as you will find out after reading this book.

I spent a weekend reading the book. Loved it. The author knows what he is talking about. He also has a good website where you can download the proper letter you should send out to people in distress.

I own a foreclosure company and have adapted some of his techniques, nevertheless (not to take away any merit from the authorm but instead to enhance the next version of his book) our company principals felt like the letters were a little bit to hard on the person that is loosing their homes. And sometimes talking this hard to people could have negative consequences. We have to understand that these are individuals that when loosing their homes, can go into denial and sometimes enter into very heavy depression.

If you do decide to get into this process of sending out letters the only thing you should try and add to them, is to let the people know that you are there because you really care to help them out and you are not there to make a quick buck! People will give you their homes if you are upfront, honest and ethic about what you are trying to do.

Don't forget to add a little note written by hand thats tells the reader that you: "really care to help them!"

Other than that, you should buy the book if you are into the business of Real Estate.

Highly recommend. Too many of these RE investment books are full of air. This one, however, is timely and substantive without being too wordy. Very easy to peruse and use!

This is the fourth book on foreclosures that I have read in the last two weeks and it is by far the best. copywrite is 2005. The author says less than 10% of the people reading this book will ever buy a foreclosure property. He also says, "The number one reason most beginners strike out in this business is they overestimate the current market value of the very first pre-foreclosure property they purchase". "Market value" is not the same as "current value". "Assessed value" is not the same as "appraised value". The author explains things in detail. He also gives you many, many sources online where you can gather much needed information to make quality business decisions. The many online sources alone justify the purchase of this book, but it is the author's honest handling of all phases of the foreclosure process that should make this your first foreclosure book. If you are currently in foreclosure buy this book and help yourself negotiate. If you are thinking of buying a foreclosure buy this book and learn why not to "purchase at auction on the courthouse steps" and why you should always pay a professional to do a through title search. One more thing. Some properties are not insurable. This book can easily save you thousands of dollars.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. Would it be just about Michael J Fox's life or would it center too much on his Parkinson's disease. I'm not usually big on reading celebrity autobiographies and memoirs.
This one is definitely worth reading! Mr. Fox shares his story with humor and humility and a wonderful honesty. He speaks honestly about his struggles with Parkinson's and trying to hide it in order to continue working. He also speaks honestly about his personal struggles with alcohol and depression. But the struggles don't dominate the book. There are many fun anecdotes about his years growing up in Canada and about the world of acting.
In the end, what made the biggest impression on me was his gratitude. Gratitude for the life he was able to have as an actor, for his family, and ultimately, even for the disease that changed his life.
This is a book that I would recommend for anyone who is interested in celebrity biographies. And I would especially recommend it for anyone who has Parkinson's disease or has a family member or friend who has this disease. When you have a disease such as this, it can be difficult to articulate to others just what it is you go through without sounding sorry for yourself.
Now when I need to explain this to someone, I can just hand them this book and say, "READ IT. NOW."
Thanks, Mr. Fox!!

Absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put this book down. I actually thought it might be a bit depressing but it wasn't. Michael J. Fox is such an inspiration. There are parts of this book that will make you laugh out loud. It is also a book I will read again and again.

It is humbling to read about someones journey back to reality. Michael had a huge career and was living his dream when he was diagnosed with Parkinsons and soon realized how much he had to be thankful about.

Michael J. Fox's memoir about his Parkinson's disease, his Canadian upbringing, HOllywood, Family Ties, and career success is quite dull at times. He has no pictures of him or his family or his career as well. He writes about his relationship with his wife, Tracy Pollan, who I learned to dislike reading about this book. Yes, she is a true New Yorker but she grew up on Park Avenue, went to private schools, vacationed in Martha's Vineyard, and her parents have a country home in Connecticut. I kind of was turned off by the New Yorker attitude in this book where they think they're better than Hollywood. Okay but in New York City, money rules the East and West Side and even downtown. I don't think New Yorkers are better than the Hollywood types. I give credit to HOllywood where they don't pretend to better culturally or intellectually as New York City does. Regardless, the Foxes have identical girl twins without even trying. Fox rarely talks much about his career or his interactions with fellow co-stars which is pretty sad, not even offending anybody. He writes very little about his co-stars and that's a shame because I would have liked to have known about his relationship with his Family ties co-stars as well as Spin City. I don't doubt that he's a nice guy, a loving father, and husband who is battling Parkinson's disease for almost 20 years.

Michael J. Fox, one of my favorite sitcom actors from the 90's, has written a poignant and inspirational memoir "Lucky Man". Indeed some may see this title as a very ironic choice for Fox because of his story. The actor recounts some major transitions in his life depicting the meteoric rise of his television and film career alongside his battle with Parkinson's disease. The actor takes us through his initial reaction of denial and avoidance when he first receives his diagnosis. Battling an escalating drinking habit, Fox begins to shift the priorities in his life from fame & fortune to developing more substantial relationships with his wife and children. Eventually he begins to view his medical diagnosis as a `lucky' opportunity to live a more fulfilling and enriched life.

In one of my favorite passages in Fox's book, the actor depicts his transformation from "struggling" with his Parkinson's diagnosis to eventual acceptance. He shares that he had the most difficult time dealing with his medical situation when he spent time thinking about the past, or worrying about the future. When he learned to enjoy each and every moment in the present, he was then able to move past his frustrations and reclaim his life. This made me think of one of my favorite inspirational books, Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, by Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kanes' book is filled with inspirational narratives as they depict stories of their friends and family members who also achieve happiness and satisfaction by living and enjoying each moment of each day. The Kanes, like Mr. Fox, have discovered that a fulfilling, satisfying life may be attained by simply living in the moment, without harboring regret for the past or worrying about what may or may not happen tomorrow. I suggest that you pick up both of these books for some significant insights on how to embrace all of the "possibilities" in life.

Campbell, Bruce. "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor". LA Weekly, 2002.

What a Book!

Amos Lassen

Bruce Campbell has written quite a book with "If Chins Could Kill". He writes as if we are having a conversation with him and he gives some very interesting and provocative information.
Campbell begins with his childhood in Michigan and how the Raimi brothers transformed his life when he was still in high school. He tells us of the various friends he had as a kid and about backstabbing and betrayals which probably are the reason as to why he never became a big star. Eventually he and the Raimis got together and began to produce "The Evil Dread" which quickly became a cult horror classic.
Campbell has no glamour whatsoever but he is a ham. He does his own stunts, has never studied acting yet he has had a job in the film industry for almost 30 years. He is a hard worker and few of us have any idea of who he is except for those that make "B" movies. In his book he shows us blue collar Hollywood. He is offbeat and he works cheap--but, he works. Campbell makes no pretense about being a god writer but he is honest.
In following Campbell's career, he tends to be a little private about his personal life but wide open about his career. I have the feeling that he is a very human and down to earth guy. His book is funny and satiric and I had a great time reading it.

I have been a long time fan of B.C. and FINALLY bought the book to give it a try. I was so disappointed in myself for waiting so long. If you like B.C. then you well like this fun, easy and entertaining book cover to cover! Bruce Campbell ROCKS! I can't wait to read his other book/books!

As a Bruce Campbell fan, I enjoyed this breezy, conversational autobiography, but wish it had included more material about Bruce's TV series work. I suppose most of his heavy-duty fans are most interested in all the details about making and promoting the "Evil Dead" movies, but I'm one of those who first latched onto the inimitable BC through "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." And hopefully, Bruce's career is far from over, so perhaps we'll get a sequel (or a further revised edition) someday!

Who doesn't love Bruce Campbell? You've seen him in the Evil Dead movies, in Hercules and Xena, in Jack of All Trades, in Spider-Man, in The Hudsucker Proxy, in Brisco Country Jr, in Bubba Hotep and, most recently, in USA's Burn Notice. No matter what he's in, you know it's going to be a good-old fashioned, fun, rip-roaring good time with a healthy dash of humor and slapstick. And for Campbell's fans, this book doesn't disappoint either.

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor is a fun autobiography - Campbell tells his story in simple, matter-of-fact terms without pulling any punches or overly philosophizing. He gives us what we want - humorous anecdoes and career highlights, as well as great behind-the-scenes tales. Granted, most of this book focuses on his early career and the making of/hoopla over Evil Dead and Evil Dead II. However, you'll also get insight into a number of other elements of his career, including the roles that got away (for instance - did you know he lost out to Billy Zane for the role of The Phantom?). This is also a quick read - I got through it in less than 24 hours. If you're looking for a fun read about one of our favorite actors, you can't go wrong with this one. Check it out!

This was an excellent read!
Such a pleasant change from many auto biographies.
He is not afraid to be totally honest and take many stabs at his credibility.
Many laughs to be had

The author keeps you turning pages with an incredible life, as fast as the company she keeps. I enjoyed this read, the author's no nonsense delivery, the woman's perspective, and the story told straight and true. If there are embellishments, you wouldn't know it as it's told. An excellent memoir.

Having lived in Rochester all my life, I recognized a lot of the names that Georgia wrote about, even remember her as the Kodak Summer Girl.
Excellent read

I have recommended Georgia Durante's The Company She Keeps to many of my clients who are recovering from being sexually, physically, or psychologically abused. Ms. Durante's story, her courage, and her subsequent success in a field dominated by men serves as a wonderful source of encouragement and inspiration. It is the true story of a very remarkable person who had many things to overcome, including not being taken seriously because she is so physically beautiful. When you read this book, you learn her inner beauty and strength.

Larry M. Raskin, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Louisville, Kentucky

This is a brave book. I can't imagine going through some of the things the author went through and not have a heart attack from fear! My sister loved the book too!

When I was in my last year at school I used to pass a life-size cardboard cut-out of Georgia Durante every day. It's hard for a man to remember exactly what he thought and felt when he was a boy of seventeen, but I do recall two things very strongly. The first thing was Georgia Durante as an icon of perfect pulchritude. The second thing was Georgia Durante as a person of considerable depth. At his first sight of the photograph any viewer will find his gaze ranging over the subject, but before long he will be drawn to the subject's eyes. If I didn't know exactly what those eyes were saying in 1969, they spoke to me obliquely of a profound personality. While they were not in any way sad, they were certainly not frivolous. There is a powerful innocence about the photograph, and in spite of the subject's costume and pose there is nothing coquettish or come-hither about it. The subject appears to be neither taut nor relaxed. She holds herself with an innocent pertness, as if to say that she is what she is and she doesn't really care if people want her to be something else. In short, the photograph remains one of the most powerful icons of the last half-century.

Reading Georgia's book has helped me to articulate the person behind that icon. She writes clearly and intelligently. While posssessing what sounds like a near-perfect memory, she never descends into triviality or inconsequence. Her book is a good read, unputdownable and entrancing. A great deal of it is related to unhappiness, but Georgia is artist enough to paint the unhappiness in a decorous manner. Self-pity is simply not there. She could easily have gone for the gutter vote by describing certain things in unedifying detail. Instead, she paints these things deftly with a few brush-strokes. A case in point is her description of the very worst thing that ever happened to her.

I see Georgia's book as far more than a good read. I see it as a tract for our times. To some extent it is a sermon against male conceit. While the excesses of the feminazis variously disgust and amuse me, I'm forced to concede that throughout human history men have treated many innocent women (like Lucretia) with terrible wickedness. There is something in the unregenerate male bully which enjoys causing pain to a woman. People need to be made aware of how common such bullies are.

Innocent womanhood has a tremendous gravity which seems to attract some of the worst and most dangerous elements of the unregenerate male character. Georgia's book demonstrates this fact more clearly than any other book that I have ever read.

Shakespeare wrote 'The Rape of Lucrece' ( = Lucretia). The author of II Samuel 13 wrote the story of Tamar. Georgia Durante has written her own tale, and it is an epic in its own right. She belongs in the company of Lucretia and Tamar.

'The Company She Keeps' is not a book for women. It is a book for men and women, and perhaps especially for men. Let me amplify something which I've said already. Over the last fifty years we have seen in the West the almost complete feminization of the male. An Absalom-like obsession with personal appearance goes hand in hand with a regime of no exercise and weak self-indulgence. When I was growing up I looked forward to acquiring a workshop full of good quality tools, but many of today's adolescents aspire only to a set of car-keys and a comb. By contrast, against that general background of wilful unmanliness there stands a substantial number of young men who model themselves neither on the American eagle, nor on the Brtish bulldog, but on the peacock and the rooster. They strut around in a haze of self-love and self-importance. Before long they begin to express their phoney 'virility' in gangsterism, hard drinking, dangerous driving, and immorality. Georgia's book is in some ways a case study of this pitiable kind of man. To that degree it may be construed as a salutary warning to the youth of today.

But don't listen to me. Buy the book, and read her story for yourself. Georgia has not written a sermon: she has written a tale, and told it well.

In this book, Lloyd Kaufman, president of the impossibly quirky Troma Studios, shares insights and practical advice about making low-budget (or no-budget) feature films. Lloyd's writing style is just as unusual as the movies he directs, as he meanders aimlessly from self-deprecating autobiography to detailed, spur-of-the-moment instructions on how to fake an onscreen head crushing or make actors appear to vomit green foam. There's also plenty of out-of-place crude and scatological humor peppered heavily throughout. I wouldn't have expected anything else from Kaufman, whose unfathomably eccentric (but amiable) personality and genuine love for the art of do-it-yourself filmmaking shine through on every page. Fans of Troma, young and old, owe it to themselves to read this book. It really is an inspiring read for all of us who have the filmmaking bug but often become too easily defeated by lack of funds or crew members. Long live Troma!

if your a fan of troma or just a fan of movies this is the book for you.it tells the story of how Lloyd started the greatest ( and longest running )independent movie studio in the world ( or any other world for that matter)not bad considering they started off in a broom closet.there movies rock Lloyd is the man just buy the book

[...]I got this book as a birthday present in Christmas of '05, back when I was entertaining ideas of becoming a filmmaker in addition to just being a critic. While the need for actually putting something up on the big (or little) screen has passed for the time being, I am forever grateful for the spell due to the fact that it put this book (and Lloyd's equally engaging MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE) in my possession. When I was done reading it, I knew two things: Lloyd is an amazing human being, and the only limits for success are those we put upon ourselves.

No matter what your passion is, Lloyd Kaufman gives you the inspiration to go out and damn well do it. Don't have the money to do it? Find a way to make it happen regardless. You'll never have all the money you want/need to do things the way you want to, unless you sell your soul to the godless corporations, so just kick that imagination of yours into high gear and get the job done. I recently edited a horror film reference book - a lifelong dream - and much of that inspiration came from meeting Mr. K on and off the page.

I have met Lloyd several times since at various conventions and am always impressed by his passion and his accessibility to his fans. He is constantly surrounded by adoring admirers, but he takes the time to acknowledge each one of them and everyone who comes in contact with him feels that they have had a "real" moment with Lloyd. That is a true gift. But if you want to spend some quality time with the great man himself, pick this book up. You'll have a new best friend and a new hero to look up to.

If you've ever watched a Troma film then you know what to expect from this book. Blood/gore, sex, nudity, head-crushings and more. Only in book form. What starts out as a how-to quickly breaks out into a great history of Troma films.
Lloyd Kaufman tells it like it is (in his mind that is.) But also comes across as genuinely passionate about what he does.
The only thing I can say is that if you've ever watched a Troma film and enjoyed it (even a tiny bit) then get this book.
Don't forget Lloyd's other book "Make Your Own Damn Movie!" and the Toxic Avenger Paperback.
Money spent on Troma is money spent on the things that make movies fun!

I BOUGHT THIS FROM LLOYD HIMSELF AT CRYPTICON AND I WENT HOME AND SAT ON THE CAN AND THATS WHERE I STAYED FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS AS I READ ONE OF THE GREATEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ IT WAS AWESOME TO FIND OUT THE DETAILS OF SUCH A AWESOME INDEPENDENT STUDIO I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN EVEN IF I WANTED TO LLOYD ATTACHED SOME SORT OF ADHESIVE SO I REALLY WAS FORCED TO READ IT SO CHECK IT OUT ITS A AWESOME BOOK

In his telling of his experience in some of the most intense battles of WWII in the Pacific, Eugene Sledge takes you into the foxhole for an incredible journey through two battles fought by US Marines. Between the equatorial heat, cement hard coral landscape, intense relentless enemy fire, dead and rotting enemy bodies baking in the sun, bad K rations for food that is made worse by the smell of gunpowder, sweat, human waste and rotting bodies, and the 75% chance you will either be killed or wounded, you somehow can't leave his side as the reader or it would somehow be dishonorable. Through Sledge's storytelling you grasp a real sense of what "team", "core" and "band of brothers" mean to a Marine. It is the absolute best recount of war that I have ever read. We as the next generation of "free" Americans owe it to the men and women who fought for our freedom to read this book.

As a WWII history buff I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to see combat from a combat Marines perspective. GREAT!

I really can't say anything better than has already been said in the previous reviews. This is a horrific, and at the same time, fascinating read. Sledge tells it like it was and holds nothing back. The descriptions of the blasted battlefields full of dead is something you won't forget. His descriptions of the fighting conditions will make you thankful for dry clothes, hot coffee and fresh socks every day after reading this. Should be required reading in schools today - an important gift from someone who lived in the horror of war.

I recently read this book for the second time. As others have noted, this is by far the best American memoir of the Pacific Theater. While Sledge's narrative style is straightforward and plain, there is a sensitivity to the work that is not found in other American war memoirs. Sledge was a good Marine, and understood that Japanese brutality had to be answered in kind: he had absolutely no compunction about killing the Japanese and often expresses an extreme hatred towards them. His descriptions of what he witnessed are often horrific--the picture he paints of "Maggot Ridge" on Okinawa is nothing short of a hellscape. And yet a central theme in the book is that in the midst of all the brutality of Peleliu and Okinawa, one had to try to maintain at least a modicum of sensitivity and human compassion. That, I believe, is what makes this such a remarkable record of the war.
I had the privilege of talking to Dr. Sledge about a decade ago, and he was a true gentleman--courteous, kind, and very generous with his time. Indeed, my overwhelming impression was that he was a very gentle person. Perhaps that is why his memoir is so haunting.

Having seen Ken Burns films on WWII and his mention of this book, I decided
to read it. I was not disappointed. Ordinarily I don't like works like this
but Sledge handled his on-the-ground experiences in the Pacific with simplicity
but with elequence. I was very impressed with the book, moved and sometimes
shattered by the bravery and determination of our troups. It makes for
exciting reading, if you're inclined to know what war was like then, and
probably what war is still like for men and women on the ground now. Read it!
You won't be disappointed.

I am currently about half way through this book and I have found it to be very interesting. I had been wanting to learn more about the FLDS ever since all the children were taken from the Texas ranch. I recommend reading this book.

I was riveted by this first person account of escaping from FLDS and polygamy. I couldn't put it down, and finished the book in one day.

This was a excellant read, once I started I had a hard time putting it down.. Sad but reality... Hard to believe that all of these people have such a strong Faith that they put themselves in danger with out knowing it. Brainwashing is a very scarey thing..

If you had any doubt about the abuse the women and children removed from the FDLS compound may have suffered read this book. This is a first person account of a life so unreal and bizzare that you cannot believe this is happening in the USA. Teen age boys are put out of the community so that that sixty, seventy and eighty year old men can marry 14 year old girls. Carolyn Jessop is a modern day hero!!!!! God help the FDLS for their systemtic abuse of children and women.

READ THIS BOOK!!

Every American taxpayer should be aware of how criminally minded men are living high on the hog (on your tax dollar) while the women and children they use and abuse to get your money are treated like dogs. Every human with a mind and a heart ought to read this book to get a clue of how religious fanaticism can become so insidious and evil, and learn that there is no easy way to deal with these situations. And every person who has ever experience domestic abuse will be inspired by this woman's story.

Cults are difficult enough to understand for those who have not experienced them, let alone one that is so large and deeply rooted as the FLDS. This incredibly courageous woman gives us good look in this riveting expose~. This type of understanding is surely needed right now so we can support the brave people in Texas who are dealing with the children from the Yearning For Zion Ranch. The raid in 1953 did not have the public support, thus failed, and ultimately strengthened the stranglehold of the FLDS leadership. Difficult as it is, we CANNOT let that happen this time.

As for the reviewer who commented on "dull writing", I respond: A few parts of this book are not easy to read. It's not fun to read all the details of the nightmare this woman lived in day after day. But I think these details were necessary to really tell the story. It certainly gave me that much more compassion for these women. That being said, I thought the writing was great and much to my family's dismay, I couldn't put the book down.

I hope this powerful volume with enlighten us and cause us to support all the decent people who have been so horribly abused by the FLDS, as well as the law enforcement trying to do their jobs in an incredibly difficult and dangerous situation.

This book is truly a masterpiece! I read this book because I am a Clay Aiken fan, and I thought, 'Hey, a book by Clay Aiken, this should be cool.' I would recommend this book for anyone! Even if you aren't a fan of Clay, this is still an inspiring book. Let's just say: I laughed, I cried, it moved me!" I'm ordering the book and the audio cds. This is one of those books that you read front to back, then open it right back up and read it again!

Clay Aiken is one of the few celebrities I look up to. He has devoted fans because people see him as a friend or a brother. He is a very kind, humorous, and generous man. I am glad I read this book.

I don't really like to write reviews, but I couldn't resist this one. Let me just start by saying I wasn't a fan of Clay when he was on Idol. I guess I was a bit young to really appreciate his talent. Well I've rediscovered him and have become a HUGE FAN. I can call myself a claymate.

Anyway, this book is great. I finished it in a day. I couldn't put the book down, not even for a minute. From the very beginning Clay opened himself up and showed that he's vulnerable. He says that he wants people to realize what you see is what you get when it pertains to him. You can't help but cry when things are rough, and smile when he sees the light at the end of the tunnel.

This may be a spoiler, but one of the many things that really stood out for me was when he was talking about his stepdad. When his stepdad died, you can tell at that time, Clay felt incomplete, not knowing whether he was loved by him or not. Then he remembered a story his mom told him; his mom said, a friend of his dad had visited him and he was talking about his brother Brett and how he knew he would turn out to be a great man. Then his stepdad said, "my other son is going to be a famous singer one day because he has the most beautiful voice."

That part of the book really touched me bc I felt like he got his closure and he knows his stepdad really loved him.

Anyway, I don't mean to go on and on, but this is a great book and is a page turner. You can't help but love Clay more and I'm sure people who read this book can relate to him in so many levels.

This book taught me that searching for my own voice to be who I want to be is not only Okay, IT'S VERY MUCH NEEDED!

Clay Aiken is not afraid to be who he is and this book is his story about what he did to become a man who is still learning, living and sharing with others.

This is a great book that actually is not about singing. It is about his life in NC and how he has made the hard times in his life into positive experiences. If you need a little inspiration or just want to know more about this amazing guy, read this book!