C Books

I liked this book. I give this book 5 stars. This book gave me the chance to read some of his thoughts that he had recorded in his personal journal(daybook). One quote that I really liked is " I know there is a God and that he hates injustice. I see the storm coming and I see His hand in it. If He has a place and part for me, I am ready". For me, it has renewed my sense that I as well as my country need to get up from the sleep or the spell we our under that has led us down the wrong path, and get active again in trying to get this country on the right path.

Robert Kennedy is one of my heroes. I believe his death did not take away the meaning of his life, which is excellently expressed in this book. I have about 20 books on RFK and this is my runaway favorite. If you own only it should be this; you will learn everything you need to know about how and why he lived his life.

This is an excellent selection of Robert F. Kennedy's words. It's amazing how applicable RFK's ideas are to our own times.

Anyone who is ever at a point in their life where they are doing any type of soul-searching would find the thoughts and words expressed here invaluable. After experiencing the worst tragedy, Robert Kennedy makes an incredible change....inside and then outside. Those of us who were not alive or old enough to remember do have books and videos to try and tell us his story. But his son goes beyond that and really gives us something more by sharing all the ideas that made up the man.

If you are looking for info about RFK, well, you'll get something here....BUT...even more, this book will help you grow and become a better human being...and maybe even become that "tiny ripple of hope" in your world.

For those who missed the time in which those now called "Reagan Democrats" and those opposed to the ongoing war in Vietnam were inspired by the same voice, especially who cannot even begin to imagine how that could be, this small book is a must-read that will enable you to experience what is possible through inspiring [rather than angry divisive cynical] leadership.

Some quotes from the book, which seems as if it could have been written this morning:

"An understanding of what America really stands for is going to count far more than missiles, aircraft carriers, and supersonic bombers."

"Insurgency aims not at the conquest of territory but at the allegiance of man. ... Counterinsurgency might best be described as social reform under pressure...any effort that becomes pre-occupied with gadgets and techniques and force is doomed to failure."

"Thus does false principle destroy the credibility of our wisdom and purpose that is the true foundation of influence as a world power."

"America was a great force in the world, with immense prestige, long before we became a great military power. That power has come to us and we cannot renounce it, but neither can we afford to forget that the real constructive force in the world comes not from bombs but from imaginative ideas, warm sympathies, and a generous spirit.
These are qualities that cannot be manufactured by specialists in public relations.
They are the natural qualities of a people pursuing decency and human dignity in its own undertakings without arrogance or hostility or delusions of superiority toward others, a people whose ideals for others are firmly rooted in the realities of the society we have build for itself."

"Whatever the costs to us, let us think of the young men we have sent there: not just the killed, but those who have to kill; not just the maimed, but those who must look upon the results of what they do."

[AND, to remind us not to sink into frustrated despair at our current mean-spirited divisive administration, RFK's words spoken in courage during the dark days of Apartheid in South Africa:]
"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of those acts will be written the history of this generation."

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.

This is a classic. The art work is very nice and it will be a great read every Christmas with the kids.

The drawings are excellently crafted. This book is a pleasure to read and view!

This version of "The Night Before Christmas" is by far the best illustrated edition I have ever seen. The artwork is incredible. My children love looking at all the vibrant, detailed pictures, and I even pause while reading the story so I can look at the pictures too. It seems like I find something new in the artwork everytime we read the story. Make sure to get a copy of the book for each of your children. You will want to pass this down to them so they can read it to their own children some day, and I would hate to have to choose who would get this beautiful book, and deal with the ramifications of the one who did not!

Book is so beautifully illustrated, it does the classic poem justice. It made a great "first christmas" gift.

This is a beautifully done book. It is the same classic story we all know and love, and the illustrations are brilliant. Mary Engelbreit's drawings fill the page, are colorful and detailed. Everytime you look at the pictures you will notice a small detail that you've previously missed. My daughter is 3 months old, but when I read this to her, she actually stared at the page with wide eyes as if she was amazed at all the colors. This is certainly one book I will buy for my friends' children, and I highly recommend it.

Having already read Think & Grow Rich, I didn't think that there was anything more that I could learn about PMA. I figured that this would be more of the save only on a different cover. Boy was I surprised!

W.Clement Stone and Napolean Hill joined forces for this text. W. Clement Stone used the principles in Think & Grow Rich to amass a personal and self made fortune in excess of $400,000,000
when that was worth $400,000,000.

I found chapter 2 particularly interesting. How Robert Christopher was able to travel around the world in 84 days with only $80 merely as a result of setting it as a goal, conceiving, believing and then achieving it is impressive.

Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude is divided into five parts, 19 chapters and over 300 pages. It's a fun, easy read and provides powerful strategies i.e. pilots to succeed.

In 1990, I met a very successful businessman who told me he went from unemployment living in Tampa, Fl to over $2.5 million and moved to Hawaii where he bought a boat and retired in only 18 months using these principles along with the right opportunity.

The first batch of significant books that had the greatest influence on me in terms of attaining personal achievement includes mostly Napoleon Hill's books:

- The Law of Success;
- Think & Grow Rich;
- The Keys to Success;
- Success through a Positive Mental Attitude;
- Succeed & Grow Rich through Persuasion;

The others were from Clement Stone, Dale Carnegie, & Earl Nightingale.

That was the early 70's when I had just started work as a young engineer.

The author, Napoleon Hill, had impressed me most by his relentless dedication in spending some two to three decades of his life in pursuing & researching the success secrets of the rich & famous...with a little help from Andrew Carnegie, of course.

As matter of fact, many of the famous people he interviewed were also favourite role models of mine e.g. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, just to name a few

Till this day, I have never forgotten what he said:

"The most powerful instrument we have in our hands is the power of our mind."

I have never ceased to be fascinated by the simplicity & the potency of his ABCs of personal achievement: CONCEIVE, BELIEVE & ACHIEVE!

It is certainly enlightening to note that even Stephen Covey had drew inspiration from Napoleon Hill's work even though he never made that credit. He only admitted that the 7 Habits had its origins from "200 years of success literature in the United States." That remark itself is self explanatory.

Anthony Robbin's Mastery program as embodied in his books as well as his audio/video resources is no exception, even though he has been influenced in larger extent by NLP.

If you look at & compare the 17 principles of personal achievement in 'The Law of Success' &/or the 13 Steps to Riches in 'Think & Grow Rich', one can obviously see the uncanny resemblance of the 7 Habits & the Mastery principles...in one way or another.

At this juncture, let me outline the principal theme of each book:

The Law of Success: the original course on the fundamentals of success - all the seventeen essential principles of personal achievement;
Think & Grow Rich: The seventeen essential principles are reframed & condensed in terms of thirteen concrete steps to wealth creation (in actuality, this is a condensation of the Law of Success);
The Keys to Success: a further elaboration of the seventeen essential principles with concrete suggestions, exercises & advice;
Success Through Positive Mental Attitude: joint authorship with Clement Stone, with a further emphasis on developing a positive mental attitude;
Succeed & Grow Rich Through Persuasion: joint authorship with Clement Stone, with a further emphasis on developing master salesmanship & networking;
[It is pertinent to note that Clement Stone actually built his insurance business empire with these principles.]

My most productive, personal learning experience from Napoleon Hill's work is the understanding - application - of his success principle #1: Develop Definiteness of Purpose.

[Very surprisingly, J Y Pillay, former Chairman of Singapore Airlines, - who had been credited for building the airline to what it is today, A GREAT WAY TO FLY! - also credited his work axiom to this same success principle, but he attributed it to an ancient Hindu scripture known as Bhagavad Gita.]

I am certainly gratified to note that Napoleon Hill's work had casted so much influence on - & empowered - so many people in the world, including myself.

This is unquestionably one of the very best books on the science of personal success. Written in the same vein as the Napoleon Hill classic, "Think and Grow Rich," this book is full of inspiring examples of how focusing the mind upon intended positive outcomes can be the catalyst to great accomplishment and personal growth.

The message is extremely powerful and its strict application MUST invariably lead you towards the fulfillment of whatever aims you focus its principles towards.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should say that I am a speaker, trainer, and author of another unique and highly valuable learning tool that can also be found here on Amazon: The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Personal Wealth Creation (Combo Audio/Data CD): Audio Seminar With Downloadable 40-Page Action Manual and Active Link Library. It is a straight-forward discussion of the art and science of personal wealth creation and should be considered by anyone serious about wanting to learn more about the right way to get started on the road to personal wealth creation and financial freedom!

Other "WealthLoop Series" tools of worth looking into include:

The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses: The Foolproof Roadmap to Real Estate Riches Without the Risks and Hassles of Landlording

and

The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses (Combo Audio/Data CD): Author's Audio Commentary Plus Downloadable 32-page Marketing Manual, Checklists, Spreadsheets, and Forms.

I've read Think and GRow Rich at least 20 times, and now Read this one at least 2times going on Three now..I received Spiritual blessings because of these principles that cannot be measured in money or material things.. only in the eternal. Now I am being prepared for My wealth, My Million dollar ideas to manifest into reality. I am now practicing these principles daily and look forward to the physical manifestation which has been prophesied by prophets, preachers, and people who don't even know me..The seed was planted years ago now What has been sowed is being reaped. Wealth is circulating in my life, this wealth flows to me in avalanches of abundance. All my needs, desires, and goals are met instantaneously.
Carl Ray Marshall

postive mental attitude...I liked this book, when i was getting down on myself i found that reading this book lifted my spirits somewhat. I just didnt like the printing and size of the book. Other than that...the material was pretty good. buy it used...

This book was a wonderful discovery. My children loved it and so did I. As a collector of children's books, this one was a proud addition to my library.

every parent should read this to their child. even as adults we all need a reminder of how important it is to be truthful and good. this is an absolutely amazing book for kids of ALL ages. we are all still learning and growing. thought everyone should know and get a copy. if we lived by the lesson taught in this book wouldn't the world be a much better place!!! thanks,kim

I've had the opportunity to share this book with so many people and they all loved the book. Now I have children of my own, it certainly has become one of my favorite books to read to my kids and teach them to be truthful. This is a wonderful book to share with both adults and kids for all ages. I highly recommend it.

IT WAS SUCH A JOY TO SHARE THE MESSAGE OF THE BOOK WITH MY DAUGHTER. MY DAUGHTER AND I OFTEN DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF TELLING THE TRUTH. THIS BOOK ONLY MADE IT A MORE JOYFUL EXPERIENCE IN DOING SO. I APPLAUD THE AUTHORS FOR THEIR WORK AND THANK THEM FOR HELPING ME GET THE MESSAGE OF TELLING THE TRUTH TO MY DAUGHTER IN A WAY THAT WAS EASY FOR HER TO UNDERSTAND. A MUST READ!!!

My mom recently bought me this book I think that I have read it one too many times. I still read it often to my friends and have even shared it with some of my teachers.

I would highly recommend this book to parents and guardians of girls with ADHD. I saw many of my daughter's behaviors and symptoms very clearly at each stage of her life - how I wish I had had this book when she was younger! We were fortunate to have a pre-school teacher who was experienced enough to point out to us the "red flags" she was observing with our daughter's behavior in the classroom and how she related to other children, and she was professional enough not to diagnose her, but referred us to neurologist who made the diagnosis, so we caught her ADHD early, which made a huge difference. This is an eye-opening book, and will help prepare you for what may be coming as your child progresses through school and life stages. It has given me the information that I needed to understand how I can help my daughter succeed and grow and how to relate to her effectively now and in the future. Now I know why she's so tired when she comes home from school and this book makes it so obvious! The real-life examples are riveting and heart-breaking and will make any good parent want to do anything they can to help their daughter avoid those pitfalls that these women experienced throughout their lives. Bravo to the authors for recognizing that research done on boys with ADHD can only provide a piece of the puzzle - we all know that boys and girls are different and as a result, present ADHD symptoms and behaviors in different ways, as you will see when you read this book. Don't hesitate to buy this book - you will be glad you did and your daughter will be too!

This is the best book on ADHD that I have read! Sometimes the scenarios were so right on that I felt like the author must live in our house. I feel like I have a much better understanding of my daughter since reading the book. I put into practice some of the tips right away and noticed results immediately. Before reading this, I was still questioning my daughter's diagnosis but not anymore. This book may have saved my daughter's self-esteem as I now feel confident with how to help her get through her hard times.

My daughter's pediatrician recommended this book. It is a look into my daughter's present struggle with an explanation of "why" & how to help. It gives insight into her future struggles & how to prepare & possibly even avoid some situations. It explains the DIFFERENT way ADHD affects girls than boys! Highly recommended!

would have helped me understand my daughter, and myself, better. This book presents the research in a way any parent can understand. It also let me know what to expect for the future. Most of the books I've read ignore the differences between ADD in boys and girls-- not this one. This book should be handed to parents of ADD girls as soon as the diagnosis is made, if not sooner.

After being frustrated and watching my daughter start to fail I was finally able to convince teachers that she had a problem with add, just because your daughter is not bouncing off the walls doesn't meant there isn't a problem. This book help me to explain many painful experiences so that the staff was able to finally step in and help. My daughter is now in excelled classes, not on meds and yes we still have our interesting days but we are able to handle them better. Our social worker used this book to give an inservice during the summer. Teachers are often taught to identify boys who cause problems as add candidates. Girls who are day dreamers or chatty cathys are overlooked, and often highly intelligent children mimic add qualities, and are just 'hardwired' differenly, they can be seen as challenging authority and problems, too often used as tutors to their classmates, when they get home is when they have a melt down, but being people pleasers somehow hold it together all day at school and save it for mom. Get the book! It saved our family.

Woody's book (and WOW site) offer the very best practical and error-avoiding advice on using MS Outlook 97. Using Outlook is very different from using other Office applications. The file management aspect is thoroughly confusing and inflexible. Woody's book helps deal with this thorny issue.

As a software trainer and consultant, I am always looking for good books. This book is not good -- it's GREAT! The information on pgs.643 to 647 is worth much more than the price of the book! A must have....

Until now I have practically only been reading the Outlook 98 part of the book, as this part was the most urgent from my point of view. I have certainly not been disappointed. But on the other hand I had not expected less as a keen reader of Woody's Office Watch (WOW) and Woody's Window Watch (WWW). I am really looking forward to the rest of the book. It is a pleasure reading and learning from a book where there are a lot of humour included.

I have been using Office 97 for 1 1/2 years and have taken college courses in Word 97 and Excel 97. Having received certificates in both courses I thought that I knew it all. RIGHT! Woody Leonhard has taught me about the easy ways to execute commands. His shortcuts are invaluable to me. I am a quadriplegic and find his advice very helpful and time saving. I am learning Powerpoint 97 in far less time than it would of taken me in school. I believe he has been most helpful in making me a real power user. Thanks to Woody and his gang.

Clear, concise and easy instructions on how to use MS Ofc 97. Points out the good, bad and ugly of Microsoft products. Can turn any novice into more of a professional than he/she ever dreamed of! I recommend this book to anyone who will be working with MS Ofc 97! Don't pass this one up!

It's a great book. As a senior developer with more than 5 year's experieces of Object-Oriented Design, I think this is a valuable pragmatic book about how to do in a practical project.

I bought this for my brother. Got for a good deal on Amazon. Very happy with the fast delivery by Amazon.

This book covers the most common, and usefull design patterns. Each patter is presented in plain egnlish, with full examples.

In addition to patterns this book covers the principles surounding patterns that make them truely usefull.

After reading this text, I feel it deserves the attention of other great texts such as Design patterns and Refactoring, even though much of it's content expounds upon the ideas of these two classics. It's my opinion that this text has two strong points: it explains the ideas and details of agile development very clearly, and it does an excellent job of explaining the most popular patterns originated by GOF, plus a few more. The authors style was very good, with most of the examples in Java. Being a C++ programmer, I would have liked to see more examples in that language, but this is not any fault of the author.

In my role as an architect and a J2EE evangelist, I have to teach a lot about OOAD principles, the Java language and Agile techniques. There are lots of books in my armour that capture the gist of many of these practices and techniques. But none in my opinion better than this book.

Robert Martin is a master at explaining OOAD concepts and applying them to the Agile methodology. For instance, the Agile practices mandate certain practices that need to be implemented in the upfront design and conception of the project. This is in contrast to the methodologies that were hitherto used that emphaisized methodology over design.

This book provides that point of fusion. A great achievement indeed! Concepts such as dependency injection and the Single Responsibility Principle were explained before they became mainstream design tenets.

This was a great book detailing Marine Artillery. There are very few books out about artillery and as an artilleryman I thought it was an accurate account for those who have not been around a battery. It is a must read for all military and military enthusiasts.

From the tedium of Camp Lejeune to the hell of An-Nasiriyah Professor Andrew Lubin writes an engaging story of a father's love and concerns for a son heading into mortal combat. You don't need to be affiliated with the Marines to appreciate how brave our soldiers were in one of the first major battles to take place during the invasion of Iraq. Personally, as an ex-Marine myself,I was fascinated at the precision,dedication,knowledge,skill and bravery of the mostly young, and untried, Marines of Charlie Battery under fire. I was even more impressed with the collective calm of the units' senior NCO's and officers in bringing about eventual victory. This book is a must read for military historians and anyone else interested at an in-depth look at why, and how, our United States Marine Corps is a force to be feared throughout the world. Good job, professor! Gary Carter - Author of the military/political thriller "For the Good of the Many" - MWSA Silver Star award winner 2007

This has got to be one of the best of the Iraq war books on the market today. Writing from the viewpoint of the parent of a deployed Marine, Mr. Lubin follows his son and his artillery battery as they sail off to Iraq, fight at An-Nasiriyah, and then thankfully, all come home. This is a well-written book; it has an easy and natural flow as the author works blends interviews with the parents and girlfriends with the stories of the Marines themselves. Highly reccomended ? You bet it is; every parent of a deployed Marine and Soldier should read this book!

"Charlie Battery" is one of the best books on the war in Iraq on the market today. Author Andrew Lubin is a father writing about his son's being called to war on New Years Eve 2002, and then follows his son and the fellow Marines in Charlie Battery as they sail to Kuwait, live and train in Camp Shoup, and then fight and win at An-Nasiriyah. Lubin's descriptive and powerful prose made me feel as emotionally involved and stressed Charlie Battery parents as their sons go off to fight. "Charlie Battery" is the 2007 Gold Medal Winner of the Military Writers Society of America Military Non-Fiction category - the book is that good !"

Charlie Battery was a book I just could not put down once I opened it. I recently re-read it and enjoyed it even more now that I've got a little more experience and understanding for the military.

Zach Blutner

I bought this book after re-watching the movie taken largely from this exhaustive biography. As someone who has read many bios, let me say that this is a refreshing and encouraging alternative to the fawning and excessive grocery store drivel and/or the dull and fact-filled dissertations that describe most biographies. Hayden Herrera manages to combine a staggeringly comprehensive detailing of Kahlo's life with an easy prose that makes for an engaging read. I know far more about this artist than I could've imagined and it is largely first-hand accounts either from the pages of Frida's own diaries and numerous letters or the people who were there. Herrera keeps her personal opinions regarding the events to a minimum and allows the events to speak for themselves. The life of Frida Kahlo needs no additional padding or maudlin tricks to engender a connection to anyone with a heart and soul. When the author does speculate, it comes from someone who has clearly studied her subject thoroughly and backs up her theories with a wealth of compelling evidence and sensible arguments. While her appreciation for Kahlo is obvious, Herrera does not stop short of being critical, questioning Kahlo's motives, and revealing the stark humanity and insecurity that Kahlo tried to obscure with her public persona as the confident, outspoken, provocative enchantress sporting her exotic Tehuana finery.
However, the best use of Herrera's research and the clear compassion and empathy she has for this incredible woman is when she analyses Frida's paintings. I found myself continuously turning back and forth from the detailed observations and interpretation to the paintings and trying to understand what the author is talking about. It was fascinating reading and a wonderful exploration that shed light into the depths of Frida's intensely personal art.
Two last notes: First, the version I bought does not sport Salma Hayek on the cover but instead one of Frida's many self-portraits. Apparently the publishers corrected this unfortunate decision based on movie marketing. Second, I was fortunate enough to take in the amazing exhibit of Frida Kahlo at the Philadelphia Museum just a few weeks ago and it was a moving and special day. Seeing the actual frames dripping blood, the size and grandeur of some of the works juxtaposed with the smaller works, and the sheer emotionally gravity of her art was something I'll never forget. Having read much of this biography by that time, I was able to bring that much more to that exhilarating opportunity.
Frida Kahlo was not just an extraordinary artist but was moreover an extraordinary person. Herrera's heartfelt, deeply researched, and brilliantly written biography allows those of us who never knew her to feel as if we have and to share in the universal quality of her painful work. That alone makes us better people for having experienced it.

This is a paintakingly detailed biography, yet rather than making for tedious reading, it flows smoothly from the pages...Hayden Herrera has done an incredible job with the story of Frida Kahlo, the most famous Mexican artist in history.

Written in the late 1970s' (when many of Frida's friends and intimates were still alive to interview), this excellent book combines letters (to and from Kahlo), first person anecdotes and historical records (along with a decent selection of photos and paintings), to create a sweeping portrait of a very, very interesting life.

Everything you ever wanted to know about Frida (and maybe some stuff you didn't), is in this book.

"Frida" is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys Frida's work or just wants to know more about an interesting, talented, brutally honest (yet very vulnerable) woman.

I learned about Frida when I took art history in college. I always wanted to know more about her because of her art work. She was so passionate! Although she was considered an abstract artist. Her art was very REAL. You can feel what she feels by looking at her art. This book really helps you understand what happened in her life and attached the painting that went along with that specific period in her life. Very well written.

An inspiring Biography of famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. It was comprehensive, read like a documentary and at some points was long and boring with gory details. Frida was such an interesting person it was worth the struggle to get to the end. I now understand her and her works so much better. I think she was an odd and eccentric person that was gifted with natural artistic talent. I recommend looking at her paintings at the same time you listen to the audio since the audio is so descriptive almost like a narrative from a museum. It doesn't make sense unless you see the works at the same time. I found them on a website dedicated to her. There is nothing like her art, she is truly original!

Since her death, Frida Kahlo has become something of an exalted icon, representing for millions of people the alegría of a life fully lived. Hayden Herrera's insightful book both supports the artist's status, and provides devotees who never met Frida the chance to know their idol in depth, to familiarize themselves with her happiness and suffering, to experience her highs and lows.

The book's mixture of intimate biographical details (a thorough chronology and evocative descriptions of events), psychological analysis and art criticism create an intensely vivid picture of Frida Kahlo, the world in which she lived, and the means by which her art conveyed her mind and body's pain. Objectivity is retained throughout; unflattering and negative aspects of Frida's personality are discussed with attention equal to that devoted to the subject's positive traits.

As Hayden Herrera's biography shows, the benefits to Frida of putting brush to easel - with her deliberate, small strokes - were manifold: not only was painting a solace and diversion, it was also a visual expression of the pain resulting from a terrible bus accident in which she was involved when she was 18, miscarriages, and the hurt of her husband Diego Rivera's infidelities. She also used painting as a means of earning money and limiting her financial dependence on Diego after they married for a second time. (While during her lifetime one of Frida's paintings might fetch $200 from a private buyer, nowadays even small-scale works have sold for over $1,000,000 at auction.)

To me, an appealing aspect of Herrera's bio is its lack of pretense (appropriately, as pretension is something Frida disliked in any form): you won't find any flowery, purple prose here, nor do the author's analyses and assertions smack of arrogance. It is quite apparent that Hayden Herrera knows her subject top to bottom, but I never felt as if facts and dates were crammed into the text superfluously, simply as proof that she knew them.

If it happens at all, it will be many years before Hayden Herrera's "Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo" is replaced as the definitive biography on the subject. Having read it cover to cover three times, I can't imagine a better-written or more stimulating study of this truly unique, truly gifted person.