Biography Books

This series of books is an outstanding history of the reorganization of Soka Gakkai International after World War II in Japan. It provides a great insight into the rebuilding of Japan, and the struggle many endured to rebuild the SGI and their lives. Recommend to all SGI members.

This book (series) chronicles the history of the Nichiren Buddhist laity, Soka Gakkai,from 1960 to the present. It's a collection of the personal struggles and victories of the pioneers of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism in America. No matter how many times I read it, it never fails to inspire me with hope and courage. The SGI motto "No matter what, never give up!" echos from every page.

As a foreigner living in a foreign land, I can understand from my own life how the Japanese war brides who introduced Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism to the USA felt. President Ikeda gave them four tasks to perform and they were:

1.) learn to speak English 2.) learn to drive a car 3.) buy a car 4.) become US citizens.

Impossible dreams for these women. By taking US citizenship they'd lose their Japanese citizenship and could never go home. English was very difficult to learn. Buying a car for a newly wed military couple, often with young children, was also seemingly out of reach.

Though their deep faith they made they impossible possible. Please do read the entire series. It will become one of your favorites as it has become mine.

As a practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism and a relatively new member of the Soka Gakkai International, this book was a great surprise to me. I knew that the book was a history of how the Soka Gakkai was reinvigorated by Josei Toda after WWII. But I had no idea that the struggle was so great. I am learning every day more about Buddhism by reading how the characters in the books use their faith to overcome their own struggles (karma) and become enlightened people. Maybe the expert on snake oil does not practice Buddhism so the story does not make much sense. I look forward to reading "The New Human Revolution."

As a novel in which the protagonist, Josei Toda, discovers a deeper meaning to Buddhism while imprisoned by a militarist government during WWII may not connect with every reader. I read this novel approx. 30 years ago as I was learning about Buddhist practice and philosophy. It provided an excellent medium through which I learned the application of Buddhism in a practical setting, rather than simply as abstract concepts. I have continued my Buddhist practice and this novel was a key to keeping focused on the primary goal of enlightenment, a.k.a Human Revolution. Why another reviewer dismisses this as "snake oil" is odd. This Buddhism is a simple practice which requires no belief to undertake. An interested party, as I was, may begin without spending a penny, as I did. It is certainly not focused on trying people to spend large sums on ever continuing seminars and such. This school of Buddhism does alarm some people, as the novel illustrates, because other "mass movements" of the time were facist and not humanist. Furthermore, any new movement is seen as a threat to established institiutions. The Soka Gakkai, which this novel explores, is now recognized by a plethora of peace organizations as a beneficent organization.

The concept of human revolution is based on the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, that enables people to elevate their life conditions to the highest through their buddhist practice, thus revolutionize them from within.

But, the true greatness of the Daishonin's Buddhism lies in making the practice possible and available to anybody, and through giving each member of the world the opportunity to continuously change him/herself for the better, the world peace can be achieved. The idea itself is revolutionary, I believe, that it goes totally the opposite of what has been done historically to achieve peace, which is to make the change at the top to force the changes downward to people (in many cases with lots of sacrificing and suffering).

The SGI, whose president is the author of The Human Revolution and The New Human Revolution series, practices the Daishonin's Buddhism; therefore, its ideal is to make each individual happy and to promote peace throughout the world. The New Human Revolution can be read in many ways, but I would recommend to pay a little more attention, when you read it, to the fact that the Buddhist ideal is put into practice and actually happening.

As a SGI member, I am proud to be a part of this endeavor and recommend anybody to check it out.

As the author says more than once, not everyone will relate to his particular story with food. I think anyone with eating issues would find something in this book to be of help. I could relate all too well, and appreciate the author's candor at revealing things about himself, and his thoughts, that were of help to my own situation.

I really enjoyed this book. In clear, no nonsense language Allen Zadoff managed to convey to the reader the pain of being very over weight with no self pity, no real excuses. He ate too much at one time. Period. Then, somehow after reaching 300+ pounds, he looked inside of himself and accepted a truth. He needed to eat less. So - no more dieting for him. He decided to establish a traffic light of an idea. Red light for dangerous food, yellow light for foods that need to be approached with caution and green food - the kind one can eat lots of and manage to stay slim. I loved this idea. I don't have a huge weight problem, but I do eat too much at times for a variety of reasons. I swear - as soon as I did what Zadoff said, wrote down my red, yellow and green foods, I began to eat less. And I began to lose weight. Wow. Thanks, Mr. Zadoff. You did a great job. I hope everyone who has ever struggled with weight reads this book. It's short but the message is clear. Look at what you eat. Identify problem foods. Approach them with caution. I guess he said it all.

How is everyone doing in conquering this:
~*weight loss battle*~?
It really is a WAR against those excess pounds, isn't it?

After reading HUNGRY by Allen Zadoff, I decided not to call it a 'diet' because it is not suppose to be a reducing diet but a healthy way of eating.

This book gives you some ammunition to WIN that war!
(Although you will always have to be 'on guard' for the rest of your life!)

It was a worthwhile book to read...It had short one or two pages chapters. None of that recipe filler pages.

One of our 'assignments' was to try and figure out WHY
we over-eat and make ourselves over-weight.
There is a reason. He suggested maybe it is an addiction
or a disease we need to treat not just cover up with a 'diet'?

He lost 150 lbs...The way he did it was to analyze his feelings and
then to not eat foods that are trigger foods. He had us make a list
of red, yellow and green foods....red meaning those
that we just can't stop eating once we start (like sweets)
yellow meaning those that sometimes cause over-eating problems, and
green are those that are OK and good for us; never lead
to a binge. (Like a traffic light, red STOP, yellow CAUTION and green GO.

He didn't tell us what to eat because everyone's list would be
different.
Allen reminded me of my nephew that also lost a great deal of weight.

For instance, how when Allen was at a normal weight, after weighing 360 lbs. (And having only one pair of pants that fit that were worn out in the crouch.)
It was difficult to think like a normal weight person. (Like how to react when a pretty girl flirted with him.)

This is the suggestion that I am going to have to do since I am
an evening nibbler. Only eat 3 meals each day...(From the green list.)
"Three delicious, abundant meals made up of foods I can handle."Zadoff.

It sounds so sensible yet I haven't done that in a long long time.
I need to stop this mindless evening snacking...that mouth hungry not
stomach hungry HABIT! It is very very hard to break these bad eating habits!

If you can get the book, I highly recommend it.

Allen's final statement:
"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can
start from now and make a brand new ending." Carl Bard

Allen Zadoff is a great writer. He's sharp, wise and funny. This little memoir of his journey from fat to "normal" size, is insightful and enjoyable to read. Allen is open and revealing about his life, but only alludes to the solution he found, which seems to be a 12 step program called Overeaters Anonymous. The second half of the book, when he is in recovery from overeating, is sprinkled with 12 step kinds of slogans. He never directly says he joined OA, but lists it as one of his recommended resources in the back of the book. Perhaps he was trying to preserve the anonymity of his participation in the program by not directly talking about it or endorsing it. It seems to me that it would have made the book more revealing had he detailed how he found his way to OA and why it worked for him. Nonetheless, this is a good read. Anyone who has struggled with these issues will be able to relate.

I can't believe such a terrible book can be reviewed so highly. I think he didn't say anything everyone who has a problem with food doesn't know. IN fact he doesn't really reveal himself at all. He uses thumor to hide behind rather than tell the truth. How does such a skimpy book get published?. He hints O.A is the only answer to overeating. He never explains what home problems kept his addiction active. I find it cruel to give hope to others with one method while telling us nothing else works. Everyone is differet and what works is different. This book is not quite a memoir, not quite a self help book,not quite a book. It is said to be a non diet book but I felt like I had been put on a skimpy diet with this badly written book. sorry. but I could write a more truthful book in my sleep and I have kept off sixty pounds. Hey, let me write a book. Save your money and time on this one. I felt cheated.

Enjoyed reading about the life of Clayton Moore, The Lone Ranger. Since receiving it I am now in my 3rd reading of it. It seems everytime I find someting new and interesting.

I wish he was alive so I could personally talk with him about his adventure doing The Lone Ranger. May his spirit always remain in the hearts of all Americans...

You can find out more information about Clayton Moore and The Lone Ranger fan club at www.lonerangerfanclub.com/jr

This man, Clayton Moore WAS the Lone Ranger. I can say no more.

Taylor Trade Publishing presents "I WAS THAT MASKED MAN" (Paperback) - by Clayton Moore and Frank Thompson --- Clayton Moore was an American actor best known for playing the fictional western character The Lone Ranger --- Moore was a circus acrobat as a boy, then later enjoyed a successful career as a John Robert Powers model. Moving to Hollywood in the late 1930s, he began working as a stunt man and bit player between modeling jobs --- He was an occasional player in B-Westerns and Republic Studio cliffhangers, ultimately starring in more such films than serial hero Buster Crabbe --- His big break came in 1949, when George Trendle spotted him in "Ghost of Zorro" --- As producer of the radio show and creator of "The Lone Ranger" character along with writer Fran Striker, Trendle was about to launch the masked man in the new medium of television --- Moore was cast on sight.

In keeping with the nature of the Ranger character, Moore chose to protect the Ranger's identity at all times and is perhaps the only actor whose full face is largely unknown to the public. It was never shown in the TV series, although occasionally he would don a disguise and affect an accent, revealing the upper half of his face in the process. However, there is no shortage of photos of Moore unmasked, including many in his autobiography. His many fans, however, could easily recognize him by his distinctive voice --- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

TABLE OF CONTENTS: (Title and Page Numbers)
Foreword by Leonard Maltin - ix
Preface by Frank Thompson - xi
Introduction by Frank Thompson - 1
1. Birth of a Ranger - 13
2. A Cowboy Actor in the Big Apple- 35
3. Hollywood - 43
4. Republic Pictures - 61
5. In the Army Now - 71
6. King of the B's - 79
7. Hi Yo Silver, Awayy! - 111
8. Back to the Big Screen - 131
9. Jay Silverheels - 143
10.The Lone Ranger Rides Again! - 151
11.England and a New Daughter - 185
12.Adventures on Television - 195
13.You Don't Pull the Mask Off the Ol' Lone Ranger - 203
14.The Adventures of Clayton Moore - 221
15.Who is That Masked Man? - 231
appendix - 243
Index - 257

BIOS:
1. Clayton Moore
Date of Birth: 14 September 1914 - Chicago, Illinois
Date of Death: 28 December 1999 - Los Angeles, California

Moore often was quoted as saying he had "fallen in love with the Lone Ranger character" and strove in his personal life to take The Lone Ranger Creed to heart. This, coupled with his public fight to retain the right to wear the mask, ultimately elevated him in the public's eyes to an American folk icon --- In this regard, he was much like another cowboy star, William Boyd, who nurtured the Hopalong Cassidy character --- Moore was so identified with the masked man that he is the only person on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as of 2006, to have his character's name along with his on the star, which reads, "Clayton Moore -- The Lone Ranger" --- He was inducted into the Stuntman's Hall of Fame in 1982 and in 1990 was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

THE LONE RANGER CREED - I Believe that to have a friend, a man must be one --- That all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world -- That God put the firewood there but that every man must gather and light it himself in being prepared physically, mentally and morally to fight when necessary for that which is right --- That a man should make the most of what equipment he has --- That `This government of the people, by the people and for the people' shall live always --- That men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number --- That sooner or later .. somewhere .. somehow .. we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken --- That all things change but truth, and that truth alone, lives on forever --- In my Creator, my country, my fellow man.

Check out a new book from Empire Publishing - "GENE AUTRY WESTERNS" (Hardcover) - by author Boyd Magers, like no other book on Gene Autry --- all of Gene's Mascot, Republic and Columbia westerns included, as well as his half-hour TV Episodes --- each segment contains the release date on each film ... major production credits ... complete cast (including character played) ... all songs included, songwriter and who performed them in the film ... running time of each film ... dates of the filming ... bios on the cast and major players (Smiley, Pat Buttram, Cass County Boys, Herbert J. Yates, directors, leading ladies, songwriters and various heavies, etc.) ... locations that were used ... budgets and negative cost ... stunt people involved ... analysis and synopsis on each film ... notes and comments (including film and cast background info, salaries paid, working titles, etc) ... comments from Gene and many other cast members on each film ... theater exhibitors comments at the time of the films release ...this tribute was written from the heart and it shows.

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- More than just a tribute to the role Clayton Moore made famous, this book is Moore's personal memoir, told with condor and sincerity -- the engaging story of the life he strove to live according to the ideals he represented to millions of Americans, please stand up and take a bow --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Pages: 280 ~ Taylor Trade Publishing ~ (4/25/1998)

I was a bigger fan of the Lone Ranger on radio than TV, but only because I was away in school most of the years it was on the tube and missed a great deal. That is something I am trying to make up as I collect DVDs and is why I bought this book. I have also known personally two who worked with Clayton Moore in the past, serial queen Kay Aldridge and former rodeo star Beverly McDermott. Everything they said about this man is echoed in the book. A very honest upright straight shooter. I am also impressed by his arguments as to why a star should set an example. So different in Hollyweird today. We need actors and actresses today who have the high moral standards this man has shown. May God bless him always, here and in Heaven.

An in depth history of Clayton Moore. A very informative perpective of a bye-gone age in Hollywood. I really enjoyed this book. A must read for Lone Ranger and TV western fans.

This book was a joy to read. Not only is Arnold Steinhardt a superb violinist, he's also a very good writer. No doubt it helps to appreciate this book if you're a fan of the Guarneri Quartet and a lover of the string quartet literature, but I found Steinhardt so charming, and the story so compelling, I imagine the book might have a broader appeal. It's a story of a kid pursuing a dream, then the kid and the dream both maturing while a love of chamber music develops, which then requires the dream of solo stardom to give way to a lifelong collaboration with three others. The three others, of course, share his passion for chamber music, and particularly for that ineffable, almost perfect form they choose to make their life's work together. They start out exploring and experimenting, with hardly a penny. They grope their way towards playing as an ensemble, gradually become established, and then come the constant touring, recording, families. They learn how to stay together by creating boundaries, and they stay together for over four decades (although the original cellist retired before the rest, this book was written before his retirement).

We meet a lot of famous musicians, and there are many interesting and sometimes humorous anecdotes, but the most interesting parts of the book have to do with the music and its making. Steinhardt mentions the cavatina from Beethoven's Op. 130 more than any other piece or movement - clearly it's had a special place in his life. I saw the Guarneri a few months ago, during their final season, and it was bittersweet. They played Beethoven's Op. 74 and his Op. 130 with the Op. 133 Grosse Fuge as the final movement. It was magnificent. I prefer their late Beethoven to anyone else's. Mr. Steinhardt looked liked he'd aged considerably in only a year or so. I'll miss them. I'm grateful to have this book along with their recordings now that they're retiring.

I would recommend this book for any musician, especially a member of an ensemble. This book gives a good insight of the personal dynamics between the members and why they have been successful and together for so many years.

excellent study of the dynamics of a string quartet, or any group of individuals working for a single goal.

Fantastic read for any instrumentalist, especially if youve played in any type of small ensemble.Highly recommended.

This wonderfully humorous and true-to-the-art book is sweet music to anyone who loves chamber music. Steinhardt gets it so right throughout this delightful book, I, like many of the other reviewers was disappointed when I reached the last page - I wanted it to keep on going...

Steinhardt hits a universal chord that will resonate particularly well with those "insiders" who have performed chamber music at any level. While reading it, I found myself digging into my CDs and listening to the piece the author was describing. The unique commentary accompanied by the performance brought me a new appreciation for the string quartet genre.

I have never heard a piece of music by composer Jan Swafford, but if he composes as well as he writes, his music should be stimulating indeed. Some reviewers have called this book hard to put down, a page-turner. I found it so. Part of its interest lies in Brahms himself; any book that purports to shed even a bit of light on so enigmatic a figure would cause one to turn pages in hopes of illumination. But I can imagine, too, a very dull book about Brahms. Well, there are few dull pages among the 600+ in Swafford's biography. As is now de rigueur in good modern historical writing, Swafford creates a judicious blend of primary-source material and commentary thereon, along with a rich store of anecdotes told in his own fine, writerly voice.

Musical analysis is treated in such a way that the amateur musician, and even the musically challenged, will not be put off. In all cases, Swafford demonstrates well one of his chief theses--that Brahms was the most Janus-like of the great nineteenth century composers. He looked back all the way to Renaissance masters, assimilating their contrapuntal styles in ways beyond anything that Beethoven, Mendelssohn, or Schumann had done before him. Yet he so thoroughly anticipated the ambiguity of tonality and rhythm in twentieth-century music that Schoenberg could, long after Brahms's death, speak of "Brahms the Progressive."

But there is much more than musical analysis in this book. There is a thorough investigation of the many dualities in Brahms's nature: Brahms the generous, Brahms the curmudgeonly; Brahms the respecter of (intellectual and artistic) women, Brahms the misogynist; Brahms the romantic, Brahms the classicist; Brahms the sentimentalist, Brahms the cynic; Brahms the self-effacing, Brahms the monumentally egotistical. Swafford presents them all in their staggering incompatibility. And while Swafford himself admits that no one can ever quite hope to reconcile all these manifestations or indeed fill in the gaps in a life that the composer himself hoped to keep mostly a closed book, he comes close to making this great study in contrasts that was Brahms into a flesh-and-blood individual whose most mystifying acts seem almost comprehensible because we have seen him in action in similar contexts. By an exhaustive examination of the primary literature and shrewd speculation based thereon, Swafford builds a picture that convinces. He can't make us always like Brahms or even sympathize with him, but we come to understand him better through Swafford's portrait than we ever thought we could. That is some accomplishment.

Beyond this are the passages in which Swafford speaks of musical and indeed cultural history after Brahms. The epilogue to this book, in which the author traces Brahms's paradoxical legacy through the great century of change since his death, should be mandatory reading for all students of culture in the West.

Are there flaws? Yes. Some parts of the book show haste while others show careful crafting. In a work this large, that is to be expected. And Swafford overuses the word "magisterial." This may describe Brahms to a tee, but so, I hope, do a few other adjectives. Small gripes? Small indeed, given the wealth of insight and reading pleasure that Swafford provides here. I'm ready for his biography of Ives!

Mr.Swafford did excellent jobs in dissecting and analyzing major symphonic works without sounding pedantic and dry. However, I wish he had invested more ink on the other major orchestral works such as Piano Concerto no.2 and the Violin Concerto, two of my favorites, like he did Piano Concerto no.1 and the symphonies and variations, etc. On the late concertos he merely described the circumstances surrounding their creation and barely touched on structural analysis.

Other than that, the book is very detailed and enjoyable to read. It sheds a lot of light on the human side of the composer and his friends, and thus makes these historical figures come back to life. At several instances I was so touched by Swafford's writing that I almost shed tears. Reading this book has been an emotional journey for me, and I rank it as my favorite book on music and musicians. Very touching! I love it!

I wonder how Brahms would have compensated for the defeat to his friend's wife - Clara Schumann. Although lively attention to details was a notable characteristic of the German woman lover, pianist and composer, her indifference to the sentiments of her husband - the German composer Robert Schumann - was so shallow as to miscalculate Robert's perturbation with her lover's apathy.
How could Brahms, having degenerated to low stage, get over the perfidy of such relationship with the woman who was fourteen years his senior (and who also raised seven children)? Such polyandrous practice was not customary in Germany and both lovers must have become impetuous when they, again, met with indecision of purpose.
Was it bigamy? Or sheer adultery? Did it really matter to Brahms who, at least, cared for Clara's husband and his friend's illness? Was Clara prematurely getting old marking her life by irrational thoughts? Or was it the agnostic Brahms believing in nothing?
Brahms gave us medley of music; conscious of the shadow of the dead Robert, Ein Deutsches Requiem {1867/8} is one that represented heavenly masterpiece as if to seek pardon in humble supplications like the sinner who renounces lifelong bad habits when in extremity of pain.

What a wonderful biography. Brahms' dealings with Clara Schumann, Joachim, and other friends is studied in fascinating detail through meetings and letters -- an intimate portrait of personal relations, desires and fears, quiet joys and resentments, etc., all as absorbing as a Henry James novel.

Meanwhile, Brahms' incomparable music is a life of its own, and we are treated to the master's views of it, as well as those of contemporaries and the author. The author's assessments seem to me almost unerringly valid. (Take, for example, his lofty praise of Gesang der Parzen, an underheard choral masterwork, or his concession that the Double Concerto, a concert standard, is on a less than inspired level.)

Add to this the author's occasional shift of focus to the Austro-German culture in which Brahms lived, in retrospect an even more remarkable time and place, where music was valued to a rare degree, and where ideas and events -- artistic, philosophical, political -- were poised to take momentous turns. Fascinating, even haunting, stuff, and all the more appropriate for discussion as these were issues about which Brahms had much concern in his later years.

This is a great story about a great composer. The book tells his life story, and highlights many of his great works. Within this biography, the book also mentions the interactions, disagreements and perspectives of the different composers of the late 19th century - Liszt, Wagner, Schumann, Bruckner, Mahler and of course Brahms. From that perspective, it is not only a biographry of Brahms but in some ways a history of classical music in that period. In my opinion, Brahms was the best composer of the group, and this book highlights why he was. It focuses on many of his great compositions, even providing the major musical notes for key parts of a composition. For example, in what is arguably his best work, the 4th symphony, this book spends four pages on the last movement of this symphony, a very powerful cantata and chaconne that Brahms brought to the symphony. This form, according to the book, derives from the Baroque period and Bach has a great similar work with the violin. Brahms took it a step further and using the whole capabilities of the symphony orchestra, weaves this concept into a very powerful piece of music. Since reading these four pages, I've developed a greater interest in this movement and in the 4th symphony in total. It is a beautiful powerful work and this book provides a beautiful perspective of this work. The same is true for all of the book. It has given me a better perspective of Brahms and classical music. For this reason, I highly recommend this book.

In perhaps the most comprehensive autobiography of a gymnast on the market thus far, Kerri Strug details her life as an elite gymnast from her early memories all the way through the 1996 Olympics. Younger gymnasts (upper elementary school/middle school aged) will be able to understand the book, but the ideas contained will appeal to older readers as well.

Strug addresses her success, her aspirations, and most importantly, the difficulties of competing at the elite level. She talks openly about her eating disorder and problems with coaches. Strug also makes it clear that the person who pushed her hardest was her- not her parents, or her coaches. While Bela is known for pushing his gymnastics, Strug lets it be known that he never pushed her too far, and that it was her idea to perform the second vault.

Strug also addresses something that all gymnasts will understand: the frustrations. Not getting a certain score, not qualifying for something, or simply not progressing skill-wise are all common frustrations that any gymnast experiences. Most gymnasts will appreciate knowing that other people have gone through what they are currently going through. This is a great book for someone who is already familiar with gymnastics.

I do gymnastics and love to read about is so this book is great for me! This book is full of pictures and useful information. It has from when she was a baby to when she stuck that wonderful vault. If you are looking for a good gymnastics book or just a good book I would buy this one. If you do buy it I hope you enjoy reading it like I did!

Before I read this book, I didn't really know much about Kerri, except that she had hurt her foot doing a vault at the Olympics, and had somehow become America's darling.

But after reading this book, I now know Kerri for who she is: a marvelous gymnast who was always in the shadows and never seemed to pull everything together during competitions. How she came so close to making the All-Around competition in Barcelona, only to be edged out by .14 of a point.

This book will make you laugh, cry, and wonder how she could come back after injury upon injury and still continue gymnastics. This book will tell you about her joys and triumphs, and her defeats and despairs.

Since I have read this book, Kerri Strug has become my favorite gymnast, not just because of what she did at Atlanta, but what she did to get there. I promise you, if you read this book, you will be left with a profound respect of the girl who could continue on, despite the pain and setbacks.

My only recommendation is read it!

I really enjoyed reading Kerri Strug's autobiography. Her legendery vault, the Yurchenko with a one-and-a-half twist, helped the USA 1996 Olympic Team win a gold medal! I really thought this was a terrific book. Kerri talks about her triumphs, struggles, victories, experiences and so much more. She tells her complete story, starting from baby years, all the way up untill after the 1996 Olympic Games. Her story is a great inspiration to all gymnasts. If you enjoy gymnastics or are a fan of Kerri Strug, then this book is a must-read!

This is definitely the best gymnasics biography I've read! In this book, published right after the 1996 Olympics, Kerri really opens her heart to the reader...we learn about her passion for gymnasics which started at a VERY young age, her progression through the sport, what it was really like training under Bela Karolyi, and about her family. One thing that impressed me about Kerri was how she is truly self-motivated...I think many gymnasts are pushed by parents living their own dreams through their children, but this was NOT the case with Kerri. It was refreshing to read of the loving, supportive family she has, and how completely sane her parents are (as opposed to other gym parents we've heard about, like in "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes" which I also think is an important book). I think people who are THIS driven, as Kerri is, are incredibly rare...which is why she flourished under Bela's harsh training instead of cracking like so many other girls did. She is honest about the often-times brutal training under Bela, but obviously loves and deeply respects both him and Marta and she gives them credit for contributing to her successes. There are great photos included of Kerri through the years. Awesome!!

buy it used. good read for the beach. then see her movies.

I enjoyed Lauren Bacall's autobiography better than any autobiography I've ever read. Her style of writing is so personal, it's just a pleasure to read. It's written with heart, it's witty, poignant, and so honest. You'll also learn about the original "Rat Pack", and other celebrities. I can't say enough about this book!

I read this book 20 years ago when it first came out and I couldn't put it down. The love story between her and Bogey was sweet, but tragic. His death was so detailed in this book that when my own father was dying I couldn't help but relate back to her description of Bogey's final hours. It made me sob for her. The mention of Hollywood in the 50's and all of the corrupt politicians trying to blackball performers is deplorable. I believe Ms. Bacall is our current Kate Hepburn - a no BS kind of Hollywood woman that is still well-respected and greatly admired.

I have never considered myself a Lauren Bacall fan but having recently rewatched To Have And Have Not, her film debut, I became intrigued about her and Bogart so I picked up this book after reading such positive reviews here at Amazon.

Well, was I surprised. First this is a very well written autobiography that demonstrates a keen intelligence and a reflectiveness on the past that is truly admirable. It is also incredibly honest and not just a recitation of a Hollywood star's accomplishments.

From Bacall's youth in New York where she tried desperately to find a place in the theater to her ultimate return to the stage as a star after spending years in California as Mrs. Bogart and raising a family, every stage of her life is well examined.

Bogart emerges as a truly good guy, not perfect but clearly they were a great match despite the obvious age difference.

Some of the episodes in her life with Bogart have the added quality of capturing a period in Hollywood and the film industry that is long gone. Bacall isn't and doesn't need to be a name dropper but so many famous characters pop in and out of her story that it is a virtual who's who of 1940's Hollywood.

What I initally picked up as a casual read turned into something much deeper. Lauren Bacall , who I knew little about before reading this is a woman who I came to really like as a result of this book.

Well written and well worth checking out for filmfans, fans of Bogart or anyone interested in acting and theater and the celebrity life of the 40's and 50's.

Lauren Bacall's 1984 autobiography details her humble beginnings, how modeling led to acting, and her marriages and love affairs. She met Bogie on the set of her first movie when she was 19 and he was 43 and married. They fell in love at first sight and had a good marriage until his death. Her next husband was Jason Robards, Jr.; his drinking made for trouble from the start. The ups and downs of her movie and Broadway careers and her love of politics (and politicians) round out the book.

The woman who emerges from the pages is pretty much what I expected - strong, independent, and passionate - but also quite self-centered and spoiled. She's had a charmed life and makes no excuses for her shortcomings.

The book is full of famous tinseltown names and fabulous jet-set locations. She writes as if she were talking, often using ungrammatical half-sentences which slowed me down sometimes, but that is a minor quibble. I heartily recommend it to her fans.

This is a fantastic book, though it's more of a global history lesson than a lesson in entrepreneurship. Monique Maddy covers the history of Liberia in depth and in less depth the history of several other African countries. She talks about economic development and the failures of the UN, IFC and World Bank. She is clearly an advocate for economic development via private investment. Her perspective is shaped by growing up in an exemplary company town. It was part of a mining project in Liberia sponsored by a joint venture named LAMCO. The project had a social development component that both supported the mining company by developing employees, and supported the citizens by developing them. The book is significantly a biography of Maddy herself and how she came to start her venture. That core of the book is surrounded by chapters that describe her efforts to start a pan-African telecommunications company- Adesemi - and its ultimate demise.

Maddy writes a warm, but penitrating review of the life of her family, as well as the nation of Liberia.

She gives great insight into the exploitation of Africa by the west. She makes recommendations that companies and individuals should heed as they work in this great continent.

Her writing style is easy to read, and very to the point.

REVIEW BY IAN MOUNT
www.ghanaweb.com: Business News of Monday, 1 October 2001

The Last Place to Start a Company
Monique Maddy tried and failed to launch a telephone service in Africa. She's moving on. Africa isn't.

Three short years ago, Monique Maddy was boasting that her company was going to "change people's lives" and "revolutionize things." Adesemi, the wireless pay-phone company she founded in 1993, had raised $37 million dollars, built a network in Tanzania, and moved into Ghana, and was planning to expand its service to the Ivory Coast. Maddy was the new face of African business. A Wall Street Journal article in September 1998 even proclaimed, "If the disenfranchised of Africa ever join the global economy, it won't be diplomats, politicians, or church people leading the way. It will be entrepreneurs like Monique Maddy."

It hasn't turned out that way. Maddy walked away from her company in disgust in the fall of '99. Her story is a familiar one, full of the government corruption that has become an African clichi, but the 39-year-old Maddy doesn't blame her company's demise on the bribery requests or Kafkaesque red tape. For the Liberian native, who's writing a book about third-world entrepreneurship to be published by HarperCollins next year, the real reason for Adesemi's failure and Africa's continental mire can be traced to the international development agencies that are designed to help the region. "Africa is worse off today -- in many countries -- than it was at independence, even though billions and billions have been spent," says Maddy, who herself served for five years as a United Nations Development Program officer. "As long as you have these kinds of institutions, you won't have any change."

Take Maddy's experience getting a pay-phone license. In mid-1995, a year after the Tanzanian national phone company granted Adesemi the license (and Adesemi had spent $1.5 million on its network), the phone company president said that it was no good because Adesemi's pay phones were wireless. Only after an acquaintance at the Harvard Business School, her alma mater, put her in touch with World Bank president James Wolfensohn did the matter get settled. The World Bank pushed the government just so far, however. The phone company insisted on charging Adesemi inflated rates to use its infrastructure. "When we asked the World Bank to do something about the rates, they said they couldn't tell the government what to do -- but they could lend them millions of dollars," says Maddy, referring to a $75 million interest-free loan the World Bank made to the national phone company. "They had a conflict of interest," she says.

Still, Adesemi kept at it, eventually building its network up to 600 pay phones and a pager service with 5,000 customers. The sell was easy, Maddy says, because Adesemi's phones actually functioned (the street nickname for the system was "the phones that work," she says).

When an Adesemi backer, CDC Capital Partners, refused to invest more money for the company's expansion into what Maddy argued were more profitable markets -- it wanted to see profitability in Tanzania first, despite the stacked odds -- she finally gave up. Maddy, who now lives in Boston, hasn't been to Tanzania since; her investors are selling off the network.

Not surprisingly, Maddy says her book will call for a radical departure from a system based on an international aid bureaucracy. "You basically have bureaucrats trying to develop countries," she says. "How many bureaucrats started Microsoft?"
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Source: Ian Mount

As I read this book I couldn't help but notice how similar Monique's tale is to the story of Africa. She weaves us through a maze of emotions as we feel her joy, hope, determination only to be suddenly brought to earth with frustration, anger, desparation.

For anyone ever been to Africa rarely has a book come along that so perfectly captures the daily difficulties of survival in Africa. Though tongue-in-cheek Monique certainly understands clearly the difficulties facing that part of the world and I would hazard we'll be hearing more from her on this subject.

Oh by the way did I mention that she became a World Class marathon runner in her spare time?

As someone who grew up overseas much like Monique, i deeply admire how she chose to use her acquired skills and network to give back to a continent in dire need of what rare individuals like her have to offer.

The book is enjoyable to read and deeply inspiring to anyone interested in contributing to third world development.

Lee: The Last Years

This is a wonderful book about a wonderful man. Although Robert E. Lee is most remembered as a General, for most of his adult life, he was an engineer and educator (although in the army). Mr. Lee could have become very wealthy after the war by simply allowing his name to be used commercially. However, he wanted to make a contribution and did so by accepting the position as President of Washington College. He seldom spoke of the war and brought no military flavor to the College.

There is an argument that Robert E. Lee is responsible for more American dead than any other single individual. The difficult part of this book is tying to tie that Robert E. Lee to the man he was in his last five (5) years. He played Santa at Christmas, broke up a lynching, stroked the ego of his horse Traveller, was a good family man, looked out for the under dog and took care of his students, even when they were in trouble. How he handled all these situations, often minor by standards of the war, brings out the essence of the man including his character, values, wit and subtle humor.

I have read/studied history and biography for 40 years. I have spent more time on Robert E. Lee than any other individual and this book someway brings all my study of Mr. Lee together and puts it in perspective. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in American History. Thanks Mr. Flood.

Outstanding biography of the man. Much has been written about the general, this book brings the humble father, husband and Christian man to life.

I've long considered myself a student of Southern history and the Civil War. Heck, I've been a historian at museums so I think I have a pretty good knowledge of the Civil War era. Furthermore, I live in Virginia and have been to the campus of Washington and Lee University. However, nearly every page of Charles Bracelen Flood's work on Robert E. Lee's post-war years is full of information I've never heard about. Flood has used many differing sources to pull together a wonderful, highly readable account of Lee's years after the war, how he came to be President of Washington College, and his role in the reconstruction of this country. What jumps out off the pages is that for as much as Lee has been studied and idolized for his exploits on the battlefield, his postwar years as President of the college should get just as much press. While Lee did not think defending his native state was wrong, he did wish for both North and South to reconcile as quickly as possible. After reading the book, I still do not think Lee is the god that some people hold him up to be, but he does stand out as a good man who wanted to bring the nation back together while also helping his fellow Southerners get back on their feet. While Flood's writing can be unimaginative at times and I thought he threw in little stories and vignettes that he didn't need too, the book is excellent overall and should be a must read for anyone interested in Lee. However, the book is such an easy, good read that I think almost anyone should pick it up.

Bracelen Flood clearly does extensive research in order to render this intimate and engrossing portrayal of Lee.

Lee: The Last Years was well worth reading. A must for anyone who wants to know a little more of the Rest of The Story about a fine American, though much misunderstood.

Journalist Neely Tucker doesn't sugar coat anything about his experiences working in an African orphanage and the gut wrenching, heart rending story of how he (a white American)and his wife (African American) struggle to adopt Chipo (a black African infant girl)in a country not keen on Americans or journalists. This book is a study in contrasts of race, culture, gender, nationality, and personality how they all affect Tucker's family. Wonderful story told from the heart but not sappy or sentimental. This is gritty but inspiring reading.

This was fantastic! I was routing for them the entire book. Moving & emotional - I felt like I was experiencing their pain and frustration and then joy - what an experience!

In dealing with their personal frustrations, the author shows us the hurdles and challenges of wanting to help in nations that need it the most. It is a good read, heartwarming. But unlike most books, it left me in search of an organization that can break through and really offer help to children touched by AIDS.

Fabulous from the start. So much intermingles in this book - history, politics, personal struggle, life in Africa, bi-racial familes, adoption - that to narrow it down to a memoir wouldn't be doing it justice.
Following the writer as he pushes you through each page, you find yourself involved in the world through the eyes of this family. It's one of those books that you rush to get through and then you regret what you've done once you see there's only a few pages left.
When I find an author of this caliber, I stick with them. And Neely Tucker sure can write.

This memoir goes to show on how faith and love can conquer all odds. It has opened my eyes on the issue of AIDS and the politically unstable country of Zimbawiae. A very touching love story of father and daughter.