Carroll Books

There's always something sad about reading the diaries and letters of combatants in a war zone. And there is always something poignant about reading the private words of those once living, who are now gone. I felt it when I read a book similar to this called "Eyewitness To History" but because this book's accounts dealt strictly with hostile occasions, I felt it more strongly here. A book like this touches many themes: the universality of human emotion, human desires, human fears. It also shows how much like we of today the people who lived long ago were. Minus the references to anachronistic armaments and military campaigns from history-text wars, the letters from a Revolutionary War soldier to his loved ones at home are nearly identical to those of the Vietnam War correspondences also reproduced here. Longing, loneliness, fear, suffering, these are conditions as old as our (or any other) species, and what I found myself taking away from my (not cover-to-cover but still extensive) reading of this work was less a contrasting of "then and now" but how often the ideas repeated. I found this book often sad. I would have thought I'd be immune to a record of a distant event composed by a person dust a century or more before my birth, but my reactions to some of what I read in here proved otherwise. Overall this is a fine reference book and a good read. It serves up a number of useful accounts of events, authored by persons contemporary to what was described. However, be mindful of what I wrote above: there is touching power here in the repetitive nature of human cruelty, war's evils, and the suffering--emotional and physical--that descends on soldiers, and those who care for them.

This anthology is an absolutely essential addition to any respectable werewolf or general horror collection. I would rate it equal to or better than The Ultimite Werewolf. I was transfixed, carried it everywhere, and it IS a little hefty (but then again, most anthologies are). But, it was certainly worth the effort and not really too big to stuff in a bag or really large pocket. I truly believe this book has a story for everyone, even those who aren't huge horror buffs. The authors range from the extremely well known, to the less recognizable. My personal favorite story was the Zorro story (second to last in the book - you gotta wait to get there).

I am extremely pleased with Mike Ashley as an editor of historical mysteries and happily track down his books. These are older but quality collections that I reccomend. As an historian none of them irked me with glaring errors, and as a reader none of them bothered me with annoying footnotes and pomposity. I would reccomend that the reader not read the little author prefaces before reading the story, as at least one of them is so thoughtlessly phrased that it gives away a major part of the story though not the 'whodunnit' question.

I did truly hate one piece for personal religious reasons, as it wallowed in the some of the more horrific pagan Roman misunderstandings about what they thought the Christians believed and practiced. As a theologian who studied the Early Church I am aware that at least some of the basis for the piece can be documented to the First Century but I am very annoyed by the confusion of whether the author is genuinely translating a period Roman play, or making it up 'as if' it were; I suspect the latter. This uncertainty bothers me. The author did quote a reference book on how the Romans viewed Christians in her little preface.

Any avid viewer fan of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. series will find this box set - or should we say, box suitcase - of the complete series a 'must have' acquisition. Each season comes slipcased in a set of DVDs that include plenty of bonus features, including two separate bonus discs of 'debriefing' materials from TV appearances and spots to photo and image galleries, interviews, and more. Each complete season package set includes a featurette and bonus feature. Its presentation - in a cardboard 'briefcase' - doesn't hold up to repeat opening an closing, but it's a fine decorative enhancement suitable for gift-giving and storage, making it a top pick for any seeking a gift for avid TV fans.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The Man In The Green Hat is an interesting cross genre novel - a bit whodunnit, at bit of a war story, slightly James Bondish, with Mafia type bad guys. It's written in a simple, readable journalistic style with humor and suspense. It's about the search for an English Diplomat, Leonard Adair, who disappeared in northern Italy in the early 1950s. He'd been there during the Nazi retreat and capture of Mussolini during the war, so it's hinted that his disappearance has something to do with the missing treasures Mussolini and his cabinet may have carried. Before the story follows the protagonist, secret service agent Thomas Hambledon, on his search for the missing diplomat Adair, there's a lengthy flashback sequence introducing two poor Italian brothers who decided upon a life of crime before the war, and joined the German army as interpreters to further that cause. Ordinarily I detest flashbacks, but this one is like a novel within a novel, and very interesting as the two brothers travel in the same German convoy Mussolini was hiding in, and cross paths with Adair, then escaping an Italian prison camp and making his way to the Swiss border. I learned a bit of history as reading these events surrounding Mussolini's end prompted me to look up facts. The fictional book is reasonably consistent with historical facts, and changes into a race against time as Hambledon finds clues leading to the two Italian brothers who may be holding Adair alive for some temporary reason.

Dr. Carroll offers the most real approach to CSR out there to day. It is not faddish, political, or so theoretical that it cannot be addressed in organizations. I rec this book to anyone who wants to understand CSR and make a business case for being a socially responsible firm.

If you want to take Strategy Planning seriously, this is an usefull book. The theory of strategy is the 'easy part'; this book explains good practices of strategy.

Although classifed as a "southern" writer, the poetry of Anne Carroll George speaks to all of us, everywhere. Brilliant, emotional and at times humorous and heartbreaking, The Map That Lies Between Us has a special place in my heart, and on my bookshelf.

I thought the book, "Marlon Brando: A Portrait," by Paul Ryan was well written and really very interesting. Although there was high praise for Marlon Brando throughout the book, there was also criticism. I found most of the criticisms of Mr. Brando to be undue and unfounded.

The photograph of Marlon Brando on page 187 of the book is one I had never seen before. It is also one that instantly brought me to tears. It is the photograph of a good and sensitive man in his darkest, most desperate hour. Anguish is written all over his face. There were those who said Marlon was "just acting" as he sat on the witness stand at his son's trial, but I strongly disagree.

Marlon was a father who loved his children with the whole of his heart and protected them in all of the ways a loving father protects his children. When he learned that his son would have to spend time in prison, he went to great lengths to try to ensure his son's well being in every way possible and he stood by his son through thick and thin, just as a father who loves his child would. At the same time, he was dealing with a suicidal daughter, one who ultimately came to take her own life despite Marlon's efforts to help her and to protect her from herself. It is unbelievable to me that Marlon would be accused of "acting" in this situation as if, just because he was an actor, he did not have real feelings, especially for his children.

Regarding Kenneth Anger's comments included in this book, I find them to be heartless and inhumane. What drives a person to such cruelty toward a fellow human being who is so clearly anguishing? I hope Mr. Anger had opportunity to rethink his comments and that he did so.

I believe that Marlon was the best among all actors because he was such a deep-feeling, deep-thinking, sensitive person inside. I think that anyone who can criticize him in the ways he has been criticized could not possibly have seen beyond their own noses when it came to looking at him for the person he was.

I was glad to see that the author of this book, Paul Ryan, included aspects of Marlon Brando's life on and off of the stage/screen and that the book was a well balanced piece of work. I disagreed with the author (and with Marlon) that Marlon could not do comedy, though. He cracked me up in "A Countess From Hong Kong," "Bedtime Story," and in "Guys and Dolls" when he ordered "Dulce Du Leche" with the "preservative" called "Bacardi" for Sister Sarah who became unwittingly intoxicated. I also had some good laughs watching Marlon in "The Freshman" and in "Free Money" as well as in some of the scenes in "Mutiny on the Bounty," including the scene in which Marlon Brando's character, Fletcher Christian, is told by Trevor Howard's character, Captain Bligh, to "make love to that damn daughter of his," referring to King Hiti Hiti's daughter, and Fletcher, who would love to "make love to that damn daughter" of King Hiti Hiti asks sarcastically and with a raised eyebrow, "Is that an order?" and then asks if it might be entered into the log.... :)

There was also a comment about Marlon being "miscast" in a couple of pictures. I do not think he was ever "miscast" in anything because he could do anything. He even sang in "Guys and Dolls," and, even though he said they pieced it together for him, I loved the tone of his voice and the attitude and tenderness he displayed with his singing words that might have been spoken had this not been a musical. I thought his performance outshone all others in the film, including that of Frank Sinatra. I liked the sweetness of Marlon's voice and the sincerity with which he sang so very much. As for him being "miscast" in "Mutiny on the Bounty" or any criticism that he was playing Fletcher Christian as a "dandified fop" and that this was a mistake, I think that is utterly crazy. Marlon MADE this film what it was and "Mutiny on the Bounty" is one of the best films ever made. Marlon's interpretation of Fletcher Christian was perfect and he acted the role to perfection just as he acted the roles of Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire," Colonel Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now," Mark Antony in "Julius Caesar," Sir William Walker in "Burn," Paul in "Last Tango In Paris," Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather," Terry Malloy in "On The Waterfront," Ian McKenzie in "A Dry, White Season," Quint in "The Nightcomers," Matt in "The Appaloosa," Weldon in "Reflections In A Golden Eye," Val Xavier in "The Fugitive Kind," Christian Diestl in "The Young Lions," Rio in "One-Eyed Jacks," and so many others. His interpretations of his characters were always fresh and he improvised details and actions that always added depth and interest to whatever role he was playing. He was reportedly fluent in French and appeared so in his roles as Bud in "Night of the Following Day" and as Paul in "Last Tango In Paris." He mastered the British accent in films such as "Burn" and "Mutiny On The Bounty" and an Irish accent in "The Nightcomers" as well as a German accent in "The Young Lions" and "Morituri," a southern accent in "Sayonara" and I think it was also a southern accent in "Reflections In A Golden Eye," a perfect Mexican accent in "The Appaloosa," and spoke Spanish in parts of "One-Eyed Jacks" with a perfect accent and intonation. I am in amazement of a person who demonstrated such talent and who cared so much about his art (and I do think acting in the manner in which Marlon Brando acted was an artform, even though he seemed not to think so...I do not think there are many who make acting an artform, but I think Marlon surely did) that he worked to perfect accents and actions, emotion, intonation and everything that matters in making each role an intriguing, interesting, fresh, unique, and exciting work of art.

I was also impressed with Marlon's talent as a director in his directing of "One-Eyed Jacks." What a fantastic film "One-Eyed Jacks" turned out to be. Monterey is one of my favorite places on earth. I live about 2 hours away. I go there when I can. I fell in love with the scenery and the detail Marlon included such as the ocean at high tide and the dust blowing up as he lay looking over it from a hill - the scenes, the sounds, the photography, the acting, the timing, and the perspectives from which scenes were shot. The beauty of the film is in the details - details Marlon always found and made optimal use of. I read that Marlon was a patient and perfectionist director which I am certain lent itself to the exceptional quality evident througout "One-Eyed Jacks" as well as the beautiful acting relationships and the story's unfettered flow.

I would like to comment about statements that there were some who, at times, became frustrated with Marlon in rehearsals. They said he "mumbled" or would not give his all. This is just a thought: I wonder if Marlon did not want to make the mistake of giving his all in a rehearsal and, instead, saved his emotional energy for the take. Even with "Julius Caesar," Marlon reportedly sent a tape recording of the "Let slip the dogs of war" scene to producers or to someone in charge of the film and those in charge were happily astounded and amazed at Marlon's recording, but then, it was said that Marlon "mumbled" in rehearsing the same scene in their presence. However, when the scene was put on film, everything about it sent chills through me - from Shakespeare's words to Marlon's giving life to those words with a voice and a portrayal that came from I don't know where - someplace deep within him. His actions in the scene to the expression on his face and the undeniable depth of soul in his eyes were chilling. As I once heard someone say, "Marlon acted all others in the film off of the screen." My point is that I believe that Marlon not giving his all in rehearsals could be because he saved the best for the actual take. Maybe the reason that some actors are already spent by the time they get to filming is because they have already acted their scene over and over so many times that they are drained and then the emotion is no longer there. Marlon quite obviously knew what he was doing. This is most assuredly reflected in his exemplary work in each and every film he made.

I would also like to comment about Louella Parsons who is mentioned in the book and who seemed critical of Marlon Brando - maybe because he would not give her the time of day (and, rightfully so, if that be the case). First of all, who is she? Who are these people who sit back in their chairs in offices with their feet up on their desk, criticizing the performances of others - performances they, themselves, lack the talent to put forth? It reminds me of a scale of justice. One side of the scale is weighted heavily because you have a brilliant actor who works tirelessly and invests his entire self into creating a piece of art. It is difficult, time-consuming, emotional, tedious, and draining at times, but he is creating a complex and beautiful gift for those who appreciate his talent and his willingness to share his unique gift. And, we get tremendous pleasure from it. The "weight" on the other side of the scale really makes no perceptible change in the scale's balance at all because there you have someone who gets paid to give her "opinion," an opinion she probably spent less than 5 minutes thinking up and one which also has no basis in fact or truth. It is just the fanciful whim of a person who believes her opinion is above the opinions of all others and one whose own opinion may be tainted and biased by personal feelings of rejection by the artist she is being paid to critique. Her opinion is like a grain of sand on a vast ocean beach, in my..........uh...................opinion.

I have to say that I so appreciated the inclusions of Marlon's humanitarian efforts toward alleviating human suffering and starvation (as a child, I trick-or-treated for Unicef, myself) as well as shedding light here in the U.S. on the struggles of the American Indian and efforts toward Civil Rights. I was happy to see that there were also inclusions about what a good and generous friend he was to Monty Clift and to others in their most desperate hours in life. He cared and it showed.

I was very pleased with the last pages of "Marlon Brando: A Portrait." Paul Ryan's commentary on these pages is insightful, poignant, heartfelt, and true. I would like to quote this entire part of the book because it was so moving to me, but I will leave that to others to read and judge for themselves.

This book is a very special glimpse into the life of Our Lady after the death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I was very fascinated by the descriptions of Ephesus in New Testament times, the author brings it so alive! I found myself imagining back to the years of Mary's life as she became such a strong symbol of Christianity, and her home became a welcome haven for the disciples between their journeys to spread the Faith. I would highly recommend it to all.