Dunne Books

Childish, simplistic, overly geared towards FEEL good solutions , and much to idealistic! However, makes some good points.

If you are looking for an enjoyable treatise on bringing awareness to everyday life, this is not the book for you. The author does not have an engaging, easy-to- read style. Rather the work is much more scientific in tone and probably helpful to one trained and interested in psychology/psychiatry and counseling modalities.

This book is more for the psychiatric professional and not for a person who is trying to become more mindful. The first half of the book focused on mindlessness. The second half of the book focused on experiments done with various groups of people and how those experiments helped those people become more mindful.

It gave me an insight of what is mind.
I might be more mindful after reading this.
I recommend you read this.

This book made me angry. It has a reputation that far outstrips the qulaity of the secondary research that was done. (I am not critical of the primary research.) Professor Langer had published her most important article in 1978, but by the time the book was published there was an enormous amount of scientific-quality work that had been done. In addition there are other fields that had generated a huge amount of knowledge that has direct bearing on Professor Langer's main concept. There are some obvious lines of research by cognitive psychologists that are not referenced. For example, James Reason (and Klara Mycielska) had published in 1982 (seven years before Langer's book) "Absent-Minded?: the psychology of mental lapses and everyday errors", a full book. The literature on questionnaire construction is chock full of information about the importance of how questions are framed. Con-men and magicians have known about misdirection for millennia. I would have expected a little more connection to these obvious sources of information on the phenomenon being studied.

Calvin Trillin starts out writing that anyone who speaks at a funeral wants to speak about himself as much as the deceased. He then goes on to talk about himself and his deceased college friend Denny. Anyone who understands that you never really know anyone entirely and that we all have secrets, great and small, will not learn anything from this book.

The book is a whatdunit: what caused an Ivy League golden boy with a million dollar smile to commit suicide at age 55.

The boy was Denny Hansen. His family was lower middle class and lived in the San Francisco Bay area. At a public high school, he became all-everything. He attended Yale from 1953-57 where he became good friends with the author, Bud Trillin. There, he was a fifties hero: scholar-athlete, a student leader. and all-around good guy. He was a member of swim team, Deke fraternity and the Elizabethan Society. During his senior year, he was tapped by Scroll and Key. He graduated magna cum laude and was admitted to Phi Betta Kappa. Life Magazine published a photo essay about his graduation. He was selected as a Rhodes Scholar and studied two years at Magdalen College at Oxford. He received a master¹s degree from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, Not bad for a young man with his background.

Denny Hansen became Roger D. Hansen. On the career level, he worked briefly in broadcasting, the State Department and at the National Security Council in the Carter administration. He wrote several books on foreign policy that were widely praised. But the Foreign Service rejected his application. Eventually, he was appointed to a chair at the Johns-Hopkins¹ School for Advanced International Studies in Washington. He was a member of the Cosmos Club and the Council on Foreign Relations. On a personal level, Roger never married. He became estranged from his family, his relationships with a few women soured, he gradually alienated his friends from Yale. He became a chronic complainer. He became very depressed. But he always defended right conduct. Near the end of his life, he lived a clandestine gay lifestyle. He bequeathed his pension to his former girl friend, and the remainder of his "huge" estate to Yale.

What caused Roger to commit suicide in 1991?. His friends and colleagues offer various explanations. During conversations after Roger¹s death, his Yale friends discovered that they did not know Roger and may have never really known Denny. Trillin¹s explanation is that because of ³poisonous template of the fifties², Roger could not accept his sexual orientation. A reader can interpret his explanation as an attack on values of the Fifties. To me, the most persuasive explanation is an application of the backpack analogy. When a boy is born, he is wearing a backpack. Other people put their heroic expectations for him in the backpack. The more the boy succeeds, the more expectations are put in the backpack and the heavier it gets. Eventually, the loan becomes unbearable and the boy reaches a crisis. In Roger¹s case, instead of emptying the backpack, he chose to kill himself. He had a house, but not a home. Remember, the line from a Robert Frost poem, "Death of the Hired Man"., ³Home is the place where, when you have to go there,/ They have to take you in.² Neither Denny nor Roger had a place where they had to take him in.

The details of the book are fascinating. Trillin describes college life at Yale during the 1950s and the careers of many of Denny¹s classmates and friends.. Of course, Trillin¹s writing is excellent: clear, powerful and sometimes humorous. In a way, the book is a mid-20th Century sequel to Owen Johnson¹s Stover at Yale.

Trillin suggests that the ³poisonous template of the fifties² was the major cause of Roger¹s death in 1991. But change is not equivalent to progress. Sex does not explain everything. Each reader must decide for himself whether, based on the circumstantial evidence, the template of the Fifties enabled Roger to carry his backpack of expectations for more than 30 years, or whether it was the templates of later decades that poisoned the golden boy from California with the million dollar smile.

Calvin Trillin's great work 'Remembering Denny' was re-released in 2005. I read the original back in 1993. It has stuck with me ever since then. I found it to be a brilliant look at unfulfilled promise, as embodied by his Yale classmate, Denny Hansen. Trillin also expertly weaves in two other larger themes. First, as he comes to know of Hansen's homosexuality, Trillin discusses the homophobia of the era (they attended Yale in the mid-Fifties) and the ramifications of that on Hansen's path in life post-graduation. The second theme is the changing of America in the 60s and how that sea-change wrong-footed some 'All-American' boys like Hansen, who were unable to adjust accordingly.

I love the brilliant cover of the re-release, depicting a color photo of Hansen and his dazzling smile. It perfectly captures Hansen's then-promising future and why so many were smitten by him.

This book has haunted me for 10 years now. For Roger Dennis Hansen, there was the terrible pain of being in the closet for as long as he recognized he did not have feelings for girls that the other boys did, and that society said he should. And remember, in those days, you were some kind of monster for having same sex yearnings - take a look at the statistics.

And then there was the most basic indicator of failure, a deeply dysfunctional family life - no support, no love. One tries and tries to carry oneself with those external trophies, with the support of friends, employers and mentors, and that sometimes works for a while. But the basic perception of oneself is cast, and if there is no beaming, loving face in the mirror, no one is there really giving a damn about your welfare, you go as far as you can - sometimes you make it to the end of the road, but sometimes you crash before then. It is hard.

There is a little bit of Denny in a lot of us - I see him in me. I did not have the scholastic glory that this man had, which some of you think should have carried him through to ripe old age, but the similarities remain. This is not a book for ghouls, as Mr. "Jim Burns" opines, nor a treatise on how great Mr. Trillin is, as Mr. "A Reader" states. If anything, Mr. Trillin minces no words in how he failed Denny - I dare any of you to be that truthful about your own failings in your dealings with the humanity around you. A great book that transcends class and race lines, humor and ground floor truth an intoxicating mixture for me.

I am of mixed feelings about this book. Part of me feels sympathetic towards the subject, Roger (Denny) Hansen. It is quite sad to read of his downward spiral which led to his suicide. Hansen seemed like a nice fellow.

But part of me wonders what all the fuss is all about. Hansen had a lot going for him and he was unable to find happiness despite all that. Many people feel that people are as happy as they want to be and Mr. Hansen simply chose to be in misery.

Admittedly, some of his problems were external. He had severe back problems much of his life. He also may have been a homosexual, at a pre-Stonewall time.

Still, other people with the same problems and fewer privileges make a good life for themselves. We all have hardships and Denny let his overcome him.

Trillin fights with the elitist ideas of an Ivy Leaguer in the 50s. He is one of the few, one of those guaranteed a lofty place in America. Yet I get the feeling that he is somewhat ashamed of it underneath.

And part of me feels no sympathy for the trials and tribulations of the snots who feel superior to anyone outside their circle. That snobbishness is evident throughout.

I also wonder why the book was written at all. This is obviously a guilt trip on the part of Trilling who probably (understandably) wonders if there was something he could have done to prevent this suicide. It is certainly no tribute to the man, Trilling confesses at the end of the book that he probably had no idea of what made his friend tick.

It also makes me wonder why Trillin wrote this book for public consumption. I can understand the voyage Trillin took to learn about his friend. But why release it to the public and why profit from the miseries of his friend. If Trillin gave his royalties from his efforts to some charity, perhaps. But some moral force within Trillin should have seen how crass this book is. Indeed, as I thought of this point, I decided to change my rating of this book from 2 stars to 1 star.

I've read alot of his daily stuff, and LOVE his writing style. He's as good as they come. The book has some nice insite, and is well written. If you're a sports fan in general, you'll love this book.

The Blueprint offers a complete breakdown of the New England Patriots' history and the foundation for the team's current dominance. The book is well written and is a good foundation for new fans, but doesn't offer much additional insights into the franchise beyond the well known facts. The writer's style is a bit dry. For a more entertaining and deeper look into the New England Organization, Michael Holley's "Patriot Reign" was far more insightful and a much more entertaining read. For a newer fan this book is great; for a die hard, lifetime fan, there isn't much here you didn't already know. On a personal note, a big pet peeve of mine is insufficient editing, and I found numorous spelling errors, and repeatitive thoughts through out the book, which is a bit distracting.

First, yes, the Patriots didn't win Super Bowl 42, some team named the New York Giants won. I am a Patriots fan and I gladly congratulate the NY Giants for a tremendous win in SB 42. To the true Giants fans (and not the fairweather ones that popped out on Feb 4th), you deserve all the bragging rights afforded to you.

Second, the point of this book is not that the Patriots should win it all every single year and if not, then the Patriots failed. It's that the Patriots, unlike a lot of NFL teams, put themselves in position to be an elite team (i.e. with a serious chance to win it all) year after year after year. Yes the Patriots have Tom Brady but its also true that the Patriots also have a lot of turnover and a lot of contract disputes on both sides of the ball and yet this team still finds ways to get to playoffs, get to SBs and even win 3 of em and all of this in the era of parity and free agency.

Third, there will always be a lot of jealous fans of other teams who put up one-star reviews and whine and cry about this and that but these are the same people who think that the sole reason for the Patriots success was Spygate which is just silly. I truly hope these people don't vote in 2008 because I would hate to see these gullible fans nullify my vote.

I bought this book on sale and it is extremely insightful. It covers the decisions made from the time spent on the draft and free agency to the unique ways that Belichick coaches each player to have more than one responsibility.

I'd like to point out this book would of been called "19-0: The Historic Championship Season of the Unbeatable" had they won the superbowl...seeing as how they chocked they just renamed the book and left out a chapter. Anyway, the book is decent if your a fan of New England or if you are a new football fan wanting to know the history of the team.

You can place this book in the trash can along with the Boston Globe's ill timed 19-0 book.. Is it possible that this was done with smoke and mirrors..my guess is after SPYGATE II is finished you will look at this book and this franchise as the low class.. cheats that they really are as Kurt Warner and others have alluded to.. as they have destroyed careers and reputations by unfairly using video taping to gain an advantage.. The book should have a prologue about how hated Robert Kraft really is in the NFL and in the buisness circles he travels and how Beli Cheat is a low class loser who couldnt even grace America with his presence until the conclusion of SB 42.. Maybe the Boston Globe can stiffle the pretentiousness and arrogance of a region by renaming this book 18-1 ...Winners Never Cheat and Cheaters Never Win...

David Golemon's book reminds me of a low budget Hollywood suspense thriller released in the motion picture graveyard of February and staring Vin Diesel or 'The Rock'. It's written on an almost juvenile level with very little depth and contains dialog that is often awkward or downright cheesy.

I'm surprised by the positive reviews, as I found the book to be a shallow cookie cutter story line that might make you wonder if IKEA might have suddenly entered the book publishing business.

The story revolves around the mysterious 'Event Group', which is yet another secretive government agency; as if the CIA, FBI, NSA, and Secret Service weren't enough. But the Event Group is apparently more important than its peers, as is treats the other agencies like red-haired step-children compared to itself.

At times, the book is quite tedious to read, as you are well aware of what is going to happen over the next 25-50 pages, but are forced to endure the vanilla action scenes.

Picture stereotypical action hero running through a barrage of bullets, never failing to escape injury, but taking plenty of bad guys down with him, while his enemies can't seem to hit the broadside of a barn, even though they are 'highly trained' military personnel and hold every possible tactical advantage.

As for the characters, Golemon apparently feels character development equates to giving a character a name, a gender and describing their professional background in science, government and military service; though somewhere in story, I do believe I spotted a token black guy.

As such, you could care less about any of the characters and they are little more than a name and a rank.

The story moves along quickly, but it is a pretty horrid plot. Without spoiling the suspense for you (some sarcasm there), let's just say that it is very convenient that some of the worlds most excavated historical sites suddenly turn up large artifacts the week of this story unfolding.

'Hmmm, who knew this treasure chest had anything useful in it. We should have opened it a long time ago.'

I also found several editing issues throughout the book, but without bogging down this review, I'll let them be. Just be aware that a literature masterpiece, this book is not.

All-in-all, I'd be surprised if Golemon could get better than a 'C' in a college creative writing class and I'm surprised he was ever published.

In summary, this novel is almost 'fan fiction' modeled after any number of existing story lines, and Golemon just changed the names and the setting. Ok, it's not quite that generic, but its close.

Unless you're stuck in a situation where you have to buy a book from a grocery store isle to alleviate your boredom, I'd certainly pass on anything written by Golemon. Even if, there has to be something else available. At the very least, read something else again; you'll get very much the same experience but with better writing.

Legend, the second installment of the Event Group series is in many ways very different than the first book. The first installment is very fast paced, lots of snappy dialog, the action non-stop, and it is one hell of a rollercoaster ride. Also, EVENT scared the bejeezus out of me. The style of writing in book one is just different than this book. Not worse, just not the same. Golemon switches writing gears and pens this book in a more literary style. I thought this one was just a bit long and drawn out but it pays off at the end. The reader must have a bit of patience and give the author their trust. The first half of the book is a slow build, a warm up approach that in my opinion does take too long, Also, there are way too many characters bouncing all over the place too fast like Mexican Jumping Beans. The reader feels like a ping pong ball ricocheting hither and yon, finding it hard to keep track of who is who and what their part was. In book one there is more character development to set up the main key players. You dont see that here. This book falls under the assumption that you already know who they are and why they do what they do. So I dont think you could really read Legend, without reading Event first, or you'd be floundering a bit as to what is going on and why the Group does what they do. But even though this needed a tad bit of editing, and although there were too many characters and one too many side plots, the author does manage to weave this convoluted story into one heck of great story. He pulls all the threads together very nicely so that when you are done, you are happier than you were during the first half of the story. One thing that I thought was better in this installment was that the action scenes were more believable, not so over-the-top James Bond-like. I have to admit on a whole, looking at the big picture, Event was better for me. It was more exciting and had you on the edge of your seat, and as I said earlier, it was much scarier. When reading Event, I could barely breathe. Legend is still excellent, it just holds a steadier pace and maintains about the same level of thrill and intrique from start to finish. I was not scared at all in this book. Golemon is creative, and he is a good writer, one worth watching in the future. The literary writing style in this book was better I think, and the scare factor was better in book one. So I loved them both for different reasons and would highly recommend them both. I just ordered book three and can not wait to dive in. This is fun stuff for sure, a sort of blending of Robert Doherty's Area 51 series and the television show Stargate SG1. Pure entertainment at it's best!

I stumbled across this book by accident. I'd never heard of either the author or the Event Group, yet when I saw his photo in the back, it looked awful familiar.

This is a long story and has lots of twist, turns, characters, and locations. Though some may find it confusing, I had no trouble following along with things except toward the end when everything came together and I had some trouble keeping track of who was who. My biggest problem was his mixing of points of view within scenes. He does plenty of that, yet it wasn't so bad it turned me off. It has all the elements of a good action/adventure/thriller, and even has some icky bugs in it. It is good plot driven, third person thrills, from start to finish. Even the implausible aspects were not enough to turn me off. After all, it's fiction!

I can't say he's just as good, or better than James Rollins, but he still writes an excellent story that kept my attention. Recommended.

What a great second effort from this author. This was an exciting story from start to finish and personally I thought it was better than the frist book Goleman wrote. I am anxiously awaiting the third installment of the Event Group. Very good characters and great story lines. Sometimes these kinds of books get formulaic, but so far Goleman has avoided that pitfall. Way to go!

The book is the worst piece of dog do-do I've ever "tried" to read. I couldn't get through much more than a hundred pages before I wanted to fling it to the moon. One of the biggest problems with the book is that the story leaps from one side of the world to the other, without giving you a chance to find out who is who and how all of it ties together. There are some creatures running amok in Brazilian Amazonia and then there's anthrax in some old boat on the island of Okinawa. There are apparent good guys in Washington; apparent bad guys in Spain. And the characterizations are as limp as a festering dinosaur. The book jacket equated this book with the work of Cussler and Rollins. Wrong! This Golemon writes like a teenager who seen too many movies based on comic books. (Hey, dude, the conquistadors didn't use flintlocks in the early 1500s; they used matchlocks!) I sure wasted my money on this tripe. Anybody need $8.00 worth of toilet paper?

and I don't play one on TV, either. But I've always had a strong interest in philosophy. I find myself thinking of philosophical issues often, yet I knew very little about it. This book was the perfect introduction!
Often, introdcutions to complex subjects are either dry or too technical to hold the interest of the uninitiated. This book was neither. While introducing a number of key viewpoints, it does it in a way that would hold the interest and educate those with even a passing interest in the subject. It also clearly points the way for future study. I've already purchased a number of the books the author suggests.
From "Does God Exist?" to "The Rational Dentist", author Stephen Law tackles the big philosophical questions asked today. He gives some history on each question, introduces the reader to a few of the philosophers who've written on the subject and then enters into a hypothetical dialog where he explains both sides of the argument. Excellent method, in my humble opinion.
Do I agree with all of his examples? No. Do I agree with all of his conclusions? No! I did read into the book some of what others have said about a bias regarding religion, but it never detracted from the subject. I'm guessing that other reviewers don't like points of view other than their own. When it comes to philosophy (and indeed, as the book points out, any knowledge!), nothing is 'for sure'. Differing points of view are going to be not only the norm, but expected.
I gave the book to my son (who is 23) and he's loving it as well. Couldn't recommend it highly enough. Even if it's your only foray into the subject of philosophy, it's a good pick.

This is a good book to read before sleeping. If you are like me (a person who thinks about the day and the events in it right before I doze off) then this kind of book will be a great addition to your collection.

This book talks about everything that is important to human beings from a philosophical point of view. I dont think at any time during the book does the author try to impose his thoughts on you ... he is always comparing arguments for and against and that leads to some intelligent writing.

Should be read !

Horribly disappointing.

These manufactured dialogues are evidently Stephen Law's way of dealing with his personal problems with religion.

For example, in one chapter Law manipulates his "teaching" by having God contradict the Bible (the assumption being God's the author) in a dialogue with a conservative religious person. Law even sarcastically concludes the chapter by saying this dialogue is only a dream, the real God would probably respond differently.

Good idea for a book, ruined by the authors distorted logic. There are numerous ad hominen and circular reasoning errors.

The title and premise fooled me into reading it.

Mr. Law, how will you pay back the readers for wasting the time they invested in your philosphical rant against religion?

A book like this one isn't about the conclusions that are reached in its discussions. It is about the thought process used to guide those discussions. We all can use help sharpening our thinking and nothing but good can come of it.

Stephen Law presents 25 interesting and accessible philosophy questions and tackles them primarily in the form of dialogs between two people on opposite sides of the issue. Typically one uses a rational, reasoned approach while the other takes an approach based on a softer footing and is inevitably trumped. Often, Law's conclusions are obvious from the outset, but a few times I found my own beliefs challenged and really had to take a step back and reconsider my own position.

If you are interested in honing your own thinking and like open discussions of topics, you will truly enjoy this book and be a better thinker when you finish it.

This book has very strong merits, but other reviewers have mentioned them so I'm going to concentrate on flaws the flaws (as I see them).

One problem is the occasional factual errors. This makes many sections harder to read because you are constantly having to ignore the author's errors. I'll just give one example: "As I do know that Pluto is a giant gas ball, I know your first hypothesis must be false." (p. 30) This is just sad, where was the editor/fact-checker? I knocked off one star for this.

The other is that some of the arguments have a bit of a straw man feel for the side that the author doesn't favor. I realize this is terribly hard to avoid (and perhaps my perception in this matter is more than a bit subjective), but it left me feeling that the book is not as good as it first appeared (when I bought it on a whim). For this, I knocked off another star.

Again, a book that has many good sections. It just needed a bit more polishing to be a classic.

During the Age of Sail from the time of Columbus to the steam era of the mid 19th century, scurvy was the biggest killer of men at sea, being responsible for more deaths than storms, ship wrecks, combat, and all other diseases combined. It presented a slow and agonizing death to those afflicted. It caused the degeneration of connective tissues that led to wobbly teeth, the resurfacing of old wounds and injuries, and weakness and lethargy that doom the sailor to find his resting place and await his demise. Stephen Brown's book covers the effects of scurvy on the sailor as well as on history and the long process that led to the disease finally being conquered.

Scurvy is caused by a diet deficiency of Vitamin C found mainly in ascorbic fresh fruits and vegetables (lemons being high in ascorbic acid). The maddening part about the history of scurvy, as Brown explains, is how the use of fresh fruits and vegetables had been used stave off the disease various times (even back in the 1500s) but they were not adopted as an official cure. The reasons that prevented the official acknowledgment of the true cure for scurvy are many but, in part, the delays were due to a lack of controlled studies and a clinical approach to medical research, the habit of overcrowding ships with men in anticipation of replacing the dead instead of preventing the disease, disinterest in finding a cure during certain periods of time, and politics that favored certain alleged cures (i.e. wort of malt) that actually had no effect on the disease.

Brown looks at the works of surgeon James Lind, the famous Captain James Cook, and Gilbert Blane, a physician of high social-standing, to present his story on how the medical mystery of scurvy was finally solved. The author explains the importance of the disease on world events, particularly on the American Revolution and the defeat of Napoleon.

Although the book, including epilogue, is only 217 pages, it actually could have been even more condensed as Brown repeats information a lot. Just when a point seems thoroughly covered, he'll explain it again. Sometimes the story gets bogged down by conjecture, particularly when it was discussed why wort of malt continued to be recommended as a cure (pp. 167-69).

Despite the repetition, the book is informative and well-researched. It includes illustrations, an extensive bibliography, source notes, time line, index, and an appendix which lists the amount of Vitamin C found in certain foods commonly consumed during the age of sail. This appendix is a very interesting and useful addition to the book.

This is a very interesting book that highlights the devastation wrought by scurvy and the path to discovering the cure. The author follows the paths of James Lind (the surgeon) who conducted a revolutionary experiment with potential treatments, Captain Cook (the mariner) who was one of the first captains to take his seaman's health seriously, and Gilbert Blane (the gentleman) who successfully advocated lime juice as prevention. Two common themes throughout the book are the significant history-altering impact of the disease and the plethora of unfounded and incorrect medical 'expertise.'

While there certainly are very interesting portions of the book, the author can be a bit repetitive and the structure of this book following the lives of the three individuals seems at times a bit forced. If you are interested in advancements in the Age of Sail, nothing beats Dava Sobel's Longitude.

I really enjoyed "Scurvy: How a Surgeon, a Mariner, and a Gentlemen Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail" by Stephen Brown. It was a fast-paced, easy-to-read, well written book about the effects of scurvy upon mariners (and world history) during the 16th-18th centuries.

I read "Scurvy" in a few hours. The book kept my interest all the way from the horrible description of scurvy's physical effects upon the human body to the individual stories about Lind, Cook, Blane, Nelson, and other historical figures who fill its pages.

"Scurvy" was full of information, both medically and historically, as well as socially. It provided a great deal of info on life on the sea during "The Age of Sail." It also easily explained the medical limitations and theories of the time, underscoring the human failings that prevented significant medical advancement. Finally, it provided rich accounts of people and events from European history that are truly interesting, making me want to learn more.

Perhaps its only failing is that it didn't cover Vitamin C in detail (or scurvy on land), though I admit that was not the draw of the book. The book was about a horrible disease that killed millions of sailors, how a few good men finally figured out how to prevent it, and what that meant to the world. Highly recommended.

Well written. An interesting insite into life aboard sailing ships and the conditions endured by sailors and ignored by the admiralty in the age of sailing vessels.

I've always been fascinated by the age of sail, particularly the period during the Napoleonic Wars. An incredible test of nations and the men at sea occurred during that war. Consequently I have enjoyed reading numerous fictional accounts of that war from authors such as Patrick O'Brien, Dudley Pope, and C.S. Forester. What I never fully grasped were all the reasons why the Brits were superior to the French and Spanish navies. Those authors always talked up the better training and discipline as the reason. They also pointed to the leadership purges of the French navy that occurred during the revolution. However, I intuitively recognized that there was something more to the story. The cure for scurvy was that something more. And the Brits got there first.

Brown does a fantastic job of outlining the history of scurvy and the quest for a cure in a very interesting and readable fashion. Outlining the course of scurvy at sea during the voyages of Anson and Cook, he is able to put a cost on scurvy. He details how rigid social structures prevented remedies from being taken seriously and reluctance by the Admiralty to invest in its men in terms of hygiene and diet permitted this affliction to rage for much longer than it should have. It is shocking to read how the medical professionals of the day diagnosed patients despite the evidence. When it appears that they are on the very verge of a cure, they seem to loose touch with logic and regress to useless remedies.

Brown tells the story of scurvy very well.

I started this book as a "quickie," expecting not much more than glorified chick lit, but was I ever mistaken. Wendy Leigh has taken the lives of two extraordinary women, created the conceit of a correspondence between them, and used voluminous non-fiction resources to create one of my new favorite reads. Reading these "letters" made me want to seek out further biographies (I've read several biographies of Miss Monroe, but not many of Jacqueline Kennedy - I think I'll be finding Sarah Bradford's post-haste), and the way Wendy Leigh put the whole thing together, with Marilyn's friend having the letters and finding a publisher, and the publisher setting them out - masterful. Only one section didn't ring true (and was a bit overlong), but that's a tiny criticism. I started the book in the morning, and found myself setting aside all tasks because I didn't want to set it down until I found out what would happen next.

I stumbled across Wendy Leigh's The Secret Letters of Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy at a flea market, and I'm so glad I did. While some reviewers feel she does a disservice to both women by fictionalizing their story, I found this epistolary novel both refreshing and informative, and it made me want to read more, especially about Jackie.

The setup is that Marilyn and Jackie become pen pals, and pour their hearts out to each other. The details they reveal, about family, love, pride, ambition, men, and sex are ones that each, in the book's world, anyway, wouldn't share with others under most circumstances.

Marilyn's vulnerability crossed with Jackie's at times steeliness is an interesting contrast, though it seems that Leigh's central premise is that the two women are much more similar than they are different. Not just in their taste in men, but in their sense that they are set apart from the rest of society, on their own. Perhaps most telling is when Marilyn says that if she could come back as anyone in the world, she'd wish to be Caroline Kennedy. There aren't too many direct references to her intimate time with JFK, save for at the end in a slightly over-the-top detailed account of giving him blowjobs, but one can clearly sense her longing for a father figure.

Sourced with footnotes that flesh out stories told in the letters, this is an excellent novel filled with history but, most of all, emotion. There are aspects to their lives that any woman can relate to, despite their mega-fame. When Marilyn finally confesses to Jackie that she has been secretly having an affair with her husband, the precarious relationship threatens to tumble. Interwoven throughout these letters is Jack Kennedy, and while perhaps the toughest hurdle to overcome reading this is that the two could become true friends and confidantes despite that adulterous elephant in the room, they seem to understand each other regarding both his appeal, his need for comfort from women, and what he lacks.

Marilyn's frantic, sometimes drug-addled letters, show her declining state of mind, and Jackie, while mostly keeping an even keel, occasionally shows her own vulnerability, sometimes only in glimpses from the also-fictional diary Leigh weaves throughout the story. Sure, we know how the book's going to end (and the other endings that take place beyond Marilyn's death), but the competition and trust between the two women gives plenty of food for thought. Leigh, through the conceit of the letters, is able to suggest all sorts of twisted ideas - that Jackie gave Marilyn the idea to sing to JFK seductively on his birthday, knowing this would alienate him.

This book made me want to know more about each woman, and to appreciate the qualities each possessed, how each went about making something of herself. Leigh deals sensitively and compassionately with some potentially explosive topics - the suggestion that Marilyn spent a week as a call girl. Whether she did or not, Leigh does not condemn her for it, and you'd be hard pressed to read Marilyn's words and condemn her either. Reading between the lines here, in the footnotes and what was not included in the letters, is almost as much fun as reading the letters themselves. Kudos to Leigh for giving her own twist to history, while not going all the way out into thin air. After reading this book, I plan to investigate more into the lives of each woman; Leigh's triumph is in bringing them to life in a way that perhaps even the most nuanced biographer cannot, simply by the nature of the genre.

I have never felt compelled to write a review for Amazon, but after reading this book, I felt I had to. I am by no means a Marilyn or Jackie fanatic, but I have read a few non-fiction books on them both. From the little knowledge I have on their personalities, I find it ridiculous that either of them would react or respond in the way portrayed by Ms. Leigh.

I realize that this is historical fiction, however, if you do decide to buy this book, remember that it is much more fiction than history. I find it amusing that the author tends to throw in historical events like Einstein passing, or the 50's quiz show scandal to somehow make the book seem authentic.

Also, from what little I know about Jackie, she was certainly aware of Jack's affair with Marilyn almost from the beginning. Jackie hated Marilyn and found her an annoyance. I hardly think she would have been so cordial to her husband's mistress.

However, as ludicrous as this book is, I have to admit it is a page turner and very entertaining. If you need an easy, somewhat dumbed down book to escape from reality for a while - this is the book for you!

why would anyone want to read a fictional book on MM and Jackie O??? especially when there are real, non-fiction books out there. they never wrote 1 letter to each other! i think ms. leigh is desperately trying to make $/cash in (both of these women are legends, so both of them is guaranteed extra $), so she decided to write this; stoop so low to make up a correspondonce between the two women. i'm not getting down on ms.leigh personally, i'm sure she's probably a good writer, great storyteller, and very intelligent. but the idea of this book seems pathetic. maybe it's me, but i just don't get it. i guess it's only for people who like fiction and made up stories to pass the time. i like the real stuff. i would never buy this book.

Jackie O and Marilyn Monroe are two of the most fascinating and legendary women in history. Marilyn remains to this day a silver screen goddess and Hollywood legend, even 45 years after her tragic death. Jacqueline Onassis, also known as Jackie Kennedy, was the iconically fashionable first lady, married to a beloved President who was eventually assassinated before her very eyes.

President Kennedy reportedly told British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan that if he didn't have nonmarital sex at least once a day he got a headache. His affairs were no mystery, and it was said that Jacqueline willingly turned a blind eye to them. Marilyn Monroe was one of J.F.K's most well-known mistresses. She fell in love with him, and in later years when her relationship with J.F.K ended, she also began a relationship with his brother, Bobby Kennedy.

This novel creates a fictional relationship between Marilyn Monroe and Jackie O. through the use of written correspondence letters. As a reader you are transported into these women's lives during the 1950's and 60's, a time of great turmoil for each of them. They exchange letters with each other and enter into a strange sort of friendship, though by all accounts they should be enemies. Each letter beautifully illustrates the personality and wit of the letter writer, and includes factual details obtained through extensive research of these two women, who were polar opposites, yet found themselves in love with the same man.

The story that unfolds is tinged with real-life events, such as Marilyn's infamous serenading of the President at his birthday gala. Although this is an imagined secret correspondence between Marilyn and Jackie, I almost wish it were real because these characters truly come alive before your eyes. Their thoughts and emotions are very real, and it makes you wonder if perhaps they *could* have had some sort of friendship.

I admire both of these women, and this book was a very special treat for me because I'm a very big Marilyn Monroe fan. Although this is a fictional account of events, I truly enjoyed it, and I highly recommend it to any chick lit lovers.

The title of my review, "Laurel and Hardy Beyond Double Talk" makes as much sense as Mr. Louvish's title. With that stated, I must declare that for the most part, I found his book quite educational and enjoyable. Some other reviewers issued complaints about it being too ponderous, or hard to follow. I found no basis for such criticism. In fact, I found the book challenging from the standpoint that its thoroughness kept me motivated in wanting to keep absorbing more and more information and details about these two comic masters.

It was sad to learn that there was so much unhappiness in their domestic lives. I had heard that rumor before, but Mr. Louvish documents the apparently awful experiences in their numerous respective marriages. Still, I was more interested in what was said about the two men as artists. For example, it fascinated me to learn that both Laurel and especially Hardy had made dozens and dozens of films years before they even met. It was also revealing to learn what a perfectionist Stan Laurel was in creating gags, and striving to improve his art while appearing seemingly non-artistic in the process. With the great Chaplin, for example, one is laughing at his fine comedy, but constantly aware that he is showing you art!

I think the narrated details in Stanley Jefferson, aka Laurel's years as a stage comic in England was difficult to track at times in this book. In defense of the author, it was probably hard to reconstruct much of that portion of the man's career. Having not read any of the other previous biographes of L & H, I cannot say whether or not this is comparatively a greater biography or not. I only know that I walked away knowing more about the team after completing my reading of the book.

Yes, I recommend this "Stan and Ollie" the book to anyone today wanting to learn more about this comedy team. Laurel and Hardy have stood the test of time and in my opinion, are simply the greatest comedy on film. I say this knowing that I also love the Marx Brothers, Three Stooges,Abbott and Costello and Hope and Crosby. Comedy purists keep in mind I am not counting Laurel and Hardy's movies after after "Saps at Sea!"

This book spurs a clear interest in their work. Unfortunately, many of their films are simply not available to see. Why this is the case is beyond me. We have umpteen zillion copies of "Friends," Adam Sandler, and Jack Black staring back at us on the DVD shelves, but not many Laurel and Hardy films. I hope Mr. Louvish's book will help stir up more interest in the team, so that pressure increases from fans demanding the retailing of more L & H films on DVD. Everyone is so divided on this side, or that side today, that it would be refreshing for all of us to see comic films that appeal to humanity in general. Laurel and Hardy literally made the world laugh.

By the time I was old enough to appreciate adult comedies shown on TV, i.e. in the late 50's, Oliver "Babe" Hardy was already dead (1957) and Stan Laurel was on the final downslope of his life. Yet, it was Laurel & Hardy, along with Abbott & Costello, that tickled my embryonic sense of humor before "graduating" to Red Skelton, Bob Hope, and Jackie Gleason.

Here, in STAN AND OLLIE: THE ROOTS OF COMEDY, author Simon Louvish draws from even more compulsively detailed books on the duo to yield a satisfyingly comprehensive overview of The Boys' professional lives, both solo and paired. I never thought of Stan and Ollie as being anything other than a team. Yet, the first eighteen chapters of this 40-chapter volume reveal that each had a successful career before being eternally cemented together in the 1927 silent movie, "Duck Soup". Each began life separated by the Atlantic, Stan being born in the north of England in 1890, and Oliver in Georgia of the American South in 1892. Before their fateful pairing by Hal Roach in Hollywood in 1927, Laurel worked his way up through the ranks of U.K. and U.S. vaudeville and U.S. film, while Hardy appeared in 200+ silents on his own beginning with "Outwitting Dad" (1914), a release coming from the then-booming Florida film industry. For both, it was a long and tortuous road to Tinseltown and destiny.

I need to stress that STAN AND OLLIE focuses on their professional lives. If you're looking for a detailed inside peek at their personal existences, look elsewhere. OK, sure, the reader learns, as narrative asides, that Ollie bet on the horses and Stan had a weakness for Yorkshire pudding, chocolate candies, and ocean sport fishing. Both enjoyed golf. And, moreover, both had rocky domestic lives with multiple, mostly failed marriages - Hardy totaling three wives in as many marriages, and Laurel amassing four wives in five marriages, plus one common-law relationship. But, I finished the narrative not really having a feel for the men behind their famous on-screen personae. This skewed exposition is exemplified by the choice of photos included in the text; there are virtually none of Stan and/or Ollie outside of stills from their screen roles. Weren't there pesky paparazzi in those days? There was one photo taken of Hardy towards the end of his life that I particularly wanted to see out of morbid curiosity. As Louvish describes it:

"In 1956 ... (Ollie) reduced his weight by 150 lbs ... The last photograph of Stan and Babe together, in 1956, shows a recognizable smiling Stan, but beside him stands a stranger, relatively trim, with flabby flesh replacing his double chins, thin silvery hair and a rictus of a smile."

My distinct impression was that, throughout the composition of STAN AND OLLIE, the author worked overtime to protect the image and memory of his heroes. That's fine, but it results in a somewhat one-dimensional piece, albeit otherwise excellent as far as it goes.

One rarely sees any of the old Laurel and Hardy movies on TV anymore. Maybe it's just because I don't stay up into the wee hours. STAN AND OLLIE compels me to re-visit their screen appearances on DVD rentals to remind myself of the laughter of childhood memory.

...whoosh, the style of this book is turgid and overstuffed with mixed metaphors (on the order of "They were the conduit for blossoms of comedy which were to explode in fiery mirth."), and there's far too much "Babe had terrible trouble, which will be explained in due course." I did like the subject, but the book was really irritating to read because of the style.

VERBOSITY, n. the employment of a superabundance of words; the use of more words than are necessary

This probably describes all this author's works. I had a terrible time wading through his bio on W.C. Fields and had to skip over most of it. I disposed of that book as soon as I was finished with it. When I got this book out of the library I had fogotten all about the author. But when I started reading "Stan and Ollie" I quickly looked at the cover and cried, "oh, no!." I made it through almost three chapters before giving up.

Yet, I am a person who loves to read how an author weaves words together. That is part of the pleasure of a book. But this author doesn't weave, he just pours! This book could be a third of its length and do its subjects far better justice

How does one do justice to two of the greatest comedy legends to have ever have graced the screen? A daunting task, but one that Simon Louvish (biographer of W.C. Fields and the Marx Brothers) accomplishes with great aplomb and thoroughness. "Stan and Ollie" covers all bases as it explores the individual lives of the duo and the eventual pairing of two great screen comedians.

Louvish begins by examining the respective early life of Stanley Jefferson and Oliver Norvell Hardy. Born and raised in England, Stanley Jefferson was the son of a theatre owner and performer, whose children were destined for the stage. But his namesake would take his father's love of acting much farther than the stage and onto screen, a journey that took him half-way around the world to California at the dawn of the movie era. Meanwhile, in small town Georgia, Oliver Norvell Hardy was born, months after his father's death, raised by a mother who ran boarding houses, her perpetually chubby son a constant watcher of the guests. His love of movies hit its stride when he ran projections for the local movie house and decided to test his fortunes on the screen.

Each comic tried to make it on his own - Louvish devotes the first half of his biography to their early lives and the movies they made before they became a popular duo. Stanley's rise was perhaps a bit more difficult due to his theatre training (and his being pegged to impersonate his former roommate, Charlie Chaplin). "Babe" Hardy took easily to the ways of the screen, despite his bulk that haunted him his entire life, which was counteracted by a grace and ease that seemd contradictory to his size. These two very separate beginnings were inevitably paired up in Hollywood at the Hal Roach studio, where these vaudevillan trained actors somewhat reluctantly became Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, a disparate image of perfectly paired clowns.

Louvish traces the years and the films that Laurel and Hardy made together with Roach, intermingling the myriad marriage and divorce affairs that plagued each man, weaving in history of supporting players and screen moments as their story unfolds. He debunks some of the stories that have floated about these two, all the while recognizing that memory is not the strongest recorder of events years after the fact. The subtitle "The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy" refers not to any lurid details, but to the men behind the faces on the screen. Laurel and Hardy were screen personas, not the men who lived and breathed off-screen; while their real lives were sometimes mirrored by what they chose to enact, clowns cannot be funny all the time. Louvish does an admirable job of weaving the good with the bad, the tremendous success while at the pinnacle of their careers, and the sad, dwindling end that included forgettable movies and studio disputes.

"Stan and Ollie", while long and a sometimes wandering read, is a wonderful portrait of two men who were friends until the very end. It is amazing to consider their output of film, and to lament what has forever been lost of their early days and solo work. Louvish truly loves Laurel and Hardy but is able to paint them in an unbiased light, moles and all, revealing the minds behind two comedic geniuses who made it big for not being the brightest bulbs in the story. This book will make fans fall in love with Laurel and Hardy all over again.

This eminently readable book -- part Italian history, part personal journal -- dissects the economic and social constructs of the Southern part of Italy in an attempt to understand what it truly means to be Southern Italian and why Southern Italians have gotten such a bad rap in Italy and the U.S.

The author is proudly of Southern Italian descent, and it seems he has a bone to pick. I can certainly understand that -- I am of Southern Italian descent myself, and no stranger to the stereotypes that exist about "my people" -- the mafioso, the ignorant peasant, the shiftless ne'er do well.

The colorful anecdotes in this book do a good job of shattering those stereotypes. Statistics about organized crime and the actual activities of the Mafia seem to show that Italians are not the leaders of the crime world. The apparent "laziness" is actually a social custom, akin to the Mexican siesta, that carried over to the United States, where nobody understood that it was actually a good idea to rest from one's labors during the hottest part of the day.

As for the ignorant peasant claim, yes, the people of the South are not as formally educated as those of the North. But what they lack in book-learning, they make up for in common sense, hard physical work, and heart. They are people of high ideals and close families, and it was ideals (a desire to better their families' lot in life) as well as an unsympathetic government that sparked the mass migration from Southern Italy to the U.S. in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

I have no reason to doubt this author's research; I certainly haven't done any of my own that disputes it. But I did get a distinct "bone-picking" feeling from this book that put me off a little bit. That feeling is the only reason why I didn't give the book five stars.

Overall, however, the book is pure Italy -- a love of life, and thankfulness for what it brings. As the author travels through Southern Italy, the people he meets and the stories he hears paint clear, enlightening pictures of this mysterious and misunderstood land.

I especially loved the (true) story "U Figlio di Giovanni," about a young man who discovers that his father is nothing short of a hero in his home village. I also loved the fact that the author finds his last name popping up all over Southern Italy during his travels. People respond to his name instantly: "That is a name from here. You have a face from here. You are our family." Doors and hearts open, purely on the basis of a familiar -- and therefore trusted and honored -- name.

This book is wonderful, engaging reading for anyone interested in Italian culture, Italian heritage, or searches for identity. It also evokes Italy very clearly, even for someone like me, who's only spent seven days there. I plan to read this book again!

Anyone who grew up with an Italian immigrant grandparent or great grandparent, will likely enjoy "Under the Southern Sun." The book explains why your grandfather may have talked little about the family he left behind in Italy or why your grandmother always called pasta "macaroni." Paolicelli aptly explores the culture and history of Southern Italy, the ancestral home of some 26 million Americans.

Bad and Facile must have gotten out of the wrong side of his bed. His tone is snide, his criticisms unfounded, and his inarticulate appraisal unhelpful to an inquiring reader. In 18 lines of text he gives not a single example of his many claims of factual inaccuracy. His "review" gives the impression of an embarassing rant . I do not know the author and have not read his other book, ( but I soon will) however I find author Paolicelli's lucid and fluid prose style reflective of his long career as a professional journalist and supportive of the claim of 3 years of preparation and travel in Italy, fully deserving of all the 4 star ratings on this page. I have given away extra copies to friends with a warm recommendation.

I liked "Dances with Luigi", and enjoyed the comments which revealed the author's misunderstandings because he sees everything through American eyes and viewpoints, believing them to be self-mocking and ironic. But this book is shoddy. He is a journalist, but quotes facts and figures without revealing, or it seems even checking, the source. (A bibliography doesn't do it!) When he quotes directly from one person, such as a historian with a cause, it can be accepted as hearsay, but to then base chapters on this hearsay, and not to check the facts, is bad journalism. He makes several elementary errors and he seems unable to understand the mentality of the people he is investigating, seeing them only through his distorted lens of "Southern Italian superhuman, rest of world evil". By the way, Mr P, what also really grates is your constant refences to "Allied" when you mean "American", and your haziness as to when WW2 began in the various countries. There are so many cases where he makes erroneous or sloppy statements, I feel this book was just dashed off quickly on the back of the last one, to boost his daughter's college fund. The problem is, like those dreadful fake patriotic spam emails that keep going around, his "facts" will be repeated by all those people who identify with the premise and have never set foot in Europe and fail to understand a world that isn't USA-centric. Shame on you Mr Paolicelli!

Bravo Mr. Paolicelli. You've penned another great, informative, unique book on Italy that too few will discover and savor.

If you want to learn about the other Italy, as well as its gift to the United States through generations of creative imigrants who brought not only their talents, but their values as well, this is the book for you.

Paolicelli's writing continues to be wonderful (as it was in Dances), his research thorough, and his point of view unprecedented. Those who have journeyed to Southern Italy will want to go back with a fresh set of eyes; those who haven't been will be changing their itinerary to include a southern swing.

After reading the first 2/3 of this book, I couldn't see why Kerrey admirers (like myself) were upset. In fact, a lot of the stories are the same ones in Kerrey's autobiography, "When I was a Young Man". I actually enjoyed it, until...
The last 1/3 turns venomous! It's full of a lot of personal attacks, not only on Kerrey, but on everyone who disagrees with the author's theory of what happened that night in Thanh Phong, or whomever gets in the way of Vistica releasing "his" story. (pg. 243 "[John Scanlon] preferred to call himself a 'strategic counselor', not a 'paid liar'.")
I had to shut the book a couple of times, because the story became less & less about the story, and more of the author boasting of his skillful reporting, or ability to see through "public relations countermeasures". (pg. 210 "...Kerrey was beginning to realize that he'd have to cooperate with me."). Ugh.
Even if I DIDN'T like Kerrey, it's doubtful I would've enjoyed the way this ended.
If you want to learn about Kerrey, a better choice would be "When I was a Young Man". If it's history you're after, you'd be better served to visit a museum than to read this biased, bitter piece.

IT WAS VERY RESEARCHED AND AN INTERESTING TOPIC
I HIGHLY RECOMEND IT TO OTHER READERS
I REALLY ENJOY IT
IT DESERVES 10 STARS

Vistica's book, 60 Minute II's reporting and the confession of one of Kerry's teammates make a very strong case against Kerry.
He was the commander at the time and was responsible for what his men did and did not do. His logic for making his decisions is horribily flawed; such as; he ordered the throat cutting of three small children because they might give away their location but he then orders the machingunning of twenty woman and children.(Note: the sound of the weapons firing definately gave their position away.) What is interesting the SEALs used up 75% of their ammo murdering non-combatants. This resounds of a panicked, uncontrolled unit--not highly trained Navy SEALs.

In a nation, sixty years after the fact, where we hunt down and imprison German and Ukrainian soldiers from WWII solely because they were GUARDS at a concentration camp--we allow OUR war cimminals not only to become senators--but American heros.

There is no doubt in this old soldier's mind Kerry is a war crimminal and should have his "highly questionable" Medal of Honor revoked--by the very Congress and nation he has disgraced! In addition, his Navy SEAL organization should officially shun him. We either are or are not an honorable nation.

I am a combat veteran having served with elite Special Forces A Teams and with MACV-SOG Command and Control North. As a combat peer of Kerry's--I hold him in the highest contempt. He is a disgrace to special operations personnel--past or present.

Donald E. Zlotnik, Major (Ret.)
Special Forces

Contrary to a couple of the other "amateur" reviews already posted on this book, I say that, given the unfolding of events in Iraq, particularly the atrocities of the American military against prisoners and the shame of immorality that those atrocities carry, that are only just now beginning to surface and be investigated, this is perhaps the most timely book one could read today. Vistica uses the events of February, 1969, in Vietnam to examine America's collective self-image and the guilt of not living up to that image when engaged in battlefield realities. I say if you read no other book this year, this month, you must read this one. In it you will find grave lessons for those who are involved in fighting and policing overseas, as well as for politicians who are sending them as our agents. What will be said thirty years from now about what the United States is doing today?

this book is nothing more than the author's opinion. He never supports any of his claims/conclusion with fact. All he has is the claims of one man, Gerhard Klann, who he says he believes because, unlike others, his story never changed. Maybe the reason his story never changed is because it is not true. The stories of other members of Kerrey's team did change - perhaps because in thinking back on that horrific night, new insights arose. Also is it possible that, as Kerrey admits, that there is some blockage of those events.

Vistica only mentions once (outside of quoting Kerrey) that Klann admittedly had a grudge again Kerrey because Kerrey got the medal of honor and Klann did not - despite that fact that Kerrey lobbied for that for his efforts in the Middle East. Why is that not pursued more? Perhaps because it does not fit with Vistica's preconceived plan to do a hatchet job on Kerrey.

Bottom line: you will like this book if you hate soldiers or hate Kerrey because it will support those predispositions. But if you are looking for a balanced, fact-filled story, this is most definitely NOT a book for you.