Warren Books

I gave this book 4 stars only because it was published in 1995, which is over a decade ago. It is a good source for background information about a corporate executive I respect--and there are few of those to be found. Buffett told the author he would nothing to help or hinder, and the journalistic quality and information is well-presented and -documented. A good place to learn more about the "Oracle of Omaha". I'd like to see Lowenstein do a follow-up covering the more recent years.

Before writing my impressions of this book, I think it is first important to identify the reviewer so others can see my perspective. I am a young graduate with limited to no investing experience. I became interest in Warren Buffett after reading a fair amount of articles on Buffett the person; his success in investing, his political views, his recent contribution to the Gates charity, and most importantly, his character. I became intrigued enough to inquire about the details of who this man is and his philosophy.

This was exactly what the book offered; it is a biography, not an investment guide. That said, it is not really possible to unlink Buffett the person and Buffett the investor. His core values are too in entwined for it to be anything other. Lowenstein does a great job of presenting information in terms that a layman like myself can understand (with some help from simple research) while still providing enough information to get the details about Buffett's investment strategies and core values.

I found the book to be both informative and enticing. It has instilled in me a great respect for the man, as well as an interest in becoming less of an investment layman. The book is a bit dated, now being about 13 years old, but after reading it, I find this point moot. Buffett's approach has been the same since he learned from Graham, just with more information and an increasing scope in which to apply his tactics.

In my opinion, Lowenstein did a fantastic job researching his subject matter. The book is ripe with references and further signs that he truly knows his subject. I also found little to no signs of a subjective approach in respect to either glorifying Buffett or demonizing him, as far as is humanly possible. Buffett's mistakes are presented as clearly as his amazing triumphs (and they are quite amazing). Lowenstein's approach is instead to provide as clear as possible a presentation of Buffett's character, which is again entwined with his (enormous) successes and (minor) setbacks.

Highly recommended for those interested in his character. Again, this book is a biography, not an investment guide, but it seems hard to separate the two in regards to Buffett.

This is a biography. It talks about his parents, what he was like as a kid and how he got where he is today. It is college level reading, but flows nicely. Specific chapters fill us in in detail about some of the more complex times in his life like the beginnings of Berkshire and being investigated by the SEC.

I've liked the book. I'm not quite done, but it's kept my interest for like 500 pages - and that's not easy (if you knew me).

Well researched, analyzed, and written.

I see why Buffett was silently acceptive in autographing it. Superb job in reporting both analytical economics and personal life. Truth.

I will read more from this author.

Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Lowenstein is one of the most delightful books I have ever read. It was difficult to put this book down. If you enjoy an enterprising adventure, you'll love this one. More than investment epic biography; it is an exciting light fun read. There are tidbits of investing genius around every corner. My connection came when I learned how enterprising Warren was even as a young boy and then it gets better and better. Our investment club, also selected this book to study in 2008 and it has been exceeding expectations. It is one of several books I have read on the topic of Warren Buffett and it is by-far-and-away, the best. This is one you will want to keep for your collection and share with your kids, friends and family.

Unless you work in the mortgage industry yourself this book is a must read before picking up that phone and calling a loan officer. Even if you have had gotten loans in the past, this book will be the best guide through the, at time seems mysterious/dark, mortgage alley. It is everything you will need to know to ensure and feel confidence that you have gotten a good loan. And that's big for me, to know and be able to sleep at night on a relatively big financial decision. ALL your questions will be answered in this one book. It is all collected and packaged for you. Why spend hours to search online, browse numerous websites and collect this valuable knowledge? It is all right here! It was an easy read too! I personally read it like a novel, the next page seems to answer exactly what I was about to ask. Please read, learn and be a savvy loan consumer for you own sake. It will save you and your loan officer a lot of time, grief and MONEY when you guys are speaking the same lingo.

As a retired attorney, I have read my share of how-to books in various areas of expertise. Many have disappointed for lack of follow through and updating techniques such as online access to the author, with up-to-the-minute links to web pages addressing new areas of concern. Carolyn Warren's incredibly thorough, professional and brilliant comprehensible book lacks nothing in this regard. In fact, I would place this book among the various genres as the #1 book I have read in the last year that has made it possible for me to actually understand what was once an almost impossible mess of information for the layman. Having no background whatsoever in banking, financial management, debt, mortgages, credit, equity loans etc., this was a perfect book for me to rely upon for clear and concise knowledge. Oh, and after reading this book along with accessing her free info online, you will be delighted to know that Carolyn Warren does not just leave the reader there. She actually answers your emails! Yes, an author who cares about you -- long after you have purchased and read her book! You just gotta get this one - she is a star who knows what you need to survive like no one else out there.

I poured through at least 15 books on mortgages. This book is the only, I repeat, only good book out there. While other books may have had two or three "pointers", every page of Ms. Warren's book is worthwhile. Do not go for a loan without this book. Invaluable!

We have bought and sold investment properties for over 10 years in Pennsylvania. We are now investing in million dollar properties in Florida. I was in a book store and saw this book, and thank god I bought it! I read it, and out of curiosity I dug out a few of my old closing statements and good faith estimates, and was shocked at how ripped off I was by loan officers that I thought I could trust. This book was very informative, and that's an understatement. I thought I knew about the lending industry, but I was definitely mistaken. Now armed with so much knowledge, I can't wait to put another loan officer to the test.

I'm about to buy my first house, and I'm so happy I read this book first! I had no idea all these junk fees existed. And YSP? I definately would have been one of the 'stupid' people who blindly trusted my broker and assumed these fees were all standard. I also like how the author goes over each loan type and what type is best for each person. I do wish the author would have included more on how to negotiate, but there's so much useful information, I would still recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

The coupling of Mr. Warren and Ms. Craig is casting genius! Never before has the usual dry home repair industry had such a sharp, sophisticated, and witty voice. This completely charming and easy-to-understand book has, undoubtedly drawn numerous women, such as myself, to an area which until now was perceived as forbidden. Three cheers!

Mr.Warren and Ms. Craig have accomplished something no one else ever has in this really wonderful publication. Many thanks to a couple in perfect harmony!

I was looking for a book that tells you how to prevent bad things from happening- a recommended schedule of maintenance for my home. This book tells you how to handle problems after they have happened. I get the impression that they want you to buy the book, figure out that you have no idea how to fix your problem, then look to see if there's a "Rent-a-Husband" franchise in your city.

This book was recommended to me after numerous attempts to become "mistress of my domain" failed. It is so well done I plan to pass the word along to all of my home challenged friends. Fantastic in every way,particularly in the extraordinary way in which it is written.

Truly helpful and a joyous reading experience.

I purchased the sandwich spreader and metal spatula. I paid twice what I would have paid anywhere else. They turned out to be junk. Both plastic handles separated from the metal parts within 9 months of the purchase.

I absolutely loved this book. Doris Christopher's ideas and humble beginnings are absolutely inspiring! She has built an amazing company and shares it for everyone to realize their own potential. Her basic no nonsense attitude towards life and her company are shared in this incredible story. I do not sell Pamperd Chef, but if I was not trying to build another direct sales business I know I would after reading this book!

I have been purchasing Pampered Chef products for over 16 years and my husband and I have always been huge fans. After many years of buying from someone else, I decided to give it a try and then so did my husband. . . yes, we are both consultants because we believe so much in the products.

I signed up as a consultant a few days after the book was released and read it in one night! After reading the book I was more of a fan than ever. The story is very inspiring to anyone who wants to take the leap of faith in themselves and try to start their own business.

Doris' vision of having a business to earn extra money and still have time to raise her family is very much alive today as it was 25 years ago. The book takes you through the 25 years of her dream from where she started the business in her basement with $3,000 to being the founder a of multi-million dollar company with thousands of women and men who work with The Pampered Chef as hobbyist, part- and full-time consultants.

A must read for anyone who wants to be inspired to start their own business.

An interview with the author and her daughter, who grew up in the culinary business, supplements The Pampered Chef, a story of Doris Christopher, a former teacher and home economist who returns to the work world with a vision of making cooking more convenient for families. Selling high-quality kitchen tools through demo groups and growing her business, The Pampered Chef, from a basement enterprise to a successful franchise. A story of personal success comes alive in audio.

In 1980 author Doris Christopher, former home economist and teacher, wanted to return to the workforce after raising her children: she began selling high-quality kitchen tools through cooking demonstrations and began her company, The Pampered Chef, from her basement. Twenty-five years later it's a corporation specializing in kitchen shows - and The Pampered Chef: The Story Of One Of America's Most Beloved Companies tells of how she became a culinary industry success. Insights on how the company expanded and handled its challenges provide entrepreneurs and cooks alike with much inspiration.

Shellie Warren has revealed a painful area for women ,one that there is no help within the church body.Women who have missused sex and their body to fill a void. I can relate, after many years of trying to figure out why I was repeating the same pattern, Shellie gave a knowledgeable title to my confusion.I devoured the book with highlighter in hand repeating passages of scripture or lines from her poems that will serve as a stepping stone to finally loving "ME" first. Shellie thank you so much for giving me wings.

Amidst all of the calamity, lust, sex, & promiscuity that is in the world, this is a book that can bring about change. Thank you Shellie for keepin' it real. It took strength that truly had to come from God to tell your story.

Having had some of the same experiences of the author Shellie Warren, all I could say is WOW and that I must MOVE in sharing this word. Her book has prompted me to start planning on speaking with young adults and late teens at my place of worship and at the local H.S.'s to get the word out. We must equip our young people with information to make better choices in life. That's the very reason that God allowed her to write this book!



I am firm, when I say "This Book Will Bring About Change !!!"

Kudos to Shellie R. Warren on writing such a powerful message filled book. The author of this book could be anyone of us because in some form or fashion we all have been a victim of poor decision making that led to unhealthy relationships etc.
"Inside of Me" is just another example of not being able to have a testimony without the test. It's a must read for all ages and genders.

This is an awesome book for all to read. The experiences that Shellie shares are as real as it gets. It should be shared with young men and women to let them know that they will have choices to make and their decisions will have an impact on thier lives as well as others around them. I am proud of Shellie for being brave enough to share with us her experiences so that hopefully we can avoid some of the things that she endured. To all thinking about purchasing the book----Just Do It--It is priceless!! God Bless you Shellie and continue to share your awesome gift !!

Its not by accident that after about 35 reviews, nearly all have given this book 5 stars. What is there to say that hasn't already been said? I have seen alot of comments that say "this is a must read for women"... just to clarify, this is a book "for everyone- men and women." I am a 24 year old guy and read this book in 2 days. God has certainly blessed Shellie with tremendous writing ability. You will not be dissapointed with this book...

I have looked for this wonderful book for over 20 years. I wanted to read it to my children when they were younger. I will have to read it to my future grandchildren. I remember sitting on my mothers lap as she read this book to me and my little brothers. She would sometimes try to skip a page to get us to bed a little earlier but, we always would correct her because we all had it memorized. I can't wait to have it in my library.

"Miss Twiggley's Tree" is an adorable story. It's opened my child's mind to the idea of living in a tree with animal friends. It's also a sweet story about not judging people by their covers. It's become a family favorite and I've given copies to friends. The illustrations are fun.

This is a classic children's book. It was a well worn favorite of mine when I was a child and now enjoy it with my great neice! I have been told that my generosity and love to entertain resembles that of Miss Twiggley, so it must have made a great impression! The pictures keep the chilren's attention and allows for lots of interaction. The story flows easily with its sing-song rhythm. I can assure you if this is on your children's bookshelf it won't go untouched!

This is a book that I remembered from my childhood, and it was one of my favorites!!!! My parents had given away the book and have wanted to find it for years. I am so happy to have found and purchased this book again so I can share what a great book it is with my two daughters. I even bought 3 copies (one for me and one for each of my daughters). They love the book as much as I did at their age!!! :-)

This was one of the books I read over and over as a child. I loved the story of Miss Twiggley and her friends, the bears. She was different and shy. That was wrong, according to the towns people. Yet, when the storms came, she found the courage to do what was right and forgive. I learned lessons from this story that I still remember as an adult. There is something wonderfully unique about each person you meet. You just have to take the time to find it.

This book was as good as the first one I bought.He is a prophet of our American Civilization. Someday; we will be like the society in his books. The best adult comic book writers come from United Kingdom. Since The UK is our best international friend; They earned the right to be our best critics. Again; As usual Amazon delivered.

Even though subsequent volumes in Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson's TRANSMETROPOLITAN series would surpass this very diverse collection of stories, it is still a first rate addition to the series. It is always outrageous, frequently funny, sometimes absurd, but always stimulating.

There two aspects of the series that make it especially interesting to me. First, no other comic series explores the meaning of the media in general and the Fourth Estate in particular. For all his cynicism and rebelliousness, anti-hero Spider Jerusalem is a journalist who believes that reporting should strive to make the world a better place . . . or at least not quite so bad. Sometimes Spider's posing and stunts get in the way of that, but Ellis does manage to get the story back around to that conceit from time to time. Second, the series goes further than any other I know in looking at the furthest extremes of what people will do to remake and reconstruct themselves. Many writers have pointed out that ours is already a Cyborg culture. How else can you characterize someone who has an artificial hip, a pacemaker, and lasik eye surgery? Other writers, like Ray Kurzweil and Hans Moravec, have fantasized about a utopian future in which the human brain is sliced up and downloaded into a database, where one's consciousness can enjoy a virtual immortality (though personally, I just think of this as a bizarre way to die). Many of these notions are taken up and explored in the Transmet series.

The two books that begin the series are good, but newcomers should keep in mind that it gets much better in subsequent volumes. So while I recommend this, I even more strongly recommend reading the volumes that follow.

This book too much focuses on "being punk" instead of focusing on story. There are great ideas but they are not really explored.

Lust for Life is probably the weakest collection of Transmet. It falls in between the initial story arc, and when Helix Comics, was shut down and the title was moved to Vertigo. It has some nice establishing moments, and sets up some characters that will play critical roles through out the series. But, it's that point in between where the story starts and where it finds its feet.
It's still a part of the larger whole though, and can't be skipped if you're trying to read the series beginning to end. And Transmet is still one of the best comic series out there, so, even at its weakest, it continues to be a very strong piece.
In the end, if you haven't read the first trade, this is a poor place to start. If you did and disliked it, Lust for Life does expand the characters, but, you probably won't find anything to change your mind. If you loved the first trade, or just found it mildly enjoyable, it's worth continuing, though, mostly for where the series does find its feet, in the third trade.

This is really something I could say is a Graphic Novel without smirking. I'm no veteran when it comes to comics, but I've lent it out to a few people I know that are, and they rave about it as well. It's very much like a Fear And Loathing influenced cyberpunk tale of journalism in a future that, for all its random technical advances, is still populated by people and therefore still plagued by the same kinds of problems we face today.

It wasn't until about 1/3 of the way through this book that the light bulb went on. I knew in an instant what the Holy Spirit had been gently knudging me about all along for so many years. This book confirmed many truths in my life. I am reading it again for a second time, NOW to put into practice the matrixs and find closure for several issues I have struggled all my life with. I am forever grateful that our Lord Jesus has inspired Tom Paterson with these teachings, giving the rest of us clear,concise guidelines to refocus our energies and establish a LifePlan the way the Lord intended. Thank You.

I found Tom's approach to analyzing one's life extremely helpful. He breaks down the process into small, digestable steps and at the end you end up with a wonderful, rich set of information about yourself. He makes you see your life in a way that breaks it down and disects it and then you extract the juice, the core of you, your experiences, abilities, strengths, passions, dreams that make you who you are. It is a genious approach. I highly recommend reading Now, Discover Your Strengths, as a complementary way to identify one's strengths, especially if one is unsure about their strengths or talents. I completed the final step, my action plan, with a LifePlan coach on a 2-day Life Planning session. It is the best 2 days I've spent and it has transformed my life: I understand the reason for my reaction to certain past and current situations based on key discoveries of patterns in my life; I see areas in my life (domains as he calls them) where I am overloaded and areas I have ignored and need to address to balance my life. As we go about our every day, busy lives we are so consumed with the day to day, that we lose track of the big picture of God's plan for our lives. This book forces you to be still and hear God's voice and his guidance for your life. As a result, doing the exercises and the life plan session made me closer to God. And that in the end is the key to a successful life review.

I was first introduced to Tom's book 3 years ago. Since then, I have come to know Tom personally and consider it one of the great blessings of my life to know this man of God. As a certified LifePlanner (TM), I am a witness to a the life altering power contained in this book. I give away 5 or more copies a month. Read it, Live it, Give it away.

I met Tom Paterson in 1995 at a crossroad time in my life. I spent two days with him as he facilitated my LifePlan. Those two days changed my life. The LifePlanning process transformed my future and set me squarely in the center of the life I am meant to live. My life is authentic, fulfilling and flows from my passions and talents. Tom helped me get clear on these issues. Since that time I have sat at his feet and learned how to facilitate LifePlans. The process is genius - the technology is brilliant - the outcome is amazing. The content of this book reveals the core of the LifePlanning process. Read it...do the work...and you will be living the life you are meant to live. Tom Paterson is the real deal.

I read this book a year ago and now it is one of the books that I most recommend to others. Tom Paterson has an insight into God and mankind that help a person as they go through life changes.

His analytical approach makes one look at his life through a "big picture" lens and see what God sees. He breaks our life into 5 areas and challenges us to examine each area to see how God is at work.

Just as the wise prophet once said, "An unexamined life is not worth living" so Tom Paterson gives us the keys to examining our life and see where God is at work. This book can be used by anyone at any stage of life, but particularly one who is going through Halftime in his or her life and is questioning "what is next."

This book is well worth your time. You can do the exercises right from the book. In addition, there are a number of people, including myself, who have been trained by Tom Paterson to take a person through this process. Let me know if you want help in this life journey.

EXPECT THE SUNRISE is the third book in the TEAM HOPE series by Susan May Warren. Each book follows the lives of search and rescue members that make up Team Hope. EXPECT THE SUNRISE takes place in the Alaskan wilderness after the plane piloted by Andee MacLoad, a mountain rescuer, crash lands during a storm. Sterling "Mac" MacLeod, an FBI agent, is one of seven survivors and immediately suspects there is a saboteur on the flight, with the Alaskan Pipeline as its target. Andee and Mac clash when decisions have to be made regarding the safety of the passengers. With Andee's best friend injured, she decides to hike out on her own in search of help. Mac fears she is the saboteur and insists they stay together, not wanting her to get the opportunity to accomplish her plan for disaster. What results is an intriguing story as Andee and Mac struggle with trust, survival, and secrets that could shatter their growing interest in each other.

I thoroughly enjoyed the TEAM HOPE series. With adventurous stories set in the great outdoors, Susan May Warren captivates her audience with deep characters, rich plots, and enough suspense to keep you guessing.

A terrorist is going to blow up the Alaska pipeline. Mac and his partner are there to stop the violence. But Mac's partner is critically wounded in the fire-fight. Mac frantically tries to save him, waving maniacally to a helicopter flying overhead. He attributes his partner's death to the fact that the pilot didn't stop.

Mac is living with a chip on his shoulder after the death of his partner, still blaming the helicopter pilot for his loss. Andee, a member of Jim Micah's SAR team, is spending her summer flying in Alaska. She meets Mac on one of her flights. They share a Scottish heritage, but as they grow closer they learn that they share so much more. Can they overcome the past? Or will they miss out on what promises to be a beautiful future?

Susan May Warren is a master of romantic suspense storytelling! Her characters are authentic role models of Christian behavior in extreme circumstances. The way she records their thought processes makes me sit back and examine my own reactions to less stressful experiences. Not only have her novels afforded me many hours of wonderful entertainment, but they have also helped me to deepen my relationship with God and others.

In Expect the Sunrise, the third book in the series Team Hope, Susan May Warren delivers. The book opens with the heartbreaking scene where FBI agent Stirling "Mac" McRae's brother is dying in his arms, and he believe's it's his fault. All of a sudden a bush plane passes overhead and he signals that he's got an emergency, but the plane ignores him. He vows to find out who the pilot was who left his brother to die. After healing some from his brother's death, he must take a plane trip in a small craft. Andee MacLeod is the bush pilot and this is her last flight before winter sets in, as she tries to climb above a storm front, the plane crashes. Some of the passengers are injured, including Andee's best friend. To make matters worse, Mac discovers there is a terrorist in the group, but he doesn't know who. In fact, he suspects Andee. The same group of terrorists have also taken Andee's father captive, a bush pilot to taught his daughter to fly and a former star FBI agent. Throughout the book, the author demonstrates God's love, forgiveness, and grace. This is an exciting read and is well written.

Susan May Warren is a terrific author. This is her best series yet, and this book may be the best in the series as well. I love how her characters always seem so real. I had trouble putting this book down. I'm still eagerly awaiting the fourth book in this series!

This is the third book in the Team Hope series and hopefully not the last! This was another wonderful addition to this series. The characters are such a joy to get to know.

Mac and Andee end up stranded in the Alaskan mountains after Andee's plane crash with several other passengers. The tale of their harrowing journey out is definitely worth the read. Add in terrorists and you have a great suspense novel.

The Harding administration is buried in 20th century obscurity. Aside from the words "Teapot Dome", which few laymen know anything about, and the overriding scandal that dogged Harding's reputation after he left office, there are few people who would even know the name of the first lady.

Florence Harding portrays the image of a plain, dowdy hayseed, but the author brings her to life in the context of an amazing time in our history.

The 1920's were a time of a burgeoning economy, a rich underground economy with speakeasies, amazing jazz, racial awareness, and a recovery from World I. Florence Harding worked behind the scenes to prop her husband up to the challenge of the presidency. Recent revisionist historians have re-examined his presidency to look at his leadership, and his vision beyond the republican side of the aisle.

Florence Harding welcomed in the Jazz Age, consulted "spiritual advisors", and looked at feminist causes long before many of her contemporaries. She also loved and adored her husband, looking past his infidelities, and his out-of-wedlock children.

Warren Harding was in over his head as President. He was an innocent idealist who was thrust into a dark horse candidacy by unscrupulous men who he believed were his friends. He was also a popular and beloved President at he time of his death.

This book, however, is about his wife. She was a tirelessly driven woman, cannily intelligent, with a strength that propelled her to the pinnacle of American leadership.

It is a story few would undertake to tell, and it is riveting. While Florence Harding never comes off as likable, she is portrayed as loyal, admirable, and visionary beyond her time. There is a touching passage, as she sits next to Warren's open coffin, when she tells her husband "nobody can hurt you now, W'urrn".

She clearly understood the power of the office, and the damage it had done to her husband.

An engrossing biography, on an unlikely subject.

Writer Carl Anthony has composed an outstanding biography in his work Florence Harding. Harding Florence Harding been one of the more easily understood or admired First Lady's in this nations history, this book would have been written years ago. However, Mrs. Harding's legacy has been in the past told and retold more as a tabloid story than factual account.

When approaching this book, one needs to understand how Mrs. Harding's legacy was tainted by three men, none of which was her husband Warren G. Harding. First, Gaston Means - a grifter and one time low level FBI agent - did a master job at maligning the deceased Mrs. Harding in his book, The Strange Death of President Harding, a ghost written work that was penned by a tabloid jouranlist who sued Means when he failed to honor his obligations to the writer. In this book, Means paints the picture of Mrs. harding that is pervasive in American Pop Culture: that Mrs. Harding was clueless love lorn hag, who spent her time with mystics plotting the Presidents next moves in star charts. This is an image that the public bought, hook, line and sinker.

The other two men who betrayed Mrs. Harding were her doctor, Charles E. Sawyer and his son Dr. Carl Sawyer. The Sawyers held Mrs. Harding in their sway - she believed that they were great medical doctors, however it was the elder Sawyer's mis diagnosis of President Harding's heart condition as food poisoning. When Charles Sawyer discovered that the widowed First Lady's kidney ailment acted up, he travelled to Washington DC and demanded that Florence return to Marion Ohio for treatment at his private Sanatorium rather than seek treatment at at the better suited facilities in Washington. Mrs, Harding was placed in a cottage at the facility, and then kept at the facility by Sawyer's son Carl after the elder Sawyer died. Following Mrs. Harding's death, Dr. Carl Sawyer assummed total control of the Harding Memorial Association and maintained an iron grip on the Harding legacy until his death in the 1960s. As with all great dictators, Carl Sawyer controlled all aspects of the Harding legacy. As a result, the public never had a fair opportunity to study the Harding's, but rather were fed a steady stream of "approved" information about the couple.

Anthony's work goes the distance in seperating the negative myths from the honest truths in her life, which by any standard was not charmed. However, the author does take liberties in communicating his emotions about Mrs. Harding. He believes that she has been mis-portrayed and his passion about correcting that sometimes overstates her case. However, his book is very well documented by copious endnotes and reliable first person accounts and primary documents.

This book will never be a New York Times best seller - the public would rather believe that Harding Myths inseatd of the facts - but for those who care to learn more about the truths of the 29th President and his most remarkable wife, this is a satisfying and accurate book to read.

How to make a fairly dull and unpleasant like Florence Harding come alive is a difficult enough feat, however the author does a splendid job of doing it! Expertly researched and pleasantly told, Mrs. Harding comes off far better than she has ever been depicted before - and perhaps even better than she deserves.

I found this book hard to put down. I had not realized all the things this obscure first lady was involved with in her life. She looks like somebody's stern grandmother so when I idly looked through this book, I was surprised to find myself drawn in immediately. It is a large book, but I read it very fast as I just could not put it down. This is how a biography should be written, it is well researched and yet still reads almost like a novel.

Carl Anthony reports in his prologue that the inspiration for this project came from none other than Alice Roosevelt Longworth, one of Florence Harding's collection of mercurial and dysfunctional friends. That fact alone speaks volumes about the tenor and atmosphere of the story. Perhaps aware of America's antipathy toward "The Duchess," Anthony has given this work a title worthy of an Oliver Stone epic. The reader who gets past the burlesque title will discover an intensively fascinating narrative of a driven, unconventional woman intertwined with a malleable young newspaper editor. When, years later, the Duchess would tell her "W'urrn" that she had made him president of the United States, many of their contemporaries would have agreed.

Born in 1860 to an Ohio businessman who wanted a son, Florence was in fact raised as a boy until her fourteenth year, when her domineering father realized that what he had actually created was a feminist with an attitude. He struck back ferociously and physically; Florence eventually retaliated by having herself impregnated by a hayseeder several years her junior. Christmas Day of 1882 found the young mother homeless and abandoned. Anthony takes the time to access the options available to this intelligent, ambitious, but impoverished woman. Determined to not disappear into rural Ohio obscurity giving piano lessons, Florence makes two critical decisions that would change her life forever, for better and worse: she gave her child away, and she set her cap for the man through whom she could make her mark in the public forum. On the surface these seem like cynical strategies, but with feminist sympathies Anthony takes pains to remind the reader that American business and politics were both male bastions in the Gilded Age. There were few routes for a woman of ambition.

Florence married the handsome and randy Warren Harding and immediately took over the operation of his local paper, turning a handsome profit and expanding the couple's business ventures. Anthony lets his facts carry the story: the Harding marriage is clearly one of convenience, arguably Florence's more than her husband's. Unencumbered by children, the Duchess, as she came to be called for obvious reasons, had time to consort with the political beat writers and politicians who came to Marion. She tended bar at their poker games, plied them with liquor for information and party gossip, and strategized a grand design for her husband's career in Ohio Republican politics. Managing Warren Harding was a full time job. He was not by nature ambitious, he was not a particularly good businessman, and he was not physically or mentally well, having suffered nervous breakdowns and indications of cardiovascular disease. His most obvious flaw-and one particularly odious to his wife-was his womanizing, which continued virtually to his death, with little concealment, and occasionally on the sly with her best friends.

For two people as different as Warren and the Duchess, it is surprising that they shared one common fatal flaw: they were both dreadfully poor judges of character. For all her intelligence and savvy, the Duchess became dependent [perhaps co-dependent] upon two outright rogues, Charles "Doc" Sawyer, her personal physician, and a gypsy fortune teller, Madame Marcia, both of whom exercised excessive influence throughout the entire Harding Administration. There is a sense in which Florence becomes more insecure with her greater success: Anthony describes her as weeping on Warren's Inauguration Day because of Madame Marcia's prediction that the new president would not live out his term.

Writing about a president's wife inevitably involves detailing the president and the presidency itself. Anthony does a creditable job in paying appropriate attention to Teapot Dome and Veterans Affairs scandals, for example, but in ways that keep the focus of the narrative on Florence and other political wives--Grace Coolidge, Emma Fall, and the aforementioned Mrs. Longworth, for example. The later unraveling of the Harding Administration has obscured the activism of the First Lady; Anthony reminds us of the Duchess's emotional investment in women's rights, veterans' welfare, animal rights, and international peace.

Anthony takes the position that the fateful 1923 "Alaska Trip" was essentially the First Lady's act of self-promotion. Ostensibly, the President's lavish cross continent tour was undertaken to rally political support at a time when congressional investigation of the executive branch was accelerating. The author's narrative of the trip forms a good portion of the book and deservedly so. Warren Harding was depressed and ill as the presidential train left Washington and journeyed across the continent. After innumerable speeches and rallies, the party sets sail from California to Alaska, traveling overland to sites that have probably not seen a president since. Although Anthony debunks many of the myths about the trip, the facts are strange enough-the presidential vessel collided twice with other vessels, and several members of the party were killed in various accidents.

The great mystery of the trip among conspiracy buffs is what [or who?] killed Warren Harding. In one sense the answer is simple enough-the trip exhausted the president to the point where he either suffered a stroke or heart attack in San Francisco. That we cannot say for certain is due to the Duchess, who permitted only Doc Sawyer to treat her husband. Sawyer's incompetence is excelled only by his arrogance; when Herbert Hoover fetched a renowned cardiologist from Stanford to the president's bedside, Sawyer, who was treating the chief executive with questionable purgatives, would have nothing to do with him.

For a veteran of the journalist profession, the Duchess's management of the news of the President's death was poor, and veteran reporters at once smelled cover-up. Most likely her immediate concern was the reputation of Sawyer, and she refused permission for an official autopsy. But her greater worry was the legacy of her husband; she spent weeks burning his official papers and personal correspondence. Her podium destroyed, Florence Harding outlived her husband by one year; she died while in residence at Sawyer's "sanitarium."

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