Book Description
No profession pits man against nature more brutally than king crab fishing in the frigid, unpredictable waters of the Bering Sea. The yearly death toll is staggering (forty-two men in 1988 alone); the conditions are beyond most imaginations (90-mph Arctic winds, 25-foot seas, and super-human stretches of on-deck labor); but the payback, if one survives can be tens of thousands of dollars for a month-long season.In a breathtaking, action-packed account that combines his personal story with the stories of survivors of the industry's most harrowing disasters, Spike Walker re-creates the boom years of Alaskan crab fishing--a modern-day gold rush that drew hundreds of fortune-and adventure-hunters to Alaska's dangerous waters--and the crash that followed.
Customer Reviews:
Great read!.......2007-09-02
This book is a great add-on, if you are a fan of the deadliest catch on the discovery channel. It gives a true account of how the crab boom started and the crazy amount of money you could make in just a 29 day season. I really enjoyed this book and would recomend it to anyone who likes to read about adventure situations.
Sincere and full of insight.......2007-08-28
I literally devoured the book. If you love the sea, and had some experience with it, it will be very easy to fully understand the powers that these people where facing. The story shows in a very plain manner the continuous struggle of mankind in order to take advantage of the earth's resources. It shows many aspects of human nature: Love for the sea. Thirst for adventure and freedom. GREED, and what men can face in order to satisfy it. And (something that people who have been in the sea for a while completely understand), the incredibly simple and strong relationship that develops between crewmates.
I enjoyed very much reading this book
Working on the Edge (crab fishing).......2007-08-20
I bought this book for my husband because he loves the tv show - actually, so do I! Anyway, he loved the book and is already asking me when I am going to order him more Spike Walker books. By the way, my husband doesn't usually like to read so I was particularly impressed that he liked this book.
Working on the Edge - a review.......2007-07-23
This book about Alaskan crab fishing is somewhat dated, but it gives a wonderful first-hand account of what crab fishing was like 20 + years ago.
Solid.......2007-07-23
This book offers its reader the opportunity to experience the life an Alaskan crabber at a slightly more in-depth level than just "Deadliest Catch." It is a narrative that sequencely takes you through the exciting "glory days" of the crab industry. The book is full of interesting facts and insights; however, the style flows like a suspense as you await each amazing event of these true stories.
Book Description
John Starks: My Life chronicles John Starks' miraculous ascension from going undrafted after one just one season at Oklahama State to his stellar career with the New York Knicks. Fans remember his memorable career in New York, capsuled by two remarkable, yet polar-opposite games. The highest of highs would be his triumphant dunk over Horace Grant and Michael Jordan, known in Knick history as "The Dunk," in the waning moments of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls which put the Knicks up two games to none. Starks also holds nothing back about his 2-for-18 shooting drought in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets, which was the last real chance the Knicks have had for a championship since 1973. Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, Mark Jackson, Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy are all seen anew through Starks' clear, no-nonsense eyes. Starks also describes his other NBA stops in Golden State, Utah and, briefly, Chicago. In addition, Starks names his all-minor league-to-NBA team, his all-heart-on-the-jersey team and his all-shooting team. Starks' autobiography describes the star's rise from life in inner-city Tulsa, Oklahoma. As a child, John did not escape trouble, stealing from stores and later cars with a friend who later died in a high-speed car crash with the police. He credits his escape and rapid rise to the influence of his older brother, Monry, who watched the majority of John's NBA career from behind bars, and the single mother that raised John and his siblings. John later attended four junior colleges before making his breakthrough and playing Division I college basketball at Oklahoma State. Montry,before he was sent away to prison, was the one who drove John, toughening him up in savage games of one-on-one and convincing John that he had more in him than just being a drug dealer like himself and playing basketball on the playgrounds of Tulsa. It was Monty who called Leonard Hamilton, the then-coach of Oklahoma State, and got Coach Hamilton to come down and watch John play at Oklahoma Junior College, resulting in a scholarship. Finally, it is a book about family and Starks moving back to Tulsa and raising his family of three children (John Jr. is an aspiring basketball player with a dream to make it to the NBA like his father) with his wife, Jackie, and helping Monty after his release from prison in 2000. Montry now lives in a house on John's property, adjacent to John's house, and has helped him find employment. The two are avid golf partners who, although they constantly fight over everything from Montry rooting for OU and John for OSU, share a bond forged on the hardscrabble streets of North Tulsa.
Customer Reviews:
In his own words, get to know the real John Starks.......2007-03-25
Outside of Patrick Ewing, former CBA veteran John Starks is probably one of the most recognizable figures in New York sports during the 90's. In his book, Starks talks about his humble beginnings--moving from four different college academic programs to making it to the New York Knicks on a technicality (as injured players can't be cut from their teams, John attempted to dunk of Patrick Ewing during the pre-season in 88' and got hurt in the process).
Through his words, Starks shares the will, desire, and tenacity which made him one of the most exciting and controversial players to ever play in the NBA. Starks shares stories that made him the most decorated guard to ever come out of the CBA with accolades such as the winning a spot on the NBA All-Star team and the 6th Man of the year award. He also talks about his horrible game 7 performance in the 1994 NBA finals as well as the trials and tribulations which he and a number of his family members had to go through.
If your a fan of the NBA, this is certainly one ride you wouldn't want to miss! Get your copy today!
If you found this review helpful, kindly vote for it. Thanks!
Honest self appraisal.......2006-08-02
Starks does a good job here detailing his life and whats most rewarding is his confession of his errors and failures on and off the court. That is this book's strong points.
There are good photos here.
John discussing some of the nutty fans who stalked him is a good read and my personal favorite is his story of the first time he drives his mother and grandmother thru Manhattan traffic, weaving in and around the taxis. The description of what was going on with the two women had melaughing.
The weakness of this book is the dvd that is included with it.
John should have paid someone a little bit more money to produce this thing a little better. And throughout the book, he repeats a lot of the bad stuff that happened to his brothers over and over again. Hos co-writer should have edited that a little bit better.
Hopefully John will coach the Knicks one day. If you're a Knicks fan, then read this book.
Great book about a great man.......2006-05-22
john starks was my idol growing up. Before he came to the knicks they were very mediocre. As he says in the book his rise coincided with the knicks title contension throughout the 90's. The book was very good and gave great insight into the man before his career. I was shocked when i read that he used to sell drugs and had been in jail. i followed everything about him back in the day and i remember never hearing about his father so it surprised me to hear that he met his father a couple times. anyway i lived and died with starks the dunk was this city's highest high and 2-18 well u do the math. i recommend this book to anyone who loved a good underdog story about a man with a heart as big as the big apple
Why I Love John Starks.......2006-01-16
I raced through reading this autobiography of John Starks, mainly for personal reasons. The rise of John Starks as a New York Knick corresponded with a lot of overcoming personal struggles in my own life, and I've always felt a deep connection with his story, his explosiveness as a player and as a person, his perpetual teetering on the edge of self-wreckage, and with his continuing maturity and enormous heart that he always brought to the table. This book is hardly a sophisticated read, so if you're looking for that, go elsewhere. But if you look at John Starks as I do, as a true phenomenon of character and class, as someone who broke through barrier after barrier, tripped over his own bad habits along the way and still always remained deeply resolute in his belief in himself, then you'll love hearing how his voice comes through the writing of Dan Markowitz. Learning about the chaotic and reckless background of John's life reminded me of how gritty and passionate he was as a player, how his unstoppable desire shook the NBA world. But even in a moment like "The Dunk," John always remained a humble, down to earth man, someone undisturbed by the glow of fame, even more human because of the doubt that always followed his brilliant success. I wish he could have won a championship and have his number retired at the Garden, but in a way, even though his "2 for 18" night left fans like me forever hungry, the dramatic ironies that occupy his life story and the peace that he discovers within himself allow me to savor the tales he tells in this book, as I will forever be inspired by one of the most unique and lovable characters in the history of New York sports.
Turning Himself Around.......2005-04-10
John Starks' story is full of inspiration. The man grew up in a rough area of Tulsa, Oklahoma without a fatherly figure. His mother and grandmother instilled some positive attributes. However, John faced many troubles growing up and his brothers had a mixed influence on him.
However, John Starks perservered from a troubled youth stocking shelves in Safeway to an NBA All Star. John overcame many obstacles in the NBA and earned the respect of many of his peers in spite of a few overzealous actions on his part.
What really comes accross in this book(and from listening to John speak in person) is the that Mr. Starks has turned into quite an articulate and intelligent young man. He sets a good example as a USBL coach and certainly would be a good candidate to coach in the NBA. John's strong work ethic will indeed carry him to much further success.
A good read even for Chicago Bull, Miami Heat and Indiana Pacer fans!
Average customer rating:
- Spike strikes again!!
- Excellent book
- Spike.Good. What's this?
- Fun for informed Knick fans with lots of great side trips.
- Not Spike's Best Work, But Still Entertaining
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Best Seat in the House: A Basketball Memoir
Spike Lee
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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In the Land of Giants: My Life in Basketball
ASIN: 0609801910
Release Date: 1998-05-19 |
Amazon.com
This is filmmaker Spike Lee's reminiscences of his love affair with basketball (make that the New York Knicks), from the time he was a child growing up in Brooklyn, New York, to the present. While it's a kind of history of the game, from its long-ago status as a not-quite professional sport (which seems unbelievable in this day of multi-million-dollar salaries and prime time television exposure), it's also a very personal journey. Lee paints an evocative portrait of growing up in Brooklyn in the 1960s with his four brothers and sisters, remembers his high school years and time at Morehouse College in Atlanta, and his start as a filmmaker. Film fans will find a special treat in this book--Lee's account of the creation of the character Mars Blackmon, who appeared in She's Gotta Have It, and several commercials for Nike.
Book Description
Best Seat in the House, Spike Lee's evocative and compelling basketball memoir, interweaves several journeys over a course of thirty years. The first is professional basketball's metamorphosis from a fringe sport to the big-money spectacle it is today, filled with outrageously inflated salaries and egos. The other journey is that of Shelton Jackson Lee himself, who has gone from a skinny kid playing ball on the streets of Brooklyn, sneaking into Madison Square Garden to watch his beloved Knicks, to a student at Morehouse College and NYU film school, to a world-renowned film director and hoops fan.
Along the way Spike takes readers on entertaining and provocative detours, including a one-on-one with that other Brooklyn-born, film-directing, Garden-inhabiting hoops fan, Woody Allen; reviews of sports movies (Spike has seen them all, and the results aren't pretty); an unusually candid interview with Michael Jordan; and a stark assessment of the role of African-American athletes--both in the big business of sports and in the broader culture.
But overall,
Best Seat in the House is a love letter, from a passionate and unswervingly devoted fan, to the game and the team that took possession of Spike's adolescent heart--the New York Knickerbockers--and held it without a turnover through thirty years. of bang-ups and fouls, bad calls and air balls.
Best Seat in the House is a slam dunk.
Customer Reviews:
Spike strikes again!!.......2001-05-31
By and far the best book I have ever read. The content was not the most challenging but Spike Lee managed to tell his life story and intertwine it with the glory of the 70's New York Knicks teams and even inform the reader of his early cinematic musings. A great book for any Knick fan, Spike Lee fan, or general avid reader. I absolutely loved reading this memoir because it gave in depth information on so many facets of life important to Spike Lee: family, basketball, cinema. A definite must read, if only for the reason to see why Spike Lee is so emphatic about his Knicks.
Excellent book.......2001-01-12
Even though I'm not a New York Knicks fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Spike Lee, for all the movies he made, I enjoyed his foray into the world of being an author. This book mixes his life from the time he was a child to the time he was an adult with memories of his beloved Knicks, past and present. It was cool to hear about Monroe,Barnett,DeBusschere,Reed,Frazier,Russell (Cazzie, not Bill, but he mentions Bill too I think) and others as well. He also talks about stars of previous eras and comparing them to ones in more current eras. It's really two books in one, combining his life (an autobiography) with his love of the Knicks. We get to learn about both subjects.
Spike.Good. What's this?.......2000-03-21
Spike Lee is usually brought up when people are talking about arrogant behavior. But in this book, he shows how basketball has changed over the years. I play and follow basketball and I thought this book was great. If you like basketball, professional sports, or Spike Lee, this is a book for you.
Fun for informed Knick fans with lots of great side trips........1997-06-18
There's always been room for a book for Knick fans (who are abreed apart) by an informed Knick fan. Spike Lee, one of the mostprominent among millions who've put this team at the center of their emotional lives, has come up with an informative and gutsy memoir that interweaves his personal growth with a lifelong, overly intense passion for this usually-disappointing NBA franchise. His wonderful asides include reviews of his and Michael Jordan's favorite basketball movies and a raw, unflattering look at Coney Island's Marbury (as in Stephon) family. He also had the guts to say that Riley blew it by leaving Starks in.
Not Spike's Best Work, But Still Entertaining.......1997-06-12
Although perennially overlooked by the Motion Pictures Academy, Spike Lee long ago proved that he is a thoughtful and engaging filmmaker (and not a racist, as some reviewers will lead you to believe). Unfortunately, his filmamking skills do not crossover to the world of books. While Best Seat in the House does provide an insighful look into the world of professional basketball, especially the New York Knicks teams of the early-1970s, it seems as if this book was written off the top of Mr. Lee's head, haphazardly putting to paper stories he recollects. If you are a Knicks fan, you'll enjoy this book. If you are more interested in Spike Lee, rent Do The Right Thing, Crooklyn, or any other of his provocative films
Book Description
His horse gear, a bedroll and a warbag containing a change or two of clothes - these worldly goods were about all the old-time ranch hand could call his own. They were prized possessions, though, and together were usually referred to as "my forty year' gatherins."
The stories in this book are Spike Van Cleve's forty years' gatherins - cherished memories of rugged, honest living in the clean air and mountainous rangeland near Big Timber, Montana.
Spike was born, raised and lived until he died in this land he called "the prettiest country God ever made . . .heaven can't be any better than this." There, he and his family-like his Dad and Granddad before him-ran the Van Cleve ranch, now a 20,000 acre expanse under the Crazy Mountains in south central Montana.
Spike Van Cleve was a natural born storyteller who was educated at Harvard but received his "learning" on the Montana range riding his horses and doing an honest day's work. In this collection of true stories about the land, the people, the horses and the good old times, Spike shifts like the wind, as in his touching story of "Cody and Terry," when the fatal crack of Spike's rifle signals the merciful end to a close partnership between a tearful cowboy and his favorite work horses. This sensitive, poetic story earned Spike Van Cleve a Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Customer Reviews:
A book for my permanent libary.......2006-01-14
I've met Spike's decendents, stayed at their ranch, and this is how I discovered these books by Spike Van Cleve around ten years ago. They are so good, I had to share them with friends and I loaned them out. Since they have disappeared, I need to buy them again! These are timeless stories that show the true flavor of the people and the country. I don't buy many books--but these I will buy twice.
HOME AND HUMOR ON THE RANGE.......2005-04-01
THIS IS A VERY FUNNY AND DANG GOOD READ IF YOU LOVE HORSES
AND THE WIDE OPEN COUNTRY OF MONTANA AND WYOMING. HE LETS YOU IN ON HOW HE UNDERSTANDS HORSES AND TELLS OF SOME WILD DAYS IN THE SADDLE.THERE ARE SOME GREAT DUDE RANCH STORIES ABOUT DIFFERENT GUESTS.IF HE WERE STILL ALIVE I WOULD DEFINITELY WANT TO GO TO HIS.HE IS A SPECIAL,COLORFUL AND DOWN HOME, HILARIOUS GUY.
In one book or less..............2002-03-02
This book describes the people, the attitude, and the lifestyle of Montana - from 1870 until today. The Crazy Mountains continue to evoke the same vast, colorful emotions from those of us who have had the priviledge to grow up beneath them. A must read for anybody who has lived in Montana - and a "should read" for anybody else. A colorful, vivid reminder of home - one of my favorites.
Outstanding.......2001-03-21
I lived in Montana for two years and a friend suggested I read this book. I bought a copy and could not put it down. After I finished it two days later, I bought his other book "A Day Late And A Dollar Short". Ten years later, I am still reading them. Spike doesn't just tell you a story, you live it. If you have any interest at all in ranch life, horses, family, humor, or Montana history; these should be on your list. You'll learn what "slaunchwise" humor and "going to the mountains" is all about.
It's unfortunate that he only wrote two books.
As your friend and fellow author put it, I too, "hope God gives you a horse" Spike.
An excellent story of everyday life in Melville, Montana~.......1999-11-18
This book is an excellent piece of work. I probably am somewhat biased as like the author, I too spent my formative years in the Big Open of Eastern Montana. I can certainly sympathize and relate to alot of what old Spike says about nature, family and ranch life in general.
Average customer rating:
- Fairfield Porter is over-rated
- A dazzling book for art lovers and plein air painters
- Excellent
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Fairfield Porter
John T. Spike
Manufacturer: Harry N Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Fairfield Porter: A Life in Art
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Richard Diebenkorn
ASIN: 0810937190 |
Customer Reviews:
Fairfield Porter is over-rated.......2001-01-10
The format, color plates and essay about Porter's life are all well done. However, it seems to me that despite his excellent reputation, Porter at best is a mediocre painter who draws awkardly. If you already like him, buy the book. But if you are looking for good representational art, look elsewhere.
A dazzling book for art lovers and plein air painters.......1999-08-30
An intimate gem of a book with Porter's biography threaded through luminous paintings of portraits and landscapes. A book I treasure and recommend to any painter, especially plein air painters, for both inspiration and to add to the shelf of resource books. When I purchased Wolf Kahn's book, Porter was listed on Amazon's "customers who bought this book also bought:" I'm glad I went for it. A great recommend! nhammerart@earthlink.net
Excellent.......1999-04-19
An excellent, well-researched book on painter and critic Fairfield Porter.
I bought this from Amazon.com in late February, 1999 and it arrived very quickly, sealed, and in perfect condition. If you have any interest at all in Fairfield Porter's life and painting, then you must buy it. I waited over 6 years to purchase it and was glad I did.
If there are any other artists who enjoy his work, feel free to contact me for correspondence. I work in a similar vein.
Average customer rating:
- Wrong men? That depends on what you want from them
- A Sad Story, but readable
- very true - but very sad
- vicious victim
- A book-length pity party that gets old fast
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All the Wrong Men and One Perfect Boy: A Memoir
Spike Gillespie
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Surrender (But Don't Give Yourself Away): Old Cars, Found Hope, and Other Cheap Tricks
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Pissed Off: On Women and Anger
ASIN: 0684839830 |
Amazon.com
With the same blunt honesty that characterizes her online journalism, Spike Gillespie chronicles her disastrous love life, a litany of abusive, alcoholic men she seems to have selected primarily to reexperience the unhappiness she felt in her relationship with her distant, hypercritical father. At 35, she managed to salvage three good things from the mess she made of her youth: a network of loving friends (she knew several good men, she just slept with all the bad ones); her writing career, based in large part on savagely intimate excavations of her personal affairs; and her son, Henry, with whom she finally found the joyous love that eluded her with father, husband, and countless lovers. If it weren't for Henry (born in 1990) and Gillespie's exuberantly X-rated prose, this would be a grim tale indeed, filled with heavy drinking, self-sabotage, and groveling self-abasement to a series of losers and nutcases, described with pitiless precision. Gillespie doesn't pretend to be objective--her second husband in particular is practically nailed to the page--and readers may sometimes find it hard to understand how the obviously intelligent author could have made the same mistakes over and over. But her candor is compelling, and her tender letters to Henry extremely moving. --Wendy Smith
Book Description
Some women have trouble with men. For Spike Gillespie, a widely followed online journalist, those problems started early with her father -- the first and most important man in any child's life. Spike's relationship with her emotionally distant parent was so flawed that she has had an unending series of disasters with men...from the day she first noticed them to the day she made one of her own -- her perfect little boy, Henry.
In a memoir of sometimes lacerating honesty, Spike Gillespie tells us the story of her life with men -- a blunt, moving, and profoundly revealing account that asks all the hardest questions about love between the sexes. All the Wrong Men and One Perfect Boy isn't a memoir of abuse or tragedy. But it is about the lack of connection -- to family, to lovers, to the world -- that defines much of modern life. Most importantly, however (and here Henry comes in), Gillespie also tells us a story of hope and resolution, of reaching out to touch the world with the newest tools, the computer and the Internet -- and in the oldest way -- through one's children. And it's about the deepest mysteries -- how we love the ones we love, and how we stop loving them when they're destroying us.
Spike Gillespie first began chronicling her thirty-year adventure of love and heartbreak in a weekly online column, and within a few months she was being described by USA Today as the queen of the online confessional. Gillespie has continued to feed her stream-of-consciousness biography to thousands of readers via her website. After years of publishing to the online community, now she is ready to tell the whole tale. Gillespie is a natural storyteller, a writer with a marvelous ability to immerse her readers in a flesh-and-blood world of her lovers, her family, her friends...and above all, her son. This is a writer unafraid to tell the truth -- about human nature, men, family, and motherhood. The result is a memoir of unadorned and refreshing power from a woman on the most intimate terms with passion, anger, love -- and herself.
Customer Reviews:
Wrong men? That depends on what you want from them.......2003-02-23
This memoir was not such a bad one as other reviewers condemned. The way she writes is so smooth that I actually could not stop although I found it a bit dull in the middle of the long series of her seemingly endless WRONG MEN tour. The biggest climax of the story, though, as told from her perspective was the point where she finally acknowldged that she had been unconsiously looking for all the wrongness in men, instead of goodness, as evidences to prove that ALL MEN are BAD, which was her life long hyperthesis originally drawn from an early relationship with her father that fatally formed her identity as a woman. That makes sense and sounds sensible enough. For this valuable recognition, the documentations of all the wrong men weren't useless. On the contrary, they are so important. However, the description of her drunk & one night stand session was unnecessarily interminable. It did not seem to be so essential to name all of them. That almost made the whole book pointless. (I know. She nailed them down even they looked too much.)
The other thing I found problematic was how she concluded the story; she actually sounded as if she hurriedly and forcefully made herself to have made a reconciliation with the haunting hate for her father. I was not quite convinced,though. It sounded as if she jumped to an easy solution because she had to put an end to the story just to close the draft.
It depends on what readers want from the book wheather they like it or not and if they finish the book with resentment or satisfaction. I found it OK. At least, that presented one grown up but confused female figure just like anyone else with almost brutal honesty. She did not even hesitate to reveal her weak points such as over self-pity and insecurity, just as a great number of typical young women today. That's what counts most when we read this.
A Sad Story, but readable.......2001-07-13
It's all true. She does not learn from her mistakes, so the reader may find themselves wanting to hurl the book at the wall when she once again falls into her own traps. There were many times while reading that I found myself saying out loud, "Oh Spike! Why?" Especially when the topic of Dad came up - poor Dad, who buys her cars, who provides her with a summer house; poor Dad who doesn't understand rebellion. If you like contemporary memoirs, and I do, I still found this a compelling read. I ignored the one star reviews, because while I agree that her constant missteps are tiresome, she is a good writer. She shares a lot about herself - could you be so open about your own mistakes?
very true - but very sad.......2000-07-12
I have never read any of Spike's work before but also born in Jersey - and by chance going to USF in Tampa - as she had - the book held a lot of promise... The beginning is great - the honesty and plain english makes it very easy to read. It also makes it easy to connect with and understand. Although I agree with other readers that she should not simply blame her father, complain about others drinking habits, and then go on binges herself - but... for some reason i could not stop reading (towards the end i really wanted to) but maybe that says more about my personality than it does about this book.
The beginning is filled with great "real" excerpts of Jersey life at the shore AND the relationships - but as the story goes on - all that is explained is her relationships - in sad - depressing detail.
I understand the need to be loved but - it doesn't take 276 pages to bash the idea into my head! I just feel bad that she had to go through all of this without resolving any of it.
Very readable - but overall frustrating - because she does not learn from her mistakes.
vicious victim.......1999-11-01
reading this chronicle of spike's life as a professional victim felt rather like watching a train wreck. true, it is a quick and engaging read, but i found that my patience for her endless poor choices and impulsive, irresponsible behavior wore thin quite quickly. rather than examining how she might work to create the self-esteem necessary to protect her from her bad choices (or addressing the hard-core substance abuse that paves the way for every one night stand, enables her to enter into highly dysfunctional long-term relationships, serves as an easy excuse for her lack of judgement with regard to her son, and does so much to further damages her already troubled relationship with her father), she spends her time viciously blaming everyone else for her unhappy experiences. yes, her life has been tough in a way that will ring true for many, and it is impressive that she has created a successful writing career by mining that source material, but it seems to me that all of her life's disasters were equally of her own making.
spike's life and the way she writes about it both seem chock full of the inconsistency and self-serving double standards so common in the pathologically self-absorbed. to cite just one example, she claims that her husband's drinking and use of xanax were primary factors in her decision to leave her husband, only to later detail yet another of her many drunken binges and her own use of prozac.
ultimately i was bored by her constant griping and desperate need for sympathy, and concerned by how little she actually seems to grow as a person during the course of her narrative. yes she has survived and, hopefully for her son's sake, is trying to create a healthier life for herself, but unfortunately i suspect that there are many more bad choices ahead for this woman.
A book-length pity party that gets old fast.......1999-10-31
The book isn't badly written, in the sense that the writing style is smooth and well-executed. However, the story itself is a flat tale of someone with a serious martyr complex. Some people seem to thrive on feeling sorry for themselves. Spike is one of these people. Her world is filled with one-dimensional characters, most of them evil, sick, crazy men. Reading Spike's tale, you get the feeling there's a lot more to the story than what she claims. The truly interesting book would be one where these "wrong men" had a chance to respond to her version of events. Some look at Spike as a "feminist". To me, she's everything feminism should be against: Ultimately weak, whiny, desperate for sympathy and approval...not to mention perpetually defining herself by the men in her life. Henry is the only sympathetic character in the whole sad tale. Too bad that by the time Spike has at last put her life in order, Henry will be the one writing whiny, self-deserving "confessions" about how his mother set him on the path to find "all the wrong women".
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2005-08-13
I read the book and I thought: "Wow, how did he manage to find his way within this insanity?" I was tryly impressed by the stubborness and courage and at the same time note of humour the author brought into the story. I loved it and I think it's a must read teaching how a character can survive and become stronger in such a hard time.
I can't wait for Spike Nasmyth's next books!
excellent.......2005-08-13
I read the book and I thought: "Wow, how did he manage to find his way within this insanity?" I was tryly impressed by the stubborness and courage and at the same time note of humour the author brought into the story. I loved it and I think it's a must read teaching how a character can survive and become stronger in such a hard time.
I can't wait for Spike Nasmyth's next books!
A Much Needed Perspective on the POW Experience.......2002-12-11
I read this book and was really impressed with the Authors take on his experience as a POW. It is a one of a kind. As a Vietnam Vet of two tours and an Author of my own experiences there this one hit home. Its honest, different, and refreshing. Not to take anything away from anyone who was a prisoner but this guy had an approach and as they say today a paradigm that we would all do well to learn from. Im surprised the book is not more widely distributed but then its not politically correct or down trodden. Its unique as Im sure the Author was and is today. Great book!
i know spike, spike is a friend of mine,...........2002-11-13
i met spike on the north end of vancouver island,...what a guy, what a book,...if you want to read an interesting story of survival from a guys guy ex jet fighter jock there isn't many better than this.
i have read many vietnam POW books, this one of few that does not wallow in the darkness that was the North Vietnam POW's life,...you will laugh, you will cry,...you might have a hard time putting it down.
i could and should write the book on this guy's life since he wrote this one,...this guy is a real character that lives it on the "outside of the performance envelope",...with panache'. for me and because i know the man non fiction does'nt get much better than this.
Excellent Book.......2001-03-03
I just wanted to add another viewpoint than the previous reviewer. The language is appropriate for the context of the book. This is explained in the beginning by the Author. His point of view is first person. It is an interesting account of this man's experiences. I found it to be an excellent book. As an afterthought. If you liked the movie Good Will Hunting and the language did not bother you. Then this book is right for you. If you did not like Good Will Hunting because of the language then move on. This is real life in Vietnam and the language is appropriate.
Customer Reviews:
Seen 'em all? Read this book. Otherwise..........2005-10-15
I enjoy reading about film, and had previously read (and enjoyed) "Shooting to Kill" by Christine Vachon and David Edelstein and "Down and Dirty Pictures" by Peter Biskind, so I thought I this would be a great book for me.
I haven't seen many of the "classic" indies detailed in the book (i.e. Slacker, She's Gotta Have It, Go Fish, etc.), so I had trouble understanding (and sometimes paying attention to) parts of Pierson's book. I did learn a lot (and I'm happy about that), but I was also confused much of the time. It would have certainly helped if I would have seen the movies he was detailing. He didn't write the book for people like me. He probably wrote it for people with already strong backgrounds in independent film.
I predict it's a really good read if . . . you have seen loads (i mean loads!) of indie films since the "Stranger Than Paradise" (1984) and you already know about the directors and distributors of the post-1984 indie scene.
If you don't feel like your an industry expert just yet, trying reading "Shooting to Kill" or "Down and Dirty Pictures." They assume much less about the reader. Then watch the "classics" mentioned in these books. Then read this book. You'll appreciate it much more.
Revised version published as Spike Mike Reloaded.......2005-04-22
Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes was revised and published in January 2004 under the title: Spike Mike Reloaded. It contains a new foreward by Kevin Smith, new chapter by John Pierson, and a new dialogue between the two of them.
If You're Going to Sundance ..........2004-04-17
The "A Guided Tour Across a Decade ..." portion of the title is a little misleading to some.
While he talks to and about Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Michael Moore, Jim Jaramusch, Spike Lee and others, and while it's a first account of the American independent film movement circa 1990s - this is NOT a book about their films (either as analysis or critique) or them (as directors and their techniques or merely celeb gossip).
This is a book about the trials and tribulations of being a producer's rep.
There are two types of people who should read this book and would find it useful.
If you plan on directing or producing a movie - consider this book a MUST READ - film distribution 101 reading.
He talks in relevant detail about representing some of the most important American independent films of the 1990s including SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT, CLERKS, ROGER & ME and others. While he gives an almost day-by-day blow of some of these films as they travel from film festival circuit to deal making to publicity tours - the real value is are the details about the process that one can expect as an independent film maker.
Now, a decade later, many things have changed (especially the financing numbers and studio/distribution situation today versus the 1990s) - what hasn't changed is the overall process of what you might encounter and expect. Here's a great opportunity to read what they encountered and what lessons you might learn from them.
The detailed summary on a deal-memo and points that they negotiated regarding the distribution contract and revenues from distribution and home video - are worth the price of a USC Film School class (not the whole education - the books not that great - just a excellent class :-)
If you are a film fanatic and want to learn a portion of the nuts and bolts of the process of film festivals and independent distribution - you should find this book of interest.
Why only three stars? Deduct one star for ... this book would've been more interesting if we got more of a first hand account from the directors and their feelings during the process along with John Pierson's.
Deduct another star because the industry and the financial numbers and the players have changed so the details of the situations are not very useful.
But the foundation of Sundance and other buzz-worthy festivals reached the public eye during this period so if you're going (or thinking of going) to Sundance, Toronto, et al - get up to speed on all that's transpired so far.
Again, this is a MUST READ for aspiring directors and producers. For others, it all depends on how interested you are in the history of the business process of indepedent film-making ...
too much horn-tooting.......2001-07-24
What could've been a good guide to modern indie film is bogged down by Pierson's relentless and self-serving tooting of his own horn. Who cares?!? What we really want is the inside story of all these independent films and filmmakers. Pierson seemed to lose track of who the stars of his book should be. I also found the author's writing and his overall knowledge of movies to be lacking. A much better book on the same broad topic is "Celluloid Mavericks" by Greg Merritt, which covers the entire history of American independent film from a much more literate and balanced perspective.
Definitely for Kevin Smith fans.......2000-07-17
Although I'm a big fan of indie films, I found this book a bit dull. Not that I'm looking for a typical Hollywood put on the glitz and glamour type of book, but the book basically deals with how the author put together financing and got distribution for some indie films. It definitely could have been told in a more exciting way. The best thing about it is the interviews with Kevin Smith that are interspersed through the first half or so of the book. Then, they drop off, and I did as well. The author is definitely a huge fan of Kevin Smith, which is great, as there are a lot of Kevin's journal entries included about when Clerks was at Sundance. If you like Kevin Smith, this is a good read, if only for the interviews and the chapter about Clerks. If not, then well...you might like it, but it's a little dull. If you haven't seen Slacker, Go Fish, Roger and Me, Clerks, She's Gotta Have It, Amongst Friends, Reservoir Dogs, etc., then you might have a hard time as well.
Average customer rating:
- A great study of the artist Caravaggio
- Artist
- Great book on the greatest of all Italian painters
- Highly recommended
- This is the one.
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Caravaggio
John T. Spike ,
Michelangelo Merisi Da Caravaggio , and
Michele K. Spike
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Caravaggio
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ASIN: 0789206390 |
Book Description
For the first time nearly every extant work by Caravaggio is reproduced in color in this lavish new volume, the long-awaited result of more than 20 years of research by a leading authority on the artist.
In an engaging and informed text, John T. Spike explores in detail Caravaggio's scandalous life and provocative work. Placing Caravaggio within the broad panorama of society and ideas at the turn of the 17th century, the author sets a richly detailed stage for an artist who has been called "the first modern painter." Caravaggio (1571-1610) reflected in his canvases his own desires and spiritual crises to an extent no one ever had imagined possible, and he shocked his contemporaries by portraying the saints and virgins of Christianity with the faces and bodies of his companions and lovers in Rome's demimonde.
Accompanying the book is a critical catalog on CD-ROM in which all of Caravaggio's extant paintings, as well as lost and rejected works, are thoroughly described. Each entry specifies the work's medium, dimensions, location, and provenance, and provides an annotated bibliography of sources. Most of the entries conclude with a brief technical analysis. Much of this scientific data, of prime importance for attribution and dating, has not previously been published.
With its fresh insights, as well as judicious readings of the documents and the physical evidence of the paintings themselves, Caravaggio is the most thorough study on the artist to date, and it will no doubt remain a definitive monograph for many years to come.
Other Details:
160 color, 190 b/w illustrations. 11 x 13" trim size. Published in 2001.
Customer Reviews:
A great study of the artist Caravaggio.......2007-06-12
the quality of the research and the color of the paintings are outstanding.
Also the CD-ROM has an unbelievable amount of information on the artist's
works and their provenance.
Dr.John T. Spike's 20 years of research is shared with the reader and is so readable and engaging.
Artist.......2007-03-31
The reproductions are excellent. The binding is fine and the cover handsome. The writing is solid academically. I would have liked the book to have had more information on the artist and his life. Much is left to be done in the study of Caravaggio. His life still seems to be quite mysterious. His probable use of optics and mirrors in his work is touched on and needs further exploration. This book provides a good introduction to Caravaggio and his paintings in a handsome package.
Great book on the greatest of all Italian painters.......2006-06-28
Great book on the greatest of all Italian painters. Glorious plates. And the text is a pretty good bio.
Highly recommended .......2006-04-07
My husband and I just came back from Italy and we had to have a Caravaggio book. His painting in Vatican museum was especially memorable! I picked this book and it is very good. I agree with the earlier comments that some (not "many") pictures are poor quality (too red), but many photographs are very good, nice size for an art book and very important - it is an interesting and detailed research.
This is the one........2002-03-10
My library contains many various volumes on the subject of Caravaggio--fiction, biography, fictionalized biography and photo surverys of his works--but if I were allowed only one book on this most extradordinary painter and his life I'd take "Caravaggio" by John T. Spike. In this weighty large-format picture-book Mr. Spike has given us the most complete look at the artist and his works currently available, presented in graceful depth so as to engage any interested reader and art enthusiast regardless of the nature of his commitment. It's unusual to find such an authoritative colaboration of art historical expertise and first quality illustration as we have here, a book to read, study and savor.
Average customer rating:
- One man's opinion
- Silly drunken licentious farting about in basic training
- Funny, and yet so sad
- Excellent war memoirs
- A British friend gave me the paperback.
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Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall
Spike Milligan
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0140035206 |
Customer Reviews:
One man's opinion.......2005-09-06
I first read this book shortly after I had left the military, having served some seven years, two overseas. The book has "the ring of truth" to it, particularly the "barrack room humour." Several sections of the book literally had me in tears. (of laughter.. ) Look for the piece on "the five mile hike." As a soldier, hikes are a fact of life, but the author's description of an early morning "rise and shine" is, as they say, RIGHT ON!!"
Silly drunken licentious farting about in basic training.......2004-10-06
This is the first of Milligan's WW2 autobiographies, from his call up in June of 1940 to him disembarking for action in Algiers in January 1943. A far cry from Remarque's bleak and horrifying All Quiet on the Western Front, Spike recalls with great fondness the early part of the war - think far more something like a football team or band on tour. This is just training, and whole bunch of young men without much to do given a second chance to muck up at school. Getting drunk, laid, and just farting about - at times literally: get a group of blokes together and, really, is there anything more funny?
I didn't laugh as much at it this second time around, but I remember being constantly in hysterics when I first read the series in a few nights back in '85. But Spike can still be trusted for at least a few laugh out loud moments - more if you're in the right mood.
Funny, and yet so sad.......2003-02-10
I'm usually not one to read autobios, but since it is Spike Milligan I made the exception. It was funny, just as I expected it to be, but there were parts that were very moving and sad; as should be expected I suppose for a WWII novel. His accounts of the absurd are always dead on hilarious, and I found myself reading a passage over and over and just cracking up.
I knew that Spike suffered from depression, and I think in parts it was very apparent. The places that are especially poignant are when he relates a humorous tale, and then explain how he visited the place years later, and how the memories are too much for him to bear. In one particular paragraph he laments: "Oh, Yesterday, how you plague me!"
I love Spike Milligan and his comedy, and have read several run-of-the-mill internet bios on him but his own biography really brings him to life. A great read!
Excellent war memoirs.......2003-01-03
I've now read all of Spike Milligan's war memoirs and think they're excellent (I'm also not a big fan of the Goons). While generally very funny you can really sense his depressive moods even at times when he's not explicit about them.
A British friend gave me the paperback........2001-05-08
And I haven't stopped laughing. I had never heard of Spike Milligan before, but I found his book funny in a way that only the Brits can be, and touching with many moving parts about the war from a crazy man's perspective. I have since read five other Spike Milligan books, and none of them were a disappointment. Seeing WWII from Spike's point of view is realistic, funny, and very thought provoking. My British friend told me he (Spike) was crazy. At first I thought that was just a saying, but it's true. Spike is mentally defunct, in a very happy and bubbly kind of way. You will enjoy this book.
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