Book Description
In one of the most anticipated books of the year, Lee Woodruff, along with her husband, Bob Woodruff, share their never-before-told story of romance, resilience, and survival following the tragedy that transformed their lives and gripped a nation.
In January 2006, the Woodruffs seemed to have it all–a happy marriage and four beautiful children. Lee was a public relations executive and Bob had just been named co-anchor of ABC’s World News Tonight. Then, while Bob was embedded with the military in Iraq, an improvised explosive device went off near the tank he was riding in. He and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, were hit, and Bob suffered a traumatic brain injury that nearly killed him.
In an Instant is the frank and compelling account of how Bob and Lee’s lives came together, were blown apart, and then were miraculously put together again–and how they persevered, with grit but also with humor, through intense trauma and fear. Here are Lee’s heartfelt memories of their courtship, their travels as Bob left a law practice behind and pursued his news career and Lee her freelance business, the glorious births of her children and the challenges of motherhood.
Bob in turn recalls the moment he caught the journalism “bug” while covering Tiananmen Square for CBS News, his love of overseas assignments and his guilt about long separations from his family, and his pride at attaining the brass ring of television news–being chosen to fill the seat of the late Peter Jennings.
And, for the first time, the Woodruffs reveal the agonizing details of Bob’s terrible injuries and his remarkable recovery. We learn that Bob’s return home was not an end to the journey but the first step into a future they have learned not to fear but to be grateful for.
In an Instant is much more than the dual memoir of love and courage. It is an important, wise, and inspiring guide to coping with tragedy–and an extraordinary drama of marriage, family, war, and nation.
A percentage of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the Bob Woodruff Family Fund for Traumatic Brain Injury.
Customer Reviews:
IN AN INSTANT.......2007-10-05
TOTALLY ENJOYED THE CD OF THIS BOOK. A HEARTFELT STORY OF LOVE, PAIN AND RECOVERY.
Up from the trenches.......2007-09-29
This is a story of remarkable courage and love. Medicine and therapy have come a long way, but the personal strength of one person doing the hard work, and another staying by their side, is (I believe) what brings people back to a life worth living after so tremendous a trajedy. Other books about brain trauma: The Shiloh Renewal and I'll Carry the Fork! Recovering a Life After Brain Injury
One of the best books I've ever read!.......2007-09-26
What a wonderful & informative book. I really enjoyed all of the background information. It was a very touching love story. Having gone through 3 brain surgeries myself and my daughter's brain surgery also, gave me a fraction of knowledge on the recovering brain, but the book certainly gives an abundance of information. I've always thought Bob was absolutely fantastic, but I really enjoyed Lee's side of the story. Bravo and Good bless you both Bob & Lee!!!
Interesting book.......2007-09-09
Interesting book - I read it because I was curious what had happened to Bob Woodruff after his injury, because the of the lack of information regarding his condition. It is interesting to me that insiders in the media can control what information gets out about them personally; however others are not so fortunate - their names, faces and not-so-flattering images are splashed across news screens every day.
The book was interesting, but I felt that Lee Woodruff ends up protraying herself as a selfish wife who is annoyed first at her husband's career and then annoyed at the inconvenience his injury caused their family. She describes herself several times as a "single parent" because Bob travelled so much. As a real-life single parent, this completely offended me. A single parent not only cares for their children alone, they also support them alone. A single parent is not a wife of a guy with a six-figure salary who happens to work a lot. If Lee had left these comments out, the book would have been much more palatable.
In An Instant.......2007-08-23
This book was excellent. I thoughthly enjoyed it. My sister is not reading it.
Amazon.com
In From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava, Jay Kopelman tells a story that is both tender and thought-provoking--candidly portraying the ugly conditions in wartime Iraq, while also describing his (and his fellow Marines') growing attachment to a scruffy stray puppy.
Here Jay Kopelman answers a few questions about his aspirations as a writer, and the effect his book has had on readers.
Questions for Jay Kopelman
Amazon.com: Before you met Lava and had this experience smuggling him out of Iraq, did you ever have ambitions to write a book?
Jay Kopelman: Yes, I'd considered writing a book previously and have started--but not finished--a novel. Not surprisingly, it's a military murder mystery. And I'm still hoping to get it published. I've also been offered a deal by my publisher to write another book. So I guess I'm now officially an author.
Amazon.com: How has the military responded to it given that you broke a number of rules during your adventure with Lava?
Jay Kopelman: I've actually not had any real feedback from the military establishment. In fact, mostly I only get the good-natured ribbing from my contemporaries about how much money I'll make or about who will play me in the movie. When the story first broke a year and a half ago, one of the generals jokingly asked me for an autograph, and I've given the previous commanding general for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force a signed galley. So, thus far, there's been nothing "official" to which I've had to respond. We'll see what happens now that the book is released and there's going to be a media blitz surrounding the book. What you have to remember, though, is that I really didn't use military assets to get Lava home. Nor did I ever endanger anyone in the military while doing so.
Amazon.com: In the book, you say that you would like it if it can bring hope to people who've lost loved ones in Iraq by showing them how something positive can come out of a brutal situation. Have you heard from people that your book has made them feel better?
Jay Kopelman: I've not yet heard from anyone who's lost a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan, but I have heard from a counselor who works with the returning Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, who said she finds the story so very positive and helpful. She's planning to come to the book signing there. I also got an e-mail from a Marine who said that while her unit was in Iraq, they adopted a puppy and tried to bring it home, but he was ultimately put down. She says that the Marines "remember how Charlie the dog helped us. Charlie will always be loved. During a time when we were far from home that dog made us smile." So, I suppose Lava's story does help people remember and gives them hope. I've also heard from people who appreciate my candor describing the conditions in Iraq.
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Customer Reviews:
The War Told from a Soldiers Eyes.......2007-09-26
From Baghdad with love is the story of an American soldier in Iraq who finds a puppy. It is the story of he stayed sane, and what the right thing is to do. I bought this book so that I could get a human perspective on the war. I wanted to know what a man viewed as a killing machine thought of a puppy. This is what in essence what I got. The book gives a great story about the war that is not totally depressing. There are some points where you might get a little sad, but the general mood is much more upbeat. One complaint I have about the author style is that is goes from depressing chapters to happy chapters (and vise versa) with very poor transitions. The book does a decent amount of humor, but it is definitely not used in excess. The author does a great job of using just of humor to keep the mood light, but also not using so much that you feel like their making the war into a comedy. One observation I have to make is that although Jay Kopelman is seems a little sad talking about his experiences, but he does not have an extremely negative outlook. Also at some points he may get angry, he does not seem like an angry person. The book does a great job at keeping the story seem personal, but not making it feel to close to home. With many situations in the war the authors do not pussyfoot around the tough subjects. From Baghdad with Love is close to the perfect length. It has a little too short of an epilogue, and there are some things that I wish they would have elaborated on. In many of these situations they can not do this because it would put the people from Iraq that helped them in danger. I really loved in the book when the photographs, but they were in the wrong spot of the book. It belonged in the back with the epilogue. I wonder how much of the story is actually written by Jay Kopelman and how much is written by Melinda Roth. This is a truly interesting story of a war that is important for Americans to understand.
Great Story.......2007-09-11
I thought this book was great. The way this marine and other fellow marines were able to bond with this puppy during the war was heart felt. Not only did the book describe the struggles to bring this dog back to the US despite military regulations, the book also described some struggles of marines being in the war itself. What an amazing book. I highly recommend it.
Heartwarming & Outstanding.......2007-09-06
The love shown to Lava is uplifting. Jay Kopelman and the Marines are to be commended for their kind hearts. I am so happy that Lava did not become a fatality of the war. If you are a dog lover. You must read this book.
Much better than expected.......2007-08-27
I expected this book to be just a nice story, but it is full of hard facts and details of the circumstances in Iraq. It was much more informative than I expected, and gives the reader a feeling for what our guys and gals are going through, and how they must turn their emotions off and on at the drop of a hat. The author also does a good job of not getting up on any soapboxes, for either side politically. Highly recommend it!
Semper Fi.......2007-08-26
It is an awesome book about a US Marine who finds a puppy in Baghdad and gets it back to the states. Lots of military jargen and details of firefights... almost makes me miss the Marine Corps---almost
Product Description
The 14 Book Beany Malone Set includes: Meet the Malones; Beany Malone; Leave It to Beany; Beany and the Beckoning Road; Beany Has a Secret Life; Make a Wish for Me; Happy Birthday, Dear Beany; The More the Merrier; A Bright Star Falls; Welcome Stranger; Pick a New Dream; Tarry Awhile; Something Borrowed, Something Blue; Come Back, Wherever You Are. The Malones of Denver, Colorado are a warm open-hearted family with a welcoming home, open to friends and all others in need of physical and emotional nourishment. The series has the warmth and sense of solidarity intrinsic of wartimes and the post-war era. There is a general feeling of peace and simplicity. When the series opens, the Malone children are motherless, as Mary Malone has been dead for three years. The father, Martie Malone, is often absent due to his duties as editor of the Denver Call. Three of the four Malone children, Mary Fred, Johnny and Beany, live at home. The oldest Malone daughter, the beautiful, loving Elizabeth, has been married to Lieutenant Donald McCallin for one year. The Malones live on Barberry Street in a large, wide-bosomed gray stone home. Their surrounding neighbors are Mrs. Morrison Adams (known as Mrs. Socially-prominent Adams) in her red brick home with immaculate white trim and frilly curtains in the windows, and the imposing and stately home of the Judge Buell family.
Customer Reviews:
AMAZING SERIES!! IS A MUST READ!.......2006-06-24
I got the entire series this past Christmas. I had read the first 2 because although my library had more, they didn't have all of them, and they didn't have the 3rd and I don't like to read things out of order so I was really sad. So then I was soo happy to find out they were being republished by Image Cascading!!!
So yea I read them all and they all rock!!! It's nice seeing what teenagers did back in the 50's. And it was also nice how different people's relationships were with their family's, I wish it were more like that today. And they are also way more responsible and mature then we are now. Making their own money, not having to depend on their parents for everything. And their parents respect and trust them more too! And they definatly treat their parents with much respect which is ALOT more then I can say about kids of today.
The first book is about Beany's older sister, Mary Fred. It is in MF's junior year of highschool, when Beany is in 8th grade. The rest of the books are all about Beany, in highschool, college, and then when she gets married. And let me just say I LOVE who she ends up with. They are SOOO cute!!!
Everyone should read these books they are amazing and are definatly one of my favorite books ever!
Book Description
A longtime investigative journalist uncovers one of the great untold stories of twentieth–century international intrigue, and the secrets it has held 㟵ntil now.
Shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis and Bobby Kennedy, two of the world's richest and most powerful men, disliked one another from the moment they first met. Over several decades, their intense mutual hatred only grew, as did their desire to compete for the affections of Jackie, the keeper of the Camelot flame.
Now, this shocking work by seasoned investigative journalist Peter Evans reveals the culmination of the Kennedy–Onassis–Kennedy love triangle: Onassis was at the heart of the plot to kill Bobby Kennedy. Nemesis meticulously traces Onassis's trail – his connections, the way that he financed the assassination – and includes a confession kept secret for three decades. With its deeply nuanced portraits of the major figures and events that shaped an era, Nemesis is a work that will not soon be forgotten.
Customer Reviews:
You won't be disappointed...........2007-06-25
Fans of Callas, Onassis, & Kennedy(s) should embrace this book a.s.a.p. Peter Evans does a wonderful job. What an extraordinary story that is told. I couldn't put this book down for several weeks. Even after I've finished it, it inspires re-reading. Highly recommended!!
Confusing.......2007-06-09
I thought that this book would be interesting to me because I like the Kennedy family and am interested in conspiracy theories, but I was wrong. This book is pretty good, but it is really confusing with so many people involved that sometimes it is hard to keep straight who this person is and what they did.
Rumors and Questions Answered.......2007-03-24
Those who find a conspiracy in every world event will be satisfied with the well-researched and well-written account of the possible involvement of Aristotle Onassis in the assassination of Robert Kennedy. As to the oft-asked question as to why Jacqueline Kennedy would want to marry the Greek tycoon, it is answered with a new understanding of the greed and lust that drove these compelling personalities. The narrative fairly jumps from the pages of this very fast read. Even the footnotes are fascinating.
Whoa!.......2006-05-04
What a fascinating, very well written book! It seemed every page had a juicy morsel or two and really opened my eyes into what was really going on during the last months of John Kennedy's life and why Jackie married Aristotle Onassis. As a teenager, I was shocked she'd married someone who obviously wasn't a friend of the United States. But Peter Evans portrays Onassis as someone so fascinating, even desirable in his "bulldog" approach to women, maybe money wasn't the only reason. Then again, once you read this book your whole image of "Camelot" and the "Holy Widow" will never be the same.
Review for Seller.......2006-01-15
The book came quickly and in exactly the condition stated: like brand new. Will definitely look this seller up again next time I'm shopping for books.
Average customer rating:
- Beautifully Haunting ...
- A different Holocaust story
- A son's voyage of discovery of his parents' nightmarish past
- A Very Moving Book
- Wow
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The Inextinguishable Symphony: A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi Germany
Martin Goldsmith
Manufacturer: Wiley
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ASIN: 0471350974 |
Amazon.com
Writing this book must have required enormous courage; reading it is overwhelming, especially for anyone personally connected to the events it describes. Martin Goldsmith, best known as the host of NPR's Performance Today, is the American-born son of two German-Jewish musicians who escaped the Holocaust. He anchors the Holocaust to the story of his own family, whom he never knew because most of them perished in Hitler's death camps. Goldsmith accompanies them through their lives in Nazi Germany, with its ever-tightening persecution and repression of the Jews, and on their nightmarish journey to the gas chambers. He follows his parents through their early musical training, their blossoming love, courtship, and marriage--making them seem like a normal, happy young couple--to their miraculous rescue and escape to America.
The book's linchpin is the Jewish Culture Association ("Jüdische Kulturbund"), in whose Berlin orchestra his parents met. Established by prominent Jewish leaders in 1933, after a "purge" of all Jewish Civil Servants, the Kulturbund flourished for eight years, with the permission and under the constant, increasingly repressive surveillance of the Nazis, who exploited it as a propaganda tool. Spreading from Berlin to other cities, its musical and theatrical presentations, lectures, and films offered employment to thousands of Jewish artists and the only cultural oasis to its Jewish audiences. In 1941, Germany's preoccupation with the war and the "Final Solution" rendered it superfluous, and it was dissolved.
But Goldsmith also furnishes the proper historical context for his uniquely individual, human account of the 20th century's most inhuman period. After a chillingly detailed description of the grass-roots rise of Nazism, he focuses on particularly horrifying events: the infamous 1935 Nuremberg Laws and the devastating 1938 pogrom, "Kristallnacht." The tragedy of the 937 refugees, including Goldsmith's grandfather and uncle, who were refused disembarkation first in Cuba, then in Miami, illustrates the world's customary indifference to "other" people's misfortunes. Nobody paid attention when, as early as 1922, Hitler declared that his first priority on coming to power would be the extermination of the Jews.
Goldsmith's factual, reportorial style increases the sickening horror, and he reminds us frequently that he is writing about his own family. Though his story's outcome is never in doubt, he generates real suspense--a measure of his skill, despite his unfortunate habit of hinting at the future. The Kulturbund has been accused of encouraging the Jews to ignore the desperate circumstances outside the theater, and therefore the imminence of their danger. Goldsmith refutes this. For most of them, emigration was impossible because, apart from the natural fear of pulling up roots, leaving everything behind, and starting a new life, they had nowhere to go. Moreover, how could anyone foresee the depth of the impending horror? It was, and still is, beyond the human imagination.
Goldsmith writes with insight and aching honesty about the survivors' guilt and its numbing effect even upon the next generation. But his parents also taught him to love music and appreciate its meaning in people's lives, and he talks about it with real knowledge and understanding. (However, someone should have corrected his opening reference to Siegmund's sword in Die Walküre, which is made of steel, not gold.) This is a brilliantly written, important, unforgettable book. --Edith Eisler
Book Description
Advance Praise for the Inextinguishable Symphony "A Fascinating Insight into a Virtually Unknown Chapter of Nazi Rule in Germany, Made all the More Engaging through a Son's Discovery of His Own Remarkable Parents." -Ted Koppel, ABC News "An Immensely Moving and Powerful Description of those Evil Times. I couldn't Put the Book Down." -James Galway "Martin Goldsmith has Written a Moving and Personal Account of a Search for Identity. His is a Story that will Touch All Readers with Its Integrity. This is not about Exorcising Ghosts, but Rather Awakening Passions that no One Ever Knew Existed. This is a Journey Everyone should Take." -Leonard Slatkin, Music Director National Symphony Orchestra "For Years I've been Familiar with Martin Goldsmith's Musical Expertise. This Book Explains the Source of His Knowledge and His Passion for the Subject. In Tracking the Extraordinary Story of His Parents and the Jewish Kulturbund, Martin Unfolds a Little-Known Piece of Holocaust History, and Finds Depths in His Own Heart that Warm the Hearts of Readers." -Susan Stamberg, Special Correspondent National Public Radio "[A] Strong and Painful Book, Well-Written, Well-Researched, Moving, and Very Instructive." -Ned Rorem, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer
Customer Reviews:
Beautifully Haunting ... .......2007-09-28
My bookclub is entering into its Holocaust Month. Someone recommended this book to me last year and I thought, it sounded interesting enough to read. Interesting just barely describes this book. Haunting is more the word that I think of when I finished this book. Incredibly lucky are two more words.
There are so many books out there about the Holocaust that it can be confusing sometimes to read what. This book definitely should be read simply because it's beautifully moving, tragically sad and not only that, it provides a different viewpoint of what happened during the early years of Nazihood in Germany and before the "Final Solution" was proposed to exterminate the Jews. This happened and I don't recall hearing much about any of this till I read this book. Before Hitler and Goring proposed the death camps and just while trying to get rid of Germany of the non-Aryan blood, they came up with a solution that provides entertainment and music/art/theater productions just for the Jews. This is a place for the Jews to retreat to. They were only allowed to play Jewish pieces written by Jewish artists/musicans. And they were left alone in the 30s and early 40s. Well, not quite completely left alone as they still had to follow the Nazi rules. But it was a place of refuge for the Jews, especially in Berlin.
This book, while devoting a huge portion to the Kulturbund and its orgins, the author writes of his personal family history. His mother and father were musicans in the Kulturbund. And they suffered horrible tragedies as the war progressed over the years. However, they were young, in love and naive like a lot of people were. They did manage to escape Germany but they also managed to leave behind family members which have haunted them and their children even to this day. It is very intense reading at times and with hindsight on the reader's part, it is very hard to fathom their optimism that things will work out ok in the end. Not only that, this book brings up the question of whether or not the Kulturbund was good for the Jews or kept them compliant enough to keep them in Germany instead of escaping to other countries, so the Nazis could gas them too. This book is haunting and disturbing. The questions that the author may have unknowingly stirred are now raised in my mind ... and the answers are not easy to figure out.
This is not your typical Holocaust book nor is it like the other books about the camps ~~ this book simply tells a tale of two musicans who were unfortunate to be caught up in the times that stirred Germany (and the world) ~~ but yet, their love of music has sustained them through the years before they left Germany. Are they heros? Not in the sense that we associate it with. They are more like survivors and like all survivors, they carry a burden of guilt that resounded through the years. But it is a book that honors the memory of those who were left behind in a time of turmoil that even today, still vibrates through the years.
9-28-07
A different Holocaust story.......2005-10-26
MG's story of his family during the early Nazi era is an unusual glimpse into the lives of German Jews during the period from 1933-1941. He writes about the Kulturbund, an organization created by the Nazis to (1) rid Germany of Jewish influence in the arts and (2) provide propaganda coverage of the maltreatment of Jews by the Third Reich.
In my opinion the book is generally well written and seems to be the result of careful research. My one complaint is that MG frequently quotes conversations which I doubt have been recorded in any way. I don't like that in historical writing, but in this case I was willing to overlook it, because of my interest in the story.
A son's voyage of discovery of his parents' nightmarish past.......2004-01-06
What do we really know about our parents' life before we were born? That depends largely, I guess, on how much of an interest we show - and on how much they are willing to reveal. Because in the life of every person there are instances and times they rather wish to forget, and not revive time and again by discussion, even if only among their nearest and dearest.
Such, in the lives of author Martin Goldsmith's parents, were the years from 1933 through 1941; so much so, in fact, that Goldsmith likens that time to the massive ash tree in the house of Germanic warlord Hunding, the setting of the first scene of Richard Wagner's opera "Die Walkuere:" Something looming large, yet never openly acknowledged. Because before George Gunther Goldsmith, furniture and home decorating salesman of Cleveland, Ohio, and his wife Rosemary, a violinist with the St. Louis Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra, became American citizens in 1947, they had lived a whole other life - the hunted life of Jews in Adolf Hitler's Germany. And only years after his mother's death, on a trip to his father's home town of Oldenburg, did Goldsmith catch the first glimpses of what was hidden behind that massive ash tree, and George Goldsmith began to talk about the events which his, the Goldschmidt family had witnessed there; as well as the early life of Rosemarie nee Gumpert in Duesseldorf, the couple's first meeting in Frankfurt, and their later life in Berlin until their lucky escape to the United States. Beginning with this visit, Martin Goldsmith retraced his family's path to the early years of the 20th century, when his paternal grandfather Alex Goldschmidt took residence in Oldenburg, and his maternal grandfather Julian Gumpert settled in Duesseldorf.
How intensely personal this voyage into the past must have been becomes clear in the account of Goldsmith's visit to Oldenburg prison, as a participant in a march retracing the path taken by the Jews - among them the author's grandfather - driven through the streets of Oldenburg in 1938 by Nazi thugs, to later be shipped off (at least temporarily) to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. But although he writes about his very own family, and now in full knowledge of their fate, Goldsmith's narrative is in no way sentimental. With a journalist's detachment he talks about Guenther and Rosemarie, Alex, Julian and their wives and other children; turning a nonfiction account whose outcome is clear from the very start into a heartstopping tale few would be able to believe if presented with it under colors other than that of the plain historic truth.
Prominently featured in Goldsmith's account is the Jewish Culture Association, or Juedischer Kulturbund; as of 1933 the German Jews' only permitted artistic organization, in whose orchestra Guenther and Rosemarie had met and which had formed the center of their life until they finally left the country. One of the most controversial institutions of Nazi Germany, it reunited what was left of the country's Jewish musicians, artists, writers and composers - providing a modicum of shelter in an increasingly hostile environment, but also a convenient tool in the Nazi propaganda machine. Were the members of the Kulturbund instrumentalized to deceive public opinion, at home and abroad, about the true intentions of Hitler's government? By giving their Jewish audience a sense of comfort and "belonging," did they also prevent some of them from rescuing themselves when there still would have been time? The surviving members of the "Kubu" and their families, interviewed by Goldsmith, come down on both sides of the issue; and the fate of the survivors is probably as symptomatic as that of the many who ultimately did perish in Nazi concentration camps - chiefly among those the Kulturbund's charismatic founder Dr. Singer, who not only let himself deceive into returning to Germany after already having reached the safe shores of the U.S. but saw a mark of distinction even in his deportation to the "model" concentration camp of Theresienstadt.
Yet, for Guenther and Rosemarie the years with the Kulturbund were dominated, above all, by the musical companionship they experienced. What does seem to have haunted them most for the rest of their lives, however, was their very escape to America, while their remaining family members were stuck in Europe and, one way or another, died in Hitler's concentration camps - and the feeling that with a little effort they just *might* have saved at least some of them. The letters of Alex Goldschmidt and his younger son Helmut, written to Guenther from captivity in France after their own unsuccessful attempt to flee to Cuba, are among the most chilling testimonials contained in this book; and the decision to translate and include them conceivably cannot have been an easy one for Goldsmith. Indeed, it apparently was the knowledge of his family's fate that, all talent and love of music aside, eventually compelled George Goldsmith to forever retire the flute which, in his life as Guenther Goldschmidt, had been the only item of true importance besides his beloved wife Rosemarie; thus punishing himself in a way no outsider could have done. Yet, the couple's gift for music lives on in their son, who in his own way has brought many hours of joy to radio listeners all over the U.S.
Martin Goldsmith's "Inextinguishable Symphony" - named for Danish composer Carl Nielsen's Fourth Symphony, which sets music, as a parable for life itself, against war, terror and destruction - is as much a personal journey of discovery as a journalist's account of historic facts; seeking to understand rather than to judge. It deals with a time in which morality was thoroughly upset by a profoundly immoral regime, which cannot possibly have remained without effect on anybody who witnessed those events. In applying our own values to those facts, I think we would all do well in being careful to, likewise, make a thorough effort to understand before we judge. Goldsmith's insightful account is a great place to begin such a process.
A Very Moving Book.......2003-09-01
This story was impossible to put down and when you finish, it stays with you for a very long time. Its hard to believe that Gunther and Rosemary didn't make every effort to help their parents emigrate to U. S. What really bothers me most is, not being Jewish, what would I have done in Germany in the late thirties and early forties when I saw these atrocities happening?
Wow.......2003-06-09
I listened to Martin Goldsmith on "Performance Today" (and still listen to his successor, Fred Child) for many years. This man who for years described classical music on the radio -- composers and their life story, pieces and their histories, in accessible, engaging, and lightly humorous ways, and even sometimes tied it in to his love of baseball -- he also has an extraordinary family story. It's moving and well-written, and makes me think about the extraordinary stories that must dwell in the depths of my own geneological past.
Book Description
Fresh out of college and passionate about photography, Deborah Copaken Kogan moved to Paris in 1988 and began knocking on photo agency doors, begging to be given a photojournalism assignment. Within weeks she was on the back of a truck in Afghanistan, the only woman—and the only journalist—in a convoy of mujahideen, the rebel “freedom fighters” at the time. She had traveled there with a handsome but dangerously unpredictable Frenchman, and the interwoven stories of their relationship and the assignment set the pace for Shutterbabe’s six chapters, each covering a different corner of the globe, each linked to a man in Kogan’s life at the time.
From Zimbabwe to Romania, from Russia to Haiti, Kogan takes her readers on a heartbreaking yet surprisingly hilarious journey through a mine-strewn decade, seamlessly blending her personal battles—sexism, battery, life-threatening danger—with the historical ones—wars, revolution, unfathomable suffering—it was her job to record.
Customer Reviews:
A Woman Covers the War Zones.......2007-09-29
This very unusual book is fascinating whether you are interested in pursuing a career in journalism or just curious about what life is like as a woman covering war for a living. This "Shutterbabe" tells the story of her life from behind the camera across different battle zones around the globe. She also tells of the men she meets and gets involved with. There has been some criticism of the book for these tales of sexual escapades, but this is the raw story of a real person's life, and I think that they reflect a complete story, instead of one massaged to make the author look better.
My only disappointment with the story is that she finally gives it all up for motherhood, but that is real life too. Before that, Kogan was a producer for "Dateline" on NBC after her return to the United States. She speaks of tiring of wartime weariness and equates photojournalists to vultures who prey on others' misery--all of which I find disingenuous for someone who made her own living this way for many years. It's ok to change your mind, but I believe that photojournalism is an important way of bringing news to people, and I think Kogan would agree or she would have pursued another way of making a living with her camera in the first place.
Despite these claims, I highly recommend this book to everyone, particularly young women interested in journalism. This book is a real insider's look at covering war, from a woman's point of view, something (unfortunately) we still don't hear that much of, even in the 21st century. Don't miss it.
Required Feminist Read.......2007-08-28
Deborah Copaken Kogan writes about her very young career as a rag tag photojournalist who fearlessly jumped at every opportunity and when opportunities weren't available or were pulled away (she was a woman after all) she made them happen for herself. As a young graduate from Harvard, Copaken moves off to Paris alone to become a war photojournalist. The challenges she faces mirror directly or as metaphors, the challenges that every young woman faces who believes she can make a difference in the world. The sexuality of Deborah's chosen relationships in Shutterbabe are understandable and expected for a young adventurous person. The accounts of the men she chooses to, and is forced to deal with interweave perfectly with the many other challenges that Deborah faces in her career. Critics who compare her sexual accounts and relationships to "what if a man wrote this" are way off base. The gender reverse argument is ridiculous. This is a story of a woman fighting the odds and questioning what life has handed her. Trying to make a difference in a world that doesn't belong to her. A man in the same situation would never have to process the same challenges. Men don't get raped and sexually attacked. OK maybe there are exceptions but a story about a man getting raped would not be a metaphor for what other men experience. A man being shut out of an opportunity because he's a man wouldn't mirror what nearly all men must deal with frequently in their lives. Though not religious, Copaken is inspired by her Jewish roots and her knowledge of the Holocast. She questions the existance of God as she plows through her adventures and thoughtfully produces art that will document and communicate the world's struggles. As she reaches her late twenties and after several years in the "trenches" Deborah experiences a metamorphosis. From the young ideal college graduate to the young woman who recognizes true love and emotional support from a partner, Deborah begins to question the effectiveness and authenticity of her career. She wrestles with the importance of childrearing. She moves to a safer career yet still struggles with the same questions. On one assignment Deborah meets her old male colleagues and finds herself defending her choices to these men with fetus envy(men who try to belittle women who raise children). Shutterbabe is my hero--a woman who makes a difference while young and again as a devoted parent of two children. I look forward to learning of Deborah Copaken Kogan's next phase. I recommend this book to all young people--men and women, to gain a richer understanding of the places we hold in this world and how we all might take a step forward from here. Be inspired by this young woman's incredible bravery and the conviction of her thoughtful choices.
Great Read.......2007-06-14
Good book, I'm jealous of her career, someday...
Honest and brutal and a woman wrote it!.......2006-11-20
Finally, a book where the author is honest about her adventures in both the work and sexual arenas. Reading some of the previous reviews it seems that because the author had what some would consider a privileged upbringing and went to Harvard she should have gone to join the peace corps or become a doctor and kept her mouth shut about her sexual exploits. Thank God she didn't. What Shutterbabe is writing about is real life...come on we all know women or perhaps are women who carry on affairs with married or soon to be married men. We all know certain men have affairs who don't like women...or rather don't respect women. Just because Shutterbabe went to Harvard does not mean that she automtically is excluded from the "my life sucks" group that we have all been a member of...so she takes a picture of a dead poacher and every one is up in arms about it, it was her job to do so if anyone should be judged shouldn't it be the editor who sent her there to get that particular picture or else...if it had been a guy who shot the picture I can guarantee you there would have been a truckful of women just waiting to soothe his fevered brow! Thanks Shutterbabe for your honesty about your life...although I cringed at several of the passages you wrote I applaud you and your story.
Required Reading for Photojournalists.......2005-08-23
Great Read! I bought this book because Bill Jay from Lenswork magazine recommended it. It's a book you can't put down! I absolutely loved it. My only negative comment would be the title--it sounds so barbie-like and "fu-fu" whereas the book is meat-n-potatoes photography. This IS the required book for any woman who wants to be a photojournalist.
Book Description
Every man in America must read this explosive exposé of the frightening assault waged on American men for more than a generation. It identifies the:
Perpetrators of this war
Increase in power that women have obtained'at the expense of men.
Rampant discrimination against men that has fueled this change in power.
Decline of the United States as a result of the war against men.
Half-truths and lies used by women and their organizations to demonize men and achieve their dubious objectives.
Reasons why men, not women, must be the leaders of families and our nation.
Extent to which federal funding and commitment to health care grossly favors women over men.
Commandments by God that define the relationship between husbands and wives, men and women.
Culpability women have for divorce and the tactics they use to deny decent husbands and fathers a place to live and child visitation rights.
Major corporations that discriminate against men in order to vault women into top management positions.
Weakened U.S. military as female participation has increased through the lowering of standards for them'but not for men.
Decline in educational levels that have occurred in our female-dominated public schools.
Sinister efforts of women and women's groups and the federal government to keep boys out of colleges and universities and pump girls into science and math programs.
Federal legislation that falsely portrays men as abusers.
Customer Reviews:
A fantastic, objective analysis from Dr Hise.......2007-09-06
This book makes a great read, providing scientific confirmation of facts which all of average intelligence already knew intuitively. Forget about Susan Faludi's war on women. If anything, the so-called war on women, especially when Faludi wrote her book in the 80s, has been no more than a scuffle as men have largely failed to take action in the war against them and their sons. Men are facing an all-out assault, not just in the US, as documented here, but in the many Western countries which ultimately take their lead from the US. Countries exposed to Hollywood films, most of the world now I guess, are being systematically brainwashed by the feminist agenda. The time has come when 'Be a man' does not refer to some pathetic chivalrous nonsense you were conditioned with as a boy to help make it easier to sacrifice your life on battlefield, coal mine, or construction site. 'Be a man' now means to stand up for your gender, we've sat back for 40 years and look at the disaster we've allowed unopposed feminism to wreak on our planet. Dr Hise hates feminism and not women. Those who've grown up with just a 50% perspective on reality, and are not used to clear talking and no beating around the bush, may mistake his tone. Well, get used to it. The time has come for clear, direct no-nonsense truths, for the sake of not just the US, but the world. If or when the US ultimately loses its status in the world, Americans, and all lovers of a free world, will know who to thank. Those who undermined their country in its hour of need for their own selfish, egotistical motives.
In the end, the world will move back to a more traditional, conservative order as the disaster of feminism becomes more and more apparent. Feminists, thank God, are a group not known for procreating, apparently because the only way they can get sperm in them is by paying for it. In the country I live in, the number of Germans having babies has dropped dramatically thanks ultimately to Feminism. The ones reproducing are the Turkish and Arabian immigrants, and those from Eastern Europe and Russia, all patriarchal societies which are largely producing Germany's population of the future, along with the German working class. Not many young feminists being produced there. When the day finally comes when gender feminism is thankfully no more than a bad memory, we will thus be able to ascribe its downfall to the application of its own, unenlightened policies. So Dr Hise, thank you once again for your insightful work, I am not a Christian myself and consider myself a liberal, so may not give the few scriptures you quote the weight you do, but that did not affect my appreciation for a fantastic piece of research. It's time we forget about such petty labels so that people of both sexes and across the political spectrum can concentrate on the common enemy at hand.
One stumble for man, one pitfall for mankind.......2007-03-14
I've done lots of reviews on books holding enforced patriarchal views that I strongly dislike. As much as I disapprove of the authors who hold such views, I have never accused any of them of having a "hatred" of women before, mainly because (with one exception) I haven't come across an author who honestly DID seem to hate women. Until now, that is.
I will readily admit that certain corners of society are unfair to men and that some feminists have, well, given the movement a bad name. However, while there are definetly valid problems for men, this mass "war" that Hise speaks of seems to be mostly the product of a mind that's more sexist than the women he damns and somewhat delusional. He does, indeed, seem to have a hatred of women and a rampant fear of a female conspiracy that he seems to think rests in every estrogen-holding mind. (And yes, I mean a hatred of women, not just feminists; I've come across men who hate feminists without hating women and Hise ain't one of them).
Hise's tone towards women, dripping with patronization and dislike, was what really offended me. Like I said before, society does have certain unfair slants towards men and that is a valid problem to pursue. Hise, however, gives me the impression that a woman merely stepping out of the kitchen to have equal footing with a man would send him into an anti-feminist rant. He rips Biblical passages out of context and practically screams them at women like we're cattle. It came to the point that I felt like I was being forcibly pushed into an apron and a back pew, safely away from the men I might corrupt.
Hise's claim that the Bible encourages female submission to patriarchy was what really gave him away and proved to me that he was not trying to fix real problems in society so much as bellow his own outrage that women have stepped out of his image of what we should be (way too late for that, Mr. Hise; you missed the mid-sixties). He gives examples of women who he believes to be concocting plots against men, warns men against marriage, and even goes so far as to tell men they should keep wives out of the workplace because so many affairs occur there. All I have to say to that is, it takes two to tango. What about those male workers involved in affairs, Hise? Unless you buy into the age-old crock of "men can't help themselves", I'm afraid that advice only takes care of half the problem. But then, that could just be more of an attempt to keep women out of work period than to prevent affairs. What a shame that Hise has such a horrid view of women. Rarely have I seen such fear and underlying hatred of my sex
Absolute rubbish.......2007-02-13
First lets start by saying I hate political correctness and everything it stands for. One part of PC is the gender war. Basically you can say anything derogatory about men. However, if you even say you don't agree with all this feminist propaganda you are branded a sexist and could lose your job. I bought this book hoping it would contain some insight into methods to combat such inequalities. What utter rubbish it was. Nothing about PC. It was written by some old bible bashing codger. It was nothing to do with male-female inequality, but rather if you were a good christian how this would save America. Sorry I don't like PC but this guy stepped out of the 1850s. He believes if women lived as the bible tells them to, then the whole place will be fine and dandy. Don't waste your money on this antiquated load of rubbish. I suggest you buy "The rantings of a single male" much more informative and relevant for today.
Boys are in danger.......2006-03-29
What everyone knew, but too afraid to say anything because it isn't politically correct for a boy to protest against boy-bashing.
I was most upset with how present-day feminist take blind aim at boys as young as six years old, charging them with sexual harassment.
The world's gone crazy! In Williamsville, N.Y. a 6-year-old boy kissed a girl on the cheek, after she asked him to, and was charged with sexual harassment. The boy was more upset for being banned from "coloring time" with his friends, and not being allowed to participate in his ice cream party for his good attendance.
In Canton, Ohio, a 6-year-old boy with ADHD had to go to the doctor on the day of his class field trip, so his mom put him in the tub so he wouldn't see the school bus. When he heard the bus and ran to the window to tell them to wait, not only was the little boy suspended for sexual harassment, he was told by school officials to sign a paper stating that he understood the charges against him.
In El Paso, Texas, a boy stuck his tongue out at a girl during a play-ground dispute and was charged.
The sad thing is that these boys don't understand the severity of what has happened. A California boy was told by a friend that he wasn't allowed to attend his birthday party because of a similar incident. When these boys apply for college, they'll find a "sexual harassment charge" on their permanent school record.
Title IX's unfortunate side effect has created this atmosphere that it's okay to target and label boys as young as 6 years old as sexual predators by adults who are lacking in experience, knowledge, or plain common sense.
Title IX was written to ensure equal rights for both men and women, but is primarily used to eliminate athletic opportunity for college men. The law never seemed to apply whenever gender-inequities favored women, and this precedent has made it to the elementary school level where girls are just as, if not more, physically expressive as boys. But nationwide, only boys have been charged for sexual harassment for innocent hugs or kisses.
By the way things are going, if a kindergartner falls on a girl in the schoolyard, he may be charged with anything from sexual harassment to attempted rape.
It's totally crazy.
Good analysis, insufficient solutions.......2005-12-27
I commend Dr. Hise for being one of the very few Christians that hasn't bought into the prevalent "woman good, man bad" zeitgeist or been blinded by a misguided "chivalry" (put forth in reality to gain the favor of women). He is thus able to take an objective look at things, about how men are demonized and discriminated against in our society. There is a veritable gold mine of statistics and references. There admittedly could have been a bit more space devoted to divorce and child custody issues, and how extensive and intrusive "child support" enforcement has become (which is in reality an extortion/shakedown racket).
However, the problem is even worse than Dr. Hise has envisioned. Dr. Hise is dreaming if he really imagines solutions are going to be implemented on the political level anytime soon. Most politicians, even especially male politicians, are totally beholden to the feminists. And, Dr. Hise is dreaming if he thinks the solution to marriage/divorce is a pre-nuptial agreement, which courts routinely ignore. Sad to say, the only solution is going to lie in a wholesale revolt by men against a society totally hostile to them. For instance, if there is any chance of a divorce husbands should stash their assets in offshore bank accounts and their wives should be told in no uncertain terms that if they decide they are "no longer fulfilled" the men expect full custody of the children; if not, they will refuse to support the family breakup and buy a one-way ticket to a jurisdiction which doesn't honor U.S. family courts. Men should refuse to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, especially when they return home to a divorcing wife, a family court system unfavorable to them, and, if a reservist called to active duty, child support arrearages due to the differenec in pay between their civilian jobs and active duty pay. Sad to say, this is what it's going to take. Men will be played for chumps as long as they willingly go along with it. Maybe Dr. Hise will explore these issues in a follow-up book.
Book Description
Lance Armstrong's War is the extraordinary story of greatness pushed to its limits, a vivid, behind-the-scenes portrait of Armstrong—perhaps the most accomplished athlete of our time—as he faces his biggest test: a historic sixth straight victory in the Tour de France, the toughest sporting event on the planet.
Made newly vulnerable by age, fate, fame, doping allegations, and an unprecedented army of challengers, Armstrong fights on all fronts to do what he does like no one else: exert his will to win. That will, which has famously lifted him beyond his humble Texas roots, beyond cancer, and to unparalleled heights of success, is revealed by acclaimed journalist Daniel Coyle in new and startling dimensions.
We see how Armstrong rebuilds after his near-loss in the 2003 Tour, discovering new strategies to cope with his aging body. How he fills the holes in his life after his painful divorce from his wife, Kristin, and the ensuing time apart from his three young children. How he manages the exceedingly difficult trick of being Lance Armstrong—a combination of world-class athlete, celebrity, regular guy, and, for many Americans, secular saint.
But a saint's life it's not. To function at his peak, Armstrong requires what his friends artfully call "stimulus"—and if it's lacking, he won't hesitate to create some. We see Armstrong operating at the turbulent center of a fast-orbiting cast of swaggering Belgian tough guys, controversial Italian sports doctors, piranha-toothed lawyers, and jittery corporations, not to mention a certain female rock star. We see the subtle mind games he plays with himself and with rivals Tyler Hamilton, Jan Ullrich, and Iban Mayo. We see him through the eyes of his teammates, competitors, and friends, and explore his powerful relationship with his mother, Linda. We see what happens three weeks before the Tour, when he's faced with a double challenge: a blowout defeat in an important race and the release of a controversial book seeking to link him to performance-enhancing drugs. And finally we see it all culminate in the Tour de France, where Armstrong will rise to new and unexpected levels of domination.
Along the way, Lance Armstrong's War journeys through the little-known landscape of professional bike racing, a Darwinian world of unsurpassed beauty and brutality, a world teeming with underdogs, gurus, groupies, and wholly original characters, where athletes do not so much choose the sport as the sport chooses them.
Over the season, Armstrong and these characters collide in raw and sometimes violent theater. From the first training camps to the triumphal ride into Paris, Lance Armstrong's War provides a hugely insightful look into the often-inspiring, always surprising core of this remarkable man and the world that shapes him.
Download Description
"
Lance Armstrong's War is the extraordinary story of greatness pushed to its limits, a vivid, behind-the-scenes portrait of Armstrong -- perhaps the most accomplished athlete of our time -- as he faces his biggest test: a historic sixth straight victory in the Tour de France, the toughest sporting event on the planet.
Made newly vulnerable by age, fate, fame, doping allegations, and an unprecedented army of challengers, Armstrong fights on all fronts to do what he does like no one else: exert his will to win. That will, which has famously lifted him beyond his humble Texas roots, beyond cancer, and to unparalleled heights of success, is revealed by acclaimed journalist
Daniel Coyle in new and startling dimensions.
We see how Armstrong rebuilds after his near-loss in the 2003 Tour, discovering new strategies to cope with his aging body. How he fills the holes in his life after his painful divorce from his wife, Kristin, and the ensuing time apart from his three young children. How he manages the exceedingly difficult trick of being Lance Armstrong -- a combination of world-class athlete, celebrity, regular guy, and, for many Americans, secular saint.
But a saint's life it's not. To function at his peak, Armstrong requires what his friends artfully call ""stimulus"" -- and if it's lacking, he won't hesitate to create some. We see Armstrong operating at the turbulent center of a fast-orbiting cast of swaggering Belgian tough guys, controversial Italian sports doctors, piranha-toothed lawyers, and jittery corporations, not to mention a certain female rock star. We see the subtle mind games he plays with himself and with rivals Tyler Hamilton, Jan Ullrich, and Iban Mayo. We see him through the eyes of his teammates, competitors, and friends, and explore his powerful relationship with his mother, Linda. We see what happens three weeks before the Tour, when he's faced with a double challenge: a blowout defeat in an important race and the release of a controversial book seeking to link him to performance-enhancing drugs. And finally we see it all culminate in the Tour de France, where Armstrong will rise to new and unexpected levels of domination.
Along the way,
Lance Armstrong's War journeys through the little-known landscape of professional bike racing, a Darwinian world of unsurpassed beauty and brutality, a world teeming with underdogs, gurus, groupies, and wholly original characters, where athletes do not so much choose the sport as the sport chooses them.
Over the season, Armstrong and these characters collide in raw and sometimes violent theater. From the first training camps to the triumphal ride into Paris,
Lance Armstrong's War provides a hugely insightful look into the often-inspiring, always surprising core of this remarkable man and the world that shapes him.
"
Customer Reviews:
After "BIKE" Read "WAR"! See Inside & Out!.......2007-09-25
I had just finished "It's Not About The Bike" when my wife -- a keen cyclist -- turned to me and said, "That's only half the story." She handed me "Lance Armstrong's War." "Here's the other half of the story."
You know a good book when you should be doing other things and... you can't put the book down. Bills don't get paid. E-mails don't get answered. You spend too long in the bathroom. "WAR" is one of those books.
Naturally you need to have some passing fascination with the world of professional cycling. For me it was watching the Tour de France and wanting to know more about how it all worked. Daniel Coyle will lead any interested reader into a fascinating world...
An opera needs to be written about the Tour. The melodrama. The characters. The morality plays. The blood. The guts. The insanity. The money. The doping. The journey. The jeering crowds. The test. The human spirit. Victory and loss. It's all there, a nice thick juicy slice of Life! And a huge bite or two of that slice is in WAR.
On the cover of my copy Sports Illustrated has described WAS as a "literary tour de force." A bit of a snob when it comes to writing I noted to myself, (a) What would Sports Illustrated know about literature? and (b) Daniel Coyle's a SPORTS writer for God's sake!
And... the writing is wonderful. Great character sketches. You'll get all the ins and outs of race strategy, sponsorships, training. You'll see France. You'll get a great glimpse of what Bob (Bobke) Rolls calls Eurotrash. You'll love the wry humor and jaundiced eye. Just wait until you meet the Lance hangers-on, "The Dudes" and "The Bros." Be prepared to LOL.
So if you're at all curious about this fascinating world -- but, like me, are either too old or too wise not to join it (!) -- WAR is Highly Recommended. You're in for a good read.
Dr. Kirtland C Peterson
A Different Side of the Story?.......2007-09-15
I was expecting this to be another story TOLD by Lance, but it was not. I found this to be a more refreshing view on Lance and the Doping Scandles that encircled his Tour De France days.
No matter what my opinion is on Lance and the doping, I found this to be a great read. I learned about some of the "players" in the Cycling media community that are attacking lance's position and character (justified or not), and how the Team operates around the Cycling legend.
Superb Sports writing!.......2007-08-17
This book is one of the finest examples of sports journalism that you're likely to encounter. In some important ways, Lance Armstrong and professional bike racing are almost irrelevant to the reaction this book provokes; the writing is so good that it is almost the "star" of the book.
This is because the author did two things that many-- probably most-- sportswriters don't do: First, he immersed himself in his subject, actually moving his family to the Spanish city where Armstrong and a number of other racers train. While he was there, he became part of the bike racing scene. The result is unprecedented insider access. He interviewed and came to really know dozens of people, not all of whom admire Armstrong. Second, he avoided the two worst afflictions of most modern sports writing, the urge to deify the athletes and the contrary urge to drag them into the gutter.
Bike racing as a sport and many of the bike racers themselves are indeed open to criticism; after all, the current flap over doping at the Tour de France is actually pretty minor compared to the rampant cheating in past races. (My favorite incident of cheating: The Tour's first winner was disqualified the following year for hopping a train to take a shortcut during a stage.) However, Coyle resists the temptation to paint the entire sport and all of the athletes with a black brush. They are humans who do human things, both good and bad, and that's how Coyle sees them.
Of course, some of the things they do seem superhuman. These skinny men consume the caloric equivalent of three complete Thanksgiving dinners every day of the Tour de France. They ride for miles and miles, churning out four or five times the power a typical person could produce. They train in horrible conditions, isolated from their families, for months. They suffer fractures, muscle tears, and horrible road burns, then get back on their bikes for more racing. And the vast majority of them do all of this in near-complete anonymity; stars like Armstrong are very rare.
The book contains a HUGE amount of information about bike racing equipment, strategies, and team organization and financing. It also offers deep insight into many of the sport's stars, particularly Armstrong. There's an "I didn't know that!" moment on nearly every page, and reading it is literally an education in an activity that is wildly popular in Europe, but mysterious to most Americans. However, all of that information is woven into a fast-paced, page-turner of a story.
If you are looking for an expose that demolishes Armstrong or bike racing, this isn't it. If you're looking for a book that promotes the "Saint Lance" legend, this isn't it either. This is careful sports journalism at its finest. And it is superb writing that will fascinate you as you are reading and give you a lot to think about after you are done.
Peek inside the world of our sport's greatest legend.......2007-07-10
What a great book this is. After devouring it as quickly as I could, I'm reading it again to savor each morsel. I feel as though I've actually developed a relationship with the great Lance Armstrong--as though I have been granted access to his greatness at a deeper level. What makes this guy tick? Why is he the greatest cyclist the world has ever known? Read this book and you'll be about as close as you can get to the answer. Unless you're lucky enough to actually know him, this may be the next best thing.
Review of Lance Armstrong's War.......2007-06-19
I gave this book five starts because I could think of no reason not to do so. The book is non-fiction. It was very well written and accomplished what is set out to do.
If you are not a Lance Armstrong fan or a fan of professional cycling then this book will probably bore you. If you are looking for a book about the life of Lance with intimate details of his personal life, his family, etc. then you may want to read his other book IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE. This book is a behind the scenes look at the Tour de France and professional cycling in general. The book discusses the scientific methods of training, drug testing and many other interesting things that go on in the sport. The book also gives information about the lives of other notable professional cyclists such as Jan Ullrich, Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis just to name a few.
Some quick advice before you start reading the book: read the section in the back of the book entitled "notes on the sport" first. Especially if you are not a fan or not familiar with professional cycling. This section will give you a better understanding of the terminology used throughout the book.
A word of caution if you are a parent and trying to decide if you child should read this book or not: This book contains a moderate about of profanity. So keep this in consideration.
Book Description
Both poignant and inspiring, these are the moving stories of men and women who met amid the chaos of the most devastating war in history and became the loves of one another’s lives. Many are now enjoying their seventies and eighties together after more than fifty happy years of marriage.
They met in many remarkable ways, some in the briefest of chance encounters, and their love endured heart-rending ordeals of long separation and the constant threat that a husband or lover might not return. As these couples reflect on the profound experience of the war, the stories they most like to tell are of the deep bonds they forged during that tumultuous time, bonds so strong that they lasted a lifetime. As one man put it, “We’ve all got war stories. Some of us like to tell them and some don’t. But the story of how we fell in love with our wives, well, that’s still with us every day, and I know a lot of us can still get a little choked up over it. The war was a long time ago, one part of our lives. But we’re still living the love stories.”
Bestselling author and master interviewer Larry King tells the stories of these love affairs just as the couples recalled them, capturing the special feeling of those times in their own words. The stories are complemented with a wealth of personal photographs and reproductions of touching memorabilia, including V-mail letters, cartoons, cards, newspaper accounts, and even the ticket stub from the movie seen on a first date. The stories reflect a wonderful range of experiences, from couples who met and got married within a few weeks to those who waited years after a brief first meeting to see each other again. There are stories of falling in love at first sight, stories of tragedy transformed by love, and stories of the remarkable resourcefulness that can be exercised by two people determined to be together.
A treasure trove of unique reminiscences,
Love Stories of World War II offers an unprecedented view into this personal side of the World War II experience and celebrates the incredible legacy of remarkable relationships forged in the midst of tragedy.
Customer Reviews:
Sweet & Romantic.......2005-09-05
This is a great book for all ages. I'm 22 and I obviously wasn't alive during WWII, but I still find the stories so very touching and romantic. You feel as though you know the individuals personally when you read their stories and you get this warm spot in your chest when everything comes together and works out for them during that time of war.
Disappointing lack of content.......2002-08-20
I read this book because my mother and father, a career soldier, were married shortly before World War II, after knowing each other only 3 months. I hoped this book would offer me some interesting insights. But trust me, this book has no insights to offer. The vignettes are too short and most seem incomplete; further, they are repetitious and shallow, and the whole book is poorly written. Do not waste your time. Instead, spend it finding one of the really good books on WWII; there are plenty out there. Larry King must be spreading himself too thin these days!
Great Gift.......2002-03-03
I bought this book for my mother. My father is a world war II vet. She tells me it brought back many memories - some happy, some sad. Overall, she really enjoyed it. I would recommend it as a great gift for parents and grandparents who lived through it.
Outstanding.......2002-02-23
I was given this book as a Valentine's Day gift by my boyfriend at the dawn of our relationship. He is an Army officer and I am in training to be one as well, and as such, we are often separated by our respective training. In this current time of war uncertainty and world instability, the stories in this book serve as a poingnent reminder of what we are living and fighting for every day.
A Different look at World War II.......2001-12-28
I am a huge fan of history. I love to read historical fiction, mainly, but every now and again, I will pick up something else. I was given "Love Stories of World War II" as a gift and I am by no means disappointed. In a time when the world was at war and death and dying was a harsh reality, some people were falling in love. Larry King has done an excellent job of putting this book together, keeping with facts and mementos of the couples in the book. Rather then sweeting it up, their stories are told with excerpts from letters and the histories behind the love. It is not mushy stuff, just simple stories of love in a time of war.
I am very pleased with this book and I would recommend it to any history fan. It reminds me of the love my grandparents share, having a similar story to some of those told in the book. And it leaves me with a strong sense of love and devotion.
Average customer rating:
- Looking forward to reading again
- Eh-
- Lyrical, small history
- It ain't easy
- Let's Switch Focus
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Cold Mountain: A Novel
Charles Frazier
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
United States
| World Literature
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ASIN: 0375700757
Release Date: 1998-08-12 |
Amazon.com
This unabridged audio version of Cold Mountain, read by author Charles Frazier, deserves at least as much acclaim as the bestselling print edition, which won the National Book Award. The tale chronicles a Confederate army deserter's search for home and love in the last days of the Civil War.
Much has been made of the story's homage to The Odyssey, the origins of which are found in an oral tradition. One can't help but hear echoes of Homer when listening to Frazier's soft, deliberate voice give life to his lyrical writing and to his understated, yet convincing rendering of the overwhelming events of war. Both Frazier's prose and reading are leisurely, recalling a slow foot pace. His delivery is uniquely suited to Innman's arduous, adventure-filled walk toward home and to the possibility of a reunion with Ada, the woman he loves. The author's reading does equal justice to Ada, who is being transformed by her struggle for survival on her father's farm. There is precious little dialogue, and Frazier makes no effort at acting out the characters.
One small irritation in the production is a beeping noise at the end of each side. Another minor complaint is that the tapes don't have individual boxes, which was perhaps an attempt to make the overall package appear more booklike. The recording does, however, make deft use of two brief musical interludes. In a subtle twist, the fiddle music that opens the first cassette, when repeated as an accompaniment to the epilogue, carries a bittersweet and unexpected resonance. By all means, forgive Random House Audio the tiny glitches, pass over that slender abridged version, and take home the real thing. This audiocassette is a journey that will leave few listeners unchanged by the experience. (Running time: 14.5 hours, 12 cassettes) --Naomi J. Cohn
Book Description
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
One of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, Charles Frazier's
Cold Mountain is a masterpiece that is at once an enthralling adventure, a stirring love story, and a luminous evocation of a vanished American in all its savagery, solitude, and splendor.
Sorely wounded and fatally disillusioned in the fighting at Petersburg, Inman, a Confederate soldier, decides to walk back to his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains and to Ada, the woman he loved there years before. His trek across the disintegrating South brings him into intimate and sometimes lethal converse with slaves and marauders, bounty hunters and witches, both helpful and malign. At the same time, Ada is trying to revive her father's derelict farm and learn to survive in a world where the old certainties have been swept away. As it interweaves their stories,
Cold Mountain asserts itself as an authentic American
Odyssey--hugely powerful, majestically lovely, and keenly moving.
Customer Reviews:
Looking forward to reading again.......2007-09-12
This award winning story takes us back to the waning years of the Civil War in the lands east of Tennessee. The story uses two action fronts to relate the struggle of one ex-confederate soldier, Inman, to reach his beloved Ada. Both are struggling just to survive. He must cross hundreds of miles of rugged terrain on foot while simultaneously avoiding those who would kill him for desertion while Ada must learn how to survive on the farm she inherited from her recently deceased father. The vocabulary and descriptions in Cold Mountain are so very rich and full of colorful imagery that it is sometimes easy to mistake the prose for poetry. And though recently published, I'm sure that this passionate novel will constitute a welcome addition to the canon of American literature. Highest recommendations.
If you saw the movie, disregard it. Doesn't even compare to this work of literature.
Eh-.......2007-09-08
I just read a review from another reader that said that they threw this book in the trash when they were about 100 pages from the end. I am at that point, and while I won't throw it away, I am struggling to get through it. It's not that I feel it's written poorly or the characters lack depth, it's just boring. A whole page devoted to the task of yard work. I don't enjoy yard work so why would I want to read page after page about doing it? I know there there are other things going on but the detailed descriptions of corn cribs and bedspreads do not entice me to turn the page. It's not the worst book I've ever read, but I wouldn't recommend spending full price on it. Do go near it if you have ADD.
Lyrical, small history.......2007-09-05
I am realy coming to appreciate the modern trend to approach historical fiction from the standpoint of the small, personal history rather than the large, sweeping saga. Cold Mountain takes you down to the grassroots of the Civil War, a view you won't find in Gone with the Wind. (no offense intended - I enjoy those epic novels as well!) Frazier's language draws clear pictures that draw you into his protaganist's journey. I actually had no desire to see the movie, as the book had been so well brought to life in my mind by Frazier's words.
It ain't easy.......2007-08-26
Wow, just finished it. I had seen the movie, and knew that I liked it, but had forgotten the ending by the time I got to the book. My first impression was that it was not going to be something that I was just going to breeze through. The pictures that Frazier paints are so in depth, but rather than become cumbersome, it drew me in even more. The character development was unlike anything that I've ever read. It made me long for simpler times and the day when I can get out of the rat race and settle onto a farm myself. Highly recommended.
Let's Switch Focus .......2007-07-02
'Cold Mountian' was a book of great character development, but contained little else. When we first decided to read this book, both Kyle and I noticed that we could find many copies of it at the used bookstores that we frequented. This is usually a bad sign that we did not notice. Most of the story is occupied by the adventures of Inman on his odyssey home as he turns-tail from the fighting during the Civil War. He meets many interesting characters that always seem to cause problems for his journey following his overcome of the last troublesome situation. While the story of Inman hogs the book, the side account of Ada and her pursuit to revive the family farm gives us a glimpse of how 'Cold Mountain' might be a National Award Winner. The character development of Ada and her helping-hand, Ruby, is much more elaborate and enticing to the reader. I would feel better about seeing that gold sticker on the front cover of this book had I been able to focus my attention on Ada and Ruby instead of the overwhelming conflicts of Inman.
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