Book Description
The remarkable life story of the man who inspired the film Hotel Rwanda
Readers who were moved and horrified by Hotel Rwanda will respond even more intensely to Paul RusesabaginaÂ's unforgettable autobiography. As Rwanda was thrown into chaos during the 1994 genocide, Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, turned the luxurious Hotel Milles Collines into a refuge for more than 1,200 Tutsi and moderate Hutu refugees, while fending off their would-be killers with a combination of diplomacy and deception. In An Ordinary Man, he tells the story of his childhood, retraces his accidental path to heroism, revisits the 100 days in which he was the only thing standing between his “guests” and a hideous death, and recounts his subsequent life as a refugee and activist.
Customer Reviews:
What would you do?.......2007-10-10
Excellent book -- Paul provides a history of the conflict in Rwanda that is simple and poignant. When he describes the immediate aftermath of the shooting down of the President's plane (the event that started the massacre), his fear, and that of his family, is palpable. He is clearly a man of integrity who feels a responsibility for the human race. The question in the back of your mind while reading this book is "What would I do in his circumstances?"
An Ordinary Man.......2007-09-23
Paul Rusesabagina is an ordinary man. He feels sadness and joy, fear and hope just like the rest of us. He is not a superhero in the ordinary sense of the word--he cannot fly, he does not have an agility belt, and he cannot scale walls. He is an ordinary man by all accounts, but in 1994 when the dark cloud of tense hatred between the Tutsis and the Hutus that had been brewing for decades in the small country of Rwanda erupted into a genocide that left eight hundred thousand dead, Paul Rusesabagina's actions as described in his biography An Ordinary Man were anything but ordinary.
Rusesabagina was born in a small village in the countryside in 1954. His mother was a Tutsi, and his father was a Hutu. According to Rwandan tradition of heritage passing through the father's bloodlines, Rusesabagina was considered a Hutu as well. Rusesabagina's father was his inspirational role model growing up, and his philosophy that "kindness and justice did not know ethnicity" was embedded in Rusesabagina's actions later in life (12).
Rusesabagina learned early on in life to fight with his words, not with his fists. He found that by speaking to people face to face, he could connect on some level, and convince them not to do him harm. This technique worked with schoolyard bullies, and later on with murderous, fanatical generals. Rusesabagina found work at the hotel Mille Collines, and eventually became manager of its sister hotel Diplomates.
After the plane carrying President Habyarimana was shot down, the extremist radio station RTLM began to use powerful diatribes to convince Hutus that it was their duty to murder the Tutsi "cockroaches." Rusesabagina, a moderate Hutu with a Tutsi wife, was able to negotiate, bribe, and flatter those carrying out the murders into sparing the lives of the 1,268 refugees that had fled to the hotel Mille Collines. The world turned a blind eye to the genocide and for a long seventy-six days, Rusesabagina had only himself and his words to save his family and the refugees from certain death. It is estimated that about five people were brutally murdered every minute. Rusesabagina managed to save approximately four hours worth of people. Eventually, he and the refugees were evacuated. Rusesabagina and his family moved to Belgium, where they reside to this day. In 1999, the movie Hotel Rwanda depicted his actions during this "dark bead" in Rwandan history.
This is one of the most remarkable books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It's so morbidly fascinating that even though at several times I felt physically ill, I was unable to put it down. Rusesabagina has a special skill as an author, and is able to paint an accurate and horrifying picture of the events that occurred, but at the same time is able to insert his whole-hearted and stubborn belief in the "triumph of common decency" over evil (203). Rusesabagina is able to argue this in the face of heartache and bloodshed. He is even able to provide concrete examples of people in the book that hacked their neighbors with machetes but still had a drop of human kindness desperate for an excuse to show itself.
Rusesabagina unapologetically criticizes all the nations that ignored the genocide for far too long. Rusesabagina not only provides criticism but also possible solutions that could have staunched the bloodshed quickly and effectively in the genocide's early stages. He also provides an excellent rhetoric on how extremists were able to convince rational, calm people to take up machetes and kill their neighbors and friends. Rusesabagina is able to counter the extremist rhetoric with words of his own, and uses this same skillful mastery of words that saved so many from slaughter to narrate this fantastic and moving book.
There are very few weaknesses in An Ordinary Man. Yes, the gore that is described twisted my stomach and left me feeling tainted and disgusted with mankind. After reading too much, I was almost unable to continue, but then again the mass genocide of men, women and children is not supposed to be neat and digestible. The descriptions are meant to shock and sicken. At the end of the novel, I felt ultimately dissatisfied and furious with the abject lack of justice. But this is a specific tactic used to irk the reader, because justice has not occurred in Rwanda and murderers still walk the streets. There is little justice to be found in that, and there is no reason why Rusesabagina should candy coat the issue to make the reader feel better.
Rusesabagina leaves the reader feeling hungry for more knowledge of the Rwandan genocide. His book inspired me to do outside research on the Rwandan genocide, and all of the other humanitarian crises that have occurred since then. Rusesabagina believes he is an ordinary man because to him saving all of these people seemed the most normal thing to do, something every man ought to have done. His message is a simple message of hope, a message that every man has the capability to give a "Rwandan no" to evil (203). His book serves not only a testimony to what happened in the dark days of the Rwandan massacre, but also serves as a means of getting people to care. He cautions that if the world cannot overcome apathy, then the phrase "never again" will be "one of the most abused phrases" and the "greatest lies" of the time. The book leaves the reader with a sense of hope that ordinary men like Rusesabagina will continue to say "no" to evil and do these extraordinary things as if they nothing more than ordinary.
Inspiring Book, More Inspiring Man.......2007-07-25
This book was chosen by Middle Tennessee State University for their summer reading book, and being a student there I decided to jump in with all the freshmen and read it as well. I'm excited that he will be speaking at our convocation ( our program to start off the year.)
The thing that interested me most about this book is that he knew not to expect much from his country. He had pride, and he had hope for a better future, but he knew better than to expect anything more than the current situation.
This book is definitely something to be read by those who are very involved in world politics, sociology, and psychology. Rusesabagina delves into each one with vigor, and I very well believe he could be a professor in any one of these concentrations.
I am proud to say that I share the world with people such as Rusesabagina.
A Required Reading for All Humans.......2007-05-30
How many tragedies would be averted if we studied world history and learned from the mistakes made by others? Rusesabagina offers a poignant, yet easy-to-read, cautionary tale of the danger of prejudice, hatred, and group think. I am purchasing this book and will encourage my sons to read it when they are older (they are only in elementary school now) so that they can be on guard against the evils that are possible in our human race.
This book has challenged me to live outside my little world of t-ball games and PTO meetings. I learned the power of ignorance can cost lives and affect generations to come. I will no longer live with my head buried in the sandbox, but will raise my children to have concern and compassion for all human beings, not just those who look like them.
A more apt title: "The Most Extraordinary Man".......2007-05-09
I'm in full agreement with those reviewers here that call Paul Rusesabagina's book "required reading" and a "lesson in leadership." I'm sure all my fellow reviewers would agree that - the author's humble and unassuming nature aside - the subject of 'An Ordinary Man' is, in fact, the most extraordinary man.
'An Ordinary Man' is more than just another take on 'Hotel Rwanda.' Mr. Rusesabagina and his co-author, Tom Zoellner, spend about 75 thoughtfully considered pages setting the backdrop to the conflict. They cover the politics of Tutsi and Hutu, the country's previous flashpoints ("like beads on our national necklace"), the role of radio's RTLM in fomenting the violence, and the author's own personal history - specifically, how he rose from his humble beginnings to his role as manager of the Milles Collines and its sister hotel the Dimplomates.
Mr. Rusesabagina summarizes his approach and his successes as follows (this is so compelling, I feel it worth stating here):
"I was good-natured fellow with the guests who came into the hotel, no matter if they were good friends or odious hate mongers. This was my nature. There are very few people with whom I could not sit and enjoy a glass of cognac. Except in extreme circumstances it rarely pays to show hostility to people in your orbit. And so when evil dropped by for a drink I was able to have a conversation. I could find its weakness and seek out its soft spots. I could see the vanity and the insecurity and even the ghost of common decency inside the minds of the killers that would allow me to save lives. I could quietly flip evil's assets against itself. What happened at the Milles Collines was the most extreme form of pragmatism. We would go to any length and do whatever it took to save as many lives as possible. That was the basic ideology. That was the only ideology."
Extraordinary stuff.
Amazon.com
Dinesh D'Souza rates America's 40th president as one of its greatest, right below Washington and Lincoln. He makes a forceful case for this rank, probably the best yet and perhaps the best possible. In the process, he analyzes Reagan's leadership style with remarkable clarity and subtlety. Reagan seemed ordinary in so many ways, still, millions of people believed in him and followed him. Moreover, he is the patron saint of the modern conservative movement--something that he did not create, yet nonetheless came to embody. Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader is for readers already well-disposed toward the former California governor. It may not change minds, but it will deepen the appreciation felt by Reagan's many admirers, who seem to miss the leader more with each passing day.
Book Description
In this enlightening new look at one of our most successful, most popular, and least understood presidents, bestselling author and former Reagan aide Dinesh D'Souza shows how this "ordinary" man was able to transform the political landscape in a way that made a permanent impact on America and the world. Ronald Reagan is a thoughtful and honest assessment of how this underestimated president became a truly extraordinary leader.
Customer Reviews:
What can anyone say - a great president.......2007-09-20
In a way, I always thought that authors who write about Reagan have it easy. How hard could it be to write interesting and inspiring words about a man who was both?
However, the author of this book has taken a bit of a different approach with this book by focusing as much on the "Reagan movenment" as he does Reagan himself.
History is going to be very good to Reagan and it will be because of the movement he created - it spite of the spineless Republicans of today.
I really enjoyed reading the book. It flows easily through the Reagan years and, if you are a Reagan fan, you will close this book, sigh, and say, "God I miss Ronald Reagan!"
Reagan the Man.......2007-06-22
I never lived through the Reagan years. Never knew the old Gipper personally, aside from old videos. I only began to learn my multiplication table in the second grade, when Bill Clinton was reelected. Assuredly, we elementary students snickered silently at the fact that the president of the United States was caught, in our own words, "playing naughty" with a girl who was younger than he was and of course not his wife. Gee, the president is quite a strong role model for the world, but WHO KNEW he was capable of receiving free women for himself at the drop of a hat? Elementary students cannot conceive much of a response more mature or more informed than this. It's an amusing highlight for youngsters as they get to learn and know their presidents, but those who don't pursue increased knowledge after this most likely will not recall much of anything else about Bill Clinton.
We didn't learn much about Ronald Reagan, either, of course, other than the fact that he was a president. For younger students, most presidents, especially the ones not named "Lincoln" or "Washington", emerge almost magically interchangeable at the behest of the studier. If one's television set routes toward recent Republican presidential debates, Ronald Reagan's name surged passed not only the ideals of a "great president", but perhaps even into the divine realm. Associate yourself with "Ronald Reagan", and you can be qualified for being titled the 'conservative', though not necessarily 'Republican', favorite for president. Even former television actors are receiving the "Reagan" treatment, outlandish, as it seems to me. This guy must be a saint, obviously, although I don't appear to remember finding him finely produced as a marble sculpture in my church...yet.
In all seriousness, the people who invoke Reagan's name are appealing to a "truly great president who belongs in the elite company of Washington, Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt," as author Dinesh D'Souza describes it in his book "Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader." Reagan's administration was less great, much more problematic than its leader, of course, but D'Souza doesn't care about that. This book is more of a portrait rather than an apologetics text for the Reagan presidency's blunders, such as Iran-Contra, the bloated budget deficits, etc. Guaranteed is it that you can find a large quantity of books analyzing those issues, but not here.
What D'Souza describes best are all of Reagan's slight idiosyncrasies, like how the man always seemed to laugh off many of the harsh criticisms inclined against him, or about, when White House meetings steered toward being drawn-out and wearisome, Reagan reached out toward a bowl of jellybeans in the middle of the table, which indicated the dialogue was over. Also, despite potential protest or objection from his nearest and clearly more "elite insider" advisors (James Baker, George H.W. Bush, etc.), Reagan usually had the upper hand. What the president said went. Did, however, the president say to sell arms to Iran in exchange for hostages? What about the fact that the administration used the profit to fund anti-Communist rebels in Nicaragua? We'll never know, of course, but by lining these decisions up side by side against the images of Reagan conjured here by D'Souza, the conclusion appears highly unlikely.
The author is a fan of President Reagan, having served as a young domestic adviser inside the White House nearing the administration's end in office. The book can look favorably upon the subject it is dissecting if the operation yields either interesting and logical ideas and/or useful facts. D'Souza's book contains exactly these things. A book sharply critical of Reagan which produced the same advantageous qualities could be equally insightful or entertaining, although whether it cared about the truth remained a puzzler. I think D'Souza cares about the truth regarding Ronald Reagan the man.
A great book about a great President; captures Reagan in a way others don't........2007-06-19
Most biographers who attempt to write about Ronald Reagan typically get frustrated at some point in their effort and throw up their hands saying, "I can't get to know this man!" Indeed, the man that some many of us felt close to without ever having met him was apparently a very tough nut to crack if you wanted to get close to him in person.
As a result, many biographies supposedly about Reagan offer very little insight into the man and what made him succeed and fail. They talk about his life and history, his advisers and their ideas, but they don't capture anything about the man that you wanted to learn about when you picked up the book in the first place - D'Souza does and that's what makes this book different and better from the rest.
D'Souza was a young aid in the Reagan White House and maybe that gives him a bit of an advantage in capturing the essence of Reagan, but I think most of the credit has to go to something far more fundamental; D'Souza hasn't lost the ability to see Reagan the way most Americans saw him, he hasn't lost sight of what America was like before Reagan compared to what it's like now. That gives D'Souza a perspective on Reagan that most academics (which D'Souza is) neglect. It makes all the difference in this book.
D'Souza really captures a man guided by a vision and a philosophy rather than by polls, a real leader rather than someone who went whichever way popular sentiment carried him. Reagan's ideas about America and its relationship to the rest of the world were positive, contrary to popular thoughts and, as it turns out, right.
If you like Reagan, you will love the way D'Souza articulates how the man accomplished everything he did. If you don't like Reagan, D'Souza's look at Reagan offers the best argument I've encountered that you'll have to counter in order to sway his supporters to your way of thinking.
Highly recommended. A great book about a great President.
Excellent.......2007-02-11
Very informative. This book will give you a new appreciation for our recent history.
A good book about character but not much about Reagan the man.......2006-12-17
D'Souza does a decent job in his biography on the character of Reagan. My biggest complaint with this book is that it does not actually tell us anything about Reagan and his presidency. So much times is spent on the character that by the time you are done understanding Reagan's moral values the book is over and I felt I learned nothing about what Reagan did and how these values played out. For those who have really studied Reagan it is a great addition but if you are looking for only one book try Richard Reeves.
Book Description
The iron Nazi fist came down fast and hard on Leopold Engleitner, but he would not bend to terror. Unbroken Will describes the life and times of an ordinary man whose belief in God and in nonviolence stood the fiery test of Nazi persecution. In thre
Customer Reviews:
An amazing story.......2007-10-06
I had the privilege of meeting Leopold Engleitner in person at the Austrian Embassy in Washington DC last year. The Austrian government was belatedly honoring him for his stand against Nazi brutality over 60 years ago. Though in a wheelchair and nearly one hundred years old, he exuded an inner strength that compelled him to share his experiences, while he still had a chance to do so. This book does a nice job of letting you get to know Leopold without having to go to Austria to do so.
A true survivor.......2007-05-13
Outstanding biographical material for not only life events, but what makes the core of a man.
a faith strenthener.......2007-01-10
Enjoyed this book immensely. Read it in one day. It strengthens your faith. Realistic, unpredjudiced portrayal of events.
A remarkably encouraging life experience........2007-01-05
Leopold Engleitner was indeed an ordinary man who faced brutal persecution at the hands of the Nazi regime, and for what? Because he was a peaceable man who refused to kill anyone. He suffered interment in three concentration camps where he endured deprivation and abuse such as few have survived and emerged free of animosity toward his captors. How could he do this? He was sustained by his implicit faith in Jehovah God. I was spellbound by the fact that while I was growing up carefree and happy in this country, this man was being treated worse than any animal should be treated. This is a 'must read' for anyone who believes there's even a small chance that something like this could happen again. It shows what we must do to survive.
Faith strenghening.......2006-08-21
Leobold Engleitner is the greatest (besides Jesus himself) example of faith, strengh, and endurance. He certainly took to heart the scripture that states " You must Worship Jehovah your god with you whole heart, whole mind and whole soul". If only the whole world had his strengh to reject the devil and his "system of things"! Just think where we could be!
A must read!
Average customer rating:
|
John Ogden, The Pilgrim, 1609-1682: A Man of More Than Ordinary Mark
Jack Harpster
Manufacturer: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Connecticut
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
New Jersey
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
New York
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Colonial Period
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Revolution & Founding
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0838641040 |
Customer Reviews:
Gives a lot of answers........2007-01-14
I have been researching the John (Pilgrim) Ogden line for 30 years and now I know why I had so much difficulty trying to understand this genealogy. The book is excellent. It provides some much needed answers to the question surrounding Wheeler's, "Ogden Genealogy" and how much of the information in the beginning of that text is false. No wonder we are all having so many problems with this family line. The only downside to the book is that there isn't enough information on the Ogdens of England which would substantiate the line going back much further than 1600. However, 1600 is nothing to laugh at. Anyone want to write a book on John Ogden of Rye. It turns out that's my ancestral line, not the Pilgrim's. These two were cousins and I wish there had been more information than one small paragraph in the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone researching the Ogden family line.
Average customer rating:
- Disappointing bio of America's first great leader
- A compelling look at both the legend and the man
|
George Washington: Ordinary Man, Extraordinary Leader
Robert Jones
Manufacturer: Fordham University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Presidents & Heads of State
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Washington, George
| ( W )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Colonial Period
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Leaders & Leadership
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0823221865
Release Date: 2002-01-01 |
Book Description
George Washington: Ordinary Man, Extraordinary Leader is a revised edition of the authorÂ's George Washington, published in 1979. Totally updated to include the authorÂ's extensive research conducted in the intervening two decades, the book is a concise but complete biography of Washington as gentleman planter, colonial rebel, American general, and U.S. president. The book provides a full and even-handed portrait of the first president, with special emphasis on how he took his rather commonplace talents and transformed them with self-discipline into extraordinary leadership in a time of turmoil. The book pays special attention to WashingtonÂ's struggles during the Revolution and his tenure as president and deals with his gradual conversion from advocate of nonpartisan politics to a strict Federalist. This book synthesizes the current research in a readable style that affords the general reader an understanding of WashingtonÂ's special character and his vital role in the making of the United States.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing bio of America's first great leader.......2003-08-09
I found this bio to be quite disappointing. It is relatively brief, and many important events in Washington's life and career are only given a few sentences or paragraphs. Most of the author's observations regarding Washington's character are not presented until the end, and then they are disjointed and seem to be mere afterthoughts. The author also tends to group many subjects into a single paragraph, perhaps to hide the lack of detail. Compared to other historical bios (like McCullough's John Adams or Blumenson's Patton) this book is poorly written, difficult to read, and lacking in detail and information. I do not recommend this book at all.
A compelling look at both the legend and the man.......2002-08-08
Fleshed out with an additional twenty years of meticulous, exhaustive research and newly revised by Robert E. Jones (Professor of History, Fordham University), George Washington: Ordinary Man, Extraordinary Leader is an informative biography of America's first President. Focusing especially on Washington's trials during the Revolution and his service as President, George Washington: Ordinary Man, Extraordinary Leader is a compelling look at both the legend and the man, his foibles as well as his virtues, and his legacy and contribution to both American and world history. George Washington: Ordinary Man, Extraordinary Leader is very highly recommended for academic and community library American History and Biographical Studies collections.
Average customer rating:
|
Nehemiah: Memoirs of an Ordinary Man
Stephen Davey
Manufacturer: Ambassador-Emerald International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1932307486 |
Product Description
Pastor Stephen Davey takes the reader on an exciting biographical journey through the life of this ancient hero of the faith. This work is a chapter by chapter exposition intended to motivate believer's to complete the tasks God's gives them.
Customer Reviews:
Powerful and relevant.......2006-02-01
Nehemiah: Memoirs of an Ordinary Man is a powerful and relevant exposition of the book of Nehemiah. If you have either
seen or
heard Pastor Davey teach, this book will come as no surprise. Each section is discussed in depth. Historical context is provided as needed and Pastor Davey doesn't mince words when showing how it applies to our lives today. While some books merely inform, this book shows you how God transforms.
Book Description
Hailed by Choice as "a fascinating story," this profile of Cervantes will captivate both scholarly and lay readers. It traces the stranger-than-fiction adventures of the "Spanish Shakespeare" — as a spy, soldier, hostage, tax collector, poet, playwright, and creator of Don Quixote — incorporating original research and previously unpublished material.
Customer Reviews:
The Best Bio of Cervantes I've read........2004-02-02
I really find this an astonishing biography. The best of Cervantes I've read. I'm only halfway through it now but I know two things for sure: every last scintilla of telling information about Cervantes is up-to-date and included, and, that Prof. McCrory has a superb ability to find those larger patterns in a life and give them emotional and psychological meaning. There are moments when you look up and marvel at the tons of documents that must've been sifted to produce the simplest facts. Just to give one example among many, I understand for the first time what living in Esquivias meant to Cervantes, what it must've been like for him, and especially interesting, what it meant to be married to him. Prof. McCrory gives us an uncanny sense of what Catalina`s life was like, her financial and social situation, the impact her mother had on the marriage - and all this in a few quick lines. One never bogs down in this book with all that background information about Philip II or the Armada or the state of banditry along this road or that, as is common in other bios of Cervantes. We always know just enough to place things in context and see the influences acting on poor Miguel. I get, for the first time, a sense of his thought processes, the decisions he had to make, his real options, what the world looked like to him. This is (as much as possible) an intellectual biography as well. Superb work.
CERVANTES-THE GENIUS OF ALL WRITERS!.......2003-12-29
I HAVE BEEN A CERVANTES SCHOLAR ALL OF MY LIFE AND HAVE READ ALMOST ALL THE BIOGRAPHIES OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST WRITER.THIS BOOK DOES JUSTICE TO HIS LIFE!THE DETAILS OF EVERY ASPECT OF CERVANTES'LIFE ARE ALL HERE.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL WHO LOVE DON QUIJOTE AND THE GREAT MIGUEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA!!!!!!!
Average customer rating:
- An interesting and personal retrospective of an accomplished author and well-loved cowboy
|
Weeds in Bloom: Autobiography of an Ordinary Man
Robert Newton Peck
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Teens
| Subjects
| Books
| Audiobooks
| Authors, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Health, Mind & Body
| History & Historical Fiction
| Horror
| Literature & Fiction
| Manga
| Mysteries
| Reference
| Religion & Spirituality
| School & Sports
| Science & Technology
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Series
| Social Issues
Authors
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Literary
| Biographies
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Authors
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Literary
| Biographies
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
A Part of the Sky
-
Soup
-
Horse Thief: A Novel
-
A Day No Pigs Would Die
-
Bro
ASIN: 0375828028
Release Date: 2007-01-09 |
Book Description
With over 60 books published, including the breathtaking A Day No Pigs Would Die, Robert Newton Peck has had an illustrious writing career. Now, in an autobiography as unique as he is, Peck tells his story by writing about the people who have meant the most to him throughout his life. From his roots as a poor Vermont farmer's son to his years as a soldier in World War II, from his term slogging away in a paper mill to his semi-retirement in Florida, Peck shows us people most never see—the desperately poor, the hopelessly uneducated. People Rob considers "weeds in bloom."
Customer Reviews:
An interesting and personal retrospective of an accomplished author and well-loved cowboy.......2005-06-29
"MY BOOK IS YOUR AMERICA. An album of my old friends and your new ones. Real citizens you deserve to greet, and know, and possibly remember. You shall know me by the people I have known."
With over sixty-five books published, including the highly acclaimed novel A DAY NO PIGS WOULD DIE and a series of Soup books that won him the prestigious Mark Twain Award, Robert Newton Peck is a well-seasoned author with an established readership. His books have explored a variety of subjects from his boyhood experiences in rural Vermont to tales about making ends meet while growing up on a farm, as a cattle rancher, or as a solider during the French and Indian War. WEEDS IN BLOOM, Peck's latest literary endeavor, is a simple yet enjoyable autobiography that unfolds as a series of sketches of various people who have influenced his life over the past seventy years.
True to his word, WEEDS IN BLOOM has no plot. Instead, each chapter focuses on a character who fits respectively into one of three periods in Peck's life: his "Vermont Boyhood," his "Early Manhood," and the "Florida Years." Although some readers may miss the safety that accompanies a linear story line, others will feel less bogged down by the lack of a traditional arc, and will delight in using their own imaginations to continue where Peck has left off in each tiny vignette. It is as if he has knowingly created 25 beginnings to 25 possible stories, and by reading through them, his readers are given access to the essence of his life by getting to know the people he has encountered along the way.
In Part I: Vermont Boyhood, Peck explores his childhood in all its rugged, wide-eyed glory. Here, we bear witness to his life at home with his family, complete with all the trappings of a carefree adolescence: practicing baseball in the sweltering summer heat, playing in the dirt until dusk, and learning life-long lessons from his elders. Two of the most memorable chapters in the book are in this first section --- "Miss Kelly," when Robert writes his first poem and shares it with his teacher, Miss Kelly (who proves to be a lasting inspiration for Peck), and "Keepsake," when he and his best friend Luther sneak into a truck stop bathroom to buy their first condom at the age of ten. (A humorous side note: Peck actually kept this same condom with him until well after his return from the Army, when he promptly buried the torn and ratty thing in the backyard as a tribute to his boyhood.)
Part II: Early Manhood charts Peck's life in the army and the years immediately following his return. In "Dear Elliot," we meet a dear friend and fellow soldier who touched the lives of those around him by simply sharing his care packages from home. Unfortunately, he was killed in battle, but not before altering Peck's life for the better. In "Saw" and "Paper," Peck tells of his grueling yet enlightening experiences in the saw and paper mills, and in "Dr. Granberry" we are introduced to a football scout for small colleges that would change Peck's life forever by pushing him to go to college and providing him with a scholarship.
Part III: The Florida Years covers the last third of Peck's life up to the present. For the most part, these stories take place in Florida and bear the fruit of his past journeys. As most storytellers are apt to do when looking back on their lives, he sounds wiser and well-worn in these passages, and the people (and animals) we meet in this section are weathered as well. The last entry entitled "Just as I Am" is a delightful list of thirty-three tried-and-true beliefs and expressions that he has stumbled across and stuck to throughout his life, the last of which being: "Wish not for apples. Grow strong trees."
All in all an interesting and personal retrospective of an accomplished author and well-loved cowboy, WEEDS IN BLOOM will surely satisfy young adult readers, particularly those fond of autobiographies and nonfiction.
--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling
Customer Reviews:
Angels In My Life.......2003-06-13
This is the compelling story of a despondent man that has lost his wife. She died unexpectedly and the shock and devastation shattered a very loving husband to the point of believing life was not worth living without her.
In the dark of his room one night, anguished, alone, with tears running down his cheeks, he cried out to her. Miraculously, she answered him. It was clear and loud with her Brazilian accent and enveloped his senses. Thus it started his journey into a world unknown to him.
This is the story of his communication with his wife and other angels in his life. It is the story of his journey and the acceptance of the reality of what he was experiencing.
In the beginning it takes you through his doubts, his questions of his own vulnerability, and skepticism. He carefully walks through a myriad of unfamiliar mazes to complete acceptance.
I found myself, at first, reading it with distrust and suspect. As I turned the pages, I found I would like to believe in the possibility, and was comforted by the thought put forth. "Many pray but do not listen, and do not ask for all that is available."
Readers are asked to read this with an open mind, to absorb the possibilities, and examine their spirituality.
Books:
- Andrew Jackson
- Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times
- Angels Within Us: A Spiritual Guide to the Twenty-Two Angels That Govern Our Lives
- Annapurna
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
- Assata: An Autobiography (Lawrence Hill & Co.)
- Autobiography of George Muller
- Belushi
- Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Strategic Management of Health Care Organizations
- History: Fiction or Science
- A B2B Marketing: Radically Different Approach for Business-to-Business Marketers
- Berlin Calling: American Broadcasters in Service to the Third Reich
- Essay On Devel Of Christian Doctrine: Theology
- History: Fiction or Science
- Getting Started in Bonds, Second Edition
- 2000 Miller HUD Audit Procedures
- Applied Operations Research / Systems Analysis in Hierarchical Decision-Making. Volume I: Systems Ap
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region - Revised Edition
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda
Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda
The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire
Frontline: Ghosts of Rwanda
