Book Description
I believe we were put on this earth to enjoy lives of joy and abundance, and that is what I want for you and for me. It's not my intention to give people advice on how to solve their problems (I leave that to my husband). But I've had my share of struggles over the years, and I know a thing or two about what has worked for me. I have chosen to be an active participant in my life rather than a spectator, and in so doing I have chosen how to be a woman, how to be a wife, and how to be a mother in ways that are uniquely my own. I offer the stories of these choices as evidence of the power of sheer determination, will, and faith in God.
You've seen her on television with her husband, Dr. Phil. But now it's time for a heart-to-heart conversation with Robin McGraw. In
Inside My Heart, Robin speaks woman to woman, inspiring you to embrace and celebrate the many roles you play and encouraging you to make deliberate choices that lead to a richer, happier, and more meaningful life.
She shares with you the life-changing moments of her childhood years, dating and marrying Dr. Phil McGraw, raising two sons, and asserting herself as a woman in a man's world to show you that you have the power to make choices in your life. In fact, she's convinced that you must choose to go after the life you want.
With a deep and abiding faith in God, Robin McGraw shares her story so you too can make choices that reflect your own heart's truest priorities and highest goals.
Customer Reviews:
Nicely done........2007-10-11
I found this book to be very tasteful and inspirational. Most women can relate to Robin at least in some ways and she writes as if you are having a chat with her. I think her underlying theme sends a good positive message. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks Robin for a nice positive book.
Great book for every single and married women.......2007-10-07
Am half through this book, but yet I have found it very engaging in the way she shared her journey in life. I flipped and read briefly in the bookshop and decided to buy it before reading reviews in Amazon. I read negative comments and/or critics about the book structure, repeated messages she kept saying from the first chapter. But I disagreed with all these, this book is NOT a self help book, the topic is about choices she made in her life to become a person she is now. She didn't say it's the best choice for everyone but she showed how she got to that choice. It's not about a journal of her roles as a wife of a fairly famous person, but she shared with the reader many revealing moments in her life, either funny, sad and heartbreaking stories when she discovered a choice she believed and stick to it. I've been away from my parents' house since my twenties and after 10 years living far away from them and my siblings, I felt so close with the way I tried to live my life the best I can the way she did ((well not all the time sometimes). What I meant is to reflect every struggle in life as a lesson and how to react to it. I've been living fairly secured with my parents, afterwards living without pennies as a student, be in the lowest point in spirit and then joined this company where I have lived to the extent I've never ever imagined before but still deep inside I hold to the values I believe and those are values I carried from home till now. I truly believe her saying she hasn't changed much in terms of values from her childhood up to this point where she could write a book. As a single woman, I also found her comments on how she managed the relationships with Philips very helpful to understand and some even renew my own belief to see the thin line between loving other person and loving myself, when to hold it or just let it go. This is a great book for women who determine to keep looking for better choices in lives, in good and bad times. For some who just want to take easy road to feel as victims in life, then there would be a major work to see Robin's points.
Disappointed.......2007-10-04
AS much as I wanted to, I just couldn't get into this book...extremely repetitive....I was unable to continue reading...
Wonderful!!.......2007-09-09
I love this book!! I'm not a big reader, but I couldn't put this book down. In this book she tells you her life story, and you realize she is just like the rest of us. She is an amazing woman and has such a positive attitude!
Something To Be Said For Nice.......2007-09-03
There are times that I enjoy reading a book, and I read it quickly, and still, I cannot give it top marks. Inside My Heart by Robin McGraw, perhaps better known as wife to Dr. Phil, is one of those books. It is an easy read, one chapter leading into another, as we grow warm with empathy and curious about the life of this woman, arguably successful via her marriage more than for any particular accomplishment of her own. I've come to respect her husband's work (and I didn't initially, feeling he was riding on Oprah's coattails and reducing psychiatry to sound bites, yet after watching some of his shows and reading his columns in O Magazine, realized this man has pretty sound judgment about the quirks of human nature), and so, rather vicariously, became interested in what his wife had to say...
Robin has nothing new to say that we haven't already read in other women's inspirational and empowerment type of books. Nor am I clear on why a religious-based publisher like Nelson would have chosen to market her book in Christian circles and bookstores; there is very little mention in it about Robin's spiritual beliefs or influences on her life. And yet, I must admit, by the end of the book, I'd grown sympathetic to this woman, could imagine enjoying a personal friendship with someone like her, and give her my nod of respect for the life decisions she has made, and for her courageous value system. Ah yes, values. Something of which we are so achingly devoid in modern society. Robin makes sense of having them again. She writes about her approach to being a woman, a wife, a mother, a businesswoman, all based on well-defined and usually very traditional values. Husband Phil comes out pretty shiny and admirable, too, subscribing to the same values, as any good husband and father would and should. Even if we already know these values, we certainly can use reminders such as this. They work.
Nothing literary about this writing, reading more like a protracted magazine article than a soul-baring deep-diving personal expose. And the pull quotes are rather annoying every few pages, serving no purpose that I can see other than getting in the way of a smooth flow. But you know? I liked it. It's a nice book, with nice things to say, and perhaps it is time to fly the flag for the value of niceness again. I dare say we all secretly long for it.
Amazon.com
At the age of 5, Malika Oufkir, eldest daughter of General Oufkir, was adopted by King Muhammad V of Morocco and sent to live in the palace as part of the royal court. There she led a life of unimaginable privilege and luxury alongside the king's own daughter. King Hassan II ascended the throne following Muhammad V's death, and in 1972 General Oufkir was found guilty of treason after staging a coup against the new regime, and was summarily executed. Immediately afterward, Malika, her mother, and her five siblings were arrested and imprisoned, despite having no prior knowledge of the coup attempt.
They were first held in an abandoned fort, where they ate moderately well and were allowed to keep some of their fine clothing and books. Conditions steadily deteriorated, and the family was eventually transferred to a remote desert prison, where they suffered a decade of solitary confinement, torture, starvation, and the complete absence of sunlight. Oufkir's horrifying descriptions of the conditions are mesmerizing, particularly when contrasted with her earlier life in the royal court, and many graphic images will long haunt readers. Finally, teetering on the edge of madness and aware that they had been left to die, Oufkir and her siblings managed to tunnel out using their bare hands and teaspoons, only to be caught days later. Her account of their final flight to freedom makes for breathtaking reading. Stolen Lives is a remarkable book of unfathomable deprivation and the power of the human will to survive.
Book Description
A gripping memoir that reads like a political thriller--the story of Malika Oufkir's turbulent and remarkable life. Born in 1953, Malika Oufkir was the eldest daughter of General Oufkir, the King of Morocco's closest aide. Adopted by the king at the age of five, Malika spent most of her childhood and adolescence in the seclusion of the court harem, one of the most eligible heiresses in the kingdom, surrounded by luxury and extraordinary privilege.
Then, on August 16, 1972, her father was arrested and executed after an attempt to assassinate the king. Malika, her five younger brothers and sisters. and her mother were immediately imprisoned in a desert penal colony. After fifteen years, the last ten of which they spent locked up in solitary cells, the Oufkir children managed to dig a tunnel with their bare hands and make an audacious escape. Recaptured after five days, Malika was finally able to leave Morocco and begin a new life in exile in 1996.
A heartrending account in the face of extreme deprivation and the courage with which one family faced its fate, Stolen Lives is an unforgettable story of one woman's journey to freedom.
Customer Reviews:
Incredible Story - Deserved Better Editor.......2007-09-10
I am very disappointed in some of the reviews that I have read about this book; thank goodness they are the minority. Yes, I agree that it was poorly edited, and the story that was being relayed really could have been told better. It disturbs me that some of the reviewers almost appeared to attack the author. This lady is not an author/writer; she's no Stephen King or Dan Brown. Those authors have the advantage of fiction on their respective sides. Malika Oufkir had no such advantage. She is a survivor who had to actually live the hell that she describes in her book.
Imagine being a political prisoner - your only crime being that you were related to someone who either did something terrible against the country or "allegedly" did so - you are living in conditions of squalor. Your captors want you to die, but don't want to necessarily pull the trigger. You are starved, not allowed outside, not allowed to see or feel the sun, and deprived of the most basic information such as the date and time. You watch your sister pick the rat droppings from pieces of stale bread before "happily" consuming it. You watch your three-year old brother's life as a political prisoner. That's what you lived for most of two decades. Finally, years after being released, you get the courage to tell your story so that the world has a chance to know what you have been through, and that political imprisonment is not the cake walk or country club behind bars that it has been touted through the years. For months, you fight through the tears and the recollections of the circumstances and events that above all, you mostly want to forget. Then, proud that you were able to clear that final hurdle, you read the book reviews on Amazon only to find that one reader finds the book "difficult to believe" and even "boring." The nerve of some people to sit in their air conditioned homes with their refrigerator and freezer full, to sit at their computer with access to the world, to not be able to look past the flaws of the book to see the real story. If this was fiction, I could see the criticism, but given the storyline and the simple fact that it was fact, I simply cannot justify attacking the author about the quality of the book. Her experience has forever changed her and her reaction to life itself.
Bottom line - this was a riveting story that could have been a riveting book. I give the story itself 5+ stars. I hope Ms. Oufkir and her family are proud that they survived such an incredulous nightmare. I was left wanting more information, but I personally feel fortunate to have received what information I got; Ms. Oufkir didn't have to put her ordeal in writing. The editing gets one star. The editor and publisher failed Ms. Oufkir and should be ashamed that her story was not given the very best attention to detail. It almost seems as though the book was rushed to go to print, and Ms. Oufkir's story suffered the consequences. And that is a real travesty.
Survival Story.......2007-08-30
Because of her father's treachery in attempting to assassinate the king of Morocco, Malika, her mother, her siblings and two family friends are imprisoned in the desert. For years they live in tiny cells infested with bugs and mice who battle them for their near-starvation rations. Finally they make a desperate move to tunnel out of their prison and alert the international news media of their imprisonment, which puts sufficient pressure on the king to free them.
Malika's life wasn't always so bad, though. In fact, when she was five, the king adopted her to live in the palace as a companion to his daughter. Although she missed her family and felt trapped in her life as royalty, Malika was well fed and well brought up and had all of the luxuries life could hand out to a child. This makes her subsequent imprisonment all the more shocking, especially as it is at the hands of her adopted family.
I found this book a bit scattered. The author would state in passing something she would then address later, which gave me the feeling of a great deal of jumping around. She also tries a bit too hard to make a connection between life in the palace and life in prison, which I thought was more than a small stretch. Although the author argues that she was never really "free" to do what she wanted while living with the royals, what child ever is free to do what he or she wants? There were few incidents of her being treated cruelly while growing up, and she wanted for nothing, yet she tried to paint herself as a poor sad little child. This tended to make me feel less sorry for her, rather than more.
The part of the book dealing with the family's prison life was horrifying almost beyond belief, yet was dealt with in such a casual tone of voice that I found it hard to get as outraged and sad as I felt I should have been. Something about the tone of the book just didn't strike the right note with me.
Boring Beyond Belief.......2007-07-04
There is nothing "gripping" about this book. The beginning of the book, the tale of life with the King, is interesting. Once the family is arrested and incarcerated, it becomes boring beyond belief - and this is the part of the book that should be riveting! Instead, I found the narration totally self-centered and the "story" absolutely colorless. I quit reading about page 138 (just after the escape) because at that point I could have cared less what happened to this family. The travesty is that these events were real and I should feel outrage and compassion for this family. Instead, I'm annoyed I spent money on this horribly written/edited/translated book!
Stolen Lives.......2007-05-28
I found this story to be an inspirational account of a young girl's struggle from the palace to a jail cell. The orginial controversy of punnishing children for their father's actions developed the story into a thrilling drama. It was a compelling and gripping story, but they way it was written was a little off. Some of the sentances were difficult to read because of the way the words were written. I did not like how the writer kept jumping to the past and present to explain events. This made it confusing to determine what details were current and which already occured.
Disliked.......2007-05-18
I read the book for a book club. I was disappointed. The story was very self-centered. Also,difficult to believe, but a bit boring.
Product Description
In My Decision to Live, Nader Elguindi recalls the new direction his life took after suffering a horrific accident that severed both legs and caused him to permanently lose his right foot. At the time of the accident, he had been serving as a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy.
After many surgeries and a great deal of rehabilitation, Nader continues his career in the U.S. Navy, eventually becoming the first naval officer to earn the coveted Dolphins with a prosthetic leg. Following several appeals with the Navy's Physical Evaluation Board, Nader learns that his wish to remain as an active duty officer in the U.S. Navy has failed.
Discouraged from the failure but not deterred in life, Nader stumbles into a business opportunity and starts his own information technology company. Nader s story comes full circle ten years after his tragic accident when he wins one of the largest small business contracts from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), a distinguished branch of the U.S. Navy.
Customer Reviews:
Life Interrupted: A True Story.......2007-06-27
If you or someone you know has had life's dreams interrupted by an accident or illness, consider "My Decision to Live." It's a real life story about how one person - poised to accomplish his life-long goal - dealt with a terrible setback that completely re-wrote his life's script. Nader's story has elements with which many of us can identify: An imperfect yet loving family spread across several states, strong, individual motivation, bureaucratic obstacles, and bitter disappointment. Through it all, we see a young man's character and faith grow while he charts a new course in life. I'm glad Nader Elguindi took the time to share his story. It's given me a renewed perspective on overcoming my own challenges through an honest account of one person's struggle. Nader would have made a great submarine commander and his leadership would have meant a great deal to the men with whom he served. Having lost the chance to attain that goal, Nader instead has chosen to serve us all by telling his story and helping others in the process. Read this book and pass it along.
The Power of Decision.......2007-06-05
It's cliche to say "This book has been an inpiration to me, but so be it. This is an incredible story of overcoming obstacles and living by design with purpose and intensity.
The next time life gets hard and you don't know if you want to make the effort - buy this book, read this book and then get in gear.
Inspiring.......2007-05-13
I am still reading this book and I am enjoying it very much. The language is simple and unsophisticated which may disappoint some, but this makes it more appealing to youths. I want my son to read it so he understands what it is to be a man of character.
The most optimistic person I have read about.......2007-05-12
I just could not believe all that he has been through, and he still managed to do two remarkable feats by getting submarine qualified with a prosthetic leg, and starting a business which is hard to do anyway. If he can find his way, I can also.
A correct decision.......2007-04-17
Prior to the read, I expected a book 3/4ths about the after Navy struggles and little about the submarine experience. Being a former submariner I was happy to find I was mistaken. Knowing of the lack of physical space on submarines and moving fore and aft becomes routine for us but in retrospect I can remember how difficult it was especially during a call to "Battle Stations."
An excellent story of the hills and valleys of recovery both physically and career wise and how persevere in the business world.
I'm recommending it to all my viewers on my submarine BBS.
Thanks Nader!
Average customer rating:
- But enough about White
- White Mischief
- Edmund White is a Magical Biographer
- Uneven Tales
- A Brilliant Memoir
|
My Lives: An Autobiography
Edmund White
Manufacturer: Ecco
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Authors
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Specific Groups
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Gay
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Gay & Lesbian
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Gay & Lesbian
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Nonfiction
| Gay & Lesbian
| Subjects
| Books
White, Edmund
| ( W )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
GRIEF
-
Hotel de Dream: A New York Novel
-
Alternatives to Sex: A Novel
-
A Boy's Own Story (Modern Library Classics)
-
Call Me by Your Name: A Novel
ASIN: 0066213975
Release Date: 2006-04-11 |
Book Description
No one has been more frank, lucid, rueful and entertaining about growing up gay in Middle America than Edmund White. Best known for his autobiographical novels, starting with A Boy's Own Story, White here takes fiction out of his story and delivers the facts of his life in all their shocking and absorbing verity.
From an adolescence in the 1950s, an era that tried to "cure his homosexuality" but found him "unsalvageable," he emerged into a 1960s society that redesignated his orientation as "acceptable (nearly)." He describes a life touched by psychotherapy in every decade, starting with his flamboyant and demanding therapist mother, who considered him her own personal test case -- and personal escort to cocktail lounges after her divorce. His father thought that even wearing a wristwatch was effeminate, though custodial visits to Dad in Cincinnati inadvertently initiated White into the culture of "hustlers and johns" that changed his life.
In My Lives, White shares his enthusiasms and his passions -- for Paris, for London, for Jean Genet -- and introduces us to his lovers and predilections, past and present. "Now that I'm sixty-five," writes White, "I think this is a good moment to write a memoir. . . . Sixty-five is the right time for casting a backward glance, while one is still fully engaged in one's life."
Customer Reviews:
But enough about White.......2007-07-05
Why this book is an autobiography when we've read a lot of it before is beyond me. Must say, the description on how to pick up young men in the greater Cincinnati area was worth reading. White is oh-so-fascinated by his life, which seems akin to being mesmerized by sociological road kill to me. I am over Edmund White, and wish he were, too. YAWN.
White Mischief.......2006-12-05
Edmund White has/is living a rich life. A Life that may or may not be rich in the monetary sense (though this changes throughout his life) but in the sense of being rich with the exalted currency of true friendship. Time and time again in this latest edition of his autobiography (though he may not call his other books "autobiographies," all of his works are drawn from his life as he states herein), "My Lives," White writes about men and women with whom he has remained friends over the course of his entire life: people that are compelled to keep in touch, both Gay and Straight. Some are formers Lovers, Some were objects of White's Lust and sometimes Love. The women, though never lovers, are still his friends because White is the consummate comrade: always available emotionally at least and at best available in the flesh to lend a hand.
"My Lives" is divided into nine sections with names like My Mother, My Shrinks, My Hustlers, Mr. Genet, etc. but naturally all the sections bleed together as White excels in the fine art of straying from the topic. Along the way we get some sterling observations:
"In the 1950's people were ashamed that they were inadequate; in the 1960's they were proud to announce that they were victims...Rilke had said, You must change yourself! But now people said: Everyone else must change."
Though some of what he writes about his Mother, Lila Mae makes me wince, a lot of what White writes about her is very funny: "...Lila Mae's baseless optimism, her coquetry, her insistence that she was an old fashioned gal, 100 % feminine made us (White and his sister Margaret) cackle like gargoyles. Adolescents are wretchedly conventional as they tiptoe nervously into the great crowded ballroom of adulthood."
As he does with all facets of his life, White's examination of his sexual obsessions is exhaustive and brutally honest: "...but all of these encounters with hustlers were as much an expression of fear as of desire, and above all they were animated by curiosity. I was swallowing the sperm of strangers and this feast convinced me that I possessed all of these men. I was like one of those nearly insane saints who must take communion several times a day..."
So real, precisely expressed and profoundly learned...so much there to cause any number of people to bleed out the eyes.
Edmund White is nothing if not blunt, honest: sometimes maybe to a fault but "My Lives," as with much of what White has written, is profoundly observant and beautifully composed. Though White is of course a fine writer particularly when it has to do with his own life, I think that in the long run as an observer of life in all its forms and as a commentator of all he sees, White's greatest contribution both personally and cosmically is his remarkable ability to earn the trust and retain the friendship of those with whom he has remained emotionally tied for many, many years. If a man is judged by how many true friends he has made and kept then White is a truly great human being.
Edmund White is a Magical Biographer.......2006-11-07
Edmund White is a magical biographer. And, when it comes to writing his own autobiography, he is beyond compare. White's autobiography is breathtaking from the first paragraph. It is truly a work of genius.
Uneven Tales.......2006-07-02
Like the literary conceit on which the book is based, My Lives is all over the place both in the quality of its writing and in the quality of its insights. For long streches I felt almost resentful at White's rambling discourses on the females, friends, and foes in his life--alleviated by occasional flashes of almost lyrical beauty (such as his description of the Ile St. Louis in winter) and sociological insight. Much of the time I felt robbed at having paid for the book rather than being paid for what seemed like asynchronous therapy sessions like which my dispersed hours with the book seemed to feel.
I am still not quite sure how much of his narrative is whining and how much bemused narrative about his foibles as one who grew up in the pre-Stonewall era. No one seems to come off well, except perhaps his long-suffering current lover, about whom White maintains a virtual silence; and perhaps this is just as well.
A Brilliant Memoir.......2006-06-24
What sets this memoir apart from others I've read is the way White chose to write it. By dividing his book into chapters or sections that explore topics that he felt colored the life he's led, I feel that I know more about him than I ever would have had he chosen to start at his birth writing the events in the order that they happened. In these ten sections, White writes about topics that set the stage for who he became as in "My Shrinks", "My Father", and "My Mother". In other sections he writes about topics that were passions for him at different times in his life as in "My Europe", or "My Genet". In "My Hustlers", and "My Master" he explores his sexual preferences, whereas in "My Blondes" he discusses the type of men with whom he chooses to fall in love. The sections "My Women" and "My Friends" round him out as a person capable of giving and receiving affection and loyalty. All of these topics overlap within sections and the result is a clearer picture of who Edmund White is as an individual and as a writer.
Never in this book does White come across as the elder statesman or older gay male guru who has learned things in his life and now is ready to teach them to us the reader. It is so refreshing to see him as a person who knows that he hasn't rid himself of all his foibles and he comes across as more human because of it. He's never politically correct or ashamed of the things that he's done nor does he apologize for them as he shouldn't. He has always been and still remains a very sexual person in spite of his HIV status. Age (he's in his mid-sixties) hasn't turned him into a eunuch as evidenced by his passion for "T" in the section "My Master".
White's writing is always good, always fresh, and often brilliant. There are excerpts here that are as good or better than the first page of Thomas Wolfe's "Look Homeward Angel", or the excerpt on "Joey" in the beginning of James Baldwin's "Giovanni's Room". I won't tell you which ones they are; I'll let you find them yourself.
Average customer rating:
- Nice to read someone else's story
- Worth reading if you know someone with a brain tumor.
- Can't Put It Down, Great Read
- Great book that helps you deal with personal tragedy
|
Damn The Statistics, I Have a Life to Live!: Coping with a Brain Tumor My Personal Story
H. Charles Wolf
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Memoirs
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Essays
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Brain Cancer
| Cancer
| Disorders & Diseases
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cancer
| Disorders & Diseases
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Surviving Terminal Cancer: Clinical Trials, Drug Cocktails, and Other Treatments Your Oncologist Won't Tell You About
-
Brain Tumors: Leaving the Garden of Eden--A Survival Guide to Diagnosis, Learning the Basics, Getting Organized, and Finding Your Medical Team
-
Living with a Brain Tumor: Dr. Peter Black's Guide to Taking Control of Your Treatment
-
Navigating Through a Strange Land: 2nd Edition: A Book for Brain Tumor Patients and Their Families,
-
I Had Brain Surgery, What's Your Excuse?
ASIN: 1410786226 |
Customer Reviews:
Nice to read someone else's story.......2007-08-23
This guy has quite a story to tell. It's nice to read a journal of an another brain tumor patient. Having a brain tumor myself, this book makes me realize how good my situation really is. His story is inspiring, and I really like his writing style. I read this book in one night.
Worth reading if you know someone with a brain tumor........2006-02-07
I read this book when my mother was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme IV. It was very quick and easy reading, which is good during a time like this. It tells what this guy experienced from the beginning symptoms, through surgery, and recovery. It helped to reaffirm that what the doctors were doing for my mom was the "standard" procedure for this type of cancer, and helped to familiarize me with the terminology that I was both hearing from the doctors as well as reading simultaneously in this book. Although people experience different symptoms from this cancer, much of it is the same. Because this guy was able to write about what he experienced, it helped me to understand more of what my mom was going through... with the loss of words and thoughts, inability to do simple everyday activities that we take for granted, the craniotomy, and treatments - radiation and chemo. I would recommend this book to anyone who is caring for someone with this tumor.. It's affordable, quick reading, and it will help give you more insight on what the patient is going through.
I would like to say that my mom has undergone 2 craniotomies, she is walking again, becoming easier to understand, and has the best attitude towards life. She's got too much to live for to let this little thing called "cancer" get in her way. :-)
Can't Put It Down, Great Read.......2004-02-11
If you know someone that has cancer, this book takes you through the first year covering awake craniotomy surgery, radiation therapy, chemo therapy, and others. There are a lot of pictures.
Great book that helps you deal with personal tragedy.......2003-10-26
If you or a loved one is dealing with a tumor or a cancer this is the book to help you get through it. It details the authors personal problems and medical problems. It is a real page turner and very informative. A recommended read for everyone!!!
Customer Reviews:
All The Days of The Life of Alison Sweeney.......2007-09-05
As I have been a viewer for Days of our Lives since it started airing on television, I have watched Ali grow up and wanted to read about her own life and the struggles which she faces in her real life. The only thing was I was hoping for an email address so I could write to Ali and the book did not have it. I have tried her web site but can't seem to get it to work for getting a message to her. Her book is very good, I started it and did not put it down until I was finished.
Jackie Hall
Amazing book.......2007-05-13
This is a terrific book! Alison Sweeney is not only an incredible actress but she is also a sweet, down to earth person. When I read this book I felt like I really knew her. She has the same everyday struggles as we all do. It was so good to hear someone who is famous being so honest about her struggles such as weight loss. This book is so inspiring and uplifting. I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Grat Read even if not a Days Fan!.......2007-03-31
I have watched days on and off for years but was never a huge Sami fan. I picked up this book to read while recovering from surgery. I had heard Ali will be hosting Biggest Loser and I wanted to know more about her.
The book is written with such honesty, like Ali is talking to a friend.
I was impressed by the honesty in her weight struggles and social life issues growing up in show business. I think it would be an inspiring read for any teen/young women struggling with weight, self esteem issues. It is obviosuly a great read for Days fans too.
Book Looks Good.......2007-03-09
I have not had a chance to read the book yet. It was in great condition and looks like it will be good. I like Allison Sweeney so I'm sure that I will enjoy the book when I have the chance to read it.
All the Days of My Life (so far).......2006-11-06
The book was a very interesting insight into Alison Sweeney's life and how she is off camera. She sounds like a person I'd like to meet.
Book Description
Comedienne/TV star/bestselling author of Roseanne: My Life as a Woman, Arnold covers show biz, stardom, family, marriage, and more in this explosive tell-all. 2 cassettes.
Customer Reviews:
Roseanne Barr Makes Roseanne Conner Seem Quite Charming.......2006-09-01
I read Roseanne's first book. It was so awful, it was almost torture. This book is an improvement. Roseanne writes more lucidly the second time around. It is more biography than rambling mess, as the first book was. She covers her personal life as well as tid bits regarding her sit com. The sit com is one area where I do believe her. She had to fight (and it wasn't pretty) for control of her own show.
I can see where many ideas for the show came from after reading her books. The problem is that the show was funny and Roseanne's life anything but funny. Roseanne Barr is nothing like Roseanne Conner. Not surprisingly, Roseanne Barr swears like a trucker. She has no filter and says anything and I mean ANYTHING that comes to mind. (I wish I could do this too, but ya just can't!). She was heavily into drugs, alcohol and even has sex with multiple guys for money. This is all while she was married with three kids. She talks about loving her kids, but was barely there to raise them. What a mess.
She also covers the fact that she had suppressed memories of her parents abusing her, mentally and sexually. She states that this is what made her act out so badly all her life and she dealt with it through multiple personalities. She provides a list of each personality's name at the end of the book.
Because her behavior has been so incredibly bizarre and over the top, it is hard to know what to believe or not. It's hard to see someone's pain as enjoyable. Like lots of people, she needed to write the book, but I'm not sure we need to read it.
A tell-all and accuse-all of a memoir.......2005-12-25
This is Roseanne's second autobiography, the one in which she alleges childhood sexual abuse by both her mother and father. She also details how her younger sister fled her parents' house due to abuse (and now denies any abuse) and how Roseanne's daughter was also abused by Roseanne's father. Roseanne claims her weight issues stem from childhood sexual abuse. In a bizarre chapter at the end, Roseanne even alludes to having multiple personality disorder, as a means of surviving abuse.
Roseanne also dishes about the formative years of her sitcom and her desperate struggle for creative control, as well as her romance, marriage, and creative partnership with Tom Arnold. She also describes in detail the infamous National Anthem debacle, from what her intentions were through the aftermath.
I don't know if I find Roseanne 100% credible. She's outrageous and unbalanced and I can't help but feel that she skewers the truth to meet her own needs. If you can get past that, this makes for an interesting read.
Roseanne Barr Pentland Arnold Thomas: Part 2.......2004-06-09
I must say that I didn't exactly know what to think when I saw a book with Tom and Roseanne on the cover. But seeing as "Roseanne" is one of my favorite shows, I had to pick it up. This is Roseanne Barr-Arnold's second book; I have not yet read the first one. The book discusses everything between the start of her stand-up act through her marriage with Tom Arnold. She has lots of fun bashing all of the people she worked with on her hit sitcom and her ex-husband, Bill Pentland, who she was married to for 16 years and had 3 children with. The thing that is ironic about this book is how Roseanne talks about how much she loves Tom Arnold, when she divorced him the same year that this book was released. The book is actually quite interesting, however. We see that Roseanne Barr and Roseanne Arnold are definetely two different people. This Roseanne is sticking with her story about her father molesting her and her sisters. (The Roseanne Barr of 2004 is now getting along with her family.) I think that this book is a little one-sided, though. Roseanne doesn't seem to think about how her children must feel during this divorce. I do recommend it for those of you intrigued by Roseanne Barr-Pentland-Arnold-Thomas's life story.
best book i have ever read!.......2003-02-06
i have to say this is my favorite book its excellent i couldnt put it down. People can say what they want about roseanne but one thing you can't say is that she aint borring she is far from it and she is a strong survivor i feel such a bond with her after reading this book. It's incrediable i advise you all to read it!
good book.......2002-12-30
I found this book in one of those factory second tables at the shopping centre, I thought it was a novel Roseanne had written, some cheesy romance thing but because I am such a huge fan I bought it anyway, God I loved it, So brutally honest and self examining, I loved the people she loved and hated those she hated.
Great bio, the best I ever read.
Average customer rating:
- A journey into the life of a Tibetan Monk
- Tibetan life, lives on in the pages of this book.
|
My Life and Lives: The Story of a Tibetan Incarnation
Khyongla Rato
Manufacturer: Rato Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Tibetan
| Buddhism
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0963029304 |
Book Description
The autobiography of Khyongla Rato is a moving human interest story set in the last few decades of life in Tibet before Communists seized control of the country in 1959. It is the only record in English of daily life in Tibet's great monastic universities. Readers can experience Tibet's customs and ceremonies, as well as the emotions and intellectual challenges of the rigourous training required to pass exams in Buddhist sutra and tantra studies. Joseph Campbell, one of Khyongla Rato's students, wrote the introduction to the book.
Customer Reviews:
A journey into the life of a Tibetan Monk.......2003-11-15
This has to be by far one of the most influencial books I've ever read. It lends insight into a culture and tradition that is very foreign to us in the western world. The anecdotes mixed with Buddhist ideology lends itself to a very readable and personal story while still relating the main precepts of what Buddhism is all about.
His kindness and understanding are by far the most salient aspect of the book, and leads the reader to make judgements about their own practices and daily lives.
For anyone interested in learning more about Buddhism as well as for anyone interested in the plight of Tibet, this is a must read!
Tibetan life, lives on in the pages of this book........2002-12-19
This is a brilliant book detailing the very interesting life of the author. It is an autobiography uncluttered by political views, or religious evangelism (as you would expect of a Buddhist author), it serves only the purpose of describing life in Tibet for an Incarnate monk, mostly before the Chinese invasion. It was really a pleasure to read, and frank in every detail. I was left with great respect for the author, who's humble story gives an insight into a way of life that will never be the same again. I have read quite a few books on Tibet and by Tibetan authors and this book is the only autobiography I have read aside from Freedom in Exile by His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
Freedom in Exile is a great book also, but His Holiness the Dalai Lama had a far different life to that of an everyday monk (although Khyongla Rato now, is hardly an 'everyday' monk, but indeed a great scholar). I highly recommend this book.
Book Description
Leonard Wolf, a retired professor now in his early eighties, is the kind of person who likes to use a medieval astrolabe, dress in Basque shepherd's clothing, and convince otherwise sensible people to quit their jobs and follow their passions. Leonard believes that inside everyone is an artist, and that happiness in life depends on valuing and acting upon one's creative impulse. In The Treehouse, her most personal book yet, Naomi Wolf outlines her father's lessons in creating lasting success and happiness, and offers inspiration for the artist in all of us.
Drawn from Leonard's lecture notes, the chapters of The Treehouse remind us to "Be Still and Listen," "Use Your Imagination," and "Do Nothing Without Passion," and that "Your Only Wage Will Be Joy" and "Mistakes Are Part of the Draft." This is
a journey of self-discovery in which the creative endeavor is paramount.
The Treehouse is a stirring personal history, a meditation on fathers and daughters, an argument for honoring the creative impulse, and a unique instruction in the art of personal happiness.
Download Description
"Bestselling author Naomi Wolf was brought up to believe that happiness is something that can be taught -- and learned. In this magical book, Naomi shares the enduring wisdom of her father, Leonard Wolf, a poet and teacher who believes that every person is an artist in their own unique way, and that personal creativity is the secret of happiness. Leonard Wolf is a true eccentric. A tall, craggy, good-looking man in his early eighties, he's the kind of person who likes to use a medieval astrolabe, dress in Basque shepherd's clothing, and convince otherwise sensible people to quit their jobs and follow their passions. A gifted teacher, he's dedicated his life to honoring individualism, creativity, and the inspirational power of art. Leonard believes, and has made many others believe, that inside everyone is an artist, and success and happiness in life depend on whether or not one values and acts upon one's creative impulse. In The Treehouse, Naomi Wolf's most personal book yet, Naomi outlines her father's lessons in creating lasting happiness and offers inspiration for the artist in all of us. The book begins when Naomi asks Leonard to help build a treehouse for his granddaughter. Inspired by his dedication to her daughter's imaginative world, Naomi asks her father to walk her through the lessons of his popular poetry class and show her how he teaches people to liberate their creative selves. Drawn from Leonard's handwritten lecture notes, the chapters of The Treehouse remind us to ""Be Still and Listen,"" ""Use Your Imagination,"" ""Do Nothing Without Passion,"" and that ""Your Only Wage Will Be Joy,"" and ""Mistakes Are Part of the Draft."" More than an education in poetry writing, this is a journey of self-discovery in which the creative endeavor is paramount. Naomi also offers glimpses into her father's past -- from his youth during the Depression to his bohemian years as a poet in 1950s San Francisco -- and the evolution of Leonard's highly individualistic vision of the artist's way. She reconsiders her own childhood and realizes the transformative effect Leonard's philosophy has had on her own life, as well as the lives of her students and friends. The Treehouse is ultimately a stirring personal history, a meditation on fathers and daughters, an argument for honoring the creative impulse, and unique instruction in the art of personal happiness. "
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating for Every Writer about the Writing Life.......2006-05-12
This book contains some gems for writers. Throughout the book, Wolf and her father are building a treehouse for her daughter. Leonard Wolf has a series of key points that he regularly teaches. "Be disciplined," Leonard said, again looking up from his class notes. "Do you want to know how to become a writer? It is not romantic." Then he glared from under his white brows and almost harshly said, as much about life, it seems, as about writing, "There is no revising a blank page. Keep going."..."Even when you do not feel like it-especially then-GO ON."
"Writer's block," he said, "comes about when you let yourself yield to two false notions about your task. The first is that writing is a profound occupation, important as a means of expressing the self, some truth about life, or about the universe. This is all nonsense."
"The second false notion is that writing must at every moment be perfect. No one objects to perfection eventually, but the idea of it does nothing to help you get started." (p. 176-177)
Many people will gain truth from reading these stories.
A window on a favorite author of mine...........2006-04-13
Have always appreciated Naomi Wolf's works and this book gives the reader a peek inside the home that helped make her the woman that she is. The only issue I have with her writing style in this books is how she goes back and forth from calling her Dad by his first name and then simply referring to him a Dad.
Loved reading about the different periods on both coasts that she have live in, which gives the reader a glimpse into the life of a well traveled woman, who also lived a unique life that was very much life the places she happened to be living in.
Loved reading about her 'nearly derelict house in the midst of a desolate meadow that was dense with thorns' in New York State. And the tid bits about the state of the house as they set about to make it livable, the daffodils poking out in the midst of nowhere.
The various lessons she writes about are: Be Still and Listen, Use Your Imagination, Destroy the Box, Speak in Your Own Voice, Identify Your Hearts Desire, Do Nothing Without Passion, Be Disciplined With Your Gift, Pay Attention to the Details, Your Only Wage Will Be Joy, Mistakes Are Part of the Draft, Frame Your Work, Sign It and Let It Go.
Winner of an "Academy Award for Books".......2006-03-09
The Treehouse is one of eight books of the thousands published in 2005 to receive a Books for a Better Life award in a ceremony like an "Academy Awards" for books. Hurrah to Larry McMurtry, who won an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain and reminded the audience of the importance of books. The seven other winners in this amazing prize-winning list are: The Tender Bar (J.R. Moehringer), The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls), Undoing Perpetual Stress (Richard O'Connor), The Sociopath Next Door (Martha Stout), Perfect Love, Imperfect Relationships (John Welwood), Unattended Sorrow (Stephen Levine), and Jim Cramer's Real Money.
Tribute to an Iconoclast.......2005-12-24
Who better than Naomi Wolf, already a famous author, to tell tehstory of the life of her father, the gifted poet and novelist Leonard Wolf? It seems that, at forty, Naomi was undergoing a troubled latch in her life, though it's soort of cloudy why she suddenly felt so disengaged on the one hand and, on the other, so concerned and doubtful about the life choices she had already made. Someone looking at her would think she had it all! And yet inside, she was deeply miserable.
So she decides to try to get some elder wisdom from her dad. He, Leonard Wolf, is not to be confused with Leonard Woolf with two oo's, the one who married Virginia Woolf. But I expect plenty of people mixed them up. In one wellknown story, the novelist E M Forster made an American tour after World War II, and he was inveigled to UC Berkeley, where he snubbed the faculty and the dean and instead had tea with a group of student poets led by Leonard Wolf. Perhaps Forster thought they had already met? That would tie in with his Mr. Magoo persona. As Naomi Wolf relates, Wolf was in the very center of the so-called Berkeley Renaissance, a short-lived poetic movement of great distinction that centered around the English Department but was distinctly separate from it. Wolf and other poets, including Robert Duncan, Mary Fabilli, Jack Spicer, Thomas Parkinson, Landis Everson and Robin Blaser, sought to change the face of poetry and to yank its still beating heart from the purlieux of New York, Paris and London and consecrate it at Berkeley.
Wolf's beautiful, shiksa wife Pat, an extremely talented writer herself, was part of the mix. Leonard and Patricia later separated in the mid 1950s, and he married Naomi's mother. Naomi frames her story in the lessons Leonard taught her. Each chapter is like a little sermon in which Naomi takes the Leonardine text and expounds on it, and how it fits into her own writing, her own life, her teaching practice, her children and the circle of young female writers and activists she is committed to encouraging. Leonard must be over eighty by now, still hale and hearty and filled with great wisdom. Besides being one of the United States' most criminally ignored poets, whose very first book HAMADRYAD HUNTED is a classic of postwar literature, he is an expert on DRACULA and Francis Ford Coppola used his expertise as a consultant when he made the film version of Dracula with Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder.
This book is a keeper!.......2005-12-21
This book came highly recommended by my dad ~~ he was recommended to read it by one of his photographer friends. This book is definitely a keeper in my library! It is intense, thoroughly thoughtful, honest and engaging. While the lessons may be geared to writers, it really is geared to everyone. There is a creative bent in each of us and our life is just as important as some of the well-known writers/artists. We have to strive to find the peace deep within us and Wolf's father was just simply pointing it out to the reader.
In today's world, life is hectic and stressful enough that sometimes, we wake up one day and realize this is not where we want to be. It doesn't matter who you are ~~ you matter. It's that simple. Leonard, Naomi's father, was just mentioning that life is too short for regrets. Now he's not advocating drugs or wild sex or anything like that. He's advocating that each of us find deep within ourselves how to be a much better person because each of us has so much to offer to the world. Obviously, we all can't be Monets, but we can strive for that. The basic lesson is to find our creative vein and discover just what it is that makes individuals happy and unique in their lives.
In this book, this author's family and herself have found a wild corner in Boston's Corners where they had to basically rebuild the house from bottom up and clear the land. Her daughter wanted a treehouse built and Naomi decided to help her build one. Through their building sessions or anything, Naomi and her father would talk. Sometimes friends would join them and other times, it was just them. This book is like a treehouse ~~ starts off slowly and uncertainly then by the end, it's radiant and beautiful with the joy flowing from the author's pen.
Despite the heaviness of the topics sometimes, I never found this book to be a drag. Instead, I find this book to be joyous and uplifting and encouraging. It was an intimate book between author and reader. We're in this together, me reading her thoughts which flowed very eloquently, by the way, and her sharing her insights of what she has learned from her father and life experiences. It is encouraging in the sense that you feel your spirit awakening and you're reaching for a highlighter to mark certain passages just because it speaks to the heart. It is uplifting to know that it's never to late to find your dream again and strive to make it come true.
I will rate this one as one of my top ten reads of 2005. I have never read any of Naomi Wolf's books before though I have heard of her. This book is just inspirational in itself and it is definitely one that I would recommend to every serious reader. It is joyful and wonderful that it's just a perfect addition to your library!
12-20-05
Book Description
Oscar Peterson's career as a jazz pianist has spanned over five decades. During that time, he has recorded nearly 90 albums, won seven Grammys, and earned lifetime achievement awards from the Black Theatre Workshop, the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. He has played with, and come to know, many of the genre's greatest contributors, including Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. Peterson chronicles his storied career in A Jazz Odyssey: The Life of Oscar Peterson.Organized chronologically, A Jazz Odyssey takes readers through the development of jazz over the course of the late 20th century as seen by one of the jazz world's most celebrated figures. Peterson guides readers through the turbulent 1940s, when he was playing with the Johnny Holmes Orchestra in Montreal, and first met Norman Granz - the jazz producer who would launch his career. With Granz,! he joined Jazz at the Philharmonic, playing at Carnegie Hall and touring all over North America. A Jazz Odyssey also brings readers to the birth of the Oscar Peterson Trio - where Peterson would hone his trademark arrangement of piano, guitar, and bass and work with the likes of Ray Brown, Barney Kessel, and Herb Ellis. Peterson describes the endless practice sessions and tireless work ethic that earned the group the reputation of the hardest working trio in the business. He also describes meeting his idol Art Tatum during the 1950s and touring with him in Jazz at the Philharmonic.A Jazz Odyssey explores the process behind cutting the dozens of albums that the Oscar Peterson Trio cut during the 1950s. The trio's incarnation at that time included Peterson, himself, in addition to Herb Ellis and Ray Brown - a group that would become known as one of the greatest jazz combinations of the time. Peterson calls the 1960s "years of unbelievable music," as Ellis's retirement brought the renowned Ed Thigpen into the trio. During the 1960s, Peterson also opened the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto, Ontario, and released his first major composition, "Canadian Suite." A Jazz Odyssey delves into Peterson's relationship with German millionaire and jazz fanatic Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, a friendship which Peterson credits with helping him create some of his best recordings ever. A Jazz Odyssey looks at the new incarnations of the Oscar Peterson Trio during the 1970s, but also examines the great deal of philanthropic work Peterson did for the nation of Canada. Over time, he would be recognized as an outstanding advocate for Canadian culture, eventually winning the title of Officer of the Order of Canada from the national government. Oscar discusses his experiences through the 1980s and 90s, the period when he turned more toward composing than performing, and saw one of his goals come to fruition with the performance of his "Easter Suite" composition. Peterson speaks candidly about his personal life throughout A Jazz Odyssey - giving readers a rare look at the private life of the jazz star. He discusses meeting his wife early on in his career and the role that she played in his work. He also recalls the debilitating arthritis he dealt with throughout the 80s and 90s - the condition that would prevent him from going out on the road, even though touring had been his whole life up until then. With the humor and energy that has characterized his personality throughout his brilliant career, Peterson also talks about his life after his stroke in the mid-1990s.In 1997 Oscar Peterson received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award, proof that he is still regarded as one of the greatest jazz musicians ever to play. A Jazz Odyssey is a revealing, fascinating look inside the career and life of a jazz world luminary.
Customer Reviews:
A heavy gold bracelet.......2007-03-06
Almost 25 years ago when Oscar Peterson last performed here in Winnipeg, my wife and I enjoyed prime seats at our concert hall for what would be the most remarkable musical performance by ANYONE, that either of us has ever had the pleasure to witness.
It was Oscar Peterson at the peak of his powers, `alone together' with Joe Pass (the guitar genius, who was born Joseph Anthony Passalaqua in New Jersey, and who died in L.A. 13 years ago). I remember we could see a heavy gold bracelet, glinting in the spotlight, dancing on Oscar's right wrist as he made music at the speed of light!
In the years since, whenever we'd see that glint of gold on Oscar's wrist -- during rare television appearances - we'd say to ourselves, What's the story on that bracelet?
Tonight I picked up a copy of this "Jazz Odyssey" autobiography, and went straight for the index, looking up "Sinatra, Frank" (my favorite male singer - Oscar's too) and . . . sure enough, there was the answer to my question! (on page 206).
"At the end of the final (recording) session with Fred Astaire, Fred presented each member of the group with a beautiful gold identification bracelet -- which he had autographed.
"I have worn mine ever since; years later, when I met Fred Astaire at a party Frank Sinatra was giving for me, he told me he'd seen me on television a few nights before and had been `thrilled' to see I was wearing his bracelet!
-----
Oscar's "report" on those marvelous recordings with Astaire - his acute observations of little things he noticed and vividly recalls fifty years later -- is what makes this musical autobiography truly unique. How many musicians have we heard interviewed, who think and express themselves at the following level?
"As I waited for Fred (to arrive) I started toying with a few phrases I thought unusual in the songs likely to be used - Top Hat, for example (and) As I sat there engrossed, I became aware of a presence nearby, and looked up into the smiling face of Astaire himself. He wore a tweed sports jacket a soft pair of brown slacks (engagingly held up by a man's tie) and a hat set at an almost rakish angle.
"He was at once immensely likeable, and awe-inspiring: sensing my diffidence, he said kindly, `Sounds awfully good to me, Oscar!'"
"After the initial rehearsal went very well - although Fred voiced some doubts about his competence as a vocalist - he was very clear on the feel and treatment he wanted on most of the songs; on others he was less sure, and wondered aloud, `I've never understood why he wrote that kind of lyric for this particular tune," or "I've never felt comfortable with this passage.
"It would be idle to pretend that the sessions passed without a hitch. For all his rhythmic feel, Fred was not naturally attuned to jazz phrasing, and it was at times perilously easy to throw him, via the wrong intro or a misplaced fill.
"We learned to gauge our ad lib lines around and behind him very carefully, giving him enough time to hear his place of re-entry coming up. We also stuck firmly to the normal harmonic clusters, as any kind of `modern' dissonance could faze him, or make him worried about his own intonation.
"I found it fascinating to discover how different were Fred's senses of time as a vocalist and as dancer: Dancing, his time was so strict that he could make an accompaniment sound early or late; his vocal time however, was VERY loose, uninhibited, and unmeasured.
"I found the best way to accompany Fred was to give him a long harmonic chord cushion and let him take his natural liberties with metronomic time.
"It was also riveting to watch Fred on some of the slow ballads. His normal posture was to hold one hand cupped over his ear as he sang, but on some tunes he would lower the hand and instinctively fall into a semi-swirl, so familiar from his gliding ballroom performances.
"And we were all touched by his nervous, boyish anxiety: he'd rush to the piano after every take asking, `How was that?' or `Did I stay in tune?'
"One or two surprises remained. We found out that he LOVED playing drums (he had a full set in his living room) and we cajoled him into sitting-in during a rehearsal! It was a riot! To hear his time, in conjunction with Ray Brown's vast sound was quite an event - and the look of rapt attention on his face was a joy to behold!
-----
In a sort of `afterward' titled "THE WILL TO PERFECTION," Oscar writes,
"Creating an uninhibited, off-the-cuff musical composition in front of a large audience is a dare-devil enterprise, one that draws on everything about you, not just your musical talent. It requires you to collect all your senses, emotions, physical strength, and mental power and focus them totally onto the performance - utter dedication every time you play."
The pay-off, Oscar says, is "scary (but) also uniquely exciting. Once it's bitten you, you never get rid of it. Nor do you want to: for you come to believe that if you get it ALL right, you will be capable of virtually anything. That is what drives me, and I know it will always do so."
Delightful reading!.......2005-10-20
Oscar's "autobiography" is delightful reading! It's written in a very conversational style. It covers various aspects of his youth, family, teachers and training, career, musical influences, and his fellow musicians. I have also read "The Will To Swing" by Gene Lees. Oscar's book is a great compliment to that book. It's nicer, in a way, since it's written by Oscar. The reader feels that we're meeting Oscar Peterson in person. In order to know Oscar beyond this, listen to the music. That was his life, after all!
The Title Says It All.......2005-04-10
A wonderful book! about a life well lived and enjoyed, and thankfully Mr. P is still on the planet. I must take issue with the Publishers Weekly review; it does not follow a predictable format, and why would it? Anyone who has heard this musical giant in live performance or on recordings realizes that the superlative, wonderful music that pours from his soul and through his fingers is truly a Jazz Odyssey. OP may have some idea of where he wants it to go, but in the end his musical journey of surprise and discovery is ours too. This is a book to read and re-read - just like his recordings, you will discover something new that you missed the last time around. Kudos!
Warm and endearing.......2002-07-12
Aside from having one of the most beautiful cover jackets I've seen on a book in a long time, this is an engaging, lovely book to read. I have to take issue with the reviewer from Publishers Weekly above - once you know that Oscar has suffered a stroke, I don't think it's fair to expect a perfectly written or perfectly structured book. What we get, instead, is a collection of reminiscences - nearly all of which shine with Oscar's warmth and intelligence and extraordinary feel for his subject: the life of a jazz man. Here's a good example, where he discovers a new piano, as a child:
'Early on I imagined that all the pianos I would play would be uprights. Not so! One day I was sent to the auditorium of my High School on an errand, and there stood a beautiful baby grand piano. I couldn't resist it: the errand vanished from my mind as I sat down to play this exquisite discovery. It was fantastic! The sound from its horizontal strings was a revelation after the vertical, harp-like strings I was used to: it seemed to reach inside me and grab at the pit of my stomach. The bell-like treble end particularly intrigued me, as I tried out numerous harmonic clusters in my left hand against moving phrases in the upper register, and I came away determined that one day one of these musical marvels would be mine. My own grand piano.' (page 297)
I can truly recommend this book if you're a fan of jazz piano. According to the book, there is a CD available of some of Oscar's best work to tie in with this, but I have not seen it anywhere yet.
Books:
- Jackie: A Life In Pictures
- Kingdom Come: The Final Victory: The Final Victory (Left Behind #13)
- Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France, 1553 (The Royal Diaries)
- Maus : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History/Here My Troubles Began/Boxed
- Me and a Guy Named Elvis: My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley
- Me Talk Pretty One Day
- Michelangelo : The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture
- Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President (Signature Series)
- My Life So Far
- Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Create Your Life, Your Relationships, and Your World in Harmony with Your Values (Nonviolent Communication Guides)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Basic Game Design & Creation for Fun & Learning
- Soviet Lend-Lease Fighter Aces of World War 2
- From Product Description to Cost: A Practical Approach: Volume 2: Building a Specific Model
- Hispanos hablan más minutos por celulares: telefónicas ganan con usted: en promedio ga
- Logistics & Supply Chain Management: creating value-adding networks
- The Alibi Man
- Microsoft Help Desk for Microsoft Office 2000
- For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Fu
- Human Development in South Asia 2001: Globalisation and Human Development
- Wildflowers of Fields Roadsides and Open Habitats of Illinois
Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers
Self Matters: Creating Your Life from the Inside Out
The Confident Woman: Start Today Living Boldly and Without Fear
Family First: Your Step-by-Step Plan for Creating a Phenomenal Family
Love Smart: Find the One You Want--Fix the One You Got
