A good solid biography of Elton John. It is sound and fine but it is not outstanding. I would recommend Elton’s autobiography for that but I learned fA good solid biography of Elton John. It is sound and fine but it is not outstanding. I would recommend Elton’s autobiography for that but I learned from this book and I enjoyed it. ...more
Delightful as one would expect the book to be. Eric Idle does start out a bit stiff but it quickly dissipates as he gets going into his teen years andDelightful as one would expect the book to be. Eric Idle does start out a bit stiff but it quickly dissipates as he gets going into his teen years and college. It just keeps getting better and better. Funny account of sitting at the Tonys and watching Spamalot lose almost all awards but finally winning the big one. Accounts of the lives of Carrie Fisher, Graham Chapman, David Bowie and especially George Harrison. Robin Williams too +. I’m so glad I listened to the audiobook but probably the book in the future. ...more
Beautifully illustrated book about a soup called Freedom Soup. A Haitian soup that used to be made by slaves who were banned from eating it. The book Beautifully illustrated book about a soup called Freedom Soup. A Haitian soup that used to be made by slaves who were banned from eating it. The book talks about grandma making the soup at New Year’s, and tells the story of the soup and the Haitian people. Very well told, appropriate read for younger people. ...more
A moving memoir by an African American author, filmmaker and political official. Sarah M. Bloom writes a family history by focusing on a yellow house A moving memoir by an African American author, filmmaker and political official. Sarah M. Bloom writes a family history by focusing on a yellow house that the extended family lived in for generations. Located in a poor neighborhood in New Orleans, it endured Hurricane Betsy and Katrina. But was torn down as unlivable after a Katrina. The family had to go through a lot to get any money for the home and it rested on who was a legitimate or illegitimate child of a father. Beautifully written, I can’t recommend it more. ...more
Excellent anthology of great women over time. From the 19,20and 21 centuries. Hillary and Chelsea Clinton are very good writers and their list of womeExcellent anthology of great women over time. From the 19,20and 21 centuries. Hillary and Chelsea Clinton are very good writers and their list of women who had “guts” is very extensive and well worth reading. A very important read. Very enjoyable too!...more
Disappointing book about the trials of the church bombings in Alabama that happened in the 1960s and was successfully prosecuted only recently. SenatoDisappointing book about the trials of the church bombings in Alabama that happened in the 1960s and was successfully prosecuted only recently. Senator Doug Jones was the Attorney General at the time. The problem isn’t the topic but how the book was written. Doug Jones was not the only writer on board but the book reads like a transcript from a tape recorder and about as interesting. Maybe a good writer will shore up this story so that it is easy to comprehend and read well. Seemed more like a gossip who doesn’t stop talking and you can’t stand it anymore. ...more
KunKush is a the personal car of a Iraqi Kurdish family. The family needs to refugee out of their country because of war and danger. They have to pay KunKush is a the personal car of a Iraqi Kurdish family. The family needs to refugee out of their country because of war and danger. They have to pay smugglers to take them to Europe. The family knows the smugglers will not want their pet cat aboard or charge them more money so they hide her. They are able to do so until they reach an island in Greece. KunKush gets out of the bad they are smuggling him in and runs away. The family loses him and they must leave. A vet finds the cat and realizes that he is not a stray cat found on the island. She takes him in and searching through the internet finds the family. The book not only tells the story of the book but the true story through photographs and videos. Touching story....more
Touching graphic memoir about George Takei’s life. It mainly focus’ on his experiences in the Japanese internment camps. His family was from Los AngelTouching graphic memoir about George Takei’s life. It mainly focus’ on his experiences in the Japanese internment camps. His family was from Los Angeles and was eventually sent to Arkansas. His details about the camp make it clear how abusive and degrading the camps were and how the people responded. Makes me wonder what is happening in the detention camps right now. Takei doesn’t shy away from addressing concerns about what is happening to other ethnic groups are going through now and how awful his experience was then. This book is for middle school and high school age kids. It’s is age appropriate and clear in its message. ...more
I was overcome with admiration of the author of this book and how well written it is though I’m sure he had help. Mindf*ck tells Christopher Wylie’s sI was overcome with admiration of the author of this book and how well written it is though I’m sure he had help. Mindf*ck tells Christopher Wylie’s story about his work for Cambridge Analytica and how it affected the BREXIT vote in Great Britain and the 2016 presidential election in the USA. While steadily being taken over by the Russians in the background and Steven Bannon in the foreground, Cambridge Analytica used Facebook to create personality and opinion quizzes to entice people to agree to allow access to their accounts so the company could gather and weaponize their personal information. Wylie describes how Facebook could refuse to turn over information to the British parliament and defy governments. He shows that government is really powerless in the face of many of thee tech companies. Cambridge Analytica didn’t face any fines or punishment in the face of the British or USA government. It helped stir a race and religious war in Myanmar. Wylie also talks how he has banned from Facebook companies including Instagram and What’s App. That past information and photos have disappeared about him from friend’s accounts. How he had to get new phones as did his family and friends and he has to put his phone in a lead lined drawer at night to keep it from spying on him. I have to admit I didn’t pay much attention to Christopher Wylie in interviews on TV. Maybe because I like my phone and the internet I didn’t want to hear, but this book is a heartfelt and well written book that hit me where I live. Fascinating. ...more
The life and times of a young girl in Corona California riding in the back of her Papi’s motorcycle as they ride through town. She introduces members The life and times of a young girl in Corona California riding in the back of her Papi’s motorcycle as they ride through town. She introduces members of the community and their lives. A very nice picture book about Latino life in America. ...more
A touching book that put a tear in my eye. Kwame Alexander’s poem, The Undefeated, is incorporated into a children’s picture book with illustrations bA touching book that put a tear in my eye. Kwame Alexander’s poem, The Undefeated, is incorporated into a children’s picture book with illustrations by Kadir Nelson. How moving can you get? I can’t wait to put this book into a child’s hand in school. ...more
I'm a huge Elton John fan. So I did know a lot about Elton John's musical origins. I didn't know about his home life. For me this book started out a bI'm a huge Elton John fan. So I did know a lot about Elton John's musical origins. I didn't know about his home life. For me this book started out a bit slow for the beginning about grew on me as I read on. I really appreciated Elton talking about his albums instead of just singles as they did in the movie. Albums is how I remember Elton John. They were far more important than his singles and he worked on them in very coordinated ways. That's what important artists made music in the 1970s. Elton John doesn't drop names for gossip, he tells his view of famous people and in insightful ways. He tells his life in a wonderful manner. I'm sure he had help but that allows him a clear compassionate voice. I ended up loving Elton John again, but I never really left. ...more
This is a wonderful step into reading version of Astronaut Scott Kelley's life. I really wanted to share this with my students because I had read ScotThis is a wonderful step into reading version of Astronaut Scott Kelley's life. I really wanted to share this with my students because I had read Scott Kelley's adult autobiography and was interested in how he described his life as a student in K-12 school and at the beginning of higher education. He was disinterested and barely passed. It was only until finding the book, The Right Stuff that he found what he decided to do and had to find out how to do it. That involved getting good grades and taking school work seriously. A very good story for students to hear about. ...more
This is a very good book and a very upsetting one. Tony Horowitz travels through the South following the path that Frank Law Olmsted traveled two diffThis is a very good book and a very upsetting one. Tony Horowitz travels through the South following the path that Frank Law Olmsted traveled two different times in the 1850s, the worst time for slavery in the USA building up to the Civil War. In one part of the trip, a bartender asked if he is a Northerner or journalist “ Spying on the South”. I don’t doubt the takes he tells but it doesn’t make modern southern whites very impressive. Olmsted described the slave owners/ overseers on plantations pretty horribly too. Are people so capable of being horrible to the their human beings? Horowitz died during a book tour. I will miss him. ...more
A wide ranging overview of the US space program of the 60s-70s. Mixing the space program with background information from the time period it packs a nA wide ranging overview of the US space program of the 60s-70s. Mixing the space program with background information from the time period it packs a nice punch. The author has a background of documentary filmmaking so he is especially sensitive to the films, photos and video created during the program. This book is the partner to the American Experience PBS episode of the same name. Can’t wait to see! ...more
A solid book about journalism, a journalist and the most important events he covered in his career. He tackles a lot of topics and people he’s experieA solid book about journalism, a journalist and the most important events he covered in his career. He tackles a lot of topics and people he’s experienced in his job at CBS News and 60 Minutes. The most moving and heartbreaking are the events at the World Trade Center in 1993 and 2001. Troubling are his experiences with George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. What’s missing on purpose, is his lack of feeling and passion on the subjects. He feels a bout too much like 60 Minutes. ...more
Saeed Jones writes beautifully and his short memoir can be consumed in one sitting. He grew up in The South as a Black gay youthHeart Wrenching Memior
Saeed Jones writes beautifully and his short memoir can be consumed in one sitting. He grew up in The South as a Black gay youth then man while his mother works to raise him as a single mother with a serious heart condition. He works hard to get into great colleges and suffers from a lack of financial aid. His mother suffers from poor paying jobs and a lack of health insurance ability to pay for medication, good and housing. Her Buddhist beliefs help her cope. Saeed tries to navigate the gay world and being Black in a White one. I highly recommend this memoir....more
A very touching audiobook biography of a married couple, Fay Wray and Robert Riskin, who worked as an actress and screenwriter during Hollywood’s GoldA very touching audiobook biography of a married couple, Fay Wray and Robert Riskin, who worked as an actress and screenwriter during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Fay Wray is famous for King Kong and The Most Dangerous Game. Riskin wrote many of Capra’s screenplays in the 1930s including It Happened One Night and Mr. Deeds Comes To Town. The Capra Touch might actually be Riskin’s writing. The author is the couple’s daughter and she makes an effort not to just tell the story of their marriage but of the subjects’ beginnings and careers before their marriage. A very nice biography that is very balanced and caring towards her subjects. I always had a soft spot for Fay Wray because I saw her introduce King Kong when she was in her 90s and a friend of mine who was in the Peace Corps who had nursed Wray’s last husband before his death. She didn’t say much about them but said how kind and delightful the couple were. The book couches the subjects’ lives in their place and time giving a unique view of Hollywood and later NYC television from the 1930s through to the1950s. ...more
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