Inside A Thug's Heart

Customer Reviews:

Inside the heart of Tupac Amaru Shakur.......2007-04-13

Tupac Shakur was shot again on September 7th, 1996, but instead of recovering from his injuries this time, a week latter he died. In this book, "inside A Thug's Heart with original poems and letters by Tupac Shakur" you will explore the emotions, thoughts, feelings, and out looks Tupac has for Angela Ardis or `Ms. Lovely' as he calls her. When at work one late night, Angela and he co-workers are playing around. One of the co-workers asked, " If you could have a `ruffneck' who would it be?" Angela says she would pick Tupac. Everyone laughs at her choice; for at the time he was in jail and everyone also thought he was no good. So a bet was made that she couldn't get in touch with him. Well it just so happens she did. She sent him a letter that stood out from the rest, one that smelled and looked nice. Inside the letter she gave him her number so he would be able to call and a picture so he would know what she looked like. With in one day he replied to with a phone call and soon followed by a letter. Now they're writing to each other. In Tupac's letters he expresses himself in so many ways you never hear the media talk about before. He is forward and honest, plus he wrote wonderful poems. What you read in this book you would never expected from Tupac. You think by the way he raps and acts on T.V. and/or magazines is the way he acts 24-7, but its not. There's another side to him. In fact there are seven as he explains in one of his letters.

My favorite part of the book is each and every time you get to read his letters and poems. It's my favorite part because I get to see the other side of idol. I get to know more about Tupac then what the media portrays. Also get its my favorite part because when I was reading his poems and letters I could feel what was getting at. You get to take a look into a real thug's heart. To show you what mean, below is one of my favorite poems written by him called " 4 those nights when u r alone".

U ever share your love with a stranger
Only To realize he was a long lost friend?
Ever Talk 2 A Man like u talk with a woman
And share what you can't with other men?

Can u picture your love being given
2 A criminal stuck in this hell
Can u promise 2 hold off from Judging him
Until the day when you know him well

Can u close your eyes and imagine
If everything went Right
The power of passion finally possessed
After all those sleepless nights

I bet you think I'm gaming you
Just like all the men in your past
Cuz' all of them promised u heaven on Earth
But none of them seem 2 last

After All, What can I offer u?
Besides lonely nights & sweet words
Promises of pleasures 2 come
And lines you've already heard

All I, can say is have faith in me
And in Time maybe you'll come 2 c
The definition and true meaning
Of friendship can be discovered in me

In my opinion this book is one of my all-time favorites and I would most recommend it. I recommend it mostly to Tupac fans because you get to see that there is more to him then what you hear from the media. Also because when you read it, you feel as though you where there when it was written. So if your looking for a good book to read I would recommend you read this one.

A crucial historical document........2006-01-06

I feel blessed that we are able to have access to these letters between Ardis and the late Tupac A. Shakur, and I thank Afeni Shakur (the executor of her son's estate) for allowing Ms. Ardis to publish this correspondence.

Some folks will question the motivation behind releasing these letters, an understandable criticism in this age of vapid kiss-and-tell celebrity culture. What does Ardis stand to gain from this? Is she exploiting her relationship with Shakur solely for personal gain? Fair questions yes, but in light of the fact that Shakur is no longer with us, the only connections that we have to him are through the artifacts that he left behind: his music, films, and personal documents. Collecting and preserving these artifacts is important for understanding the context of Shakur's life, his profession, and the society that he lived in.

The historical significance of this correspondence between Ardis and Shakur cannot be overstated. Here, we are exposed to Tupac Shakur as a human being, away from the exploitive glare of the media spotlight, during what was perhaps the most difficult time of his life, when he was imprisoned in upstate New York for sexual abuse. Confined in a place where he had only himself and his thoughts, he is compelled to reach out to a fan who decided to send a letter to him on a dare. For those of us who think we know all there is to Mr. Shakur, the intimacy and vulnerability displayed in his letters to Ardis is a real eye-opener.

Readers see multiple sides of Pac: friendly, inquisitive, erotic, humorous, frustrated, angry, depressed, reflective, obstinate, and self-critical. He reveals himself to be what astute observers knew all along: a deeply intelligent, spiritual, and complex human being. His uninhibited communication style allows the dialogue between him and Ardis to develop fully, and these two strangers share passions and secrets that most people would conceal from close loved ones. From reading this book, I gained tremendous insight into this person who is no longer with us.

My one criticism of the book is the title. Obviously the publishers saw the marketing potential of the "thug's heart" reference, being that Shakur's public image is defined by this term. However, I do not nor have I ever believed that Tupac Amaru Shakur was a thug. This word was thrown around by Shakur, his record company, his fans, his detractors, and the media as both a term of praise and an epithet. It's loaded with so many contradictions, namely racism and hypermasculinity, and it's a label that too many young Black men are saddled with, for whatever reason. The fact that Shakur was a Black man killed in his youth makes calling him a "thug" even more egregious.

More than just a kiss-and-tell memoir, "Inside a Thug's Heart" is a strongly recommended resource for any serious student of hip-hop and American cultural history.

We LOVE you TUPAC!.......2005-12-20

I would like to thank Angela for allowing us (the readers) inside the intimate relationship that she shared with Tupac. With each letter I felt the sincerity of Tupac's words. Even though many reviewers felt she got played, I didn't feel that AT ALL! He was honest and upfront with her. Initially, she didn't set out to fall for him. BUT, who can blame her?? I was mushy after reading every letter. So many WISH they could have shared a little piece of Pac. Angela had more than a little piece of him... she had his mind. Who cares if it was temporary?

Angela, thank you sooo much for sharing.

Greatest Book In The World.......2005-10-27

This is one of the best books I've ever read in my life. Tupac is just one of the best artist. His life is so amazing. I am like In love with him!!!!! I love reading all his books and all the review's because they all speak the truth, they always have the best review's , well duh it's the best book to read!!!!!! I'm 1 in a million 14 year old girls that love him.

Inside a Thugs Heart.......2005-09-24

I agree with most of the other people that commented on this book, Angela was definitely played. I think the book would have been much better without all of her comments (fantasies.) It was nice to see another side of Tu Pac through his letters to her.

Average customer rating:

Words 10, Pictures 3
The man, the plan, the life.
Oh, Orson... you glorious self-promoter...
Rosebud Reigns Supreme in Filmdom
Orson Welles: The Man and his Movies, Larger Than Life

This is Orson Welles
Orson Welles , Peter Bogdanovich , and Jonathan Rosenbaum
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 030680834X

Amazon.com

In 1992, the first publication of This Is Orson Welles brought a priceless document to light. In the late '60s and early '70s, filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich had conducted extensive interviews with Welles, but a number of circumstances--including the director's decision to compose an autobiography that he never got around to writing--kept the interviews out of the public eye. Edited and annotated by Jonathan Rosenbaum, these conversations give wonderful insights into Welles's craft and personality. He discusses his forays into acting, producing, and writing as well as directing, his confidences and insecurities, and his plans for film projects that were either never made or only partially completed. He also offers insights into the triumph of Citizen Kane and later masterpieces like The Lady from Shanghai, Touch of Evil, Othello, and Chimes at Midnight. His defense of his controversial adaptation of Kafka's The Trial is so fascinating that readers might want to rush out and rent the film.

While the book is worth owning just for this 322-page interview, it is also full of other material that is equally revealing. Rosenbaum presents a meticulous chronology of Welles's life, closely following his day-to-day activities from his birth in 1915 to his death in 1985. Anyone who thinks that Welles was an essentially lazy and profligate artist will be astonished at how hard he worked and how much he accomplished, even after the completion of Citizen Kane. Another treat found in the book is a detailed description--complete with rare photographic stills--of the original Magnificent Ambersons, Welles's impressive follow-up to Kane, which can now be seen only in a tragically truncated version.

This 1998 reissue of the volume contains a fond new introduction by Bogdanovich and another crucial piece of Welles minutia, excerpts from his 58-page memo to Universal Pictures about the editing of Touch of Evil. Forty years after its composition, the material in this memo has been used to create a restored "director's cut" of the film. With such grand material between two covers, This Is Orson Welles is the most informative and entertaining book available on one of the 20th century's greatest artists. --Raphael Shargel

Book Description

Spanning over ten years ofrevealing conversations between Orson Welles and his friend and fellow directorPeter Bogdanovich, these discussions offer an intimate, autobiographicalportrait of the life and opinions of one of our century's greatest storytellers,Orson Welles. This is a rare look into the mind of an enigmatic genius whoseaccomplishments continue to dazzle audiences.

Contents •Tape One: Citizen Kane and other projects •Tape Two: The Magnificent Ambersons, Chimes at Midnight,and The Other Side of the Wind •Tape Three: Othello, Touch of Evil, The Lady FromShanghai, and The Trial •Tape Four: Radio, Televison, Comics and more

Customer Reviews:

Words 10, Pictures 3.......2007-07-20

I enjoyed this book very much. It's a good read, informative and entertaining. Fans of Welles will feel that they are sitting in on a conversation between him and Bogdanovich (who asks insightful and pertinent questions, not noticeably obseqious), and that's lots of fun. You learn things about movies and about Welles, and even his evasive responses are interesting.

What nobody has mentioned so far is the photographs. There seems to have been some problem with the printing, and they look, in my copy at least, like 12th-generation photocopies: washed-out, grainy and almost indecipherable. Too bad, because there are a lot of them, some of them historic, and they are just really hard to look at. I don't understand it.

The man, the plan, the life........2004-10-21

As the cover quip suggests, this IS a treasure trove of insights.
I have been totally inspired by this man's conviction and boundless enthusiasm. His conception of theatre is unique and phenomenal, I dont think we will ever see his like again, not with the dumbing down of the world and aesthetics, etc.

I understand the rawness and points of many a play thanks to this man. His voice is hypnotising and authoritive.

Can genius like this ever see the light of day again?

Oh, Orson... you glorious self-promoter..........2004-02-22

has a very distinct voice. It has the voice of Orson himself.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the book was the voyeuristic personal insight I was able to get from Welles and-despite his relatively passive role of interviewer-Bogdonovich as well. In this sense, is quite unlike the other required texts, and I do not read too much into the title of "author" that is loftily bestowed upon Bogdonovich and Welles. Through a brief surface comparison between this book and several other texts on Welles, it's clear that there is a great difference between a removed, historical opinion and a defensive individual discussing his own life. Although much could be said about Welles' misleading-albeit thoroughly entertaining-statements, I cannot fault a man for being unable to have sound perspective on his own affairs. I can only read the book as a historical text, but Welles was being asked questions about his life, and I cannot fault him for his oft-grandiose replies. The sheer nature of an interview such as this places an enormous amount of attention on Welles, so I can only smile pleasantly at his recurring ego, wondering if I could be any more impartial or less boastful in his place.

Back to the question of authorship though.

While I readily disregard comparisons between and, say, Thomson's due to their drastic differences in intent, tone and content, the strong yet shadowy hand of the omnipotent editor is ever present in all forms of biographical text. Cut this, change that, add this, move that. A book like Thomson's may greatly benefit from such professional revision, but in the cases of I felt as though the authorship accreditation was misplaced. "Edited by Jonathan Rosenbaum" should have graced the cover, replacing the names of Welles and Bogdonovich. Much like any documentary invariably guides an audience along a certain path, Rosenbaum has reconstructed the interviews amidst other such historical documentation in a very calculated and meticulous fashion. In this sense then there is no author at all, and I find it very difficult to discuss the book as a biography written by anyone.

In truth, this may be one of the worst biography's one could possibly pick up if they wanted to learn more about Welles and his life, and I doubt I would call it a biography at all. As required course reading, I am wholly appreciative that I was given the chance to "hear" the words of Orson Welles as he spoke of his own creations, idly gossiping about other actors and filmmakers. Is it all truth? No, it is laughably biased, but it is the bias of Orson Welles, and definitely a very unique variation on accepted truth. If I can trust that Rosenbaum left the integrity intact, then Welles' half-truths are just as important to understanding the man than commonly accepted "whole-truths" by some biographer.

Whereas can never stand on its own as an investigative biography of the filmmaker's life, it remains as the text that helped me to understand the man behind the myth above all others.

Rosebud Reigns Supreme in Filmdom.......2003-09-15

As one who had just completed a viewing of Ciitzen Kane on DVD
(featuring the excellent audio commentary on the film by Roger Ebert & Rudy Behlmer) I turned to Frank Brady's excellent biography.This is Orson Welles completes my examination of this giant of film directorship. Over several years and in many locals the Falstaffian Welles shares his thoughts on film, his own movies and life with his devoted student Peter Bogdonovich
(himself a talented director best known for "The Last Picture Show'). If you want to know what Welles really thinks and believes this book is the Rosetta Stone for your investigation!
As Truffaut was able to discuss his life and films with Sir Alfred Hitchcock so does Peter B. do the same thing for Welles.
After all the reading and studying of Welles the man emerges as a titanic force of nature whose undisciplined genius is a wonder to behold. Any fan of Welles or Cinema should add this excellent book to your library. Well Recommended!

Orson Welles: The Man and his Movies, Larger Than Life.......2002-08-28

I commend to the book above, an interview with Peter Bogdanovich.
Although I'm not a huge fan of the latter's movies (with the exception of "Paper Moon," which I loved ever since it came out when I was eight, and fell in love with tomboy Tatum O'Neill forthrightly), I have begun reading about half of this book over the past few days, and find it better than my previous favourite, the Hitchcock/Truffaut book. Of course, much favoured above Wilder/Crowe, namely because of Crowe's incessant name dropping of "Jerry Maguire" and "Tom Cruise" every other irritating sentence, which prevented the reader from finding out what
Wilder had on *his* mind.

What impresses me about the Welles/Bogdanovich volume is the raucous sense of humour Welles brings to the conversation, always as lively and as larger-than-life as Welles was. Also, Bogdanovich has laced the book with pertinent interviews, articles, anecdotes that elucidate certain points of the text, as well as Welles' lines cut from "Magnificent Ambersons" and the long memorandum he wrote to Universal studio chiefs and cc'd to Chuck Heston, trying to save what I consider his masterwork,
"Touch of Evil" from falling prey to overzealous editing by indifferent studio hacks.

But most of all, I am touched that when all the world was dumping on Welles, when he was being derided as a has-been and a spendthrift, that up-and-coming director Bogdanovich gave him his friendship and accorded him the respect he was so shamefully denied. Even Pauline Kael couldn't resist savaging Welles, and she wrote a particularly nasty and libelous article that Welles didn't write any of the screenplay to "Citizen Kane."

Book Description

Many remember Paul Robeson for his magnificent singing voice and acting ability. But how many are aware that Robeson wrote and spoke about African culture? Thirty years before "black is beautiful", he described his pride in being Negro. Paul Robeson Speaks is a stirring, illustrated collection of speeches, writings, interviews, and press reports by a man whose thoughts and writings contributed greatly to African culture and Black pride.

Customer Reviews:

Robeson is one of my favorite proponents of communism!.......2004-03-20

If you can't believe the websites of Rutgers and Princeton Univiersities, and just have to read it for yourself, this is the book for you. Just being able to read Mr. Robeson's beautiful ode to one of last century's most influential world leaders, Joe Stalin, is worth the price of the book! I'm tickled pink (or should I say "red") that the United States Postal Service has done their homework and honored Mr. Robeson with his own postage stamp!!

Give this man some due.......2003-02-01

What can I say? Paul Robeson put his money where his mouth is. He gave up millions for what he believed in and stood his ground. He fought for Black freedom and also took up the cause for poor whites and workers. Whether you agree with him or not, this man is one of America's greatest heroes! It is amazing how his life and contributions are overlooked. Buy this book and read about a great American hero.

Tom Stoppard Plays One: The Real Inspector Hound and Other Entertainments (Faber Contemporary Classics)

Average customer rating:

Classic Stoppard, absolutely fantastic!

Tom Stoppard Plays One: The Real Inspector Hound and Other Entertainments (Faber Contemporary Classics)
Tom Stoppard
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0571177654

Customer Reviews:

Classic Stoppard, absolutely fantastic!.......1999-11-01

Tom Stoppard at his finest, The Real Inspector Hound has to be one of his best works, and when it is placed in the same volume as such other works of lunacy as Dogg's Hamlet, Cahoot's Macbeth, then you're bound to be on to a winner.

Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Average customer rating:

Mostly harmless
It's the bonus disc to the H2G2
A great tribute to a great man
Funny and Informative
A must read for Gaiman and Adams fans

Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Neil Gaiman
Manufacturer: Titan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1840237422
Release Date: 2005-05-01

Book Description

"It's all devastatingly true — except the bits that are lies" — Douglas Adams

Upon publication Don't Panic established itself as the definitive companion to Adams's life and work. This new revised edition comes up to date, covering his later work and untimely death in 2001, and including a new introduction by Neil Gaiman.

Acclaimed author Neil Gaiman celebrates the life of Douglas Adams who, in a field in Innsbruck in 1971, had an idea that became The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy — the radio series that started it all, the five book `trilogy', the TV series, almost-film, and everything that followed. Don't Panic also tells the story of the other projects Douglas worked on, including his posthumous collection The Salmon of Doubt.

Customer Reviews:

Mostly harmless.......2005-10-12

Interesting and funn at times, this book is pretty bland considering it is a biography of one of (in my mind) the greatest authors I've ever read. (I've only read about 5 different authors, however).

In Douglas Adams' own review of this book, I totally agree:

"The best biography of Douglas Adams & the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy written since this morning" - D.A.

I'd give it a miss, in retrospect. (Maybe you can buy mine).

It's the bonus disc to the H2G2.......2005-06-30

This is a neat little book. I found the 1st edition years ago by chance in my university bookstore and bought it. When this revised edition (with some new material) was released, I snapped that up as well and re-read it.
Basically, think of this as the book equivalent to a "Bonus Features" DVD. It's jam packed with odd little stories and insights into the making of the Hitchhiker's universe (all media: radio, records, books, & TV). Die-Hard Adams fans will enjoy this.
And the fact that this happens to be compiled by Neil Gaiman, one of my other favorite writers, is just an added bonus.

A great tribute to a great man.......2005-02-12

This is part a biography of Douglas Adams, and part a description of how the different versions of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy came to be. Douglas Adams was a very interesting and intelligent man whose life was cut tragically short. The story of how his most famous work was created is almost as funny and capticating as the Hitchiker's Guide itself. We get some examples of his early work, which can be incredibly funny ("How many kamikaze missions have you flown?" "Fourteen Sir!" "Shouldn't it be just one?"). He was involved with the Monty Python group, and wrote some material for them.
I think the book should be essential not only for Hitchhiker's buffs but also for wannabes in any creative profession.

Funny and Informative.......2004-11-11

Neil Gaiman does an excellent job of capturing the style and mood of Douglas Adams, and reveals the man behind the books revered by many. This book is enjoyable, and interesting, and a definite read for anyone who loves the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The only sad part is that it's a bit short - like Adams' life. So that's a bit depressing. Otherwise, a good read!

A must read for Gaiman and Adams fans.......2003-11-07

Years ago, while browsing in a book shop, desperate for something to read during lunch, I stumbled across this little book. I was a big fan of Adams but had never heard of Gaiman but decided to pick it up and give it a chance. It was well worth it as it was a great read.

Book Description

Film

Introduction by Kenneth Tynan

The collected writings of this icon of the silent era, in a new, more complete edition.

Louise Brooks (1906-1985) is one of the most famous actresses of the silent era, renowned as much for her rebellion against the Hollywood system as for her performances in such influential films as Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl. Eight autobiographical essays by Brooks, on topics ranging from her childhood in Kansas and her early days as a Denishawn and Ziegfeld Follies dancer to her friendships with Martha Graham, Charles Chaplin, W. C. Fields, Humphrey Bogart, William Paley, G. W. Pabst, and others are collected here. New to this edition is the revelatory "Why I Will Never Write My Memoirs" by Brooks and "The Girl in the Black Helmet" by Kenneth Tynan, which brought about the revival of interest in her work and was the best discussion of Brooks's film work to appear in her lifetime.

"The writing is assured, graceful, and magnetic; the life the dancer-actress-author describes makes most fiction trivial by comparison. . . . This is no ordinary collection of gossipy memoirs. It is a tour de force, as history and as a searching study of human nature." Publishers Weekly

"Brooks is brilliantly perceptive and articulate on everything from the art of film directing to the comedy of W. C. Fields." New York Times

"A minor classic." Film Quarterly

Translation Inquiries: Alfred A. Knopf

Customer Reviews:

sharp but rambling.......2007-06-25

This book will be helpful for anyone interested in silent film. Brooks' insights about certain aspects of Hollywood are original. She has no fear of revealing some of the ugliest secrets of the past, and also has valuable things to say about why she believes certain directors and players created works of art. However, in my opinion she could have been a better writer if she'd had more education and/or editorial experience. Some of her essays are rambling and disorganized, and a number of her claims are unsupported. (e.g., that many actresses were pulled from the screen not because of the arrival of sound, but because they couldn't live up to Garbo, p.88.) She also tends to make bold generalizations (e.g., "Every actor has a natural animosity toward every other actor"), which, depending on whether you agree with them, are either smart and charming or arrogant and imprecise.

Some of Brooks' cleverest comments are reported in the introduction by Kenneth Tynan, not in her own writings. My favorite was her joking suggestion that she and Marlene Dietrich write each other's memoirs: "'Lulu' by Lola, and 'Lola' by Lulu".

Note: this is a collection of essays, which don't necessarily follow a sequence. The brief history of her family and childhood given in the first chapter fooled me into thinking this book would be an autobiography, but Brooks leaves much of her own story untold. (In fact, the epilogue is titled, "Why I Will Never Write My Memoirs.") Tynan's introduction fleshes out a little more of Louise Brooks' history, but fans will probably want to keep looking for other writings and biographies after they've read this one.

A beauty unparalleled in film history.......2005-07-10

This book is a collection of Brooks's autobiographical essays together with an interview by Kenneth Tynan.

It shows a Louise Brooks as a fiercely independent character, as well as her failure as a social creature, because of her open critic of people's false faces.
But at what price? She survives as a kept woman by three lovers and ends in poverty, rejected and lonely.

She characterizes her work in Hollywood's film factory as slavery and throws a shrill light on Hollywood's morals (the casting couch) and cynicism: the end of the silent period served as an excuse to terminate all contracts.

The all important feature of her life was sex, not love: 'I have never been in love.' But, 'A person's sexual loves and hates and conflicts ... It is the only way the reader can make sense out of innumerable apparently senseless actions.'
She considers that 'the most fateful encounter in my life' was a sexual one with George Preston Marshall.
Nevertheless, she had some regrets: 'How often do we change the whole course of our lives in pursuit of a love that we will have forgotten within a few months.'

She never wrote her biography because 'I am unwilling to write the sexual truth that would make up my life worth reading.'

Barry PARIS did it for her, admirably. His book contains also a few corrections on Louise Brooks's statements in her book.

A moving text with admirable pictures.

Musings Of A Rebel........2004-09-30

I remember when this book came out, but, unfortunately, it took me over twenty years to read it. Though Louise Brooks is far from a household name, in film scholar circles, she is an icon. Her rememberances here of certain individuals and events from her years in the "Dream Factory" are brilliant. Aside from the fact that these are names that most are familiar with, Bogart, Hearst, Pabst...it is her writing style and unique observations that make these recollections interesting. Where as someone as, say, Adela Rogers St. John, a famous reporter and contemporary of Brooks, wrote accurately of that long ago time, her dusty rememberances would only interest the most devoted of film student or fan. But Brooks writings are so fresh and witty and humourous, often at her own expense. She is not only unimpressed with most of silly society, but, she was equally unimpressed with her status as film icon. In those pre Hepburn-Davis times, she was a true rebel, who was more than willing to saboutage her career rather than do anything she didn't want to do. There is no remorse detectable in her memories of her fall from status. Though it would be unfair to imply that most film stars would not be expected to be good writers, it was surprising, then and now, to find that Miss Brooks was such a highly intelligent and captivating writer. In my review of her most famous film, "Pandora's Box", which isn't so much a review of that film as it is a homage to our Miss Brooks, I recounted my having met her more than once, when I delivered her prescriptions to her in my hometown and her final, adopted city of Rochester, New York. I was very young at the time, and though I had been told that she had once been a famous actress, which fascinated me, I am sorry to have to honestly admit that my memory of her is only of a shadowy figure who I remember with intimidation. How I would have loved to have been a little older, to possibly converse with this great lady, though she may have found what undoubtedly would have been my reverence to her "legend" as film icon to be obnoxious at the least, silly at best. Well, never mind. She was and is wonderful. And, as this book attests, a scathingly intelligent lady. Celebrities of her league are no more, now we have tarts, thugs, and arrogant, illiterate self-important jerks showing off their bling-bling. How sad. If you want to hear the entertainingly clever views of this great lady who, though she went from brilliant star to near- pauper obscurity, yet never lost her class, intellect, nor pride, then read "Lulu In Hollywood." One wishes she had written much more, and, left behind more films where her inate brilliance reaches out from the screen eighty years later. But, if all we have is this book and "Pandora's Box", that's legacy enough.

BROOKS AND TYNAN ARE EXTRAORDINARY.......2001-01-27

I am unimpressed by Emily from Seattle's harsh words, which are both snotty and inaccurate. Tynan was the finest theatre critic of his time--and not bad on film, either. His profiles of stage and screen actors, recently collected in one volume, are masterpieces of the genre. In particular, his profile of Brooks was an indelible portrait of a brilliant and beautiful woman. Brooks herself, though not a great actress, was indeed a great star--exquisitely beautiful, highly charismatic, and powerfully erotic. To the best of my memory, Tynan describes her only in these terms, never as the creator of naturalistic film acting. (Incidentally, none of the women named by Emily--Crawford, Davies, Bow, and the insufferable Shearer--could properly be described as an actress. They were merely stars--and distinctly inferior to Brooks in talent, intelligence, and beauty.) Finally, as everyone here (including Emily) acknowledges, Brooks was a first-rate writer herself, and the essays in this book are required reading for anyone interested in silent film.

Brooks back in print.......2000-09-06

Great to have this irreplaceable book back in print. Even better that it now includes the New Yorker article by Kenneth Tynan, "The Girl in the Black Helmet," that helped touch off the 80's Brooks revival, and an additional piece by Brooks entitled "Why I Will Never Write My Memoirs." Still, one can't help coming away from this book wishing there were more material, just as one wishes there were more Brooks films.

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great read
One Step towards Understanding. One Giant Leap towards Univerisal Consciousness
Dope, insightful
KRS Zero
excellent beginning tome for hip-hop's philosopher--

Ruminations
Kris Parker
Manufacturer: Welcome Rain
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1566492742

Book Description

One of the most influential lyricists of all time --Rollingstone.com

Customer Reviews:

great read.......2005-08-25

The Blast Master has once again brought forth an education in Hiphop. KRS-ONE's love for the Hiphop culture and movement is best described in his book Ruminations. I found it to be a very interesting and dynamic read. For those that doubt the skills and knowledge of an Emcee that has been laying vocals from Street corners to world stages is mistaken when you claim his albums are "crap" and patrons demanded thier money back at live shows could be further from the truth. I have been to several KRS-ONE shows(from Chicago, New Orleans, New york, Los Angeles, Austin, Houston and beyond) and in my experience I have never seen a crowd so enthused or invigorated. Over the past few years his rhyme styles have elevated. A truly great Emcee never has to rely on "GREAT BEATS" but moreso on lyrical content. KRS writes rhymes for the educated and enlightened listener. HIP-POP music lovers need not apply, this style the KRIS style is way beyond your level of thinking.

One Step towards Understanding. One Giant Leap towards Univerisal Consciousness.......2005-07-23

For those of you that do not read Ruminations and listen to the person that gave the book one star, obviously you are afraid of improving yourself as well as your community. To read this book, one does not need prior knowledge of spirituality, reparations for African Americans, or even Hip-Hop history. However, this book is not for people that are stagnant and unwilling to learn. Nevertheless, if you are living in the Dark Ages and want to partake in the Hip-Hop Renaissance, then expand your mind to Ruminations and digest the smorgasbord for thought by KRS-ONE. On the contrary, if you are believing life is one big "bling, bling" party and don't take the time to think beyond one's needs, then continue a life of selfishness and at the moment lifestyle and there will come a time when you will wind up looking for such insight whether it be from KRS-ONE or other philosophers, teachers, scholars, meta-physicians to regain mental stability and repentance for one's negative thoughts and actions. Like they say, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." Buy the book and invest in the common good as well as yourself. You will be glad you have taken this positive step. Like Rakim stated on Follow the Leader, "I guess nobody told you a little knowledge is dangerous." One Love.

Dope, insightful.......2005-03-19

A book that really makes you think. A good beginning as a published author for Kris. As to the klowns that gave KRS 1 star, quit being a hater and realize that kris still is and always be one of the greatest emcees in hip hop history. The kat that hated on kris' last few album probably supports trash like Chingy and Nelly.

KRS Zero.......2005-02-28

A book of lies... Look online for reviews of his recent shows. He's voted one of the most dissapointing acts, not to mention, listen to his last 3 or four albums. CRAP. KRS1 aka the Preacher needs to lay off the coke and turn down the sound at his shows and quit acting so self-righteous. Spiritual minded?! I guess you get to that level if you snort enough blow. I've seen him before, and the whole crowd wanted their money back. You can turn down your sytem Kris. No one's listening anymore. Quit trying to get all mainstream. Haven't you made enough money? cuz now you're just stealing it from your old fans who are hoping that maybe you'll put out a dope joint. I got all your new cd's, and they went to the trash along with your career. Sincerely, someone who truly cares about hip-hop. Peace

excellent beginning tome for hip-hop's philosopher--.......2004-12-06

this is a very good book, and recommended for any fan of hip-hop music and culture. it is written by one of hip-hop's most articulate elder statesmen, Kris Parker aka KRS-One. In this book he puts forth basic ideas about self-empowerment and economic and creative independence, called "Inner City Metaphysics". He addresses both sides of the Reparations controversy. He also provides an expanded text for his "Science of Rap" manual for aspiring hip-hop performers.
There are negative-minded people out there that are attempting to besmirch KRS' reputation. but the artist's website addresses all negative rumors about his public comments at www.templeofhiphop.org

Adventures of a Hollywood Secretary: Her Private Letters from Inside the Studios of the 1920s

Average customer rating:

Fascinating Letters for Those Interested in the Period
HOLLYWOOD HISTORY AT ITS BEST
Fascinating... to a point.
A Must Read for Anyone with an Interest in Vintage Hollywood

Adventures of a Hollywood Secretary: Her Private Letters from Inside the Studios of the 1920s
Valeria Belletti
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0520247809

Book Description

Adventures of a Hollywood Secretary is an insider's view of the film studios of the 1920s--and the first from a secretary's perspective. Rich in gossip, it is also an eyewitness report of Hollywood in transition. In the summer of 1924, Valeria Belletti and her friend Irma visited California, but instead of returning home to New York, the twenty-six-year-old Valeria decided to stay in Los Angeles. She moved into the YWCA, landed a job as Samuel Goldwyn's personal and social secretary and proceeded to trip over history in the making. As she recounts in her dozens of letters to Irma, Valeria Belletti encountered every type of Hollywood player in the course of her working day: moguls, directors, stars, writers, and hopeful extras. She shares news about Valentino's affairs, Sam Goldwyn's bootlegger, the development of the "talkies," her own role in helping to cast Gary Cooper in his first major part and much more--often in hilarious detail. She writes of her living and working conditions, her active social life, and her hopes for the future--all the everyday concerns of a young working woman during the jazz age. Alternating sophistication with naiveté, Valeria's letters intimately document a personal journey while giving us a unique portrait of a fascinating era.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating Letters for Those Interested in the Period.......2007-02-07

Valeria Belletti was an energetic, intelligent young woman who came to Los Angeles from New York and worked as a secretary to some of the most powerful and interesting people in Hollywood in the late 1920s. During this period, she wrote dozens of letters to her best friend, describing not only her experiences at the movie studios, but her personal feelings and day-to-day life in southern California and on an extended trip to Europe. These letters make up the bulk of this short book, which left me liking Valeria very much and wishing there had been more. Well-written background notes are provided by editor Cari Beauchamp.

While Beauchamp supplies some valuable padding-out of the events and personalities Valeria described, she tends to give the compilation a modern feminist point of view the author of the letters did not seem to have in mind. In contrast, the letters indicate that rather than being the victim of an "iron ceiling" (Beauchamp's term), Valeria, although a high school dropout, had opportunities to grow professionally beyond being a secretary, but chose not to pursue them. Furthermore, rather than half-heartedly marrying a man she was "only fond of" (Beauchamp again) as a sort of economic expedient in an oppressive patriarchal society, Valeria was an independent woman who went where she wanted to go and did what she wanted to do. She had no trouble supporting herself comfortably, and she enthusiastically married a man of modest economic means, of whom she wrote, "The more I'm with him, the more I love him."

I have the paperback edition and find it odd that the name of Valeria Belletti, the delightful author of the letters comprising this book, does not appear on the front cover or the spine, while Beauchamp's name is displayed in large print. For enthusiasts of early Hollywood or 1920s southern California, Valeria's letters are well worth reading, while taking her editor's feminist leanings with a large chunk of salt.

HOLLYWOOD HISTORY AT ITS BEST.......2006-07-04

Fabulous Book. If you want to know the inner-workings of the star-studded Hollywood Machine in the 1920's then this is the book for you. An insider's account with all the trimmings. Cari Beauchamp does it again. BRAVA!

Fascinating... to a point........2006-06-14

This is a very fascinating book if you're into Hollywood history, specifically of the 20's. Although written as letters to a friend, they a lot like a diary, and as such it's a look at Hollywood of that era from a viewpoint we've never seen: the regular employee. There are plenty of books by and about the stars, directors, executives, etc., but this is the first one from a secretary, and while that may not sound as exciting as, say, a book about Buster Keaton, it really is interesting.

What's great is that these were just casual letters, not something their author (Valieria Belletti) expected anyone but her friend to read, consequently she speaks her mind with an openness and honesty you just won't get from someone who's expecting to be quoted. The letters are full of comments and incidents about major stars and directors, but are presented in a casual way, not jazzed up as they would be upon later reminiscence or if they were being told in an interview.

The only thing I didn't like, and this is to be expected from the private letters of one young woman to another, is that the "search for a husband" stuff gets a bit tiresome. It's still interesting in terms of being a window on the mores and social life of the time, and therefore some readers might find it better than the movie studio parts, but I came at the book through an interest in the movies not an interest in how women dated in the 20's. (As I said though, I did find this stuff interesting, it's just that it started to occupy more space than the studio stuff. And in Valieria's defense, it sounded like she was wearying of it after a while too.)

So I'm glad I read the book and I definitely recommend it, just don't expect wall-to-wall insights and revelations about Hollywood. Not that I expected that, but just be sure you don't either.

A Must Read for Anyone with an Interest in Vintage Hollywood.......2006-05-20

This book is not only for film buffs, it is a window to a world that is long gone. It is a bird's eye view of Hollywood at the end of the silent era and transitioning into the age of the talkies.

Aside from the great Hollywood dish, of which there is plenty, Belletti was remarkably candid and refreshingly not star struck. Although, I must confess that I can totally relate to having a crush on Ronald Colman. In the end it is the delightful, matter of fact, take no prisoners Valeria Belletti that you come so much to admire in reading her letters. She was a wonderful letter writer and these letters are, indeed, treasures. At the turn of each page you are delighted anew with some insight or adventure. She was one spunky girl and wrote letters that are filled with details of her days and nights in Hollywood. We need to bless her beloved friend Irma for saving these letters and presenting them to her many years later.

We must also thank Cari Beauchamp for bringing these letters to light and annotating them carefully with her own delightful and informative prose. As I said before, this is a window to a lost world. More than that, it is a celebration of an independent young woman making her way in a man's world and celebrating her life at the height of the jazz age. This will be a volume I will turn to again and again. Don't miss it, this will brighten the gloomiest and dampest spirits on a rainy day.

The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero

Average customer rating:

Really 4.75 Stars - Fabulous Book
Harry Houdini : The Man, The Myth, The Spy, The Secret Service Agent
spooky
Comprehensive and Fascinating
Serious and complete

The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero
William Kalush , and Larry Sloman
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0743555988

Book Description

An Intimate and Riveting Portrayal of Houdini, the Man and the Legend

Handcuff King. Escape Artist.International Superstar. Since his death eighty years ago, Harry Houdini has continued to captivate generations. Now, renowned magic expert William Kalush and best-selling writer Larry Sloman team up to find the man behind the myth, from the passions that drove Houdini to perform ever-more-dangerous feats to his secret life as a spy, and the pernicious plot to subvert his legacy.

After years of struggling on the dime museum circuit, Harry Houdini got a break that thrust him into the spotlight -- performing for royalty and commanding vast sums. At a time when spy agencies frequently co-opted amateurs, Houdini went to London and developed a relationship with a man who would run MI-5; for the next several years, he traveled to Germany and Russia and routinely reported his findings. After World War I, Houdini set out to infiltrate and expose the seamy world of fake spirit mediums, triggering the wrath of a group of fanatical Spiritualists led by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Death threats became an everyday occurrence, but the group would pose an even greater danger to Houdini's legacy.

As exciting as any good thriller,The Secret Life of Houdini traces the arc of the master magician's life from desperate poverty to worldwide legend, and initiates the listener into the arcane world of professional magic.

Customer Reviews:

Really 4.75 Stars - Fabulous Book.......2007-10-04

This book is fantastic on so many levels. One doesn't even have to like magic to appreciate this book, but it sure helps. The authors have done a wonderful job of painting the social scene, class hierarchy and the world at large during this time period. In the true style of a Houdini dichotomy, while there's not much new we learn, we learn so much that's new.

The book heavily follows Houdini's involvement with the spiritualist movement, in particular, a Boston spiritualist named Margery.

I can not recommend this book highly enough.

Harry Houdini : The Man, The Myth, The Spy, The Secret Service Agent.......2007-05-18

Harry Houdini : The Man, The Myth, The Spy, The Secret Service Agent

A lot of people love reading about Harry Houdini the magician, the Handcuff King the escape artist but did you know that he was a spy & a Secret Service agent? I can prove it with one book & a few well versed words here. The book I am talking about is one I am just over half way through & it is entitled "The Secret Life of Houdini : The Making of a Superhero."

This book is awesome & I encourage everyone to read it and enjoy the story of Harry Houdini from beginning to end. It tells about the man, the myth, the spy, the Secret Service agent who was a performer who made the world love him & his shows & continually conquered his every demon, including his own self loathing while continually re-creating himself for the world at large.

Yes this book still fits into this world of the wide web that is the internet. The book is all about how all of Harry Houdini's having been a major instigator in World War I in the propaganda & success of America while Harry Houdini, or some may know him better as Ehrich Weiss, a Jewish man who changed his identity to fit better into the world and to better sell himself to the world as an entertainer at large for War World I in the rise of Germany the first time it came to power.

The fact that the book is from archival data and letters both from & to Harry Houdini is what makes this book so intriguing. Please feel free to enjoy the book & I would love to hear anyone else's opinion & thoughts on this subject. A lot of people do not know that the Secret Service was a spy agency at one time and was connected to the spy world like the C.I.A., N.S.A., D.I.A. & the rest of the alphabet Intelligent Agencies.

Harry Houdini taught our American Dough Boys how to escape from handcuffs, being tied in ropes, & how to escape from torpedoed ships by being on stage in an ampitheater & having actually being a teacher of the American military.

spooky.......2007-04-26

Good book but Harry was given something to drink by a woman that slowly killed him.

Comprehensive and Fascinating.......2007-04-18

What a fascinating and readable story. The addition of conjectured dialogue, authentic letters, and numerous thoughtfully placed photographs gives this mammoth biography the feel of both a novel and an A&E special.

It is near impossible to condense this book into a review, but I will say what beguiled me the most was the concept of how the extent and grandeur of Houdini's worldwide fame--in his own lifetime--was conceived and flawlessly executed by his own will and brilliance in an age of no television and no Internet.

The thoroughness of the book is what makes it impressive. It's also what makes it hard to finish. For the length of the book, I can't see how the authors could have made it more exciting, but I can't help thinking that some of the details could have been cut out for the sanity of the reader. I would liken it to the most interesting textbook I've ever read.

Serious and complete.......2007-04-15

This is a very serious and complete biography. I bought this expecting something more for the masses, lots of rumor and sensationalism. In fact, it's a very thoughtful book, with lots of detail and very little speculation, presenting many of the lesser known aspects of Houdini's life, including his campaign against spiritualism and fraudulent mediums, and his extraordinary physical prowess. Not everything was a trick. Many things he accomplished by sheer force of will. Houdini was clearly much more multidimensional than portrayed in movies and popular references. The book also includes many details on the culture and other celebrities of the time; the extensive information on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was especially interesting. I give it 4 stars only for the fact that there are no footnotes or references. I understand that the authors chose to put those on their Web site, but they're much less useful separated from the book they document.

With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together

Average customer rating:

Good read
Truly inspiring!
a great book written by two extraordinary legends.....
Candid look at the theater, Hollywood, marriage and America
The Black King and Queen of the Arts

With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together
Ossie Davis , and Ruby Dee
Manufacturer: William Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0688153968

Amazon.com

Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee met in 1945, when they were both performing in the same play on Broadway; Davis, resuming an acting career that had been interrupted by a World War II tour of duty in Liberia, was cast as the male lead, while Dee was originally hired as understudy to the female lead and soon found herself taking over the part. Three years later, still working together, they took advantage of a rehearsal-free day in their schedule to get married--and have been together through thick and thin ever since.

Trading turns with one another, Davis and Dee discuss the high and low points of more than a half century in each other's company. With Ossie & Ruby has enough stories for at least three books, covering the world of stage and film, the history of the civil rights movement, and the endurance of love and marriage. Their telling, in alternating first-person narration, is unflinching in its portrayal of the hardships they endured for being black-skinned and "left-wing" political activists--and equally firm in their continued dedication. This is a first-rate memoir by a man and a woman--each with a thriving career--who have collaborated to form a union even greater than the sum of its parts.

Book Description

Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee are legendary stars of the American stage, television, and film, a beloved and revered couple cherished not just for their acting artistry but also for their lifelong commitment to civil rights, family values, and the black community. Now they look back on a half- century of their personal and political struggles to maintain a healthy marriage and to create the record of distinguished accomplishment that earned each a Presidential Medal for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.

With Ossie and Ruby overflows with consummate storytelling skill developed by decades in the spotlight. From their early years as struggling actors in Harlem's black theater to Broadway and Hollywood stardom, they regale the reader with colorful, entertaining tales of the places they've been and the people they've met. But their charming humor is leavened with a more serious side, as they share their experiences of keeping a family together in a world where scandal and divorce is the rule, and of being artists and political activists in an era of intense racial ferment. Born into the struggle, their characters were shaped by the dynamic collisions of life, politics, and art; and from those experiences, they achieved some sense of their worth as married people, friends, and lovers.

Warm, positive, and compelling, this is a book that will surprise and challenge readers everywhere -- black and white, male and female, young and old. Lifting the veil of public image, media hype, and mystique, Ossie and Ruby speak of the real-life dilemmas and rewards of their lifelong search for purpose and value.

Customer Reviews:

Good read.......2007-07-09

Good read for anyone that wants to see what can keep a marriage together for a few decades. Also, great perspective on why they are both of historical significance and should be more praised as icons.

Truly inspiring!.......2007-02-05

I love Ossie and Ruby. Their story is inspirational. They are true survivors. I loved hearing them tell their story in their own words. It was funny, touching and at times heart wrenching what they went through. They are true icons of not only African American history, but American history.

a great book written by two extraordinary legends............2006-10-31

I am so glad I read Ruby Dee's biography on the internet or I would have never known that she and her (late) husband, Ossie Davis, had written memoirs together, recounting their 50(+) year relationship. This book is a combination of genuinely warm and humorous passages, as well as insightful, deeply profound and moving chapters. They literally have a dialogue together, at some points of the book, even gently (and not so gently) correcting each other on stories and minute details that the other omitted.

Not only is this book wonderful from an historic point of view (it delves into the Civil Rights Movement and Dee's and Davis' role in that, as well as their experiences with racism, discrimination and the struggle to succeed in their craft, as actors of color--particularly African-American actors), but we also get a sense of how these two great individuals came to be the amazing actors/writers/producers/directors that we know today. While Dee always knew she was going to be on stage, Davis was initially going to become a playwright (though, fate had different plans). Together, they had children, grandchildren, and multitudes of life adventures (with plenty of bumps and u-turns along the way). Some may be surprised (and shocked) by the fact that Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis had an open marriage, when their jobs took them on the road and away from each other. Surprisingly, this brought them closer together. This was unexpected, to me, and it was intriguing to read their take on that (controversial) marriage choice that they made mutually.

I really reccomend this book, and I think more people should know about it. These people are legends in their craft, and they are not only wonderful actors, but very talented writers. I look forward to reading Ruby Dee's "My One Good Nerve" from which she adapted a touring show by the same name, in 1996.

Candid look at the theater, Hollywood, marriage and America.......2006-06-30

Legendary husband and wife actors Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee tell, with much seriousness, whimsy and candor, their respective humble beginnings, their ultimate meeting and romance in the theater, and the struggles they faced as actors, as well as African-Americans in a time of civil and political change. Though they both sought success on the stage and screen, they were also influential in achieving rights for actors, as well as African-American during the Civil Rights Movement.

The pair mingled with the powerful on the Broadway stage (Howard da Silva, Lorraine Hansbury, etc.), rising stars of the movies (Sidney Poitier, Marlon Brando, John Cassavettes, Richard Widmark, to cite a few), and political powerhouses like Paul Robeson, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Never afraid to voice their political views, the pair even became "persons of interest" during the Communist "witch hunts" of the fifties.

Davis and Dee also reveal interesting tidbits about their married life. Speaking of their "open marriage" is quite a surprise but as one reads on, it is discovered that "infidelity" was not something that was not the norm, just an understanding that should something occur outside the bonds of marriage, it would be honestly admitted.

The book's format allows each of the actors to reveal his/her take on common events in their lives. Both come across as truly unique yet complimentary and complementary of the other.

An informative appendix at the book's end provides the reader with all the theatrical, television, and stage productions, along with audio performances, made by them individually or together. Of course, it is incomplete, considering that that book was published six years ago, and both have had additional performances to add to their lengthy career.

Even though Ossie has since passed on, this reminiscence is a fitting tribute to him, as well as homage to both their marriage and their talents as thespians.

The Black King and Queen of the Arts.......2005-02-26

I just had the pleasure of reading this marvelous book. This book is done with class and shows celebrities do not have to write memoirs that are full of trash. I have always loved Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. I have always said people who have been married for many years usually have had many ups and downs in their relationships. It just goes to show if you have faith and are not willing to give up easily you can have a relationship of longevity and is an inspiration to others. An excellent book. They may have made mistakes but in the end they are truly role models. My heart and prayers go out to Ruby Dee in the loss of her lover, friend and colleauge Ossie Davies. Ossie Davis and Ruby together were a class act and they have written a celebrity memoir with class.

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