Average customer rating:
- Great info about Candida and Leaky Gut
- Great Book!
- Digestive issues? Read on...
- Caveat Emptor
- Easy, useful reference
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I Was Poisoned By My Body: The Odyssey of a Doctor Who Reversed Fibromyalgia, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity - Naturally!
Gloria Gilbere
Manufacturer: Lucky Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Leaky Gut Syndrome
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Gut Solutions: Natural Solutions To Your Digestive Problems
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Renew Your Life
ASIN: 0967605091 |
Book Description
Well-documented explanation of Leaky Gut Syndrome, symptoms and remedies.
Customer Reviews:
Great info about Candida and Leaky Gut.......2007-08-31
When I read this book, suggested by my ND, I no longer felt crazy and alone. All the things that you go through when you have Leaky Gut is overwhelming. To hear from someone who went through it and is on the other side is very encouraging! A must read for someone who has Leaky Gut Syndrome, Candida, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, or a myriad of symptoms.
Great Book!.......2007-03-26
This was packed with information and lots of tips and help. This book had tons of important points and suggestions. If you are toxic (and we all are) you may want to start with this book.
Digestive issues? Read on..........2006-03-22
I thought this book was really helpful for those who are stuggling with their weight or have digestive issues but are unclear why.
The book is organized in sections which make it a breeze to read. The author recounts specific events that happened to her throughout the piece which makes it that much more credible.
Caveat Emptor.......2005-11-13
I read this book, and found it to pretty much be a rehash of ideas and theories that have been around the internet and "hypochondriac" community for a while (I say hypochondriac community because that's how most doctors treat us and we're left to go find our own solutions).
There were NO surprises in this book. No new information. Its been around for years.
Some of these remedies might have worked for some people, but from what I can glean from internet discussion groups, most have not found relief from them, including myself, and rarely, if ever, have all the remedies worked on one person.
This book might be on the up and up, but in the end I was left feeling that this was more of an advertisement by a doctor looking for patients, rather than an autobiography.
I would be interested to hear if any of the other posters have found relief from what is in this book, or are they simply running on hope and some sort of validation that they are not really hypochondriacs, but victims of some medical community scam. If not, you've got to wonder if its not just one more scam preying on those in need.
Been there, done that.
Easy, useful reference.......2005-09-10
The book recaps material from other authors,such as Sherry Rogers, M.D. and other experts, in a handy and straight forward way. Having read numerous more complicated books while struggling with fatigue and brain fog, this one was a breath of fresh air (pun intended). It also has significant original material that I had not read elsewhere. All in all, an excellent read.
Book Description
Out of the stories heard in her childhood in Los Angeles's Chinatown and years of research, See has constructed this sweeping chronicle of her Chinese-American family, a work that takes in stories of racism and romance, entrepreneurial genius and domestic heartache, secret marriages and sibling rivalries, in a powerful history of two cultures meeting in a new world. 82 photos.
Customer Reviews:
Made a nice gift.......2007-09-21
The person I gave this to thought it was a very nice read and recommends it.
Incredible Book.......2007-07-31
I am a new fan of Lisa See and I have to say that this is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a fascinating story. There were times I had to remind myself that this was a work of non-fiction. I only wish there were more photographs. A great read and hard to put down.
generational story.......2006-11-10
I like Lisa See's books and this is another example of her fine writing. This time, however, her focus is the story of her own family and their impact on their new country.
Engaging and educational..........2006-11-07
Lisa See is one of those rare authors that can draw you into and keep you engaged in a story weaved with historial significance as well as personal emotions. A must read for any first or second generation immigrant who has always been curious about the lives and struggles of our ancestors who first settled into this new "free" land called America.
Fascinating.......2006-08-27
This is a most interesting book. I am 75 years old and grew up in Los Angeles, visiting Chinatown many times, and knew nothing of the people who lived there, so it was particularly interesting to me. I have read other books by Lisa See and find her to be an excellent writer. I highly recommend this book, especially to people interested in the history of California.
Amazon.com
Why just climb Everest when you can climb it without supplemental oxygen? Why just climb it without oxygen when you can climb it alone? And why fly to Nepal to climb Everest when you can bicycle all the way there? Apparently, questions such as these occurred to Göran Kropp, a Swede with a taste for adventure and a desire for the Ultimate High. In October 1995, Kropp set out from Sweden with a bicycle, a trailer, and over 200 pounds of equipment. Over the next four months, he cycled some 7,000 miles across Eastern Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. By the time he arrived in Kathmandu, Kropp had been shot at, pelted with rocks, and offered the madam's daughter--free of charge--in a Hungarian brothel.
After carrying his own equipment up to Everest Base Camp, Kropp found himself surrounded by other climbers, all waiting for a break in the weather so they could attempt the summit. Many books have been written about that disastrous season on Everest, notably Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and Anatoli Boukreev's The Climb. Kroop adds little of substance to the story, engaging mainly in camp gossip about who was sleeping with whom and "outing" climbers who lied about reaching summits. Even Kropp's account of his own climb is somewhat suspenseless--though some readers will be relieved that he doesn't go into too much detail about his physical breakdown. More tiresome is Kropp's clear disdain for climbers who use supplemental oxygen. ("Mount Everest is not 29,028 feet tall if the mountain is scaled by a climber wearing an oxygen mask.") He also despises climbers who "see Everest and other high peaks reduced to trophies kept in a china cabinet"--though his "Ultimate Mountain List" (he's already climbed 16 of the 22) seems a bit like a trophy room itself.
After he finally reached the summit--on his third attempt in under a month--Kropp spent a few weeks recuperating in Kathmandu and then hopped on his bike for the long and rugged ride home. Not satisfied, Kropp is already planning and training for his next adventure, to take place in 2004: sailing from Sweden to Antarctica, skiing to the South Pole, and returning--all solo. That he is only just learning to sail doesn't dissuade him--"I like to jump headfirst into new projects." Ultimate High is proof that he's determined--and crazy--enough to complete them. --Sunny Delaney
Book Description
Ultimate High
My Everest Odyssey
"On October 16, 1995, [Göran Kropp] had left Stockholm on a custom-built bicycle loaded with 240 pounds of gear, intending to travel round-trip from sea level in Sweden to the top of Everest entirely under his own power, without Sherpa support or bottled oxygen. It was an exceedingly ambitious goal, but Kropp had the credentials to pull it off."
-Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air
Readers of Jon Krakauer's bestselling Into Thin Air will recall Göran Kropp, the remarkable Swedish solo climber who loves to do what others label impossible. His goal was to reach and climb Mount Everest using his own physical means and without any outside assistance. In doing so, he would earn a place in the record books with the most self-contained combined approach and climb of Mount Everest ever accomplished.
Kropp's Everest quest began 7,000 miles away, in Stockholm, where, at age twenty-nine, he set out by bicycle for Kathmandu, towing behind him nearly everything he'd need to live for a year. In this riveting first-person narrative, Kropp puts his own unique spin on the concept of adventure as he recounts his four-month trek across Europe and Asia, during which he was robbed, assaulted with a baseball bat, almost shot in Turkey, and nearly stoned in Iran. When he left the staging ground in Kathmandu in April 1996, he became the first ever to carry his equipment--all 143 pounds--up 17,100 feet to Everest Base Camp.
Kropp's first attempt at scaling Everest unassisted ended in frustration when he was forced to turn back only 350 feet, one hour, from the summit, his strength drained, his morale crushed. Despite this setback, and in the face of rapidly deteriorating weather that would result in the deadliest season in Everest's history, Kropp steeled himself for a second attempt. Just days after the legendary storm that claimed the lives of eight climbers, he tried again and made it to the top of the world--without Sherpa aid, without bottled oxygen. Within a few days, he loaded up his bike for the equally harrowing 7,000-mile trek back to Stockholm.
Customer Reviews:
The story of an extrodianry adventure.......2004-02-01
Göran Kropp was an extrodinary man. This book describes his crazy one man expedition to Mount Everest. I would have given it five start if it had been as good as the lecture he gave that I once attended. The book could have had more details about the amazing things that happened during his tríp. It is very inspiering and well worth reading though.
Life is a Grand Adventure.......2004-01-24
Goran Kropp's and David Lagercrantz's "Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey" is an excellent autobiography of a climber. Kropp wisely chose to tell his story with the help of a professional writer, Lagercrantz. Kropp's book is liberally peppered with fascinating stories that leave one astonished. As with any autobiography, it is only an enjoyable read if you like the author. I found his spirit delightful.
A bit more than half the book covers Kropp's own three attempts to summit Everest in the context of the much written about events of May 1996. Kropp adds interesting details to Jon Krakauer's classic account of the 1996 Everest tragedy, "Into Thin Air". Disturbingly, far too much of chapters ten and eleven of "Ultimate High" appear to be borrowed, in places with the almost same wording, from "Into Thin Air". Lagerkrantz acknowledged a debt to Krakauer at the back of the book. Perhaps this is customary in Sweden. Other than this problem of sometimes repeating or paraphrasing Krakauer, "Ultimate High" is a fun read.
It would be valuable, if a second edition of this book could be published that includes a biography of Kropp after Everest until the end of his far too short life in 2002.
See his live talk!.......2003-07-09
My wife and I saw Kropp at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and we were so enthralled that we decided to see his lecture a second time! He is a very enjoyable, congenial, and has an attractive personality. I read the editorial reviews of his book, which were overall slightly disparaging of his elitism and the "ham-handed" story. I can't disagree more. If the reviewers heard him speak I bet they would change their tone.
Kropp is a humble and likeable figure who deserves our admiration. I will follow his career as it progresses. Hats off to Kropp, a man who understands the importance of our natural environment.
P.S. The book is great too. Too bad you can't have Kropp there to read it to you!
A good read.......2003-02-24
I enjoyed reading Kropp's book. It was not a book that you had to consume in one sitting, but one you could put aside for a couple days and then return to. I enjoyed his chatty, straight-talking style, and his taking the time to explain the things he spoke about in a way non-mountaineering people could understand. I knew he had died, but waited to read about his passing until I finished his book. He was an unconventional person who made the most of his moments on this earth.
WOW.......2002-11-28
I just have that this was the most insprational and amazing book I have ever read. It is well worth the read.
Product Description
Gloria is one of a handful of internationally respected leading natural health researchers, practitioner, and an authoritative influence in the discovery of the causes, effects and natural solutions for invisible illnesses that defy conventional diagnosis and treatment. She is a leading advocate in identifying and reversing Multiple Allergic Response Syndromes (MARSâ¢). This book reads like a detective story, guiding the reader to clues and solutions from every turn of the page. It is truly a personal odyssey that will open eyes, minds, and hearts to invisible gut causes and life-changing consequences for victims of complex autoimmune, inflammatory and digestive disorders. This second edition has the added advantage of the knowledge gained 10 years after her recovery and the insight gained from the thousands worldwide she has guided to health, naturally.
Customer Reviews:
Not for everyone!.......2007-10-01
I was hoping to find some sensible suggestions for calming sinus inflammation associated with food intolerances. Unfortunately this author's approach to eliminating toxins from your system is more than I am willing to undertake. She advocates using chopsticks to examine your waste in order that you can make sure that you are effectively eliminating. I am not going to comb through my poop with chop sticks. I do not think that her advice is particularly practical for most folks. I regret having purchased this book and will take it to my local used bookseller asap.
SO many people need this book and don't even know it...yet !.......2007-09-23
I have the older version and it helped me to heal and go on to become a nutritionist and help others. When I couldn't find anyone who knew what was happening to me, thankfully I found this book. I highly recommend it as well as "Invisible Illness" if you want to learn about what is happening to so many people who are still clueless. Allopathic doctors don't know these facts, they exacerbate the symptoms because they refuse to accept/learn the cause, mostly because it involves nutrition instead of pharmaceuticals - she will tell you everything you need to know !
Don't hesitate if you know something just is not right, you must educate yourself. I'd love to go into details, but just get the book, it's all in there !
An invaluable addition.......2007-04-14
Gloria Gilbere is a doctor of traditional naturopathy and natural health, a homeopath, an Eco Ergonomist, and is especially known in alternative medicine for her approach to skin and body rejuvenation'. Therefore she brings a special expertise to "I Was Poisoned By My Body... I Have A Gut Feeling You Could Be, Too!". Now in a newly revised and substantially updated edition, this compendium of commentary, description, analysis and advice covers everything from food allergies, chronic fatigue, arthritis, autoimmune disorders, and heartburn, to acid reflux, liver dysfunction, muscle pains, migraines, colon disorders, anaphylaxis, candid, and gluten intolerance. Of special note is Gilbere's survey and discussion of environmental illnesses because she was able to reverse her own condition of fibromyalgia, leaky gut syndrome and multiple allergic responses with natural methods and has enjoyed her recovery for the past ten years now. Enhanced with the useful addition of resource listings for testing, products, colon hydro-therapy, 'Consulting with Gloria', education, drugs classified as benzodiazepines, as well as website information and support groups, "I Was Poisoned By My Body" also features an extensive bibliography and a comprehensive index. Informed and informative, thoroughly 'reader friendly', and an invaluable addition to the growing library of Alternative Medicine reference collections, "I Was Poisoned By My Body" is especially recommended reading for anyone suffering from environmentally influenced illnesses and allergies.
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!
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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.
Average customer rating:
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Shifting Gears: My Global Bike Odyssey
Al Young
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1412058163 |
Book Description
Imagine a shy country girl, who had never traveled out of the United States, embarking on a yearlong bicycle trip around the world, leaving behind all the comforts of home to travel with 249 strangers. In Shifting Gears, she explains the turmoil she endured before leaving, the daily hardships encountered in camping and biking in Third World countries, the brutally long miles of daily riding, the language barriers, the personal dynamics of living with the same strangers 24 hours a day and dealing with a myriad of new personalities. Even a serious accident in France didn't slow Al down, and she returned to finish the trip she had spent four long years working to finance. She overcame lifelong insecurities to become a leader of fellow cyclists and went home with a desire to live her life differently than previously planned. Her idea of returning to Driggs, Idaho, refreshed and ready to teach another 10 years backfired, and she retired early to pursue dreams she never before felt able to accomplish. For Al, life began at 50 and she is slowly ticking off those dreams, one by one, as she realizes them. She now knows the fear of the unknown won't stand in her way and that there are fascinating people all over the world waiting to be part of her adventures.
Amazon.com
Every country should have a Diana Kennedy, someone steeped in its culture and cooking who cruises around recording all the local recipes and sharing them with the world. My Mexico is Kennedy's rambling record of forays in pursuit of dishes that might be of interest. Based on the recipes she found, such as Posole de Camarone, a brothy shrimp and dried-corn stew, sweet Green Mango Roll, and tiny new potatoes cooked Shepherd style, Kennedy's travels have been quite fruitful.
Anyone may enjoy the wealth of recipes in this book, but only connoisseurs of Mexican cooking familiar with the varied and regional nature of its food are likely to appreciate the unusual nature of Kennedy's finds. Concentrating on what is unique, the author refers readers to her previous five works on Mexico for fundamental techniques or other background. Even the method for making masa in My Mexico is an uncommon one, presented to Kennedy by the woman who waters her plants.
This literate work is rich in almost novelistic descriptions. Long passages describe her graphic observations. She shares her love of the country where she has lived since 1957 with equal measures of loving passion and curmudgeonly criticism.
Charts and photos help show the variety of chiles and other foods that help give Mexican cooking its constant, often subtle variety. When recipes call for pulque, a mildly fermented juice from the agave plant, sour tunas, a kind of cactus fruit, or other ingredients you can't get, move on to her more accessible dishes or, as Kennedy did, let this book be a journey of discoveries. --Dana Jacobi
Book Description
"Why my Mexico?" asks Diana Kennedy in her introduction to this long-awaited book. The answer is simple and obvious: it is a highly personal book about the Mexico she knows. And no one knows Mexico the way Diana does. When Diana Kennedy first came to Mexico more than forty years ago, she did not intend to become the country's premier gastronome. But that is what she has become, traveling endlessly, learning the culinary histories of families, hunting elusive recipes, falling under the spell of the beauty of a countryside that produces such a wealth of foods. She has published five books and is referred to variously as the Julia Child, the Escoffier, and the high priestess of Mexican cooking. Most important, she has taken as her eternal project to record not only the wealth of Mexican culinary knowledge and folklore but also the fascinating stories behind it all.
My Mexico records Diana's recent wanderings, along with memories stored away from previous trips. With wondrous, novelistic prose, Diana tells the story behind her discovery of each dish, from the Pollo Almendrado (Chicken in Almond Sauce) she discovered in Oaxaca to the Estafado de Raya (Skate Stewed in Olive Oil) that delighted her in Coahuila. Yes, there are some fairly simple recipes for inexperienced cooks--look for the new guacamoles and the addictive chilatas. More complicated ones are for aficionados who know the intricacies of the ingredients.
Times have changed greatly since Diana published her first book. More and more ingredients are available in the U.S., and more and more people have learned of the true joys of real Mexican cooking. One thing has not changed--Diana Kennedy's passion. For those who already are familiar with her work, this volume is a much-needed addition to your library. For those who are not, you are in for a treat of the first order.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book. Needs Spanish version :-).......2007-06-22
This is a wonderful book. Reason I give 4 stars is that it needs pictures of the recipes.
Also, It would be nice to have it in Spanish as well.
this is the best book ever!!.......2006-08-26
it's like going to mexico everytime you read it and the recipes are very authentic and tasty. this is my all time favorite book.
Fabulous Mexico.......2006-02-12
This is a book every lover of fine cuisine must read. It gives a whole new face to Mexican food. I loved Diana Kennedy's tales of how she came to find the various recipes, the harrowing journeys into the country to find the recipes she'd heard of, her description of the people she encountered in kitchens, over open fires, in little inns.
Reading the book makes you want to explore the country, try all the different foods, and try to prepare the foods as well. You can lose yourself in the book. It is written so well that you can taste and smell every detail of Kennedy's description.
This is not just a cookbook, it is a journey into a wonderful culture, and culture "junkey" that I am, I relished every word.
Very Personal Culinary Tour. Not for the Novice Mexican.......2005-05-19
`My Mexico' by leading authority on Mexican food, Diana Kennedy is her eighth book, seven of which are on Mexican cuisine. This easily puts her in the forefront of writers on national cuisines, along with Julia Child, Penelope Casas, Marcella Hazan, and Diane Kochilas. It even puts her ahead of the very well known writer, educator, and Chicago restaurateur, Rick Bayless, who has paltry four books on Mexican food to his credit.
I have reviewed Ms. Kennedy's ninth book, `From My Mexican Kitchen', which I consider a real gem among treatises on the techniques of national cuisines. It goes into various techniques, especially baking, on which Ms. Kennedy is a certifiable expert, to a level of detail that one rarely sees in other books. The current book under consideration is much different from the later volume and should expect to find a much narrower audience.
`My Mexico' is a personal culinary diary, with echos of a John Steinbeck `Travels With Charley' air about it. Like many other culinary surveys, it is organized by Mexican province rather than by type of dish. And, unlike Ms. Casas' excellent `Delicioso!' culinary geography of Spain, with lots of interesting summaries of characteristics of the various regions, Ms. Kennedy is purely the tourist in this book, dwelling on the specific people and places and dishes she encounters in her travels throughout Mexico.
As an aside, I will add the opinion that Ms. Kennedy seems to find much ugliness in the urban development, congestion, lack of good highways, and disappearance of natural beauty in her beloved Mexico. The recitation of changes she finds distasteful make one wonder how her affection for the country survives the uncontrolled and somewhat corrupt development in Mexico. But then, she talks about the food and all seems forgiven.
As someone who is not nearly as familiar with Mexico as I have come to be of Italy, France, Germany, or England, the first thing I miss is a good map. This absence is especially noisome as this is about culinary geography, regardless of how personal. The second thing I miss is a listing of recipes by type of dish. As all recipes in the text are located by region or state, many of whose names are unknown to me, a listing by primary ingredient or course in the style of most cookbooks would make this book much more valuable to the novice to Mexican food. The book does include an alphabetical listing of recipes, but since it is alphabetical by Spanish name, it doesn't do me much good. I can barely find my way around culinary Italian, let alone Spanish. My study of German does little good in the largely Latin world of culinary diversity.
This is the kind of book that will be enjoyed primarily by people who already know and love Mexico. I get the picture of such readers being hobbits at Bilbo Baggins 111th birthday party with their feet up on the table and nibbling to fill in the odd, empty corners of their generous stomachs. This is the book for people who would not learn much from yet another book of familiar Mexican recipes. I would get pleasure out of a similar book on German or Austrian cuisine as I have been to many places in Germany and I believe there are not enough books concentrating on Austro-Hungarian cuisine.
Ending on a positive note, I relish the discovery in this book of a culinary treatment of cuitlacoche (on page 456), the fungus that grows on corn and which I understand it is a great delicacy in Mexico. I have been familiar with this foul looking stuff for many years, but I first encountered its culinary interest on the very first Food Network `Iron Chef America' show pitting Bobby Flay against Sr. Bayless of Frontera Grill. I was really rooting for Bayless, who lost by a single point to Flay, and I was left wondering, with Alton Brown, who was the brave soul who first looked at the stuff as something good to eat. Well, Ms. Kennedy fills us in on the subject.
Highly recommended for all who can't get enough of books about Mexican food. For all other, check out Ms. Kennedy's other books.
Great Food..........2003-07-03
This is my first "authentic" Mexican cuisine cookbook. I'm from St. Paul, MN, where you would think there would be a serious lack of authentic Mexican food, however, the part of St. Paul I am from has a very large Latino community, the recipes in this book remind me of many meals I've had in friends homes. It is excellent if you are looking for authentic recipes and the real taste of Mexican cuisine. Fans of Taco Bell, forget it.
Book Description
Cynthia Cooper is the best female basketball player in the world today. In the past 10 years she has accumulated dozens of MVP awards, scoring titles, gold medals, and championships, and she didnt pick up a basketball until the age of 16. In this gripping autobiography, Cynthia tells how she made it to the top of her profession: about the years of growing up fatherless with seven brothers and sisters in Watts; how she honed her game against older guys at the local basketball court, winning a scholarship to USC; and about her years on the European basketball circuit where she slowly established herself.
Customer Reviews:
I Would Recommend This Book For Every Mother And Daughter........2007-05-23
Some people may shy away from this book because they think its about basketball. Wrong -- it's about life, about a person who happens to play basketball.
I think every girl should read this book, because it deals with Cooper's issues with self-esteem and confidence, overcoming poverty, and her pursuit of excellence. I also think every mother should read it, because the book shows how effective a role model Cooper's mother was to her. Maybe mothers and daughters should read this book together, and have discussions about it.
This is not an overtly Christian book, but Cooper is a Christian and does not hide her faith. It is not really an evangelistic book, though one can say it is pre-evangelistic.
She's got more than game!.......2002-07-31
Cynthia Cooper could be a role model for anyone. She knows how to play the game of life as well as basketball: when to hold, when to fold, and a whole lot more.
What impressed me most? Signed to play in Italy, Cynthia didn't hang around being homesick. She took the opportunity to learn and grow.
My favorite scenes:
(1) New to Italy, she'd never even heard of famous cathedrals that someone asked her about. Later, she could have discussed the architectural history and features -- in Italian.
(2) She asked Ford to give her a marketing internship -- and she felt right at home with the men. I use this example a lot when I talk to parents who are concerned that their daughters are more interested in sports than school.
(3) She takes us behind the scenes of the championship Comets.
Hard to put down, well-written, honest -- the perfect gift for any WNBA fan or any young woman looking to her future, in or out of basketball.
A True Example of Determination and Self-improvement.......2002-04-14
This autobiography is one of the best, if not the best, that I've read. It's amazing how Cynthia Cooper writes her own story to motivate and make readers have more confidence. She's a real example of a true athlete hero, someone that can be a role model to all. Thanks to her and her success in the WNBA, she's given Women's Basketball a new meaning. Her determination and motivation to become successful is admirable. This book is really an inspiration to those who lack self-esteem and self-confidence. I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone because is really interesting and inspirational. I'm proud of Cynthia Cooper because she's a real good representative of Women's basketball and a great example of determination and success. She also proved that with God's help, anything is possible.
She Got Heart.......2000-06-22
Cooper's book has made me relieze that nothing can turninto something. Also Cooper provides a positive role model for anyonewho wants to better themselves and improve their way of life. This is a book that can be enjoyed by all. There was problems growing up, college, overseas (work) love, and death of loved ones. This tells the reader that everyone faces problems at many different stages of life. Also how they could be overcome with the correct outlook. END
She Got Game : My Personal Odyssey.......2000-04-02
This book is about the story and life of a great know person and athletic. It has its good times and bad times. It tells you what happened in her life till the time she published the book. It tells you from her first time she touched a basketball until she became the leauges MVP. If you want to read a great story about a player and her good times and bad times this is the book you should read. It is for sure the best book I've read about a great person and a life she lived. You should get this book no doubt.
Customer Reviews:
nice view of africa.......2006-10-12
James Hall made me feel that I was an African. The view was from thse eyes.
Americans can really feel and see the people of that community.
A fine read to get a total world view and not the myopic view that we Americans have of the world and others.
Please let me know where I could find him now and get caught up on his life. His kids would be about 14 1nd 20 now. let me know bob huff
bob_huff@comcast.net thanks
Interesting and Informative.......2006-06-28
James Hall takes us on his personal journey as a midwestern America who slowly gets drawn into the world of African healers. The story is personal, poignant, and very detailed. It lets us look into several windowns we don't ordinarily get to look through - everyday living in rural Africa and the world of the african healer.
From 1977 to 1980 I taught at a major university in Africa and spent 2+ years working closely with sangomas. Most of my acquaintances were Zulu or Sotho, but there are not very many differences to the Swazi that Hall talks about. What does differ considerable is whether or not the spirits are from the river or from the land, but that's another issue.
Hall gives a precious insight into the role of the sangoma and the personal issues that sangoma must face. My own work was in the urban areas, and it's very different from Hall's rural adventures.
Anyone interested in africa, african healers, and stories of personal growth will find this book very interesting and informative. It is suitable for young adults as well as adults.
interesting.......2003-09-19
This book depicts another white man's life journey in Africa. Miriam Makeba, the famous singer, suggested to James Hall (the author of "Sangoma") that there may be more than meets the eye in his fascination with Africa and African-American women. Hall followed her advice and consulted a Swazi witch doctor ("sangoma") who declared, to surprise of all, that Hall was destined to become a sangoma himself. This book depicts his travails leading to his initiation into the circle of Swazi healers.
It was a bittersweet path, filled with encounters with supernatural (Hall turned out to possess access to many different spirits, including those of a Native American, a NY advertising executive and - wait for this - a fetus). In addition to description of his training, Hall provides valuable accounts of his interactions with ordinary Swazis (some good, some bad; there seem to be as many racially intolerant people in Africa as everywhere else) and, especially, with women. Hall shows that relationships between men and women in Swaziland are pragmatic, based on exchange of material goods and services rather than sentimental.
Throughout the book we participate in Hall's inner life, his decisions and his torments as well as in his decision to adopt a parentless child and marry the woman he fell in love with. Hall now lives and practices in Swaziland and I think Swazis are lucky to have such a courageous, dedicated, life-affirming and generous sangoma.
A candid and dramatically personal account.......2002-04-18
From the back flap of the book we learn that James Hall has written a candid and dramatically personal account of his unique journey from a comfortable, predictable life in Los Angeles to a harsh and uncharted one in the tiny kingdom of Swaziland. His story shows how the pieces of life can fit together to balance people and nature, the mortal and the immortal, the physical and the spiritual. Sangoma weaves together the excitement of an adventure story and the wisdom of a deeply felt memoir from a man who has b1ended his roles as modern American and as diviner and healer of timeless provenance.
Old Meets New.......2000-11-06
Another interesting book on indigenous cultures, this book tells the story of a westerner who underwent the rituals to become a Sangoma, a Zulu medicine man. What makes this excellent is that it is easy to understand the religion of the Zulu because it is filtered through a western view yet still understood. If you enjoyed this book, I also suggest that you check out Malidoma Patrice Some's "Of Water and the Spirit" as well.
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