In the Arena: An Autobiography

In the Arena: An Autobiography
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Actor, director, activist, family man.

Fantastic autobiography of a true Hollywood icon! July 2003

great read!!

Despite politics, this is a fine Hollywood memoir...

Great book by a Great Man!

In the Arena: An Autobiography
Charlton Heston
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Diamond Head

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur

ASIN: 157297267X

Customer Reviews:

Actor, director, activist, family man........2005-08-04

Charlton Heston's larger-than-life screen presence comes through on every page of his wonderful 1995 autobiography, which is a really great read. Heston grew up poor in the woods of northern Michigan, where he was lonely and painfully shy. He gained confidence in his high school's senior play, and as he says, he never looked back. He won a university scholarship, and there he had his first-ever date. Her name was Lydia; she was an acting student, and they have been happily married now for over 60 years.

Heston began his career on the stage; he loves acting in and directing plays, especially Shakespeare, and has done almost as many plays as movies. We get all the fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, learn which movies he is most proud of and those that make him cringe, the co-stars he admired and those he didn't. He has no false modesty about his power as an international movie star, yet he comes across as a genuinely nice man who treasures his family.

Fans of Charlton Heston are sure to enjoy this heartfelt autobiography.

Kona

Fantastic autobiography of a true Hollywood icon! July 2003.......2003-07-28

Charlton Heston's autobiography is a wonderful journey of his life, from shy teenager to Hollywood legend! A director/actor who has helped in recreating history, not only on film, but on the stage too, with some of the biggest names in the acting arena. His book reflects, with great wit,love and affection his personal life; with the love of his life of more than 60 years, his wife, Lydia, his co-stars, his directors' and his love affair with his work. His book is honest and gives his fans an indepth look at what it's like to be one of the greatest actors that ever walked on this planet. I highly recommend it! I wrote to him this week, as you know, he is not in good health, we wish him well. There is only one Ben Hur!

great read!!.......2002-09-24

This is a great book. If you are a fan of Mr. Heston's work, then you will most certainly enjoy this book. I read it because I love his movies so much, and I very much admire the man. Reading this book just increased that admiration. The book also offers many insights into the movie making process behind the scenes, directors, producers, actors, etc. Heston's writing is easy to follow, with many observations about numerous topics offered for thought. Lets face it, Heston is one of THE greats of all time, and will always be.

Despite politics, this is a fine Hollywood memoir..........2002-06-28

First off, the day I agree with Charlton Heston's politics is the day I grow horns on my head, and a third arm to boot. Doesn't matter. This is an excellent memoir, and I'm very sorry to see it out of print. (I sent copies to my equally liberal friends. They enjoyed it as well...)

History, anecdote and Hollywood play the key roles in this book. I wouldn't call Heston's clearly self-written style "gossipy", but he does tell many "insider" tales. There's little judgement or conservative propoganda in these segments, just an underrated actor explaining how he's been involved with industry titans over the last 50+ years. Honest views of Orson Welles, Cecil B. Demille, William Wyler, etc. Unexpected stuff; did you know Heston crashed his WWII army truck into a snowdrift in the Aleutian Islands, then handed the keys to his superior so he could catch the next flight home? No? Funny story, and this book has many. There are spare evocative stories of a lonely childhood that may in fact be more painful than Heston could capture. And if you need to know whether Heston is circumcised, this book will tell you. (Why, I dunno...)

Heston discusses most of his films, with careful observation that shows his artistic taste and common sense. It's that taste that has kept him from making garbage films so many of his contemporaries lived off for years. Although he's made few great films, he hasn't made many dogs. His honest self-criticism is refreshing, and usually accurate. Paraphrase: ("I tried to play an educated Mexican lawyer in 'Touch of Evil' without an accent. A mistake. Everyone has an accent...") He chronicles his varied career on stage, a career most people know nothing about. Artistically, the boy done good.

Then it gets sticky. The book veers towards politics in the final 3rd, reminding me why this guy bugs me. Marching in civil rights protests does not give you justification for any goofy political idea you have in the future. (Jesse Jackson is a good example...) Heston blows affirmitave action out of proportion, and his own words in the first half make his later comments on feminism seem bizarre and slummy. (But who knows, he IS an elected president of the National Rifle Association. Perhaps there was an upcoming election?)

Still, the way I look at it, if there's room for a self-righteous Barbra Streisand promoting dopey Hollywood causes, there's equal room for a Charlton Heston promoting guns. (He just picked a cause that matched his screen persona perfectly.) I'm happy to say most of this book avoids the argument entirely. Good stuff. Buy it.

Great book by a Great Man!.......2002-05-23

This is a great book. Charlton Heston looks back on his enormous acting career with lots of emotion and lots of funny memories. I admire the man for his convictions and integrity and now also on his writing abilities. If you are a Heston fan, this book is a must. I don't understand why it's out of print!!! I got a copy out of the library and then I bought a used copy.

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Best Book on Charlton Heston--The Man

Charlton Heston : A Biography
Michael Munn
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312130678

Customer Reviews:

Best Book on Charlton Heston--The Man.......2003-04-22

Michael Munn's biography is the best book I have read which gave an excellent insight into Charlton Heston--the real man. This books tells about Charlton's meager beginnings as a shy-loner living in the Michigan's woods, who later turned into the epic-hero-actor in classic films such as THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, BEN HUR, EL CID & THE PLANET OF THE APES. This book helped me to understand the kind of person Mr. Heston REALLY is. Information about his family life, his relationship with his wife-Lydia who he has been married to over 50 years. Michael Munn has direct quotes from interviews he held with Charlton, his wife Lydia, Fraser & Holly (his children) throughout the book, which allows the reader to know exactly how the actor & family felt at the time about certain events in Charlton's life. This is a 'Must-Read' for any Heston fan. MonaK

Immanuel Kant: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

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A great alternative to Strathern
what better way is there to learn and drive
Great introduction to Hume
Pretty bad summary of Augustine.
Great Audio Cassettes

Immanuel Kant: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)
Professor a J Mandt
Manufacturer: Knowledge Products
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Baruch Spinoza: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

ASIN: 0786169435

Product Description

Immanuel Kant's "transcendental" philosophy transcends the question of "what" we know to ask "how" we know it. Before Kant, philosophers had debated for centuries whether knowledge is derived from experience or reason. Kant says that both views are partly right and partly wrong, that they share the same error; both believe that the mind and the world, reason and nature, are separated from one another. Kant says that our reason organizes our sense perception to produce knowledge. The mind is a creative force for understanding the manifold of new, unconceptualized sense impressions with which the world bombards us. Kant says we cannot know the "thing-in-itself"the object apart from our conceptualization of it. His influence on subsequent thought has been monumental; all of nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy stands in his debt.

Customer Reviews:

A great alternative to Strathern.......2005-04-24

If you are looking for a thoughtful and honest summary of the more important aspects of Aquinas' contribution to the history of philosophy, this is the best audio book I have yet found. Unlike the glib and grossly naive attempts at dealing with Aquinas such as Strathern's cheesy "Aquinas in 90 Minutes", this is actually written by a scholar devoted to understanding Aquinas. The treatment of his "five proofs for the existence of God" is precise and accurate. In fact, if you listen closely to them it will save you from thinking that the flaccid objections of people like Bertrand Russel had anything to do with what Aquinas was communicating in these proofs. Of course, if you are looking for Aquinas' theology, it is not here addressed. But then again, the title of the series is not "Giants of Theology." Overall, this is the best bang for your buck in Aquinas on audio.

what better way is there to learn and drive.......2001-04-27

The way I look at these tapes as the best way of reading philosophy while you are driving. Please keep your eyes on the road while you are driving. These series are great. I believe they are not intended to be comprehensive and they could not be in two hours but they give you %60 biography %40 philosophy. Some of them even have accent as they though they were immigrants from original contries to US, Kant speakes with German/English accent. It is fun, entertaining, illuminating. Much better than talk shows. Please this is not a substitute for a real book so judge accordingly.

Great introduction to Hume.......2001-01-12

This brief introduction to Hume is exceptional. I went from this tape to Hume's "An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding" and "An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals". I don't think it would have been such an easy transition without learning how Hume fits into Western philosophical history and what problems concerned him. It startled me to discover that Hume's major point is that inductive thinking (thinking about "matters of fact" ) is irrational: forming general laws about the world has its basis in custom and experience and not by the sort of reasoning used in math and logic ("relations of ideas" in Hume's lexicon).

Hume's political, historical, and ethical ideas are also interesting and I was surprised to learn how much Hume's ideas on the separation of powers in government had influenced James Madison.

Pretty bad summary of Augustine........1999-10-16

The material is mostly biographical. It is also boring. Remember the kid in the school play who tries to do an accent and can't? The person doing the voice of Augustine is like that. Heston, as usual, is stiff as a spanker's paddle.

I note the other review is about Kant not Augustine.

Great Audio Cassettes.......1998-03-17

This is a very good overview of Kant's thought that can be listened to while driving. Does not cover epistomology well.

Frederich Nietzsche: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

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Good intro. to Nietzsche, and interesting to those familiar-
good intro. to Nietzsche, and interesting to those familiar-

Frederich Nietzsche: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)
Richard Schacht
Manufacturer: Knowledge Products
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Aristotle: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

ASIN: 0786169370

Product Description

Near the end of the nineteenth century, Friedrich Nietzsche boldly announced that God is dead. There are no absolute truths, he said; the only reality is this world of life and death, conflict and change, creation and destruction. For centuries, religious ideas had given meaning to life in the western world; but with their collapse, humanity faced a grave crisis of nihilism and despair.

Nietzsche proposed to replace restrictive traditional morals with the idea of humans as creative beings whose energy, strength and intelligence enable them to give purpose and meaning to their lives. He rejected democratic ideals, believing that they ignore human differences and that conflict and creative competition are essential to lifes development.

His own creative work has exercised a powerful influence on the development of literature since his day.

Customer Reviews:

Good intro. to Nietzsche, and interesting to those familiar-.......1999-04-30

I enjoy the two tape set very much. Often times, listening to spoken words has a different effect than reading them. I wake up to Nietzsche's reflections in the morning, by using these tapes in my clock/radio tape player.

good intro. to Nietzsche, and interesting to those familiar-.......1999-04-30

I enjoy the two tape set very much. Often time, listening to spoken words has a different effect than reading them. I wake up to Nietzsche's reflections in the morning, by using these tapes in my clock/radio tape player.

Aristotle: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

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Aristotle: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)
A. E. Taylor
Manufacturer: Knowledge Products
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Arthur Schopenhauer: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

ASIN: 0786169443

Product Description

Few philosophers have so extensively influenced thought and language as Aristotle. His conception of the universe pervades Christian theology. Knowledge of his thought is necessary to understand Bacon, Galileo, and the modern scientific view of nature, as well as Dante and many passages from Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton. Many phrases such as "liberal education" and "theory" contrasted with "practice" originated with this student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great.

Writing to inform the beginner and stimulate the expert, eminent scholar A. E. Taylor presents a searching analysis of Aristotle's thought, including classification of the sciences; formal logic; theory of knowledge; matter and form; the four causes; God; physics; biology; sensation; ethics; theory of the state; and the fine arts. He also considers Aristotle's provincialism, errors regarding the nervous system and astronomy, and defense of slavery.

Arthur Schopenhauer: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)
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Sufficient Rational?

Excellent summary of Schopenhauer if you can track it down

Arthur Schopenhauer: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)
Mark Stone
Manufacturer: Knowledge Products
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Aristotle: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

ASIN: 0786169400

Product Description

Arthur Schopenhauer was the most articulate and influential pessimist in the history of human thought. He was convinced that the space and time of ordinary life is an illusion, that the world consists of two aspects: representation (visible appearances) and will (hidden reality). Will is a unitary, blind, irrational force underlying all nature and expressing itself throughout it. Since human actions are blindly propelled by this will, not reason, prescriptive ethical rules have little force. We flourish only at each others expense; evil, pain, and suffering are not aberrations, but express the inner nature of the world. Our will to live is a continuing cycle of want, temporary fulfillment, and more want. New desires replace any satisfied ones, so no lasting happiness is possible. There is no overall end or purpose of life; our will to live is doomed ultimately to fail, and we die.

Customer Reviews:

Sufficient Rational?.......2006-10-29

Schopenhauer's discussion of the organic nature of our humanity, is exciting, up-lifting, and scary. He swept away many of the cobwebs of human thought and meta-physical mysteries. To him, the brain, the limbic system,(although his concepts pre-dated modern brain theory), are really what's at the heart of human reason. He helped me to understand, the nature of truth, which is sufficient rational, based upon very human perception. Why is art beautiful? Why are entire people's irrational? Schopenhauer's work opens doors that modern psychology, in Freud and Jung stepped into.

Heston's narration is very pleasant, and this treatment, although academic was very approachable for the dilettante.

Gare Henderson

Excellent summary of Schopenhauer if you can track it down.......2001-12-15

This is the only audiobook exposition and analysis of Schopenhauer's works I've encountered (if you know of another please e-mail me!). It was done in the mid-1990's by Knowledge Products, and I've gathered that many of these titles (I believe there are 12, each one an approximately 2.5 hour affair covering major philosophers from Plato to Sartre) are going out of print. They are all narrated by Charlton Heston, but don't think you'll be stuck with the gravelly-voiced Moses for the entire two cassettes. The producers utilize a revolving cast of actors to bring to life the thinkers themselves-- in this one we hear them "play" Kant and Nietzsche as well as the anonymous reviewer in Britain who brought Schopenhauer to the public's attention in his piece on Arthur's final publication, _Parerga and Paralipomena_. You will think the vocal imitation (including heavy accents) of history's greatest minds either cheesy or effective; I am of the latter. There is a biographical portion, to my mind heavily borrowing from the opening chapter of perhaps the finest book on Schopenhauer in English, Bryan Magee's _Philosophy of Schopenhauer_, followed by an exegesis of Schopenhauer's thought. Schopenhauer was that most darkly cast of philosophers, despite being highly influential on artists, poets, and musicians of every sort. Many believe (and I among them) that his adaptation and extension of Kantian philosophy outclasses Hegel's, Fichte's, and Schelling's. The background and context to Schopenhauer's work is well represented, and the presentation is liberally peppered with selections from his writings. There are also reactions to Schopenhauer and a short criticism of his work to wrap things up. If anything, the reading of the final lines from Schopenhauer's central work, _The World As Will and Representation_, are worth this audiobook alone-- not to mention Heston's voicing (via the scriptwriter I assume) that Schopenhauer's view of life as purposeless touches on the "appalling." (!) (hilarious!)

Plato: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

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Plato: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)
Berel Lang
Manufacturer: Kowledge Products
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0786169419

Product Description

Plato was the first great philosopher of the West to organize and record the issues and questions that define philosophy. A student of Socrates, Plato preserved the teachings of his mentor in many famous "dialogues" that deal with classic issues like law and justice, perception and reality, death and the soul, mind and body, reason and passion, and the nature of love. The most famous of all Platonic doctrines is the "theory of forms," the idea that there are changeless, eternal forms on which existing things are modeled. To Plato, human beings consist of an immortal soul together with a body that keeps it in the twilight world of changing, perishing things. The soul has a love for the eternal, the Good, which gives life stability and meaning. The ideal government, Plato believed, must reflect the structure of the human soul, guarded by those with a sure knowledge of the good.

Jean-Paul Sartre: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

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The Philosophy of Giants - Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)
John Compton
Manufacturer: Knowledge Products
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Aristotle: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

ASIN: 0786169427

Product Description

Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, is perhaps the best known advocate of existentialism. In this view, no external authority gives life meaning: mankind is radically free and responsible. In every moment we choose ourselves, with no assurance that we have a continuing identity or power. We set up determinisms to ease our minds, but in the face of the finality of death, only through our present consciousness do we establish our own authentic existence.

Sartre's existentialism faces the evil in human existence and sees that humans are responsible for it. He doubts mankind can make moral progress, yet he embraces the possibilities for human life and believes we can attain dignity by our own efforts. Sartres ideas had a profound influence on ordinary people after World War II and continue to contribute to the development of thought in Europe and America today.

Customer Reviews:

The Philosophy of Giants - Jean-Paul Sartre.......2006-08-30

A very good summary of Jean-Paul Sartre's exitentialist views and how they changed over his lifetime. A good primer on existentialism. This introduces the concept that the choices made by individuals in the present define the meaning of past and future events in that individual's life.

John Dewey: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

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John Dewey: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)
John J. Stuhr
Manufacturer: Knowledge Products
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Baruch Spinoza: Knowledge Products (Giants of Philosophy) (Library Edition)

ASIN: 0786169354

Product Description

John Dewey was Americas most influential philosopher. He wanted philosophy to rise above old tired disputes to address new, more vital questions and problems. Deweys views are known as "pragmatism," which emphasizes action and results. He believed that knowledge and ethics, as well as art and religion, live only in the daily practice of ones life. Philosophy isn't a system of beliefs but a practical, empirical method of inquiry. It is one with education, which continually develops and renews the capacity for new habits.

Book Description

Charlton Heston is perhaps most famous for his portrayal of Moses in Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments and for his Academy Award-winning performance in the 1959 classic Ben-Hur. Throughout his long career, Heston used his cinematic status as a powerful moral force to effect social and political change. "From My Cold, Dead Hands" examines how Heston evolved into a major American political figure.

Heston has campaigned for both Democratic and Republican candidates, marched in support of black civil rights, served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild, helped shape policy for the National Endowment for the Arts, and served as president of the National Rifle Association. Disillusioned with the Democrats, Heston formally registered with the Republican Party in the 1980s, but he argued that the decision was in keeping with his longtime advocacy of individual rights.

"From My Cold, Dead Hands" is far more than a biography--it is a chronicle of the resurgence of American conservative thought and, in particular, the birth of neoconservatism. Emilie Raymond convincingly argues that conservatives owe a great deal to Heston: his image of morality, individualism, and masculinity lent their movement credibility with a larger public, and he effectively campaigned for conservative candidates and causes. Meanwhile, Heston paved the way for many of today's Hollywood activists, using his popularity and image to fuel and legitimize his political activities.

A balanced study of Charlton Heston and his work offscreen, "From My Cold, Dead Hands" neither glorifies nor maligns Heston but provides an engaging account of how he propelled his personal beliefs into the political mainstream of America.

Customer Reviews:

Praise for a man who is obviously demented.........2007-02-28

I thought C. heston was one of the great actors in the world, and I still like Ben-Hur and El Cid and the 10 Commnadments very much..but Heston's stands on issues such as the NRA and gay rights are fascist at the very best.

He took a turn in his life thinking he could be an intellectual..a huge mistake..he was a good actor, he knew that much about himself, that he could dsraw aude=iences in with his swagger and heroic gesturing. But when he stepped out of the screen's protective proceniums, he showed his low voltage mind.

His Altzheimer's Disease is very sad, but the latter part of his life, beyond Touch of Evil, and Will Penny is even sadder.

A tragic case.

The making of a cultural conservative.......2007-01-01

Raymond's book is an excellent example of the study of a star formed by his cultural circumstances and historical forces. Heston has often been unjustifiably vilified in the recent past for his unpopular views to the detriment of his acting achievements. This book reveals that Heston was not alone in his rightward swing since it reveals him, along with Irving Kristol and Gertrude Himmelfarb, as liberal conservatives who belonged to the Democratic Party until historical forces changed their alignment. In many ways, they remained true to their beliefs while the Democratic Party changed from its conservative Eisenhower-Kennedy roots into Johnson Great Society that these people could not accept.

For those interested in social change in American society, this book is a very revealing treatment and explains much of what has happened during the last forty years. My only complaint is that Raymond has focussed on a limited amount of Heston films and has not examined others such as the Cold War western ARROWHEAD (1952) and THE CALL OF THE WILD where the Heston character undergoes a crisis of masculinity in one scene. It is easy to denigrate the actor as Michael Moore did unfairly in his interview in BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE where he appeared oblivious to the actors failing health and his recent operation. During Whoopi Goldberg's unjustly short-lived TV talk show, she did not take the easy option of making the actor look like a fool but spoke to him in a meaningful conversation without having any hidden agenda. It is a shame Raymond does not cite this in the book which is a valuable cultural study of a star who engaged in activist neo-conservative politics. While it is easy to sneer at his now outmoded roles and jeer at his Alzheimer's diagnosis as did George Clooney, it is much more challenging to understand the man and his beliefs in an objective manner. Raymond has risen to the challenge in a book which has several significant insights but could have been much better if more of the star's films had been covered against the background of the changing social and historical forces documented in this valuable work.

A true American who would fit right in with our Founders.......2006-11-10

Anyone who thinks of Himself/Herself a Patriot needs to read this book. Anyone who doesn't needs to read it to find out why they need to be. This is the greatest country in the world, and if we wish it to stay great and free, we have to get involved, or what we take for granted will slip away. The modern media blames America first, finds fault, and betrays all that countless patriots who have given their all that we might live we do today. Why do peoples of the world see us as the beacon of hope, and risk everything to come here? You'll find the answers in Mr. Heston's book, and what we must do to pass what we have, on to our children, and generations to come.

almost TOO fair.......2006-10-02

Ms. Raymond goes all out to prove Heston a "principled" conservative -- and yes, they do exist, even in this day of Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush and Foley. Much of the information is very interesting. Amazingly, though, she does not seem to know of the use Michael Moore made of Heston in his film "Bowling for Columbine," which is the indelible image that most of us have in mind when we think of Charlton Heston. Was this ignorance, or just kindness to an old man suffering from dementia?

Indeed, Raymond does not seem to wonder whether Heston's whole NRA shill was a product of early Alzheimer's, a topic that it would seem to me needs addressing, if only to shoot it down.

For the most part, this is a strong book. But the omissions show.

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