Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir

Book Description

This "tender and lyrical" memoir (New York Times Book Review) remains one of the most compelling documents of the AIDS era-"searing, shattering, ultimately hope inspiring account of a great love story" (San Francisco Examiner). A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and the winner of the PEN Center West literary award.

Customer Reviews:

Love in the time of AIDS.......2007-02-05

"I don't know if I will live to finish this," begins this memoir by Paul Monette, who would ultimately live only seven years after he did complete it (and, auspiciously, several other works). Monette's account is a chronicle of the last days of his lover Roger Horwitz in 1985 and 1986: a mere nineteen months between diagnosis and death. It's an emotionally devastating portrait; yet, far from wallowing in his grief (although grieve he does), Monette instead describes this period as a battle to extend Roger's life and a determination to seize every remaining day and make the most of it.

An AIDS diagnosis in 1985, in Los Angeles, doomed the couple to an unwanted pioneer status; it was a "death sentence" mitigated only by hope and delusion. For the first half of the decade, Paul and Roger comforted themselves with the notion that the disease, whatever it was, confined itself to a certain group of fast-living libertines ("not us") in San Francisco and Los Angeles. When the reality hit home, the initial method of coping, shared to different degrees by themselves and by their friends (and particularly by Roger's brother), was a mixture of mortification and denial.

Once Roger became ill, however, the couple fought tooth and nail to pursue every potential pharmaceutical elixir or therapeutic panacea; they were on the vanguard of trials for suramin (with devastating side effects) and for the more successful "Compound S" (AZT), which Monette credits for extending Roger's life. Throughout, they struggled to present a united front of normalcy and optimism, with Roger attempting to practice law from his hospital bed and Paul flying to New York for meetings in the Russian Tea Room with the newly famous Whoopi Goldberg about an ultimately doomed screenplay ("it must've dismayed her considerably to think that this humorless man sipping broth and Coca-Cola was meant to be her breakthrough into feature comedy").

Still, if it's possible to say that one can be "fortunate" in such circumstances, Roger and Paul had the only advantages available at the time: money, connections, and (mostly) supportive family and friends. In spite of the sequence of crises and disappointments, they somehow managed to find time to laugh and to love amidst the anger and the betrayals; Monette's wit and fair-mindedness saves this work from overwhelming the reader with morbid pity and depression. Paul and Roger were often too busy chasing hope to pause and wallow; those moments were often saved for the morning. ("Waking teaches you pain.") What's most remarkable about this book is not the riveting and livid account from the front of the epidemic--such memoirs are plentiful--but the lyrical and even humorous appreciation of the "borrowed time" remaining to these two admirable profiles in courage.

How painfully, yet wonderfully, enlightening this book is..........2007-01-20

Although I am a conservative Christian who has never been "homophobic", I have been 100 percent guilty of "indifference" to what it really means to be gay and and the AIDS issue. Not any more. I began to research the issues and I have been telling everyone about this book. The genuine love story and respectful relationship that Paul and Roger shared is something everyone could learn from. I don't believe I have ever read a book that portrays such courage. The pain that both of these men endured would make the average person collapse under the weight. I know what the Bible says about homosexuality, but I believe that Jesus himself would just wants us stop judging and comdemning and to simply love one another as he loves us. All of us.

Devastating, beautiful and true.......2005-06-06

'Borrowed Time' is the most unpretentious, cliche free account of love I've read. So much of it's power lies in what Paul does not say about his lover: describing him most often as his most precious 'friend' he asks the reader to understand, to implicitly know the strength of his passion. The simple assumption that readers across cities, countries, cultures will understand his emotions is what gives the story so much beauty. I fell in love with both Paul and Roger, or more specifically, the strength of what they had together.
The battle against AIDS and discrimination faced by both men made me bawl, and I hope this book is read by people working through their prejudices and moral judgements about the both the illness and its prevalence in the gay community at the time the events occurred. Surely Paul and Roger's love can only be seen as something beautiful that graced the earth, even briefly.

One of the best books ever........2005-05-28

I don't know how this book didn't win every award the publishing world has to offer. Quite simply, this one volume is the most emotionally devastating work I've ever read. I've read about hate crimes, political assassination and Nazi persecution, but none touch this. Several times I had to set the book down because I was no longer able to read through great, racking sobs and eyes nearly swollen shut. I grieved.

Paul Monette, author of the the award winning memoir "Becoming a Man: Half a Life Story," died of AIDS not too long after losing his beloved companion Roger to the disease. That he was able to focus so much energy on chronicling the events of Roger's death in this memoir, was a mircle - and indeed this book is a miraclous gift. "Borrowed Time" is a story of pain, suffering, hope, strength and courage. However, and more importantly, it is a love story - the greatest I've ever read.

If you want to know what love is.......2004-10-01

I listened to Paul Monette read from his memoir on a recorded book; and the experience was unforgettable, profound, wholly human, and perhaps the best meditation on love I've ever read. Without going into the details of the 1980's AIDS "scene," which this book also authentically and accurately portrays, this "love story" depicts and explored and revealed so tenderly and so poetically that it should be placed on all the bookstores in the relatinship section of the major chains--and recommended for straight and gay couples. And while the booksellers are at it, they should remainder all the John Gray, Dr. Phil and every other "author" who address relationships in a vapid, moronic, demeaning way. This book may be the best argument for "gay marriage," although I hesitate in recommending this in fear that such a beautiful relationship as portrayed in this work could be subsumed under such a shaky institution. It would also be a d_mn good book for heterosexual, especially "conservative Christian" couples, men and women to read together: Not necessarily to change minds about the law, but at least to change misconceived perceptions about their fellow humans. And a note to women, if you would like your guy to be a better "listener" and a better "lover," read this book--not those goofball "women's magazines." This book might also make some right-wing ideologues re-think some of their kneeejerk definitions of "values" and realize that perhaps it is their values that need some looking into, or as peanuts said, "We have met the enemy and it is us."

Average customer rating:

Borrowed Time
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL JUDGEMENT DAY
Excellent Mystery
The title says it all
terrific amateur sleuth

Borrowed Time
Robert Goddard
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0385339224
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Book Description

It is a golden evening of high summer.  Walking a ridge on the Welsh Borders, Robin Timariot meets by chance an elegant middle-aged woman who seems strangely out of place.  They exchange only a few words, but those words prove to be unforgettable.  A few days later Timariot learns from the newpapers that, just hours after their meeting, the woman was raped and murdered.

A man is swiftly charged and convicted of the crime, but a string of inexplicable events begins to convince Timariot that all is not what it seems.  Fascinated by the dead woman's memory, he is sucked into the complex motives and tortured relationships of her family and friends, searching against his better judgemnt for the secret of what really happened the day she died.

The closer he gets to the truth, the more hideous and uncertain it seems to be.  And far too late he realizes that anybody who uncovers it is unlikely to be allowed to live.

From the Paperback edition.

Download Description

ROBERT GODDARD graduated from Cambridge University and worked as an educational administrator before becoming a full-time novelist. The author of sixteen bestselling novels, including Sight Unseen, Play to the End, In Pale Battalions, and Hand in Glove, which will be forthcoming from Delta, Goddard lives in England, where he is at work on his next novel.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Borrowed Time.......2007-01-12

An excellent read! I discovered this author and his books only recently, and I've read almost all of them since. His writing reminds me of the fine writer of novels set in England, Elizabeth George. His characters are well developed and the story keeps you in suspense until the end. I highly recommend this book and other books by Robert Goddard.

IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL JUDGEMENT DAY.......2006-11-09

A chance encounter with a stranger on a hiking trail near the Welsh border leads Robin Timariot into a maze of murder, intrigue and deceit. The story embraces a wide range of characters and human emotions and presents a sharp exercise in family in-fighting and "looking out for number one". Goddard has mastered the magical secret at the heart of all compelling fiction as he takes you into Robins'nightmare adventure.

Each Goddard book is a real treat, and each is as different from the previous as night from day. Run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore....or library and hop on board the Robert Goddard Express.

Excellent Mystery.......2006-11-06

This is an excellent detective story. Well written and characters are quite well developed. An excellent read.

The title says it all.......2006-04-03

A woman is killed shortly after the main character meets her for the first time. The killer is caught quickly and sent to jail but the main character suspects that there is something wrong. Sounds good on first glance.

The book is called "borrowed time" which does not describe the pace or quality of the book but is more an adequate description of what this book does to your patience!

How is it possible that the author needs almost 250 pages to describe a time span of 3 years when absolutely nothing happens that contributes to the possible riddle of the murder in the story or the entertainment of the reader? No events, nothing even remotely interesting, no romance, no jokes, no nothing!

Then a surprising confession of the (possible) real killer offers the chance to speed up the pace of the story and make up for the outstanding boredom before. Too bad that exactly the opposite happens and the book manages to be even more dreary then before.

The book could be summarized in less than 20 pages and might make an interesting short story but with over 440 pages it is only good for people having trouble falling asleep or those who like to use "satisfaction-or-you-money-back-guaranties".

This is without a shadow of a doubt the most boring book I read in 2003.
In the end the only riddle to me still is: why did I finish it???

terrific amateur sleuth .......2006-03-05

In the summer of 1990, five weeks after his oldest sibling Hugh died of a heart attack at forty-nine years old, thirty-seven years old Robin Timariot needs time to decide his future so he plans to hike for six days along the Offa's Dyke ridge in the Welsh Borders. Though he enjoyed his work with the European Commission in Brussels, since Hugh died he finds it oppressive and ponders if he should come home to join the family business since his uncle, mom and the other relatives insist they need him.

On the ridge at a heavenly view, he meets a lovely middle-aged woman whose nearby parked Mercedes seems to put her in the wrong place. They amiably chat about truly changing things before they part. A week later, Robin reads in the Daily Telegraph the shocking article of artist Oscar Bantock raping and murdering Louise Paxton, the woman who impressed him for that short interlude chat on the trail. He tells the truth about their encounter, but finds the reactions of Louise's loved ones odd. Counseling himself to mind his business, Robin still makes some simple inquiries that turn out to be extremely complex and dangerous to anyone who learns the truth.

This is a terrific amateur sleuth tale that overcomes the inherent credibility flaw that hurts much of the sub-genre as the audience readily can see Robin (or themselves) making simple testimony, condolences and curious minor inquiries that twist and turn into something beyond the protagonist's control. It is the plausibility that this could happen to anyone that makes BORROWED TIME a fabulous thriller that fans will devour in one sitting and seek other works by Robert Goddard (see INTO THE BLUE).

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:

great stuff!

Borrowed Time Volume 1: Flight 19
Neal Shaffer , and Joe Infurnari
Manufacturer: Oni Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Science Fiction | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes

ASIN: 1932664424

Book Description

Taylor Devlin's life is the picture of perfect urban living. He has a great apartment with great furnishings. He is young, handsome and successful. He has a beautiful girlfriend who has just given him a wonderful watch for his birthday. Everything is perfect. But when he agreed to go to the Bermuda Triangle for a writing assignment, he never knew what he would be leaving behind. Borrowed Time is the tale of a man returning from a mysterious accident at sea, only to face a bigger challenge of understanding exactly how and why his world has changed. It is a story about Taylor being out-of-synch with the physical world and his quest to return to the life he once knew and the woman he still loves.

Customer Reviews:

great stuff!.......2006-08-29

I hadn't read "comic books" or graphic novels or whatever they are called now since I was a kid. Superheros don't really do anything for me, and the few graphic treatments of literature I'd read seemed forced.

But then a friend recommended this slim volume, and I bought it here on Amazon.

I was very surprised - the expressive b&w art and the very original story are seamlessly complementary, and I was glued to it all the way through. It's a slightly surreal - but also, at the same time, very realistic - story, and while I don't want to give anything away, if you're a fan of LOST or unexplained natural phenomena or things like that I think you'll get a kick out of it.

I am anxiously awaiting the next issue!

On Borrowed Time: How World War II Began.

Average customer rating:

Solid work of fascinating history.
Excellent, original work of historical journalism
Great Book
The Lead up to World War Two

On Borrowed Time: How World War II Began.
Leonard Mosley
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0394439104

Customer Reviews:

Solid work of fascinating history........2004-11-22

Perhaps the best work of history I have ever read. That is all.

Excellent, original work of historical journalism.......2000-07-17

This is a well written, well researched text which includes a great deal of material drawn from the author's own notes, taken as a reporter inside Germany and a number of Eastern countries just prior to the outbreak of World War II. Like his contemporary, William Shirer, Leonard Mosley brings a professional eye to the major events of the period leading up to the start of the war, and the fact that he was often sur place, gives the book a most authentic ring. The book raises a number of seemingly minor but possibly vital questions such as: would Hitler's attitude to Chamberlain have been different had the British P.M. not turned up in Berchtesgarden with a staff of only four people? Certainly he began to develop a degree of contempt for Chamberlain from that meeting onward, and when it came time for the fateful meeting on the Rhine some months later, Hitler was openly contemptuous of the British P.M.

Would things have also been different had the Czechoslovakian President, Eduard Benes, had more sleep just prior to the events of September 1938? Would he have seen things more clearly and called in the Russians, as he probably should have done (and, it is believed, nearly did do)? And would it not have been much more favourable for the British and French to fight Germany with Czechoslovakia in 1938, than without her in 1939? Mosley is very good at asking these sorts of questions, which, so many years later, may prove to have been very decisive indeed.

How many odd events seemed to influence the mood of the leaders of that time. How many messages failed to get through to the right place. Sometimes they were inexplicably held up en route (Mosley suggests it may have been due, on occasions, to Communist spies in the British Secret Service - like Donald McLean). At other times, well placed people (like Paul Stehlin, the French Air Attaché in Berlin), tried to warn their governments repeatedly that things were hotting up, but were not taken seriously. As for the extraordinary series of errors committed by the Anglo-French military and political delegations to Moscow just prior to the invasion of Poland, Mosley covers them in detail and highlights many points hitherto overlooked.

These and many other forgotten issues probably exerted a far greater influence at the time than has been thought since. Yet in the end, it was the personality of Adolf Hitler himself, although set off and to some extent complemented in exactly the wrong way by the French and British leaders of the period (and one might add, the Italian), which proved decisive. From the very start, it was undoubtedly Hitler's war, and Mosley brings this historical imperative more firmly into the light of day than ever. It nevertheless leaves one quite breathless, to see in detail how it all came about.

Great Book.......2000-06-14

Of all the books I have read about this period, On Borrowed Time, is without a doubt the best. Well written, tension filled and full of outrage. This book explains how the democratic states lost their way in the shadow of Hitler's evil. Highly recommended.

The Lead up to World War Two.......1999-12-29

This book is about the lead up to World War Two in Europe. It details much that went on in Europe from the rise of Nazism in Germany, thru the secret pact between Germany and the U.S.S.R. to divide Poland, to the beginning of the war itself. It details many of the problems with the governments of Poland, France, and Britian that allowed them to think that agreements with Hitler would be more than the paper they were written on.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful and poignant!.......2007-04-04

Paul Osborn's On Borrowed Time was first produced on stage in 1938 and it is the dramatization of the novel by Lawrence Watkin. It is sweet and sentimental with a tweak of reality roughness.

Julian Northrup (Gramps) and Nellie Northrup (Granny) are left to raise their young grandson, Pud when his parents, Northrups' son, a doctor, and his wife were killed.

At the onset of the drama we learn the special loving relationship Gramps has with Pud, and the strong influence Gramps has over Pud. And Granny is is always trying to stop Gramps from name calling and cursing as the boy has picked up the same language and bad behavior. Granny, concerned about the bad influence, has suggested to Gramps nemesis, Aunt Demetria that she might do well raising the boy "the way God wants him to be".

The antagonist, Aunt Demetria, learns that with Pud heir to $58,000 life insurance from the parents, she could afford to raise him in the manner he was used to and her mission is to adopt Pud, against Gramps' wishes.

Gramps ordeal begins with Mr. Brink (death) comes calling for him and he fends him off, but soon Grannny is ill and dies. Now the trouble really starts for Gramps as he fends off Mr. Brink again and he puts him Mr. Brink up in a tree until he is ready for him. And with the fight for custody, Gramps is not ready for Mr. Brink to take him away. To add to that battle, Aunt Dementria, and other influentials are committed to have him "committed"!

This is a lengthy, entertaining play!.....MzRizz

How to Acquire $1-million in Income Real Estate in One Year Using Borrowed Money in Your Free Time

Average customer rating:

How to Acquire $1-million in Income Real Estate in One Year Using Borrowed Money in Your Free Time
Tyler G. Hicks
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Investments | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0471751693

Book Description

This book shows beginning and experienced real estate investors how, and where, to acquire one million dollars in real estate in one year using borrowed money. Author and real estate expert Tyler Hicks starts with the reasons why real estate is the world's best borrowed-money business, then discusses hands-on ways for any investor to:

Choose the type of property to invest in
Pick one of 49 mortgages that can finance the property
Find loans on the Internet to finance property acquisition
Deal with, and obtain funding from, private lenders
Use self-starter methods to get the money needed to buy income real estate
Get financing even with bad credit/no credit on the investor's record
Tap into little-known sources of real estate financing for both beginners and experienced wealth builders
Use 100 0.000000inancing (zero-down) methods to acquire real estate
Build wealth almost anywhere with property appreciation
Put wraparound mortgages to work to acquire desirable properties

Numerous real-life examples of people who have used this system successfully in their spare time are included. To further assist readers in acquiring the income real estate they seek, dozens of sources of funding are included.

Average customer rating:
On borrowed time
Lawrence Edward Watkin
Manufacturer: Doubleday Doran
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B00005WHYC

Average customer rating:

Darin was Brilliant and Deserves a Greater Musical Appraisal

"A Good Biography of a Great Entertainer"ÿ

An earnest, if not definitive, biography of the late star

Borrowed Time: The 37 Years of Bobby Darin
Al Diorio
Manufacturer: Running Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instruments & Performers | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0894711113

Customer Reviews:

Darin was Brilliant and Deserves a Greater Musical Appraisal.......2000-07-31

Let's face it. Bobby Darin sang swing songs better than any other popular male vocalist. His sense of musical syncopation was impeccable, and his lyrical timing was unmatched. No one, not even Sinatra, could sing an up-tempo tune as well as Bobby. And yet there was so much more intellectual depth and artistic talent in the man that his definitive biography has not yet been written. Darin won numerous acting awards and nominations, was hailed as Las Vegas' greatest entertainer by the likes of Sammy Davis, Jr. and Wayne Newton, and his uncanny ability to impersonate legendary performers of the past left many of these stars speechless (two who come instantly to mind are Groucho Marx and Jimmy Durante). He was an accomplished guitarist, pianist, drummer, vibraphonist, and harmonica player. He composed dozens of hit songs, many of which were performed successfully by other pop singers as diverse in their singing styles as Dean Martin, Anne Murray, and Rod Stewart. His own vocal style and dexterity defied description and boundaries. Darin could sing your standard, simple Elvis Presley-like three chord rock-and-roll with the best of them, then in an instant croon a sophisticated Cole Poter or Johnny Mercer ballad with breath control and dramatic intensity matched by very few (i.e., Sinatra in his early years, Vic Damone, and perhaps Jack Jones and Matt Monro-but the list is not much longer). Furthermore, he performed folk, gospel, and blues with equal ease. No pop vocalist, then or now, had such range. Finally, Darin was many years ahead of his time, as evinced by his composing and singing what can only be described as the earliest "rap" song, "Me and Mr. Hohner." For my money, Bobby Darin, had he lived a normal life span, would have been far bigger than Sinatra. Think of his mass appeal at the time of his death (he was the highest paid performer in Las Vegas whose audiences encompassed individuals from nine to ninety years of age). Now imagine how many more fans he would have won over had he lived and performed these past twenty-seven years. He had the lovers of old Vaudeville-style entertainment and Tin Pan Alley in his hip pocket; his unequaled singing of big-band swing tunes won over the WW II generation; his rock and roll and folk ballads widely appealed to the Viet Nam generation. By now, Darin would have had four generations of fans. We mustn't forget that the man also thought deeply about injustice in the world and contributed to numerous altruistic causes. His selflessness was evident even in death, as he willed his body to medical science. Bobby Darin was a great talent and a man's man, and his brilliance demands a biography and artistic assessment by an author not afraid of stating it plainly: Considering his vocal abilities from the perspective of versatility, style, and sense of rhythm, Bobby Darin (despite the predictably outraged reaction of those fans who have deified Frank Sinatra) was quite possibly the greatest popular male vocalist in the history of American entertainment. There. I've said it.

"A Good Biography of a Great Entertainer"ÿ.......1999-11-23

Had he lived a normal lifespan, Bobby Darin had the talent and magneticism to have risen to the top of the heap as both a serious male vocalist and nightclub entertainer. What Darin did lack was a healthy heart. Sadly, as depicted in Al Di Orio's fine book, Bobby succombed to the degenerative heart condition at only 37 years of age.

I agree with the reviwer from Philadelphia that Di Orio's book is an earnest and sincere attempt at writing the life story of a complicated and misunderstood performer. But Bobby Darin had so much talent, personal charm, and wit that a fuller appraisal of his body of work is still needed. After all, Darin really had only seven or right years of good health during his career, yet he still managed to be nominated for an Academy award and a half-dozen Grammies. He also had over a dozen Gold Records and was the recipient of the Golden Globe and French Film Critics' awards. Who knows how far he might have gone had he lived a normal life span?

In an age when even Tony Bennett, replete with raspy-voice and a pseudo-cool demeanor, is winning over many young fans, Bobby Darin- who was genuinely cool and who could sing with original style and unmatched syncopation in every musical genre- would probably be the new Sinatra-esque icon of our generation. Too bad he did not live long enough to garner all the praise and popular following that he truly deserved.

In short, while Al di Orio did a fine job, Bobby's superb acting, inimitable swing/jazz singing, and impeccable stage presence deserves a richer treatment. buy Di Orio's book, but hope that someone undertakes to write the definitive Bobby Darin biography-one which highlights and evaluates why everyone from George Burns, Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny, Henry Mancini, Sidney Potier, and Peggy Lee (among dozens of others) to Rod Stewart and Berry Gordy thought Bobby Darin was one of the graetest natural entertainers in the history of show business.

An earnest, if not definitive, biography of the late star.......1999-06-28

Al Di Orio's "Borrowed Time: The 37 Years of Bobby Darin" is a well-researched and heartfully written account of the life of the late multi-talented performer. Di Orio does a fine job at excavating the facts of Bobby's troubled early life, including the details of his illegitimate birth. Di Orio also covers in detail Darin's childhood bouts with Rheumatic Fever that irreparabley damaged his heart and ultimately led to his tragic, untimely death.

While Di Orio's work breaks much ice in the uncovering of a very complex and often misunderstood entertainer's life, it does not do ample justice to Darin's talents. Bobby Darin was hailed by Sammy Davis, Jr. as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, cabaret performers in the business. Wayne Newton called Darin "the most connsummate performer I have ever known." Darin was also a fine actor, skilled songwriter, and natural musician. His legions of fans and admirers spanned the entire age spectrum and virtually all entertainment genres. His line of admirers stretched from Henry Mancini, George Burns, and Johnny Mercer to Neil Young, Felix Cavaliere, and Brian Setzer.

Yet, after reading Di Orio's book, I came away feeling that the author barely touched on the universal admiration and critical acclaim that Darin achieved in his short life. For instance, Di Orio spends little time assessing the reasons why Darin was hailed by many as the only performer in the business who had the genuine talent, personal magneticism, and eclectic appeal to eventually assume the mantle held by Frank Sinatra as America's greatest male vocalist. As a cabaret and nightclub performer, it was acknowledged by many in the entertainment industry that Darin could do more things well than any other live entertainer. However, the book barely hints at the magnitude of Darin's greatness as a performer.

In all fairness, Di Orio does a noble job, particularly in his treatment of the singer's troubled personal life. Consequently, I highly recommend this book to all fans of Bobby Darin. However, Darin's ecelectic body of work cries out for a richer critical assessment. Darin was a stylish vocalist who mastered standard ballads, jazz/swing, rhythm and blues, folk/rock, and country/western. Think about it. This one man sang such diverse material as "Beyond the Sea," "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey?" "Eighteen Yellow Roses," "Mack the Knife," "Me and Mr. Hohner," "Splish Splash," and "If I Were A Carpenter." No one, including Sinatra, covered such a wide span of musical genres and styles.

If you are a Bobby Darin fan who wishes to learn more about Darin the man, Mr. Di Orio's biography is a great starting point. However, a fuller acknowledgement and critical assessment of Bobby Darin's enormous and wide-ranging talent is long overdue.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful story of true love

Borrowed Time
Donna Michele Ramos
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1419636103
Release Date: 2006-12-08

Product Description

From Donna Michele Ramos, author of HIGH RISE (#10 on Essence.com and #5 on BlackBookPlus.com January 2006 Best Seller Lists), comes a new novel of an all consuming love triangle set in the complex world of the Civil War where all three characters are living on BORROWED TIME.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful story of true love.......2007-02-20

Borrowed Time is a story of true love entwined with true historical accounts. Awesome job Donna did!!! This book will keep you turning pages until the end. The love story between Fawn and Cord, her parents, and her grandparents is beautiful. The ending was a happy one and a tear jerker. I can easily see this as a mini-series. I cannot say anymore without giving too much away, you need to read this book!! You won't be disappointed! Get the book today, you just have to read it yourself.

Borrowed Time: A Medic's View of the Vietnam War

Average customer rating:

The Best True War Story I Have Ever Read
A Brave Combat Medic
Paid in full, many times over
Exceptional first hand account of the Vietnam War

Borrowed Time: A Medic's View of the Vietnam War
Charles M. Kinney
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Medical | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Military & Spies | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

War on Drugs | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1412003040
Release Date: 2006-07-06

Book Description

In Borrowed Time decorated Vietnam veteran Charles Kinney picks up where We Were Soldiers leaves off. He tells the compelling story of his year as a combat medic with the renowned 7th Cavalry of the US Army, focusing on C Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 7th.

After the Ia Drang campaign of We Were Soldiers fame, which took place in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1965, came the Bong Son I and II campaigns in the coastal plains of South Vietnam in 1966. Kinney gives riveting firsthand accounts of the devastating battle at Landing Zone 4 (rated by the US Army as the 2nd bloodiest battle of the war from 1965- 1972), the triumphant wipeout of an entire North Vietnamese Army battalion at Than Son II, and the tragic ambush of C Company at Tuy Hoa.

In 1970, Kinney volunteered for another tour of duty in Vietnam, returning to work for a year as a senior clinical technician at the 3rd Surgical Hospital at Binh Tuy south of Saigon. There he became the assistant chief wardmaster and oversaw creation of the Army's first drug rehabilitation and detoxification center.

Rather than focusing on facts and figures, body counts, weapons specifications and the like, Kinney's narrative concentrates on the people- the men he lived with, fought with, loved as brothers and lost, those who survived , and those who remain his cherished friends to this day. In doing so, Kinney teaches us unforgettable lessons about courage, fear, love and the human cost of war. These lessons are just as valuable in understanding the world's current armed conflicts as they are in understanding the war in Vietnam.

Customer Reviews:

The Best True War Story I Have Ever Read.......2005-05-20

This book is detailed to the point that a person never having any combat expirence can see what Mr Kinney is talking about and get a personal feel for the Vietnam War (police action) FIVE *S*T*A*R*s to Sergeant Kinney

A Brave Combat Medic.......2003-12-23

An outstanding book of a brave combat medic. Doc Kinney talks about events that happen many years ago. This book helped me deal with events that happen to me, C2/7th. I saw Doc Kinney in Combat, performing his duties, as a Combat Medic. I highly recommend his book. It's the best I've read. Thanks Doc for being there when we needed you. The Wolf>>

Paid in full, many times over.......2003-11-30

The best book I've read about the Vietnam War, and one of the best books I've EVER read.

Exceptional first hand account of the Vietnam War.......2003-10-29

A well written, moving, first hand account of the Vietnam War.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books