Book Description
Grand Avenues tells the riveting story of Pierre Charles L’Enfant and the creation of Washington D.C.--from the seeds of his inspiration to the fulfillment of his extraordinary vision.
L’Enfant’s story is one of consuming passion, high emotion, artistic genius, and human frailty. As a boy he studied drawing at the most prestigious art institute in the world. As a young man he left his home in Paris to volunteer in the army of the American colonies, where he served under George Washington. There he would also meet many of the people who would have a profound impact on his life, including Alexander Hamilton and James Monroe. And it was Washington himself who, in 1791, entrusted L’Enfant with the planning of the nation’s capital--and reluctantly allowed him to be dismissed from the project eleven months later. The plan for the city was published under another name, and for the remainder of his life L’Enfant fought for recognition of his achievement. But he would not live to see that day, and a century would pass before L’Enfant would be given credit for his brilliant design.
Scott W. Berg recounts this tale, richly evocative of time and place, with the narrative verve of a novel and with a cast of characters that ranges from Thomas Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers to the surveyor who took credit for L’Enfant’s plans, the assistant who spent a week in jail for his loyalty to L’Enfant, and the men who finally restored L’Enfant’s reputation at the beginning of the twentienth century.
Here is a fascinating, little-explored episode in American history: the story of a visionary artist and of the founding of the magnificent city that is his enduring legacy.
Customer Reviews:
An Earlier Gift From France.......2007-07-03
Most people today would not know of the controversy and opposition to the Statue of Liberty, and the efforts and struggles it took to make a suitable platform for it. Similarly, the full story of L'Enfant's contributions to the original design of Washington, DC, was lost for almost a century before being restored. The US Government was very small in 1791, when work was started on the new capital's design, and one of the more interesting aspects of this historical narrative is the small cast of characters involved. The focus of this book is on these various individuals and how they impacted the evolution of the capital over time. Not surprisingly, all of the human traits, good and bad, march through the story with what seems a preponderance of greed, selfishness and small mindedness. It is interesting that the individuals who restored L'Enfant's reputation and works, and were not from the capital city.
American Child.......2007-06-21
Berg has written a fabulous book of popular history, full of intriguing anecdotes and fascinating glimpses of G. Washington, T. Jefferson, and J. Monroe, among others. Perhaps by favorite aspect of "Avenues" is the hissy-fit relationship between L'enfant (architect of DC) and Jefferson, a builder in his own right who despised L'enfant for his petulance, arrogance, and bullheadedness. (At least two of these qualities can be attributed to Jeff, as well.)
I've been visiting DC since I was a boy, but often, as children, we give little thought to something's creation. It just exists. But "Avenues" opens a window into the past that I'm still thinking about. In the beginning, there was L'enfant. Without him (and Rick Olmstead, who carried the torch), DC would be a drastically different city. Bravo to Scott Berg, and thank you!
"City of Magnificent Intentions": The Planning of the American Capitol .......2007-05-30
GRAND AVENUES depicts the genius of Pierre Charles L'Enfant and his artistry in designing the capital city of the United States. Rich with biographical, political and historical detail, Scott W. Berg has included 25 black-and-white illustrations that will intrigue Washingtonians, city planners, history buffs and architects. In 1790, Thomas Jefferson commissioned L'Enfant to "provide aid in the form of drawings of the particular grounds most likely to be approved for the site of the federal towns and buildings."
Having served as a Continental Army officer under George Washington and designed Federal Hall in New York City, L'Enfant was immediately entranced with this project. Originally from Paris, he loved breathtaking views and a variety of buildings and space within a metropolitan city. "This first recorded evidence of L'Enfant's inclination toward city planning occurred in December, 1784, when he wrote at some length to George Washington outlining his scheme to establish a peacetime corps of engineers." Prior to his arrival in Washington, L'Enfant also worked on projects in Trenton, New Jersey, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Jefferson and L'Enfant held completely different viewpoints on the way that Washington, D.C. should be laid out. As L'Enfant continued to evaluate Jenkins Hill as the perfect location for a congressional building, he writes, "From these heights every grand building would rear with a majestic aspect of the country all around and might be advantageously seen from twenty miles off." L'Enfant was proposing that the District of Columbia be designed on an expanded scale, with vistas, rises and boulevards. One major problem arose when George Washington suggested selling lots in the best areas of D.C. as delineated by L'Enfant's plans.
"L'Enfant now was arguing for a fundamentally public city --- in opposition to the motivations behind almost every other American public city --- in opposition to the motivations behind almost every other American place --- and to that end he was committed to the development of the public areas before the sale of the private." One problem was that houses were erected that did not fit with the public buildings in close proximity. In one case, L'Enfant actually tore down the completed home of a very influential Washingtonian, who had built it too close to a major public office building.
L'Enfant had organized a plan to access the Potomac River, allowing materials and supplies to arrive swiftly by water to the construction sites. "Every step in L'Enfant's chronology of construction was destined to reduce waste and conserve time, materials, and money." He wrote a significant memo to Washington, requesting that the project be completed as quickly as possible, using a million dollars, and suggesting that the oversight committee of commissioners be eliminated. Unsuccessful in his attempts to drive the project to immediate action, L'Enfant failed. Subsequently, Jefferson heralded Andrew Ellicott and assisted him in preparing a drawing to replace L'Enfant's plans.
Pierre Charles L'Enfant died in debt, unpaid for his work on America's capital city. "It is sometimes called the City of Magnificent Distances, but it might with greater propriety be termed the City of Magnificent Intentions."
--- Reviewed by Marge Fletcher
Remembering a forgotten man.......2007-05-12
This is an interesing story of how the basic plan for Washington, D. C. was formed. Pierre L'Enfant, a major in the Revolutionary Army worked with George Washington himself in the original design. L'Enfant was the graduate of excellent design schools in Paris, and he had been trained by his father. He had to fight off the influence of Thomas Jefferson the opponent of Washington and Hamilton in this project. His tenure on the project was short. Politics and land speculation was what really drove the process, little changed from today. A brilliant and far-seeing man who after this brief tenure died pretty much alone and unheralded. His work and his place in history was resurected about 1900. A well written and interesting account that meshes well with other biographical works of the era.
Extremely well-written.......2007-05-08
I've always thought Washington was a beautiful - if not problem-ridden - city, with its wonderful (and confusing) street system and beautiful buildings. This very well-written biography of both L'Enfant and his times is a worthy examination of the city, the politics behind its creation, and the men who both promoted and built it. Berg is a masterful and easy writer.
I'll look forward to another book by him. (Not to be confused with A. Scott Berg).
Book Description
From Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday to Janis Joplin and Michael Jackson, Columbia Records has discovered and nurtured a mind-boggling spectrum of talents and temperaments over the past 100-plus years.
Now, with unprecedented access to the company's archives — memos, personal correspondence, recording contracts, sales reports and job sheets, as well as rich musical and literary material excavated from the Teo Macero Collection — The Label tells the never-before-told stories behind the groundbreaking music distributed by Columbia Records.
More often than not, the music was created not just by the artists themselves but forged out of conflict with the men and women who handled them — executives, producers, Artists and Repertoire men, arrangers, recording engineers, and, yes, even publicists. And at almost every narrative crossroads in The Label is an undercurrent of racial tension — a tension that not only influenced twentieth century music, but also mirrored and at times prompted major changes in American culture.
This vibrant account of Columbia Record’s often tumultuous relationships with artists, businesspeople, and popular culture is sure to enlighten, entertain, and even shock.
Customer Reviews:
A MAJOR BOOK FOR A MAJOR LABEL.......2007-09-01
Well written history about a time when the record companies, specially Columbia Records, were drive by musicians and not MBA guys.
This book taught me more than I ever knew about the origins of the modern recording industry!.......2007-06-20
Barely a chapter into this almost 600-page long history of the venerable record company, which sports its famed red label on the cover, I've already learned more than I ever knew about the origins of the modern recording industry. Columbia Records was actually founded in 1888 by Edward Easton, a stenographer and principal in the company based in Washington, D.C. (hence the name), which manufactured Graphophones, an early forerunner of the victrola, originally used for office dictation. Just like today, the technology came first, and uses for the invention only came later. The fact that music could be recorded and played back on wax cylinders was virtually an afterthought (Thomas Edison, with his competing phonograph, felt music "demeaned" his invention), as the label was launched with a selection of John Philip Sousa marches recorded by the U.S. Marine Band and black singer George Washington Johnson, dubbed the "Whistling Coon" after his hit of the same name, brought to the label by prototypical 19th century A&R man Victor Emerson. What's striking is the role technology played in the growth of the industry, and how the format affected what was recorded and distributed, a factor still in place today in the wake of the digital revolution. A fascinating read that I have just dipped into, but will keep you abreast as I get deeper. - Roy Trakin
I lived through some of this history.......2007-05-19
Though there were several insignificnt accuracy errors, none of them take away from the superb, almost scholarly quality of the research. It is a fascinating and riveting look at the entire background at what, at least, was the gold standard of recorded music. Sadly it was sold off, as a one shot, short term basis attempt to improve a then sagging balance sheet of CBS. One of the worst financial decisons ever made by the Tischman group that bought out the Paley interests. It is clearly a decision that would never have been taken by what had previously been virtually flawless policies under the stewardship of Paley and Stanton.
An exciting review of the real music business........2007-03-14
The cover really looks like an LP.
This attention to detail is consistent throughout. Written in a way that is entertaining yet incredibly informative. I would recommend this book for anyone who is studying, researching, or just has a fascination with the music business.
Wow! One of the finest (if not THE) books ever written about the music business........2007-03-11
This book is amazing. I literally couldn't put it down. And I thought I pretty much knew a lot of record business history. My father in his youth was a record promoter for Columbia (and then Decca Records) and used to tell me stories when I was a kid. They were nothin'...in comparison with this. And daddy never told me any of the real history of Columbia. I did know that when I grew up I wanted to be a recording artist and I only wanted to record for Columbia.
Unfortunately, the closest I got to that was doing backup in the '60's for a few artists who were signed to the label. But the studio singers rarely saw or heard the full scoop on behind-the-scenes machinations. So, what I didn't know then, I've found out from this book. Bravo to Mr. Marmorstein for his research. It's so in-depth! And I got a kind of perverse thrill from knowing that though a lot of this book reads like great fiction, it's all amazingly true. Just bought another copy for my son who's a musician and record producer. As far as I'm concerned, this should be required reading for every potential and existant artist, producer, arranger etc., not to mention every music lover who is capable of reading.
For me, Columbia was and always will be THE label and this book truly does it justice!
Book Description
A tale of obsession so fierce that a man kills the thing he loves most: the only giant golden spruce on earth. "Absolutely spellbinding."—William Grimes, New York Times
As vividly as Jon Krakauer put readers on Everest, John Vaillant takes us into the heart of North America's last great forest, where trees grow to eighteen feet in diameter, sunlight never touches the ground, and the chainsaws are always at work.
When a shattered kayak and camping gear are found on an uninhabited island, they reignite a mystery surrounding a shocking act of protest. Five months earlier, logger-turned-activist Grant Hadwin had plunged naked into a river in British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands, towing a chainsaw. When his night's work was done, a unique Sitka spruce, 165 feet tall and covered with luminous golden needles, teetered on its stump. Two days later it fell.
The tree, a fascinating puzzle to scientists, was sacred to the Haida, a fierce seafaring tribe based in the Queen Charlottes. Vaillant recounts the bloody history of the Haida and the early fur trade, and provides harrowing details of the logging industry, whose omnivorous violence would claim both Hadwin and the golden spruce. 16 pages of illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant book.......2007-08-14
The Pacific Northwest is one of history and beauty, as told here it is also one of violence and savagry. The brilliant narrative tells the story of a mythis tree in the Canadian Galapagos. John Vaillant explains in true outdoorsmen style(Into the Wild) how Grant Hadwin came to cut down the Golden Spruce, a semi-mythic survivor, a massive tree.
But this is not just a murder, this is an act of protest by a man who loves the forest and hates what man has done to it, the coprorations, the government, everyone. He is a latter-day Edward Abbey, in the spirit of Crazy Horse and the Monkey Wrench Gang.The Monkey Wrench Gang (P.S.).
The history is as brilliant as the story. The author also describes the rich evology of the Northwest Coastal forest of British Columbis. The Queen Charlotte Islands are also home to the Haida Gwaii, a native people. For them the Spruce was K'iid K'iyaas, as Everest is Sagarmatha to the Sherpas.
Hadwin was a woodcutter and road builder, a man who also loved nature. But as in 'Into the Wild' he left his family and went mad, and committed a great crime.
A brilliant read.
Seth J. Frantzman
Here's a MALE Annie Dillard..........2007-07-28
I checked this book out of local public library because I am interested
in the subject. Never did I expect such fine, concise, and insightful--
not to mention lucid and expressive --writing! Mister Vaillant is
a joy to read... even though the subject is so depressing. He somehow
managed to bring the great American Northwest and the great Canadian
Southwest into vivid, living perspective for me! Thanks, John.
Potential Reference Document - Not a Structured Read.......2007-04-10
This book tried to force a story line in where there was not one to be had. The structure of the book was impossible to follow and there was no flow whatsoever. Before finishing the first chapter, I was skipping paragraphs and a third of the way through the book I was skimming through chapters. If this book had removed the choppy story line about Hadwin, hired a competent editor and then included a complete index, you would have a solid reference document about the natural and cultural history of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Instead you have a longwinded, well referenced mess. I just finished reading a book about the history of the Dust Bowl "The worse hard time". Now you would think, here is a subject that just could not be made interesting, but the power of a good writer made the book both interesting, informative, and just an overall enjoyable read. In ending - Let me save you some money and summarize the whole book for you - The Pacific Northwest has been deforested, local native people of the region are rich in culture, some nutcase cuts down a Sitka spruce with golden needles because he wants to stop deforestation (what? - don't bother asking why because you will not get the answer), and environmentalist are all good.
The Golden Boy - Vailant.......2007-02-23
Golden Spruce, by John Vaillant, is a book about many things. It is quite a few history and biology lessons, an example of how people can be driven to want to destroy something they love, and a damnned good story - all at the same time. The last book that I can think of that I thought I was reading for a good story and not only got the story but ended up knowing a lot more about nature and my own self in the process was Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Vailant was praised in reviews by authors who have a lot of nature cred (get it? Not street cred, nature cred - I think it is funny...), such as Sebastian Junger and his storytelling was compared to John Krakauer.
Vailant's primary theme throughout the book seems to be pain. He argues that humans can cause themselves less in the long run by aiming towards sustainability and living off the resources available to them at the time rather than depleting what is around them for export and profit. The context of this message in Vailant's book is timber, but can be applied to a broader range when the reader starts to think about the moral dillemas that Vailant describes loggers and the Haiida face.
What stood out most in Vailant's book is the imagry. As a native Northerwestern myself I often times wanted to put down the book and go for a walk in the woods. There is passage in the begining of the book that I sent to a friend of mine who is now living in Europe because I knew when she read it she could be standing in a patch of Oregon old growth.
Little of the book focuses on Grant Hadwin, the man who fell the Golden Spruce. What is mentioned of him gives the reader a sight of a man determined, perhaps mentally ill, and with a passionate yet skewed cause. He is compared to Timothy McVeigh.
Vailant's research into multiple disciplines makes for a comprehensive picture of the dense Pacific Northwest. Readers are schooled in botany, marine biology and climatology - all in the context of the story being told. Never did it feel like a lecture, like a tangent or like Vailant was trying to make his research count for something. It was all relative and helpful to what he was trying to explain to us, which he said best in one sentence towards the end of the book, "Most of us are led to believe that we have more freedom and choice than ever before when in fact we are driven by the real, if short-sighted, demands of our wallets, sophisticated advertisers, increasingly large and powerful conglomerates, and a reactive response to the clock."
Lack of Direction.......2007-01-30
I got this book because the cover said it was like Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Well, it isn't - in my opinion, not anywhere close to it. Krakauer, for the most part, focused on one main subject / storyline and when he did deviate, his stories were always entertaining. John Vaillant, on the other hand, goes on and on about several different subjects. Now, don't get me wrong - I love to learn about history and facts about people and nature. All of his story lines started out interesting, but got boring and tedious after a while and I even started to get the feeling he was repeating himself. I found the background information about the Haida and Haida Gwaii interesting, but I think it would have better if he had made it shorter and written a seperate book about it instead. I got irritated several times throughout the book because I just wanted him to get back to the main story.
The book just seemed to have no direction and was, in my opinion, just a big mess. It gave the impression that he had done a lot of research and just wanted to give you every single solitary detail and fact that he had read. I felt like I was reading a really long high school book report. He should have focused on the story of the Golden Spruce and given short side stories about logging, the Haida, Haida Gwaii, and Hadwin, where applicable, but left the in depth details for another book.
Book Description
The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest cultural institution and a great repository of both intellectual and cultural treasures. This is the first popular illustrated history of the Library of Congress. It is more than an account of the careers of thirteen men (only one of whom was actually trained as a librarian), this is the story of discovering the great body of knowledge housed in the LOC and how it came to be there. Conaway has written a very accessible cultural history of the Library of Congress, complete with lively illustrations that begin to hint at the richness and diversity of collections available to the public. The LOC's amazingly wide-ranging collections (fire insurance maps, Cold War documents, folk music, Eames Collection of Design, Leonard Bernstein Archives, WPA/FPA photographs, the contents of Lincoln's pockets the night he was assassinated, etc.) are represented in the illustrations. The LOC is a favorite tourist attraction and reference (1 million visitors a year; the Library's website is visited by 1 million users a day).
Customer Reviews:
Superb introduction and history of the Library of Congress........2000-08-04
The American Library of Congress holds over 110 million items - many of them unique and priceless - and this charts the history of the Library and its holdings, from its initial 740-book collection begun in 1800 to its miles of bookshelves today. Vintage photos and illustrations pack a presentation which is a 'must' for any who would understand American book history.
Book Description
"A bone-chilling silence filled the truck. We were north of the Arctic Circle on a road made of ice -- not pavement or gravel like a regular road, just a bumpy surface of frozen water. Under the ice flowed dangerous waters, deep enough to drown in -- if the shocking cold didn't kill you first. I glanced out the window and shivered..."
Adventure is just around the corner when you climb aboard an 18-wheeler and join Andy Turnbull on his eye-opening trip to the Arctic. You're along for the ride as he befriends a trucker's dog, views the Northern Lights, gets caught in a whiteout, and explores the ice roads of the Far North. Short sidebars of information that accompany Andy's story reveal what's inside a truck's cab, why camels once carried goods through this part of North America, what kids love about live in the Arctic, and much more. Colourful maps (essential traveler's tools) help you follow Andy's route chapter by chapter!
Customer Reviews:
a beautiful story.......2007-10-06
I'm adding this book to my short list of best books I have read, those that I want my children to read as they grow up. It left me crying, and happy.
A heart touching reading experience.......2007-09-16
This is a book that has truely stood the test of time. First published in Canada in 1967, it was later published in the US in 1973 and rose to #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list.
I started reading "I Heard the Owl Call My Name" at 11 pm and simply could not put down. I finished it 3 hours later. From the first page, author Margaret Craven drew me into this novel of the lives of a Native Canadian tribe living in coastal British Columbia and the young vicar who is sent to minister to them.
The vicar, Mark, does not know that he has only two to three years left to live but in the prologue, we, the readers, find out when the doctor informs his Bishop. Being aware of that looming shadow of death makes the other deaths in the book even more poignant; the human deaths, as well as, the death of the Native way of life.
We travel with Mark on his path of discovery as he learns how to live and work among the people he's come to serve. We experience his loneliness, his uncertainty and share in the joy and sadness as he comes to love and respect this tribe and the individuals in it, just as they come to love and respect and ultimately to accept him as one of their own.
By the end, tears were streaming down my face. I can't remember the last time I was affected so profoundly by a book.
If you haven't read this, I highly recommend it. And if you are one of those who were forced to read this as a high school English assignment, I encourage you to come back to it in a few years time and read it again. You'll be able to see it then with different eyes.
I heard the owl call my name.......2007-07-26
the book was interesting and a wonderful story sad at the end but it was wonderful I couldn't put the book down and had to read it all.
Owl re-visited.......2007-02-01
I ordered this recently because I passed the copy I purchased in 1975 to my grandaughter , who has asked me if she can keep it.Of course I said "Yes" , but find I really miss having a copy in the house.
Story takes you out of the hubbub and into the essentials.
The Owl..........2007-01-21
What does one do for a friend who has only a year or two to live? Do you coddle him or challenge him? That's the premise of I Heard the Owl Call My Name. The bishop who is faced with this question, chooses to send his young ill vicar off to the hardest and most remote parish, a small village in British Columbia. The book covers the remaining months of the vicar's life without dwelling on his situation.
Instead, the book focuses on how the vicar learns the culture of the Kwakiutl and likewise how the Kwakiutl begin to slowly accept that the outside world is beginning to seep into their culture as their children seek education outside of the village.
I Heard the Owl Call My Name is a tender story about two cultures learning from each other as seen through the eyes of a young vicar sent to Kingcome, a village in the Pacific Northwest. It's one of the few books where neither culture is favored in how they are portrayed. Both have their good bits and their bad bits. Characters have good days and bad days and are allowed to grow into well rounded individuals.
Book Description
-- Voice Literary Supplement
With a generous selection of new translations commissioned for this book, readers will find the best short fiction, poetry, and essays from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong in this first comprehensive collection of twentieth-century Chinese literature, which includes a lucid introduction by the editors and short biographies of the writers and poets.
Customer Reviews:
Great anthology.......2001-08-06
This anthology presents a superb cross section of Chinese literature, from the time of Lu Xun to the present. The editors have included works from the mainland, as well as Taiwan, and the scope of authors and genres is tremendous for a single volume. A good starting point for anyone interested in Chinese literature, as well as those already familiar with it.
Book Description
When the head of Columbia Pictures, David Begelman, got caught forging Cliff Robertson's name on a $10,000 check, it seemed, at first, like a simple case of embezzlement. It wasn't. The incident was the tip of the iceberg, the first hint of a scandal that shook Hollywood and rattled Wall Street. Soon powerful studio executives were engulfed in controversy; careers derailed; reputations died; and a ruthless, take-no-prisoners corporate power struggle for the world-famous Hollywood dream factory began.
First published in 1982, this now classic story of greed and lies in Tinseltown appears here with a stunning final chapter on Begelman's post-Columbia career as he continued to dazzle and defraud . . . until his last hours in a Hollywood hotel room, where his story dramatically and poignantly would end.
Customer Reviews:
The Ultimate Study in Greed and Hubris.......2007-04-05
I bought this book when it first came out and have reread it every year or so. Tends to be a bit long and sometimes slow, but it's great. Buy a used copy, or check at the library.
Being from the Washington D.C. area I kept constantly asking why someone didn't leak this to the press and blow the whole compiristy.
The only comparable book is "The Great Salad Oil Swindle"
Domino Effect.......2004-04-08
David Begelman, powerful head of a studio thinks he is above the law, until an actor by the name of Cliff Robertson exposes him. This book is a well written tale of immorality in a town known for it's lack of scruples. Hollywood insiders should not be surprised at this tale, but I was. The check Begelman forged was for a small amount. The man made more than that in a month. The book exposes the reasons why a man who had it all, would choose to commit such a crime and fall from grace. I was quite disappointed by Robertson's treatment by Hollywood's hierarchy when he was the victim, not Begelman. But it proves just how far studios will go to protect the bottom line. I read this book when it was first published years ago and I'm reading it again. The list of books I will read more than once is a short one. I highly recommend it.
Good Coverage of Major Scandal!.......2003-11-30
This book gives details of David Begelman the head man at
Columbia Pictures getting caught forging Cliff Robertson's name
on a check. Robertson had won an Oscar for his role in Charly.
As a result of Begelman getting caught Roberetson would suffer
mightily at the hands of the powerful in Hollywood.Cliff Robertson wound up being blacklisted as a result of this scandal.This scandal would send shockwaves from Hollywood to
Wall Street.You are given a complete coverage of this event in
this excellent book.You are given good coverage of some of the
individuals who were involved in this scandal.David Begelman's demise is also given coverage in this book.This is an excellent book on this event. Read it. You will not be dissapointed.
Cliff Robertson is the true star of this story........1998-06-06
David Begelman would never have been exposed as the crook he was without the dogged, principled determination of Cliff Robertson to get to the bottom of corruption at the top levels of Hollywood. This excellent book documents Robertson's heroic efforts to get at the truth -- for which he was blackballed by the Hollywood establishment for years. Cliff once said to me: "Of all the things in my life I'm proud of -- if I'm proud at all -- it's not winning the best actor Oscar or Emmy; it's my part in bringing down that crook Begelman."
But perhaps the book is most valuable for its exposure of the top echelon of Hollywood -- people with lots of money and no taste; people who know nothing whatever about movies. And could care less. I hope this book is reprinted soon. It is timeless.
A fascinating study of the real powers of Tinseltown........1997-11-27
First things first. This book only gets an "8" becuase I realize some people could care less about studio executives in Hollywood(unless their name is Julia Phillips or Steven Speilberg, both of whom make appearences in the book) but it truly is a ten. It is truly an amazing tale: what starts out as a theft of less then a $100, 000 becomes a battle for corporate power. David Begelman, the man behind the scandal, isn't even the main character of the book. It's Alan Hirschfield trying, desperately, to do the responible business decisions he was hired to do and is one of only a few major players in this detailed history to remain a completely sympathetic person by story's end. Indecent Exposure is truly is one of great true life American Dramas I have ever read. (Review by Michael Goodman)
Average customer rating:
- Hilarious and Memorable
- Kind of bland
- Alice I think??
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Alice, I Think
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Release Date: 2004-05-11 |
Amazon.com
Ever since Alice arrived at first grade dressed as a hobbit and endured a week of increasingly violent peer rejection, she has been home schooled by her hippie mom and indifferent dad, leaving her with what her therapist calls "a shocking poverty of age-appropriate real-life experience." Now Alice's inept new therapist, Death Lord Bob, has cornered her into agreeing to go to the public high school. Actually, this fits right in with Alice's career aspirations to become a cultural critic, and her eighties style statement would be working out pretty much all right (especially after she gets a great haircut somewhat by accident) if it weren't for her old nemesis Linda, now grown seriously homicidal, and her two head banger henchmen. Alice's sensible observations are a rich source of humor in this very funny first novel, as she tries to get her life together in spite of the peculiar aberrations of the "normal" teen and adult population of Smithers, a small ingrown town in British Columbia where entertainment opportunities are limited to excuse-to-drink events like the Northern Saddle Sores' Family Trail Ride. Her mother is the kind of tie-dye clad woman who holds a sage-burning ceremony for safety before starting out on a back-to-school shopping trip, and her friends include bookstore owner Corinne, who is allergic to books. Her romance-writing father's poker cronies are equally colorful: gay but style-challenged Finn and taxi-owning Marcus, who has a succession of twenty-years-younger girlfriends who need a ride. When Alice's sullen girl cousin Frank arrives, a parents' nightmare with her bizarre outfits and stuffed-animal backpack filled with bottles and baggies, Alice observes the resulting hullabaloo with amused satisfaction, and after a hilarious, precarious car trip to a Fish Show and Drum Workshop, she finds herself well on the way to acquiring a friend and a boyfriend. Older teens will enjoy the story and the many descriptions of wacky clothes if they can get past the misguided cover, a picture of five-year-old Alice's chubby hobbit-clad legs. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell
Book Description
Life Goals List:
- Decide on a unique and innovative career path.
- Increase contact with people outside of immediate family.
- Learn to drive a car.
- Some sort of boy-girl interaction? (Possibly best left until after high school. Maybe best left until middle age.)
- Publish paper comparing teenagers and chicken peer groups.
- Read entire Lord of the Rings series.
Customer Reviews:
Hilarious and Memorable.......2007-01-12
Alice went to kindergarten dressed as a Hobbit. Her classmates teased her relentlessly. Her parents then decided to homeschool her for the next ten years. There's nothing like a reintroduction to the school system at age sixteen.
Everyone around Alice is a little . . . unique. Her mom loves all things New Age, her dad is kind - and often kindly described as a slacker, and her little brother is a brainiac. Her dad's friends are mismatched yet loyal, her guidance counselor is a hippie, and her new school is an alternative learning center.
Alice MacLeod is an offbeat Anastasia Krupnik. Alice, I Think is the first book in a series of stories about this quirky girl. All of them are written in diary format, and all of them will make readers laugh out loud. Recommended to readers of The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot and The Actual Real Reality of Jennifer James by Gillian Shields.
Kind of bland.......2006-09-05
This book, although mildly humorous in a sarcastic way at times, is pretty bland. Being a slightly negative and sarcastic person myself, I am not against blunt people who "tell it like it is." However, Alice is too over the top in her negativity. When i finish a book, I like to get something more out of it than just "oh, here's a story about a naive and condescending girl who is constantly surrounded by hippy-idiots and everything about her life sucks." I like books with a slightly deeper meaning. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. Another thing that I didn't like about this book is how unfairly it portrays hippies. Come on, not all feminists who eat organic food and do spiritual stuff like yoga are that stupid and idiotic. Alice is a bit hard on her mother. I mean, her mother actually doesn't seem that bad, just a little wierd at times. Anyway, this is an OK book but it really isn't that great.
Alice I think?? .......2006-08-16
I loved this book Alice was very quirky and like nothing I have ever read before, I am a huge fan of this book, her parents and their friends they are so neat. I live in British Columbia and I know where smithers is! How crazy!
HOWEVER! THE TV SERIES SUCKS! I watched the 3rd or 4th episode into the series and i was so dissapointed because miss smithers is a while other book and they were including it into alice I think I was very dissapointed nd they didn't do all the events in order. TSK TSK. oh well I enjoyed the books but afterwatching a few of the tv 1/2 hour shows I dont think i will read the books again it just became a big dissapointment for me. especailly the actress that plays alice- did anyone feel the same way?? she just didn't fit the part. I saw the back cover with the authors picture and that is pretty much how I pictured alice but younger.
Manic diary of a self-absorbed social outcast .......2006-07-12
This is a hilarious YA novel in diary form, following the adventures of 15-year-old Alice, an inflated egomaniac with a bad attitude and an even worse haircut. She has a deep-rooted sense of entitlement from her hippie parents, who unwisely homeschooled her after she was menaced by another first-grader, until her counselor thought going back to public high school would be a good idea. Really the only functional person in the family is appealing and surprisingly normal MacGregor, Alice's 10-year-old brother, whom everyone else in the family depends on to manage things.
Alice begins the diary without any friends but does develop a list of life goals, such as "decide on a unique and innovative career path (to get helping professionals off my back)." But she is fired from her bookstore job after suspiciously following the customers to catch them stealing. The book is full of minor characters such as such Corinne, the owner of the Mountain Lighthouse Brambleberry Bookstore, who wears a filter mask over her face because of her "chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and multiple chemical sensitivity disorder," and is the only one allowed to use the Management Washroom because the nontoxic toilet paper and soap are so expensive. There are so many laugh-out-loud send-ups of various modern "types" that the book holds a lot of appeal for adults as well as teens. It's kind of a girl version of C.D. Payne's "Youth in Revolt."
With not much going for her in real life, she relishes the wounds she receives when her first-grade nemesis, the psycho Linda, reappears and beats the crap out of her. Drunken family trail rides, a brief romance with an even more self-absorbed and narcissistic boy, and commentary about her hippie mother and slacker father's friends keep this diary careening along at a breakneck pace.
Wacky.......2006-06-20
This book is so cool. I loved the way Alice saw the world and life! It is so different then the way I see things! I thought it was hilarious. It was so funny I laughed out loud during SATs when I was reading it!
Average customer rating:
|
Odd Man Out
Sarah Ellis
Manufacturer: Groundwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Mysteries, Espionage, & Detectives
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Family Life
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Parents
| Family Life
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
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General
| Ages 9-12
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Ellis, Sarah
| ( E )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
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Adventures Of Marco Polo
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Hattie Big Sky
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Rules (Newbery Honor Book)
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Gemini Summer
ASIN: 0888997027 |
Book Description
Kip is spending the summer with his grandmother and his five eccentric girl cousins, including Emily, who thinks she’s a dog. Gran’s house is about to be demolished, so anything goes, whether it’s drawing maps on the wall or sawing off the banister for a smoother ride. When Kip bashes through an old closet, he discovers the binder his late father kept as a teenager. He’s bewildered by what he finds: puzzling lists, hair samples, old newspaper clippings, and business cards — all accompanying a confidential report written by a mysterious young operative who is carrying out a secret plan to infect teenagers with a cell-altering virus. When the cousins tell Kip he needs to think up something to do for Talent Night, he panics — until he remembers the binder. But Kip's literary reading has frightening consequences that reveal even more strange secrets about his beloved father. This wonderful new novel has all the Sarah Ellis hallmarks — quirky characters, insight, wit — underpinned by resonant themes of family, memory, and the creative imagination.
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