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THE SPIRIT OF SAINT LOUIS is an extremely well written book by an American icon. It not only chronicles Lindbergh's famous flight, but also faithfully tells the story of his early life as well. The book provides insight into the early history of American aviation and does so in an entertaining yet compelling format.
A few years ago, Scott M. Berg's biography of Lindbergh chronicled the life of the famed American figure. That book delves into the entire life of the aviator, including his darker days when he was accused of being a Nazi sympathizer. THE SPIRIT OF SAINT LOUIS offers a different, more exuberant vision into the author's more youthful soul. I would recommend reading both books for a complete portrait of the man.
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Sprinkled throughout the book are "care studies," personal stories that illustrate the complexities and richness of aging and of caring for the elderly.
Cason covers many of the more common difficult behaviors such as confusion, memory loss, moodiness, and combativeness. She provides ways of working with such issues skilfully and with sensitivity.
There is not even a whiff of condecension in her discussion of the elderly. In fact, there is the greatest respect for what the elderly have to each us. I highly recommend this book.
The book did enrich my sense of what may lie ahead. But more than that, from the authors wisdom about caring for elders I learned many lessons about caring for others, whether they are old or young.
So I recommend this book not just if you who are faced with caring for elders or are wondering how you will be cared for, but for anyone concerned about how we treat each other in this society.
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Preston McClear,
Preston McClear, MalibuBooks.com
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The book starts off in the bedroom of a little boy whose mother is telling him of what is happening in the darkness. She talks of the darkness in the room. Then they move out into the hall and outside, each step along the way she is pointing out what is in the darkness (the same things as were there when it was light). When they go outdoors they see both wild animals and farm animals and they see what they are doing in the dark. In the beginning the rhyme points to one item, then goes up to ten as the pages are turned. The last page summarizes that all the animals are "safe and still and warm, deep in the dark and free from harm, in the dark of the midnight farm".
The text does not say so but it is apparent that the little boy was afraid of the dark and that this is the mothers' creative way to show him what is happening in the dark and that "life goes on" in the dark and that everyone and everything is safe in the dark. The last image is of the boy sleeping in his bedroom alone while mother looks over him.
The illustrations are beautiful. My children and I loved the rhyme and the repetitive nature, along with the counting up from one to ten.
Despite the publisher's age range, I feel this is fine for two year old's.
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This accomplished, literary family has shared so much of their private lives in so many ways. It is fitting that Reeve Lindbergh (who has her mother's rare gift of perception and expression) shared these final months of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's life with us. As was true of nearly all of the Lindbergh diaries (Bring Me a Unicorn was the upbeat exception), reading No More Words left me emotionally-drained at times. Ms. Lindbergh weaves memories of her strong, wise mother into the story of her mother's frail final years. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from Anne Morrow Lindbergh's works which somehow puts the upcoming chapter into perspective. This book falls within the "couldn't put it down" category -- it is easily finished in a couple of sittings.
The only photograph of Mrs. Lindbergh is the one that appears on the cover. The photograph depicts a young woman at the start of what would prove to be a life as fascinating as it was lengthy. The closing months of this woman's life are chronicled above all else with a great deal of respect. This is a most private family event, and just as the book is devoid of any pictures for the voyeur, the narrative too is informative without taking away any of the dignity of her mother. This would seem to be an obvious manner to write of one's parent, but a person does not have to look far to find books written with sales as the first goal, and exploitation of the subject left unconsidered.
Reeve Lindbergh is a poet, she is reflective, and these aspects of her personality provide a narrative that is unique. This book is not simply a diary; it is not a chronological description of the systematic health decline of her mother. It is more of a story that is driven by the limited interactions she was able to have with her mother, and the memories that were either hers or recollections of her mother's life. This is not a sugarcoated story of what was a very trying time. The book is a balanced memoir about how difficult it is to deal with not only the death of a parent, but also the very real difficulties and frustrations that caring for an elderly, ill parent involves. Mrs. Lindbergh had the best care available which took much of the moment-to-moment care off of the family. It did not remove many of the difficulties, and the reader can easily imagine what it would entail to care for a parent with little, or no outside help.
This is a very contemplative book that moves at an associated pace.
This is NOT a bedpans, nurses, feeding tubes story filled with morose details about the decline of an aging parent, rather a tender, bittersweet, and often humorous recollection of a much-loved mother and the impact of her life and death upon her daughter and those who surrounded her in her final months and days.
Having adored Anne Morrow Lindbergh's writing, and felt a deep personal connection with her through that writing, this book helped to bring a sort of closure to me. Thank you, Reeve, for sharing your deeply personal reflections of the final chapter of your mother's life.
The book is highly readable and brings to life the Golden Era of aviation -- canvas dope-covered wings, dead-reckoning navigation, and seat-of-the-pants flying, and delivering the mail by airplane like the pony express. This was quite an exciting time, and the book brings this era to life.
The book is also significant in other respect -- setting goals and achieving them. Even this seemingly impossible task can be achieved with hard work, careful planning, and determination. If Lindbergh can do this, then you will get the feeling that you can achieve your own goals, however difficult they may seem.
In the flight across the Atlantic you get to know Lindbergh in the various stories he tells. The book's afterward tells much about his landing in France, the accolades he received, and actual technical flight and test data, as well as log book entries.
In the book's foreward his daughter says Lindbergh often said 2 things: 1) that he wrote the book to "Set the record straight". He achieves that, and a whole lot more, the book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1954. 2) that he often said to people who asked about his flight "Read the book". He spent something like 20 years writing this meticulously researched account. And who besides him would know more about this flight.
All I can say is to reiterate Lindbergh's own words -- read his book. It's fantastic!