I've been reading biographies lately and this one is the best I've read so far. I found it interesting and easy to read. I was impressed with the extensive research done by the author and I was impressed with how we are given an honest portrayal of Spock...the good points and the bad.

Although we are given glimpses of the dark side of this famous man, I did not end up disliking him. In fact, it made me want to go out and reread his childcare book. It's weird, but in a way I respect his opinions more, knowing he was not perfect.

I highly recommend this book!

My mother read Dr. Spock, as did I when I had my kids. He was not permissive and did not advise us to raise impolite poorly behaved children. Fortunately this book manages to convey this. Dr. Spock's legacy has been maligned and cheapened by ignorant people, most of whom never read the good Doctor. This book presents a full picture of the man in his weakness and strength. I think Spock would have been content to stand on the record. This book is long overdue. Thank you to Thomas Maier and thank you to Dr. Spock.

"Dr. Spock: An American Life" is a powerful story. In fact, once I got started, I couldn't put down Thomas Maier's book. The writing is crisp and to the point. At the same time Maier fills his book with wonderful details that brings Benjamin Spock to life.

Maier does a terrific job of capturing the different facets of the doctor's life and personality. The author devotes a good part of his book to Spock's troubles with his children and his first wife. Yet "Dr.Spock" never demeans its subject.

If you are curious about Benjamin Spock, or enjoy intriging stories...or just delight in good writing,read this book!

This is a biography as much of a media empire as it is of a man. While Maier spends as much time as he can on the private side of S.I. Newhouse Jr., he in the end focus on what is most seen of this most private of media moguls-- his media properties.

Maier uses the device of choosing figures and brands important to Newhouse history (Roy Cohn, Random House, Tina Brown, the New Yorker) and spending a chapter on each one, tracing their history in relation to both Newhouse and Advance Publications. While a good device for giving a thorough overview, be warned that it does make for a slightly disconnected read and I found that I had to flip back through the chapters to remember how events relating to particular chapters related to each other in time.

One of the more complete media biographies you're likely to encounter and a must read if you're interested in magazine history.

The book shows how American media are controlled by a single family company. It owns many of the famous and influential publishing companies, magazines, and newspapers. It is a very dangerous situation that American media are under control by the handful people. As a matter of fact, the author mentioned in the paperback edition that the Newhouse company banned any mention of this book in their publications. The book, which won the 1995 "best media book" prize, seems to be neglected, but this is a very important book that more people should read. A sole purpose of media isn't a simple means of entertainment for people, and isn't mere profit organizations for the owner either. Media have the responsibility to execute the social role, and its fair execution is questionable under such a monopoly situation. The author proposes not-for-profit newspapers, and I believe it is time to consider to go back to such a fundamental point. Through various incidents the Newhouse company have initiated, the book leads us to consider what media mean to us. It is a very good book to think what true journalism means to us.

I love Thomas Hardy's characters because he allows them to be fallible, allows them to be unduly influenced by the rigid thinking of the time in which they live. They make bad decisions, and suffer for them, and we suffer along with them. How refreshing!

This book is incredibly rich, and there would be much to discuss in a class or book group. I actually think one of the most interesting characters is Alec d'Urbervilles. He is utterly contemptible, of course, but he goes through such changes in the book that he's fascinating to watch. A great bad guy.

Not surprisingly, Tess's and Angel's theme, the Double Standard one, shows up all over the place. I caught 3/4 of Sweet Charity on TV last night, remember that one with Shirley McClaine? Great dance numbers. She confesses her past in a fit of passion, and guess what happens? A scene certainly as heart-wrenching as the one in the crumbling d'Urbervilles mansion.

If you love classics, what are you waiting for? It's worth it, as are Hardy's other novels. If you are new to this sort of thing, reading it for a course or a class, you have a treat in store. Happy reading.

I'm many years out of college and thought I should start reading some more of the classics. Previous favorites of mine have been The Sound and the Fury, Jane Eyre, and Pride and Prejudice. I saw Tess of the D'Urbervilles on my sister's bookshelf and for about a year I considered reading it. Finally, I picked it up and began. Wow! I read it in about three days. I never expected I would feel so much by reading this book. I cried when she baptized Sorrow herself. Her concerns that he be buried in the churchyard and her efforts to ensure he was were touching. I wanted to help Tess Durbeyfield. I thought she was a very complex character--she was sweet and unworldly but she wasn't actually stupid. And she was strong in many ways--for example, her family relied on Tess for so many things--eventually even their support. In fact, I hated her family for not working harder and making their own sacrifices. All the burden was on poor Tess. I also wanted to shake some sense into Angel. He really did wrong by Tess--although he eventually realizes this, it comes too late. The only thing I really did not care for was the sudden inclusion of a minor character (who we met earlier)into the end of the book and the implication that she would play an important role in the future of a major character. I barely knew this minor character and NOBODY could compare to Tess of the D'Urbervilles. If you are reading this to find a good book, ignore the negative reviews by high-school students and buy this book NOW. It's unforgettable.

What a wonderful piece of literature, and quite a liberal (read: feminist) story for the time period it comes from! Not only are the characters well-drawn and utterly flawed (just like real humans) but the main plot reads as timeless.

The heroine (Tess) takes most of her life as it is thrown at her. When she finally decides to take some small measure of control of her fate, it is her very womanhood - and the lack of choice accompanying it - that is slapped back in her face.

A great love story in many respects, in the end the true love here is Tess' love of herself (and the reader's love for her), and her unwillingness to be a victim her entire life.

Thankfully, you'll find no happy endings in this book. What you will find is a story written by an early feminist, and characters that will stay with you forever.

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