TROPICAL CAPTIVE WAS A GOOD BOOK AND IT WAS INTERESTING. TORY WAS SMART SO WAS SEBASTIAN THEY WHERE TWO OF A KIND CARING ,THOUGHTFUL , AFFECTIONATE, THEY BOTH HAD A PLAIN IN LIFE AND I AME GLAD THAT THEY COULD TALK TO EACHOTHER AT TIMES. TORY WAS STERN AND SAID WHAT SHE THOUGHT AND SEBASTIAN WAS ALSO BUT TORY WANTED TO BE HELPFUL TEY BOTH HELPED PEOPLE LESS FORTUNATE THEN THEM.

Michael Field was a successful, well-regarded poet and playright in Victorian England... until critics discovered that "Michael Field" was a pseudonym used by not one, but TWO women writing collaboratively. What even the suddenly-lukewarm critics didn't appreciate - not only were "the Michaels" (as they were known to friends) aunt and niece, but they were also lovers and partners in an extraordinay personal and artistic life. They wrote eleven volumes of poetry and thirty historical tragedies, but perhaps their most fascinating work was the diary that the two women shared for a quarter of a century. Novelist Emma Donaghue has done a marvelous bit of literary biographical research in this revealing look at the lives, loves, and eccentricities of Katherine Bradley (1846-1914) and her niece Edith Cooper (1862-1913).

An interesting book, not least because Meg Greenfield's WASHINGTON teasingly promises more than it delivers, only hinting at the devastating expose that might have been. One wonders what information may have been in the many secretly coded files that Michael Beschloss edited into the finished manuscript. Did Greenfield name some names that Beschloss deleted? Did she tell some tales that he thought were better left untold? Unfortunately, Beschloss's essay doesn't give a clue. And neither does Katherine Graham's tribute.

What does come across clearly from the published work is that Greenfield knew many more secrets than she ever told, that she kept these secrets while working for Max Ascoli at The Reporter and Katherine Graham at the Washington Post, and that she may have taken some of her best stories with her to her grave.

One conclusion that occurs after reading WASHINGTON is that reporters and editors have a lot more information than they ever share with their readers -- and that the game of "I know something you don't know" is one of the favorite pastimes in our nation's capital.

To see that confession in print, Greenfield's book is well worth reading.

I finished reading this book right in the midst of the Trent Lott racial scandal, which resulted in the senator being forced to resign his position as Speaker of the House. Meg Greenfield's words and arguments echo prophetically when one looks into the real events. Her narration is lucid, intricate, and sophisticated. She paints a picture of Washington that is less than ideal and utopian, but her writing is so elevated and rich that it is easy to be mezmerized and captivated by this place nonetheless. She mixes in an array of different and fascinating characters in her stories: ranging from the proteges, to the prodigies, to the politicians' wives, and their children. Each and every one of these people has a distinct role to play in her narrative.

I took into consideration before reading this memoir that Greenfield might describe Washington chiefly from a woman's perspective. Although she has a chapter devoted to women in her book, she mainly wrote from a journalist's perspective. She did not express any strong feminist standpoints, but rather one who feels strongly about these issues would feel a slight disgust/surprise about her reluctance to do so. Nevertheless, to most people who are enchanted by Washington D.C., her book is still engrossing and authentic in its own right.

Much of the reason why I gave this 4 stars instead of a perfect 5 was because she flatly refused to mention more names in her memoir. A large majority of the people whom she speaks of remain nameless and anonymous. Thus, it keeps the reader guessing vaguely and wondering who did what to whom. In addition to this book, I also recommend "Hardball" by Chris Matthews.

Meg Greenfield was the consummate insider for 30 years in rough and tumble Washington D.C. She was the powerful editor of the editorial page on the Washington Post and had a weekly column in Newsweek. She counted among her friends Post publisher Kathryn Graham, many powerful politicians and fellow journalists. Her political inclinations are hard to pin down because of her diverse opinions, her friends from all sides of the political spectrum and her even-handed reporting.

This is not a 'tell-all' book. If you are looking for scandal and in-the-know tidbits on the famous players, you will be disappointed. She writes what it is to be in the middle of the whirlwind of national politics. The first danger is losing yourself, not your ideals. The role politicians must play to survive (and get re-elected) is for public consumption, and all too often the human being behind the spin ceases to exist. She likens D.C. to high school with twice the stress and all of the infighting necessary to be one of the Golden Boys. In D.C., there is no relaxing and reaping of rewards when you reach the exalted Senior status. You must constantly build your warehouse of favors owed to you while not alienating the voters or your peers.

Miss Greenfield has not written a memoir. I think that would have been impossible for her, as she was a completely private person. She maintains she had to be or she would have "lost" herself. Her writing style is economical and clear. She comes across as humorous, amazingly approachable with a very clear and unblinking eye on what has gone on around her. She has an ease with writing that only the best journalists can carry off. The book raises questions and answers others.

Unfortunately, Miss Greenfield died before completing the last chapter. I believe it was her wish that it not be published in her lifetime. When I completed the book, I felt as if we were such good friends that she wouldn't mind at all having lunch somewhere and clearing up any questions I might have. Perhaps she knew there would be many just like me.

This book could have been so much more. While some of the essays include genuine insight into this serious problem, others suffer from the all too common temptation to catalog whatever the authors don't like. To conservatives, dumbing down is the fault of all those liberals; to liberals, it's all those conservatives; to humanities snobs, it's anything connected to science and technology.

Some of the examples of dumbing down are nothing short of fatuous. Is it really a sign of dumbing down that a newspaper publishes a science section? Is the art world truly waging war on heterosexuality?

Also, some authors tend to limit their evidence to what is happening in New York. Is the topic of the book the dumbing down of America or the dumbing down of New York?

Perhaps the worst offender is David Klinghoffer's essay on kitsch religion. Klinghoffer lectures us on the state of Judaism and Christianity, but he is clearly much more attuned to secular politics than to Jewish (let alone Christian) theology. He completely ignores the spectacular growth of the New Age movement, which is a glaring counter-example to his thesis. Moreover, while he calls for a return to thou-shalt-nots, he does not seem to care whether they come from Orthodox Judaism or Baptist fundamentalism; instead, it seems that any old set of thou-shalt-nots will do. That's what I call dumbing down.

Most of the essays in the book are interesting. One of essays got bogged down with a lot of fuzzy technical and philosophical arguments. Some of the essays on language use and grammar will remind you of your spinster curmudgeon English teacher; they were a bit too hard-core reactionary for me, but not without their truths. A lot of the essays exude a lot of wit and I laughed out loud in a lot of places. Particularly I liked one essay by a self-proclaimed snob who said that college was a waste of time for a lot of people and why didn't we just have college for people who are actually interested in learning for its own sake? Before WWII, people could get good jobs without having to go to college. The businesses trained them at their own expense, which is what businesses should do.

This book, along with Berman's "Twilight of American Culture" are *must-reads* for anyone 20-40yrs old with small children or contemplating family life. Not all essays in this book are good - and some are downright muddled. But the importance of the messages here should *not* be disregarded. It is hard to be calm in the face of what is obvious to any thinking person in the US today - the thin veneer of "civility" that is the hallmark of culture (indeed, civilization) is quickly being "stripped" from all facets of American life. Rudeness, brutishness, and brashness have become the dominant methods of interaction in this society - and the *only* rewarded methods of "speaking" today. I tremble at the thought of the *next* generation of youngsters, when the grandparents of today are long buried and "civility" has completely disappeared from our lives. In short, there *will* be many more Columbines, many more "road rage" shootings, many more "debates" between tweedledee and tweedledum in our political spheres. (Even our top-rated TV show "Survivor" lauds cut-throat cruelty as the way to "get ahead." I suppose that true "deserted island" messages that one gets from, say, the famous Shackleton south-pole survival mission are just too *boring*.) Secondly, it is high time that "leftists" stop pretending that we are somehow muddling through; I personally abhor the simplistic positions of right-wing demagogues. But do not kid yourself that "pop culure" will somehow right itself. You do not have to vote for extreme-right politics to know that this society is far "off the rails." The left managed to overthrow traditional authority. This did *not* free us from authority, but rather transferred authority to the nebulous realm of marketing and advertising (and besides, isn't everyone doing it?)! Read this book. Read Berman's book. And if I may be so bold as to suggest something - if the state of US "culture" bothers you, maybe you could try doing the little things again, things that your grandmother took for granted (like speaking to your neighbors!). If the leftists ever got anything right, it is true - the children *are* watching.

This is easily the worst biography ever written about Katharine Hepburn. It is full of inaccuracies and wild speculations. The author's central theme is that Ms. Hepburn had a life long, unrequited love for the director John Ford. Anyone who has read any of Katharine Hepburn's own books and her many interviews know that this is simply not true.

Having fabricated the fictional relationship between Katharine Hepburn and John Ford, the author then uses it to denigrate Hepburn's real long time love, Spencer Tracy. Leaming makes incredibly scurrilous and completely undocumented statements about Tracy such as that his supposed veneral disease caused his son's deafness. Ms. Leaming fails to offer even one iota of evidence for this outrageous statement.

Page after page of this book is full of wildly fanceful speculations passed off as fact. What are we to make of the following passage at page 393:

"If Tracy wondered whether, or how Ford would react to news of the affair with Kate, he did not have to wait long to find out. On September 3, five days after shooting on Woman of the Year began, Ford suddenly left town under mysterious circumstances. . . .Ostensibly, Ford's sudden, rather theatrical departure had nothing to do with Kate. Still, there can be no question that it shadowed her relationship with Tracy from the start. A man of Tracy's tormented and deeply suspicious nature could never accept that Ford's timing had been purely coincidental. . . . "

So, according to Ms. Leaming, John Ford left Los Angeles and joined the military because he was upset that Katharine Hepburn had become involved with Spencer Tracy and further she asserts that Spencer Tracy knew this and was 'tormented' by it. How silly can one author get?

What I find passing strange is all the positive reviews that were given to this book by presumably reputable reviewers. I can only assume that the reviewers don't actually read the books they review or that they knew so little about Ms. Hepburn's life that they concluded that the book was accurate even though it has so many obvious inaccuracies.

I found Barbara Leaming's biography of Katharine Hepburn to be unique in that it does not begin immediately with Hepburn's birth. Instead, it starts with her mother and grandmother, and her father and uncles. In doing so, Leaming allows the reader, throughout the course of the book, to come to a better understanding of Hepburn psychologically, as opposed to just presenting facts related to career and private life. The bulk of the biography is devoted to Hepburn's relationships, including those with Howard Hughes, John Ford, Leland Hayward, and, of course, Spencer Tracy. For one more interested in details of Hepburn's historic career, this is not the most insightful book. But for those wanting a peek into the mystique that is the Great Kate, Leaming's biography is tantalizing and absorbing.

This is the most fascinating book about Hepburn to read, and I've read most of them stretching back over 20 years. It is exhaustively researched, with sources for each and every fact and assertion made. . .if only other biographers (or todays reporters) were so meticulous. While some might be surprised by the contents of the book, the multi-faceted truth about Hepburn's relationship with Tracey, you still come away in awed wonder of a great and pioneering woman. There was a great deal of trauma in her life and she still perservered, a tremendous testament to how strong she truly was-- a true female role model with human flaws and needs.

After checking out many books from the library and pouring over glossy photos of rooms as large as my whole house, I felt more discouraged than inspired. If you can get past the name of this series of books, this particular "Dummy" book has all the same information about interior design as the books that cost three times as much. Get those out of the library and look at the photos for free. There are only a few photos of rooms in this book. It is mostly just the basics of what you need to understand very basic interior design concepts. Is everyone but me living in a house with 12 foot ceilings, rooms that are 400 square feet and windows looking out on the ocean!

Like all the "handbook for Dummies" series, this is good, basic, straight forward information for the novice, written in a very friendly, unintimidating style.

Good,Solid advice on actually furnishing your home stylishly and comfortably instead of just fantasizing about the unaffordable and unattainable. I found a lot of helpful information to get me through each stage of a project. I really liked the way the authors wrote...very down-to-earth and friendly, unintimidating and real. I only wish there were loads of pretty pictures too!

"The Adonis Complex" is an interesting book about an important, but often ignored (and rarely spoken of - hence the subtitle "The SECRET Crisis of Male Body Obsession") problem affecting a lot of men -- obsession with their body image. It seems that only a few years ago, this was a problem that only affected women, but not anymore. Pick up a newspaper or magazine, or turn on the TV these days, and it is hard to avoid images of half-naked guys with washboard abs, bulging muscles, a full head of hair, and a generally youthful appearance selling products ranging from underwear to cars, suntan lotion to soft drinks. In the view of the authors of "The Adonis Complex," this constant bombardment via media images of "buff"men is an important factor pushing many men to spend hours of their lives (and large quantities of their money) obsessing over (and attempting to enhance) their looks.

Interestingly, the authors of "The Adonis Complex" point out, male concern over body image has increased as women have made substantial gains in many traditional male arenas - work, the military, sports, etc. The authors hypothesize - plausibly, in my opinion - that men's desire to look more "masculine" has increased in response to these gains, as they ask themselves "what is there left...to distinguish myself as a man." Thus, the one area where men can still distinguish themselves vis-à-vis women is physical strength/muscles. As the authors put it, "no matter what...achievements women accomplish, they will never, ever be able to bench-press 350 pounds." Sadly, though, this is not much of a basis for a well-balanced, happy life. And, ironically, many men cited in "The Adonis Complex" lose the very things they want most - jobs, relationships - through their obsessive/compulsive behavior in attempting to make themselves more attractive. (Also ironically, most women actually seem to prefer far LESS muscular men - Leonardo DiCaprio, for instance - than the hyper-masculine ideal pursued by many. In fact, according to "The Adonis Complex," most women seem to find super-muscular men to be unattractive, even disgusting!)

The bottom line here is that working out or spending time working on one's appearance is fine if you are doing it to be healthy, stay fit, and even to look good, as long as it is done within moderations and doesn't get taken to extremes. Personally, I try to get to the gym 4-5 times a week and to eat a healthy diet, and it makes me feel good to do so. But after reading this book, I can definitely see how thin a line it is between a healthy activity and an unhealthy obsession!

This book is concerned with how men see themselves, and how media plays into making us more insecure and unhappy with our bodies. It's an interesting dilemma, if only because it is something society has done to women for centuries. It is a light read, and yes there are quizes...but be warned, unless you know your body fat percentage and are very adept with a calculator you may never figure out your results. And I did figure out my results, and little was given to explain exactly what it all means. But it is a fascinating topic! And the authors keep the tone breezey and fun. They even talk about how GI JOE has gotten more buff over the years (sort of like how Barbie has dimensions that are unreal). There is a section that also tells you how to recognize if a man is on steroids. Great stuff to combat those images thrust at us daily by muscle magazines and fashion editors! You could file this under MEN'S STUDIES, but it's an important topic that needs to be brought to light. It seems as if we are approaching equality for men and women, but rather than stopping making women objects...we have just extended the same discourtesy to men.

The authors of this book have been doing a lot of research over the years. The chapter notes contain at least 50 research papers that they have published in various scientific journals. Some of their findings are pretty stunning. For example, in a study of college men, they found that the average man would like to have a body with about 30 pounds more muscle than he actually has, and that he believes that women actually WANT him to look that muscular! In fact, when the authors studied actual women, they found that women preferred a male body that looks like an ordinary college student with no extra muscle. The authors also quote a street corner survey in which women were asked to rate the attractiveness of big bodybuilders on a scale where 0 was most attractive and 5 was the most repulsive. More than 90% of the women rated the bodybuilders as a 5.

As a woman, I'm not surprised to learn this, but I think it's a revelation to see some of these studies about how men feel about their bodies. It makes it more understandable to me why men do dumb things like taking steroids. I'd particularly recommend this book to other women.

This is possibly the worst book I've ever read. I literally was skimming the pages 1/2 way through just to get to the conclusion. The female "heroine" is so weak kneed and pathetic it's amazing she can tie her shoelaces by herself not to mention track down her missing son! She kept complaining how everyone thought of and treated her as a crazy person and honey! if the loony bin fits...!

I realize this was a first book attempt and heaven knows I don't have the talent for writing but if you read this book just go in with eyes wide open.

The primary plot of Steal Away is compelling enough; the frantic and suspenseful search for a missing child practically turns the pages by itself. The real gem of this story, though, is Katherine Clark's use of powerful sub-plots. The characterization and relationships in this book are so dynamic and plentiful: Rachel's somewhat telepathic connection with her missing son; the adulterous liaison between Rachel's husband and sister; the underscored spark between Rachel and Detective Gallagher; The uninvited bond between Rachel and the biological father of her son...they go on and on. Obviously, the primary plot line demands resolution and gets it. Unfortunately, the sub plots are what really drive this book and hold the reader's focus - and demand resolution just as fervently, something Clark fails to deliver. I inhaled this book from the first page and had the impression at the end that my copy must be missing the last 15 or so pages! How can Clarke justify introducing such intricate relationships and parallel story lines, and then just leave the reader hanging on everything but the main plot - ironically, the one thread where the reader is likely to guess the outcome anyway!

Don't start reading Katherine Clark's STEAL AWAY if you have pressing responsibilities because you won't be able to put it down. Katherine's portrayal of a mother in search for her lost child is both chilling and believable, and the mother, Rachel, is very real--she's flawed, and she knows it, but nothing is going to stop her until she finds her son. The book pulls the reader back and forth between two compelling questions: why did David get kidnapped and will Rachel find him in time? It's great.

Whenever I read reviews that use words such as "extraordinary", "wonderful", "great", etc. I'm sort of naive in the respect that I expect to get at the least something that closely models itself to deserve such accolades. This is not a tell-all book. Do we need to read a book to know that when starting a business, you need a lawyer, an accountant, business insurance? Do we need to be taught business basics such as how to create a brochure, write a business plan, etc.? That the reader from NJ/PA worked with the author, explains her glowing recommendation for this book of course. She's totally contradictory with her review in that respect. NO you can not become an overnight success from reading a book.The sophomoric comment about such is funny. Also, it's INTERESTING, that the reader has engaged the author in work, yet finds it necessary to write, what is obviously a defense of fair reviews of the "second" edition. Didn't he/she read the first edition? What I was expecting was "concierge /errand service" how to's. They are limited. And yes, I have read books that not only answered all my questions, but gave me more. We all have had books, that we refer to as our "bibles, cannot live without" the ones that become worn, and food stained and you have to actually buy another copy because you've worn out yours from frequent use and constant referring to it to answer your questions, when the unexpected arise. They are called reference books, not show me, tell me, what do I do books, but "reference books". THIS is not one of those books. Period. It is a basic, wholly rudimentary script of "so you're starting a business", great... here's what you should do. It is a simple primer and nothing more. Yet it touts itself as a inside industry show and tell. IT IS NOT! That's just a personal opinion.

This book has helped me with ideas and directions that I may have missed. Although I would have like more information, I did understand that I was buying a book and not a franchise like I notice some may expect. It gave me tools that can get me started and it also showed me what not to do. It is a great beginning guide. Which is what I needed to get me started in right direction in my new business.

Since I have never owned a business before, this book gave me exactly what I wanted. A good read for a beginner that I recommend to anyone who wants to start this business and needs beginner/start-up information. If you have had a business before and have done extensive research, I can see why this book might not meet your needs ... no need to slam it for the rest of us. I l liked it and it worked for me.

This book is another liberal's attempt to rewrite history. This book is totally the author's attempt to push her own liberal views. She states that the poem just came into KB's head but then tears the song down and interrupts each line to fit her own views. She tries to prove that Katherine Bates was a godless disgusting individual. I seriously doubt that Katherine Bates could have been a lesbian, an environmentalist, an animal rights activist, anti-war, and anti-God. That seems to describe a 21st century correspondent.

America The Beautiful: The Stirring True Story Behind Our Nation's Favorite Song by journalist and author Lynn Sherr, is an historical account of a patriotic American classic and recommended for both school and community library American history collections. Individual chapters delve into the history of the original poem, the music that made the song, the meaning of the anthem and the legacy of this patriotic work. Filled with color photographs, reproductions of primary sources and a fascinating wealth of lore, America The Beautiful is an amazing, exciting and intriguing history of the song that defines the United States.

This book is a gem. A small coffee table book which you really want to read and linger over. Author, Lynn Sherr, has crafted a true treasure. I read about it in a magazine & ordered one for a Christmas present. Am now returning for a copy for myself and will probable order more for gifts.