"The Life and Hard Times of Heidi Abromowitz," by Joan Rivers, is the alleged biography of the sexually adventurous woman of the title. The book features illustrations by James Sherman. As comedienne Rivers writes, Heidi was a tramp from day one: "She did things with her pacifier that most women still haven't done with their husbands." The book has a copyright date of 1984, and the Dell paperback is dated 1985. It's good-natured, dirty fun.

The book charts Heidi's sexually promiscuous life from babyhood through elementary school, high school, and adulthood. Rivers covers such milestones as a sex-filled trip to Europe. Interspersed throughout the book are supplements like a page from Heidi's fouth-grade diary, a list of her favorite films (including "Easy Rider" and "Anything Goes"), etc.

Quite a bit of the humor stems from Heidi's tendence to spread sexually transmitted diseases. This is very much a pre-AIDS sex comedy, and the STD related humor may leave a bad taste in the mouth of some readers. Still, the book is entertaining, and Heidi comes off as a likeable free spirit who lives life on her own terms; she may have something in common with HBO's "Sex and the City" women. Besides, how could you not love a woman whose "body has been declared a national recreation area"? If you're in the mood, give "Heidi" a try.

This book is an entertaining story of two female anthropologists from New York who live with and study a tribe in a Peruvian jungle village. Margarita will study the agriculture in the village and Joanna will study the children of the village. Together, they discover as much about themselves as they do about the villagers. You will learn about yourself also. Very entertaining and insightful!

As an anthropologist having done fieldwork in another part of Amazonia, I recognized myself in Alicia's descriptions of the awkward, annoying, and funny situations, with two young women trying to get a grip on the culture they want to study. I think anthropologists should read this book to become more honest about the way they gather their "data", initially understanding half of what was said, to say nothing of the context in which it was said. On the other hand, Abelove obviously succeeded in her own fieldwork, understanding and conveying another point of view so well. She writes with care and respect for the two different cultures, with modesty, and with humor. She does NOT standardize the witty characters and does NOT create a native paradise, nor a native hell. I wished more anthropologists would use her human approach in addition to writing academic, "objective" books. It could bring us a wider readership, which in turn could help to create more respect for "the other" in an increasingly hostile and racist world.

I absoulutly loved this book and would reccomend it to anyone who loves to study new cultures. This book gives the reader an idea of how lucky we are to have food, have a very nice home, and live happily. It is like a whole new world that you are learning about. PLEASE READ TO ENJOY A NEW WORLD AND EXPERIENCE!!!

As a longtime Didion fan I was mildly disappointed with this text. It's cumbersome, swishy, and sloppy. It hints at phrases, and the sort of language she eventually uses later in her writing, but this early novel is exactly that...early. It shows promise, and is not entirely without wit, but it's weak and cumbersome plot, it's overwrought prose, and it's harlequin voice were a disappointment given her profound later works.

This novel is early Didion, wonderfully lyrical and dark, passionate without sentimentality, and beyond conclusions. It is homage to James Jones, to William Faulkner, perhaps a little to John Steinbeck, but mostly to a California now almost vanished. That California is mostly the settlers' California, but it is also a California felt and known aboriginally. She writes, as always, poignantly about things dying away: but the heirs live on and the Californian sun and hills, rivers and floods, carry on- the part of eternity we can know a little of. I liked this book very much, but the reader should be warned it is not a light read and not written as completely in Joan Didion's famously sharp style as her later works.

...but Run River is her finest novel. "Democracy" is excellent, but it is more a tour de force than a novel. Didion was only in her twenties when she wrote Run River, and it is a winner--stylish but never mannered (something you can't say about her subsequent novels), subdued, witty, assured, and filled with Valley (as in the Sacramento Valley) characters with whom Didion was rather obsessively in love. It is a pity that she seems more interested these days in writing about Washington insiders for N.Y.C./L.A. insiders. Everett McClellan, my favorite character in the book, would not have been able to sustain an interest in such figures as Henry Hyde and Kenneth Starr. That Didion can--even if only for the purpose of eviscerating them--is an indication of how far she has strayed from her literary roots. Ah, but what roots they were. Run River is an extraordinary achievement.

Though Joan Rivers has gone through some rough times, her qualifications as a motivational speaker/self-help guru are lacking. She instructs people who have gone through major life crises (i.e. the loss of a spouse, major illnesses, etc.) not to wallow in their pain for more than one weekend. How can a person possibly get over the loss of a loved one in just one weekend? This book, with its one-liners, trivializes people's pain and suffering by saying that you have to "snap out of it," and suggests that redecorating the house will make one feel better. Rivers should stick with what she knows best -- insulting people.

...which summarize Joan Rivers' little book. She explains her own life's problems - very significant difficulties from near bankruptcy, professional pariah-hood to the suicide of her husband of nearly 30 years and bulimia.

Some may not like the occasionally flippant tone which is Rivers' hallmark but there's no doubt in my mind of her sincerity, depth of determination and that she grew through the horrible suffering she felt at the suicide of her husband. She describes some very personal difficulties with style and candor.

She does not advocate the currently fashionable "society of victimhood" and cites as one example a woman who witnessed the tragic shootings at Kent State in 1970. This woman's view in 1995: "my life stopped" - Joan's view: "Get over it - that was 25 years ago! How can your life stop?" Sounds flippant but if you read the book you'll see that becoming a self-pitying zombie helps no one and there is ALWAYS someone worse off than you.

Excellent book, uplifting, interesting and unpretentious (Joan mentions she doesn't have a PhD she has an IBTIA [I've been through it all]).

I highly recommend it even if you aren't going through a crisis - it will help you understand someone who is.

I was stunned to read all the negative reviews others have posted regarding this book! I found it one of the most inspiring things I have come across in a long time. I actually have the audio version of this book, which might make quite a difference. I try and listen to it at least once a week. To hear Joan's familiar and unimitable voice recount her tragedies and how she fought her way back to happiness give "Bouncing Back" a much more personal touch. I will be the first to admit that most of the psychological advice is standardized info that could be obatined in any of thousands of other self-help books. But to listen to Joan's unique voice and hear her apply these psychological theories to her own experiences makes what otherwise be just another self-help book a truly uplifting journey. THANKS JOAN!

Does this book come with a dinner or what? I think i'll check out the public library or just sit back and wait for the movie...

I have read and grown quite fond of this book, it is the moist in depth, wonderful collection of Hudson River photography I have ever seen ! I highly recommend this book to anyone who would be intrested in a photographic tour of one of the most beautiful and history filled rivers in existance.

Usually love Joan Rivers, but this book is so superficial, actually boring and shallow. Even the graphics are below par. I suspect someone else put this together or Joan was very, very tired when she did this. Save your money.

I use this book to level my coffee table. Its worth doesn't go far beyond that. Stay away from this stinker.

Joan Rivers reveals her soft side. This is a wonderfully simple and unassuming book that reflects a mother's love and concern for her only daughter. It's obvious that she wants a better life for her daughter, and you can feel the pain that Joan experienced in her own life. A lovely gift for anyone.