While authors Cohen and Taylor ceaselessly document Daley's racism and political power, they explain almost nothing about his family or his true feelings. It is a very shallow, one-sided portrait of someone who was anything but simple. Daley ran the city of Chicago extremely well for many years, but most of the book deals with housing and racism. As a longtime Chicagoan, I was very disappointed with this book. I wanted to know what made Daley tick; this book did not tell me. There was nothing in this book that I couldn't have learned from other sources.

I picked up this book after reading the very positive review in the Sunday New York Times. I knew little about Daley beyond the 1968 Convention. The authors succeed at telling the story not only of this one very intriguing man but also of how the modern city of Chicago emerged during his two decades in office. I would highly recommend the book to anyone interested in biography or modern American history, or of course, Chicago. The book is heavily sourced, both to local news accounts -- something which has been inexplicably criticized by other reviewers in this column -- as well as over a hundred interviews conducted by the authors (e.g., William Daley, Daniel Rostenkowski). This is a praiseworthy and fascinating effort by the writers to tell the story as it happened, not as various political or religious viewpoints would like it to be told.

Cohen and Taylor have written both a masterful piece of investigative journalism and a captivating political biography. In many ways, this book should be required reading for anyone doing college or graduate level research in the fields of American urban or domestic political science or history. Almost like Finley Peter Dunne's MISTER DOOLEY--which it often quotes--this volume takes you inside the Chicago Democratic machine and shows just how omnipotent the organization was during Daley's tenure at the helm, not without an occasional touch of humor and irony. As its subtitle promises, the book also places Daley and his machine in the context of national (and Illionis) politics, over which they had such enormous influence, especially during the late 1950s and all through the 1960s.

The authors paint a portrait of Daley that shows his enormous personal complexity--a devout Catholic and loyal family man who did not hesitate to engage in the most bare-fisted power politics or work to capitalize on the basest human instincts. While I tend to agree with other reviewers that the book focusses a bit heavily on racial matters during the Daley mayoralty, they played a major role during this period and Daley's attempt to balance the competing interests of white ethnics and black citizens ultimately undermined the absolute authority of the Chicago Democratic machine. I disagree with reviewers who say that the authors were too anti-Daley; I feel they made an honest effort to credit him for the considerable accomplishments of his tenure--including the preservation of Downtown Chicago as a going concern when so many other rust belt cities in the Midwest and Great Lakes area were going under (e.g., Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh). They make clear, however, the enormous price that was paid for his accomplishments, including the subversion of democracy and the exacerbation of racial tensions in Chicago.

I generally liked her other book, the Social Lives of Dogs, and in fact read it twice over the course of the previous year. I felt as though I learned a lot about canine behavior and their social organization. This book however was a terrible disappointment for me. I checked it out of the library after giving one as a gift to a friend, only to find that there was very little written about house cats (my primary interest), and all the talk of big cats and anecdotes from the author's many years in Africa seemed indulgent and not even terribly insightful for those interested in these topics.

I'd urge you to look for a copy in your local library or bookstore and scan through it before commitment to the cover price.

This book is filled with very interesting information on our feline friends. It starts from the prehestoric age and moves on to the modern day cats. It provides a lot of info on the big, domestic felines as well as their big wild cousins.

But apart from a very detailed and documented journey into the feline world, this book is filled with anectodes that will make you laugh, will make you sad and will make you think.

And one thing is certain: After having read this book, you'll never look the same way at your cat.

This is a book that anyone interested in natural history and/or animal behavior ought to read. The author has an almost poetic command of the English language combined with a thorough understanding of the methodologies of the social and natural sciences. Her (radical?) contention that animals, particularly cats, have culture - a series of learned and transmissible behaviors - is demonstrated to the point where it should at least be taken seriously by the scientific community, and perhaps to the point of being as proven as possible outside the established boundaries of scientific methodology. Her observations of the interactions of the Serengeti populations over time, both lions and people, have certainly convinced me that animals have culture. And at the same time they've broken my heart just a little bit more at what we humans are doing to one another and to the other species that share this world.

I have read this book at least four times, cover to cover, and smiled and wept a little and been further enlightened during each read. I've bought it as a gift for several friends and have two or three copies of my own at home. A reviewer said of this work: "Wonderful book. Formidable woman.", and that pretty well sums it up - her voice is quiet, but I believe you will find it resonating with you for a very long time indeed.

In its own small way, "The Tribe of Tiger" is every bit as much of a classic as "Origin of the Species" or "Silent Spring" (or "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats"!).

Interesting reading, a bit superficial in the presentatio

I've not seen many Liz Taylor's movies before, but since I read the book, I became highly interested to see her films, just to be able to check what I read in this book with how she performs/appears in a particular movie as mentioned in the book. In the beginning of my reading, the book gives me a mix feeling towards Liz Taylor, more negative than positive. But after I finished reading I really felt for her. In short, the story reveals her complicated life in the most open manner. It tells everything you want to know about Liz Taylor, from birth up to the latest marriage (and divorce). It also exposes her severe addiction to drugs and alcohol which is very shocking. What a life story! I enjoy reading the book because it flows smoothly, it is insightful and it gives detail information for every occassion in the story. It is a great book to read.

This book is the tabloid version of an Elizabeth Taylor biography, reading like stiched-together daily exposes in such a newspaper. It displays in endless detail the sexual orientation of virtually everyone she ever spent time with, any arguments she ever had where someone else was present, and any unladylike things she may have said or done. Her movie work is discussed in terms of how it related to her marital relationships and financial problems. Occasionally, the book also criticizes her for having a healthy sexual appetite.

Normally, biographers either like the person they write about or want to create a more accurate account of the person. Mr. Amburn did not seem to fall into either of these categories. His objective seems to be to portray some of the other people in Ms. Taylor's life more sympathetically.

The book's main thesis is that Ms. Taylor has had loving relationships in her adult life with people who are gay or bisexual and unloving ones with everyone else. This connection is also made to Ms. Taylor's relationship with her father, despite the fact that she did not have a good relationship with him. But the book doesn't get beyond that into much of the motivation. Many men were attracted to Ms. Taylor like moths to the flame, and this attraction did nothing to bring out their better qualities. She seems to have lived in a world where her physical attractiveness made her a target for fans, men, and exploiters of all sorts. Little is made of the potential to see her as victim of peoples' perceptions of someone who is physically attractive. She also doesn't seem to get enough credit for generally being an open-minded person, which may explain her lack of sexual-orientation prejudice.

According to press reports and this book, Ms. Taylor has had more than her share of illness, injury, and physical and emotional pain. Yet she has led a generally productive artistic life, and has played an increasingly important role in bringing sympathy and support to the cause of overcoming AIDS. It would have been natural to have focused on these positive reflections of her underlying character, and the difficulties involved in overcoming ceaseless, searing pain addiction. No one is going to be perfect under such circumstances. Yet the book wallows in her use of drugs and drinking to soften the pain, in endless tales that add little to the biography.

Naturally, Ms. Taylor is famous in part for her marital difficulties. Those should have been in the book, but they became too much of the book to be rewarding to the reader.

As someone who was a working actress for most of her life, another aspect of the book you might expect would be extended dicussions of her work. You will find relatively little of that. It is as though the author thinks that her work is of virtually no importance. I certainly was moved by her performances in National Velvet, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Giant, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I liked her performances in many other movies. I would have liked to have read much more about her work in these roles where she was more successful.

The best part of this book is the beautiful color photograph of Ms. Taylor on the cover.

If you are wondering why I did not give the book a one star review, it is because the photographs are good and the writing style is perfectly adequate. The three star downgrade is for misfocus, exploitation, and a hidden agenda.

After you finish looking at Ms. Taylor's cover photograph, consider what you would like to know more about public figures. Then when you are thinking about reading a biography about that person, check to see if the biography focuses on the areas you care about before reading them. That will save you a lot of time.

Also, ask yourself how we should consider someone's life. To what extent should we consider good deeds? Bad deeds? Repentance? Motives? Physical appearance? Obstacles to progress? Ms. Taylor's life raises these issues rather nicely.

By the way, if you find a biography of Ms. Taylor that you like, please do write to me. I'd like to read it.

As another reviewer said, I have read most ot the biographies written about Elizabeth Taylor, and I am usually disappointed! They seem to never capture the woman; the authors tend to rehash old news clippings, or scandal sheet gossip.In doing this, the authors never do this woman justice. Not only is Elizabeth an icon of our time, but she has become one of countries greatest AIDS activists.This in itself took tremendous courage! There is more to this woman than celluloid, and ex-husbands. Face it, she's one great dame! I wish to some day read a biography of her that truly celebrates the woman that is Elizabeth Taylor!

It's not the author's fault, but unfortunately the subject of this book is extremely boring. Two words describe Elizabeth Taylor's life, at least prior to her involvement with AIDS funding and research: WRETCHED EXCESS. This is not a fun read, not because the author didn't try, but because he wrote about a person that just wasn't very interesting.

This is a fascinating examination of the behaviour of the author's own and very special pack, which is mainly comprised of huskies, the domesticated dog closest to the root ancestors of all our canine pals - the wolf. But the owner of a Dachshund or even a Labrador (now America's number one pick) will find less of relevance to understanding their companion. We follow Thomas as she ingeniously follows her huskies on hundred mile jaunts in and around the "wilds" of Cambridge. Massachusetts. We listen with great interest but a sense, mainly, of the strange, not the familiar, as her huskies are allowed to recapitulate the lifeways of their feral relatives right in the suburban back yards and city streets. As other reviewers have commented, one is constantly distracted by the thought of how irresponsible the "experiment" is of giving such latitude to any pet, let alone a breed so notoriously unpredictable and aggressive. Do we really want quasi-wolves roaming at will? In the end, despite the high quality of the writing, I personally gathered very much less than I'd expected (from the title and liner notes) towards any new insights about my "Fido".

This book is interesting as one person's take on the behavior of her dogs; but certainly not a scientific study! What dog owner or pet owner isn't full of anecdotes regarding what their pet has done, or the many ways that our pets show us that they are thinking and feeling creatures? Plus, her background in studying wolves helped me to think more about the roots of the behavior of the dogs in my life. However, I disagree with her practice of letting the dogs roam free. Also, not spaying/neutering was just irresponsible, especially since she describes several unwanted pregnancies/litters; and there are literally millions of unwanted animals in this country alone. Regarding not using a leash, my own dog was roaming free in the park last year, suddenly got spooked, and ran onto a busy street and was hit by a car. The author was lucky that this did not happen to one of her dogs that she allowed to roam free. So, I tended to disagree with her practices, which I felt did not show enough concern for her animals; but her insights were interesting to consider.

I thought this book was a very enjoyable book to read. Thomas is a fascinating individual who does an excellent job of seeing right through dogs and making great observations. I especially loved following the lives of the dogs and the dog pack as a whole from when they are born to their emotional deaths. Those who commented that this book is lacking statistical information and scientific observations are really missing the point. If you want a boring book on dog pyschology get something else. But if you want an intriuging and fun book that really makes you think, get this. You'll love it.

'Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont' certainly does not deserve the obscurity it has been languishing in .It is a clear and well-written book that focuses on the loneliness and loss of dignity of the elderly treated with just the correct does of sentimentality and humour .I would recommend the book strongly for it is written with a lot of heart and a strong understanding of human nature

This book, although only 215 pages, gives a glimpse into the lives of "Christian greats" like Charles Spurgeon, Amy Carmichael, C.S. Lewis, F.B. Meyer, Hudson Taylor, Geraldine Taylor, Isobel Kuhn and Ruth Bell Graham, who became spiritual giants **in the midst of their pain**. It seems to be true that misery loves company... reading about other's woes seem to make you reevaluate your own pain and realize that things just aren't so bad after all. Actually, the author does a fine job of confronting the idea in modern Christianity that true Christians are never depressed, grieving or stressed.

Timed to take advantage of all the "Liz & Dick" hype in that era, we find the "facts" consist of material gleaned from re-cycled newspaper and mag articles Plus some nasty observations concocted by the woman who was dying to meet an Elizabeth who wouldn't condescend to give Kelley the time of day;nor would the "sources" validate her claims of in-sider knowledge. No celebrity wishes to be associated with a "writer" who unscrupulously defrauds the public in order to profit from their misplaced trust. In other words,Kelley makes up biographies as she goes along, aiming for sensationalism to line her already fat pockets

I found Kitty Kelley's bio of Taylor a little "catty" (pun intended). But it was entertaining and led me to research a lot more about Taylor to see if all the negative hype was true. I found mostly that Taylor's only mistake really was marrying Eddie Fisher. Kelley neglected to let the reader know that Taylor was much loved by many in the industry and those in her life, and that the real issue was not the fact that Elizabeth Taylor was a devious rotten person, but that she was just a spoiled little girl raised by an over obliging mother. Kelley simply wanted the reader to believe that Taylor was a mean spiteful woman who would do anything to get a man. I found the opposite, in fact. She also neglected mentioning much about her relationship with Montgomery Clift, which was very important to Taylor(by what I have read in other sources). I guess there wasn't enough dirt for that subject to be spoken of much. All in all, I liked it, but I think she concentrated a little too much on the bawdy aspects of her life instead of the sweet and/or the emotional side.