Author Topic: Non-Fiction (Read 438901 times)

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #440 on:** July 19, 2009, 12:31:59 PM »

TO NONFICTION BOOK TALK

What are you reading? Autobiographies, biographies, history, politics?

Tell us about the book; the good and the bad of it.

Let's talk books!

Discussion Leader: HaroldArnold

HI, JOY! Yes, I got it from the Library after having it reserved for a week or two. Our library bought 8 copies of it; perhaps that helped. It is a new book (2009) and I think more people will spread the news of it; obviously they have where you live as you are having trouble getting it.

I told my daughter about it and she is going to download it on her kindle for a 3-week vacation she is taking to Croatia and Greece. We both like the same books so I told her to download a couple more or she will run out; I finished the book in a two-day session. It reads well and keeps your interest.

GINNY, I liked the movie.

marjifay · « **Reply #441 on:** July 19, 2009, 01:59:15 PM »

Just read Ginny's mention of Henry Morton Stanley. Reminds me I have wanted to read KING LEOPOLD'S GHOST by Adam Hochschild.
Has anyone read it?

Am curious why people would find a book about a leper colony so interesting.

Marj

Babi · « **Reply #442 on:** July 20, 2009, 08:12:57 AM »

I was sorry to read on the news this morning that Frank McCourt has died.
Sadly, it was apparently not an easy death. He was in hospice with cancer. A
hard childhood and a hard passing. I'm so glad he achieved a measure of success and satisfaction in his career.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #443 on:** July 20, 2009, 11:33:14 AM »

MARJ, I will quote John Grisham's book review about the "leper" book, IN THE SANCTUARY OF OUTCASTS by Neil White. I think it says it better than I could ever do.

"A remarkable story of a young man's loss of everything he deemed important, his imprisonment in a place that would terrify anyone, and his ultimate discovery that redemption can be taught by society's most dreaded outcasts."

Yes, I was sorry to learn of Frank McCourt's death also. We discussed his book TEACHER MAN on our old site and it is archived.

HaroldArnold · « **Reply #444 on:** July 22, 2009, 10:49:51 AM »

Click the following link for a Frank McCourt obituary. He had an interesting career. I had not realized that his book , “Angela’s Ashes” were in the 10 million copy range.

http://news.aol.com/article/frank-mccourt-dies/578119?sem=1&ncid=AOLNWS00170000000004&otim=1248273551&spid=29279720

HaroldArnold · « **Reply #445 on:** July 22, 2009, 12:07:12 PM »

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_84746691_2?ie=UTF8&docId=1000398561&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=right-1&pf_rd_r=081YQA2HXNT6FWRH29KF&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=482617491&pf_rd_i=1000398531

The above link leads to amazon.com’s 10 best nonfiction books so far this year. Perhaps the title that interested me the most was "Nine Lives" by Dan Baum. It seems a sort of biography of the city of New Orleans from the 1960’s through Katrina and its aftermath. During much of this period I would always spend at least a week each year in that city usually in December or January for the Fair Grounds racing and the jazz. I have not been there since 2000.

I am sure there are titles on this list that will interest you too.

Mippy · « **Reply #446 on:** July 23, 2009, 06:56:33 AM »

Here's a bit of a heads-up on one of the 10 books on the Amazon list:
All summer I've been trying to tackle Goldsworthy's How Rome Fell.
It's much less readable than his Caesar, which I've read more than once,
as I'm in a Latin class with Ginny.

Unfortunately, the latest Godsworthy reads somewhat like cut/and/paste and
also frequently refers to historical events out of context, i.e., everyone knows
what/who that is, so why give background ... and if the reader doesn't, too bad.
So thumbs down on his latest.

Babi · « **Reply #447 on:** July 23, 2009, 09:01:50 AM »

Thanks, HAROLD. I think "The Big Burn" and "The Unforgiving Minute" look
good. I have always like stories about how people handle themselves in
times of crisis. In fiction, Nevil Shute did that very well.

Frybabe · « **Reply #448 on:** July 23, 2009, 10:34:22 AM »

Sorry to hear about the Goldsworthy book, Mippy. It sounds like he got a little lazy. I have several of his books, but not How Rome Fell nor Caesar.

HaroldArnold · « **Reply #449 on:** July 23, 2009, 10:45:46 AM »

Thank you Mippi and Babi for your comment on the Amazon.com best nonfiction list. I thought there would be something on the list that would strike the interest of our readers. The "How Rome Fell" title also caught my interest. May years ago I read Gibbon's "Decline and Fall' and most of the Durant's Story of Civilization Titles. Today most of my history reading concerns Texas Spanish Colonial and Texas Indian History. This is in connection with my work at the Institute of Texan Culture and the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

I may take a look at the Goldsworthy "Ceaser"title noted above by Mippy as more readable than the "How Rome Fell" reviewed in the Amazon link.

JoanK · « **Reply #450 on:** July 23, 2009, 05:03:17 PM »

I wondered about that list. It sounded a bit too weighted toward "pop" to be truly the best. And I questioned having adds for other books along the side: you had to look closely to tell which were in the list.

ginny · « **Reply #451 on:** July 23, 2009, 05:23:34 PM »

Thank you for that list, Harold. I am interested in this one on the page but I am not sure if it's on the list: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Quote

The inspiring story of William Kamkwamba, a self-taught inventor who created a better life for his family through old bicycle parts and PVC pipe, is a true tale of hope and perseverance (available September 29).

I'd like to read the one about the leper colony too.

I've just gotten My Life At Grey Gardens: 13 Months and Beyond by Lois Wright who actually lived IN the house with them, it's in the form of a diary, quite odd actually. I'll know more when I'm finished.

HaroldArnold · « **Reply #452 on:** July 23, 2009, 07:01:15 PM »

Joan and all: I attach absolutely zero (No!) authenticity of the word "Best" as used in the Amazon.com nonfiction list I mentioned in message #445 . It is no more than some advertising Executives descriptive word for a list of titles that a customer wanted to promote. Yet it lists an interesting thought provoking assortment of books from witch most of us as individuals can find at least one or a few that interest us.

HaroldArnold · « **Reply #453 on:** July 23, 2009, 07:37:12 PM »

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Boy-Who-Harnessed-the-Wind-CD/William-Kamkwamba/e/9780061841989/?itm=1 Click the above for pre publication information on “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba mentioned by Ginny above. This pre-publication listing gives price for delivery after its publication release Sept 29, 2009

I have nothing against wind energy except their visual pollution. I remember the long auto drive between San Antonio, TX and Red River New Mexico. In the late 1990’s when I first made that drive there were no Wind farms. A few years later about 2002 they began to appear. By 2007 the visual view of several scenic sites had changed to a vast field of maybe 100 wind towers spread to the horizon. It may be cheap clean electric energy, but it is not free. One of these is in Texas near Sweet Water RX, the other is in eastern New Mexico several hundred miles north of Clovis.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #454 on:** July 25, 2009, 12:15:36 PM »

All those nonfiction books on Amazon's list sound just great, HAROLD! Thanks for posting them.

I am reading the book AMERICAN EMPRESS: Marjorie Merriweather Post, by Nancy Rubin, whose father, C.W. Post, pioneered the breakfast cereal, Grape Nuts, and the hot drink, Postum, in Battle Creek, Michigan. His early experiments are fascinating. Having a series of illness early in life he entered a sanitarium run by Dr. W.H.Kellogg (recognize that name, hahaha) whose patients ate a granola, avoided tea and coffee and drank a substitute, which was called Caramel Coffee.

Later came Post Toasties, of course, plus the whole General Foods Corporation.

Post's rise to great wealth brought him a host of troubles; at the beginning of the 20th century the threat of labor unions was beginning to trouble employers and the Postum company employed 400 people so C.W. built 579 houses on 80 acres of land adjacent to his facory. Down payments were minimal and each buyer was responsible for his own mortgage and monthly payments.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._W._Post

marjifay · « **Reply #455 on:** July 25, 2009, 02:46:37 PM »

That book (American Empress) sounds very interesting, Ella.

I just received a book I ordered after reading a little about the Spanish American War. The book is THE ROUGH RIDERS by Theodore Roosevelt. It was based on a diary he kept, and was originally published in 1899 in installments in Scribner's Magazine. The book description says it's a spirited chronicle of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry's bloody battles in Cuba against deeply entrenched Spanish forces.

I've had Martin Gilbert's history of the second world war for some time, and have decided to read a part of it each day (it's about 900 pages) to learn more about the war. Does anyone have any books they'd recommend about that war?

Marj

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #456 on:** July 25, 2009, 06:30:14 PM »

Hi Marj! A fascinating look into Teddy Roosevelt's character is the book RIVER OF DOUBT. Wonderful adventure and an excellent read.

A book about WWII? Oh, golly, there are so many. Any book about FDR or Churchill or Eisenhower will fill that request. And the movie, Private Ryan, about D-Day is very good. I asked my daughter if the Army would really do that and she said yes, they would. Send 8 soldiers to find one missing one in France somewhere.

Was that a book?

Oh, there are so many. Linger awhile in the US history section of any library and you are sure to find just the one you are searching for.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #457 on:** July 25, 2009, 06:37:27 PM »

MARJ, I just typed in WWII in my Library search box and this book, written in 2008, with just 385 pages (doable) sounds very good:

The real history of World War II
a new look at the past
Authors: Alan Axelrod

My Library bought 31 copies of it which is a lot for a nonfiction book so I am assuming they expected it to be popular. I have no idea if it is good or not.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #458 on:** July 25, 2009, 06:45:44 PM »

http://www.amazon.com/Real-History-World-War-II/dp/1402740905/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248561813&sr=1-1

Sounds very good to me, Marj!

maryz · « **Reply #459 on:** July 25, 2009, 07:08:57 PM »

Saving Private Ryan is certainly the best current movie about D-Day. But the one that almost everyone agrees is the best is The Longest Day. Almost every male actor in the world was involved - Americans played Americans, Brits played British, French played French, Germans played Germans, etc. Check out the cast list in this link to IMDb.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056197/

marjifay · « **Reply #460 on:** July 25, 2009, 08:14:10 PM »

Thanks so much, Ella, for finding the book THE REAL HISTORY OF WORLD WAR II. It looks very interesting, especially re probing the motivations of those involved. I read the book's description and it almost looks as if the book should be longer than 400 pages. My library has only two copies, but both are out, so someone is reading it, as I will be when it becomes available.

There are a couple I want to read:

HUMAN SMOKE; THE BEGINNING OF WWII, THE END OF
CIVILIZATION by Nicholson Baker (576 pp, 2009) I had read part of this but had to return to library before finished, so bought my own copy (used). Study of the tragic path that led to WW2. The author disputes the myth that WW2 was a "just" or necessary war.

TEARS IN THE DARKNESS; THE STORY OF THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH AND ITS AFTERMATH by Michael Norman (463 pp, 2009) I just heard the author on CSpan's BookTV, and it sounded very good.

Marj

marjifay · « **Reply #461 on:** July 25, 2009, 08:25:31 PM »

Oh, I just noticed you recommended two books, Ella. Thanks for the other one about Teddy Roosevelt, RIVER OF DOUBT. These books should keep me busy for a while.

I"ve seen both movies Mary Z, and I agree, they are very good.

Marj

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #462 on:** July 28, 2009, 11:56:54 AM »

Should we have a "winter retreat" for our presidents? Marjorie Post thought so and tried to give her mansion - Mar-A-Lago - in Palm Beach, Florida to the government but when they found out what the yearly upkeep was they refused. Imagine, our government being frugal, but isn't it good to know? Donald Trump bought the estate and turned into a private club.

She also attempted to give the Smithsonian her Washington, D.C. mansion called Hillwood, which contains the finest collection of Russian Art anywhere except in Russia. But they, too, renged on the promise to accept when they found the yearly costs. The mansion is now maintained by the Post Foundation.

Her "camp" consisting of 68 buildings and acres+ was left to the State of New York who later sold most of it and retained some of the acreage in a state forest.

What a life!! She had 3 daughters (Dina Merrill is one) and 4 husbands; the most interesting part of her life was when she was married to FDR's ambassador to Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution and before WWII. His name was Joseph Davies and there was much jealousy in the State Department at his close association with FDR.

The president gave orders to be friendly to that bear as we wanted it to be on our side in the coming war; consequently Davies ignored the cruelty of Stalin. During this period she and Davies collected priceless objects of Russian art and their association with the powers-to-be in Russia before and during the war would make a very good book. Perhaps there is one!

Her mansions: (just three of them)

http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar-A-Lago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Topridge

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #463 on:** July 28, 2009, 12:01:38 PM »

SO, WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Our discussion of FRANCES PERKINS, THE WOMAN BEHIND THE NEW DEAL begins this Saturday.

iT'S OUR AUGUST SELECTION, SO..........

I HOPE ALL OF YOU WILL BE THERE WITH YOUR COMMENTS!

mabel1015j · « **Reply #464 on:** July 29, 2009, 01:35:10 PM »

I am not a fan of war movies, but i loved The Longest Day and recommended to my students. I tho't it was adapted from a book. oh yes! It says Cornelius Ryan wrote the book and the screenplay.

A book I've been remembering since Walter Cronkite's death is The Murrow Boys about the group of journalists that Ed Murrow put together in Europe during WWII. You'll find a lot of familiar names in his group. The authors are Stanley Cloud and Lynne Olson. It goes beyond the war years. I found it very interesting........................jean

Babi · « **Reply #465 on:** July 30, 2009, 08:25:33 AM »

Thanks for those links, ELLA. I would love to visit Hillwood Estate;I love both
museums and gardens.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #466 on:** July 30, 2009, 11:31:22 AM »

Jean, I am not a fan of either war movies or books about wars. Now the biographies of the people during those war years interests me, as does Edward R. Murrow. Do you remember his People to People programs during the early years of television. We usually watched them. We were smoking during those years and thought nothing of Murrow sitting in front of a TV with his cigarette smoke curling upwards.

HaroldArnold · « **Reply #467 on:** July 31, 2009, 05:55:06 PM »

Tomorrow we will begin our discussion of "The Woman Behind the New Deal," by Kirstin
Downey. I know that many of you who are active here will be involved in this discussion. I want all of you to know that you are welcome to follow this discussion and should you have comments you care to make your posts will be welcome. This discussion promises to be an exceptionally good one because in addition to over a dozen registered participants we willl have the author, Kirstin Downey and Barbara Burt, executive director of the Frances Perkins Center as participants.

marjifay · « **Reply #468 on:** August 01, 2009, 07:59:34 PM »

I just watched a fascinating interview on BookTV with Douglas Brinkley talking about his new book WILDERNESS WARRIOR; THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND THE CRUSADE FOR AMERICA. Didn't think I'd be interested in the book, but after hearing Brinkley talk so passionately about how Roosevelt saved so much wilderness for us, I will read it. (I don't think the intereview will be repeated this weekend, but will probably be back another weekend, it was so good.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #469 on:** August 02, 2009, 05:52:02 PM »

And I am just starting to read FORDLANDIA by Greg Grandin: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City. Fascinating! What a strange man Ford was.

Frybabe · « **Reply #470 on:** August 02, 2009, 07:17:13 PM »

Ella, I saw a program once about his Amazon endeavors. As I recall he tried to make a rubber plantation, complete with worker town/company store and such, so that he could make tires for his vehicles. Let me know how you like the book.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #471 on:** August 03, 2009, 01:15:02 PM »

I will, FRYBABE. The author gets bogged down too much at times, I feel, but I'm finally just getting into his Amazonian projects. He's into "building character" in people, which is crazy because his assembly lines made robots out of his thousands of workers.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #472 on:** August 03, 2009, 01:17:00 PM »

You'all should come over to the discussion of Frances Perkins, the woman behind the New Deal. Our author, Kirstin Downey, is reading and posting. Fun!

JEAN, our history teacher, where are you?

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #473 on:** August 05, 2009, 11:40:21 PM »

FRYBABE, I finished the FORDLANDIA book today. I don't recommend you going out of your way for it; it's not written well but I slogged my way to the end. Actually, the last chapter was the best one.

The experiment in the Amazon forest was a total disaster costing Henry Ford millions. Eventually his grandson, who took over all the businesses after Henry and his son, Edsel, died, sold almost all the"cottage" industries and the Amazon station, such as it was, was sold to the Brazilian government for a mere pittance.

Ford's labors were scorned by the author; in fact, the author had nothing good to say about Henry Ford whatsoever!! He was a very ignorant man in many ways, sending bookkeepers, carpenters, teachers, nurses to the Amazon and not one expert on soil, weather, agriculture, diseases, insects, etc.

Frybabe · « **Reply #474 on:** August 06, 2009, 11:22:06 PM »

Thanks Ella, I guess I will pass on reading it. The program I saw was pretty good.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #475 on:** August 11, 2009, 12:05:20 PM »

SO, WHAT IS EVERYONE READING HERE?

ARE YOU READING?

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE NOT READING? Hahahaaaa We live to read, or read to live!

On the average, I am not too fond of the books that my f2f book club chooses, but they hit the jackpot now and then for me. The current one is the reason I stay with the club as I would not have known of this one, which is very good, so well written, and sad. Perhaps because it is nonfiction.

BROTHER, I'M DYING by Edwidge Danticat, A MEMOIR.

Her books have won numerous awards and I can understand the reasons.

Babi · « **Reply #476 on:** August 12, 2009, 08:31:55 AM »

I was reading "Julie, Julia", ELLA, but I took it back to the library. I found myself
disliking the author and not at all enjoying the book. I do plan to see the movie,
since I understand Meryl Streep as Julia does a wonderful job. Even there, tho',
there have been complaints about 'too much' of Julie.

JoanK · « **Reply #477 on:** August 12, 2009, 03:18:16 PM »

My daughter saw the movie and said the parts with Julia were much better than the parts with Julie.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #478 on:** August 20, 2009, 10:46:15 AM »

I NEED A GOOD NONFICTION BOOK TO READ! Any suggestions?

An old (2 Years, I think) interview of Rober Novak by Brian Lamb was on a TV channel and I watched a portion of it. Has anyone attempted to read his book, THE PRINCE OF DARNESS? I looked it up online and its 600+ pages seemed daunting but I'll take a look at it at the Library.

He's had an interesting life, and said he hoped that those interested in both politics and Washington, D.C. would read his book.

A quote from TIMES ONLINE - "Novak was a difficult, pugnacious figure; friends, colleagues and professional sparring partners described him as nicer in person than his television screen persona suggested while also acknowledging his toughness. "

serenesheila · « **Reply #479 on:** August 23, 2009, 12:17:38 AM »

Ella, today C-Span II, repeated a 2007 interview with Brian Lamb interviewing Bob Novak. I found it quite interesting. I enjoyed him on CNN's Capitol Gang, several years ago. My politics are almost totally opposite to Novak's. But that show included Mark Shields and Bill Press. I always enjoyed that show.

Sheila

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Author Topic: Non-Fiction (Read 438901 times)