Saturday Biography--Rough Magic: The Biography of Sylvia Plath

Title: Rough Magic: a Biography of Sylvia Plath

Author: Paul Alexander

About the Author:  Paul Alexander, an Alabama-born writer, is the author of a number of important biographies, a journalist and playwright. He attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and studied with Marvin Bell. His subjects have included Andy Warhol, George W. Bush, James Dean and John Kerry. He developed a fascination with poet and novelist Sylvia Plath and engaged the help of her mother in researching this book because his interest focused on the writer’s work rather than the sensational aspects of her life, including her suicide.

Story Summary: Alexander presents a detailed account of Plath’s life, beginning in childhood when the death of her father figured significantly into the poet’s emotional development. He demonstrates the genesis of Plath’s mental illness, her life-long search for love and acceptance, the brilliance and quick success of her writing career, her marriage and its subsequent dissolution. Plath spent her later years in London when her husband, acclaimed British poet Ted Hughes, abandoned her and their children for another woman. The narrative shows that Sylvia was the force behind Hughes’ success, serving as his typist, submitting his work—all to the neglect of her own. Toward the end of her short life she did achieve recognition, winning a Pulitzer Prize for her poetry. She eventually succumbed to her battle with depression when she committed suicide in 1963.

Recommendation: Tipper Gore, wife of the former Vice-President of the United States, acclaimed this book for addressing the subject of mental illness. For me, it was a compelling story, however it took me over a month to read. I had to take a few breaks because of the heavy nature of the story, but the more off-putting aspect of the read was the plethora of details that seemed to choke the story flow. The author no doubt used Plath’s journals to assure the accuracy of his reportage, but I found that I didn’t need to know about every single date she went on, with whom, where they went and what they ate. These minutiae became burdensome to me as the reader. I’m glad, however, that I didn’t abandon the read as I was often tempted to do. The overall story was worth the tedium.

For Bluebell Books, I'm Victoria Ceretto-Slotto, happy to present this review for you. I'd like to invite you to visit my new website http://victoriacslotto.com/  where I'm pleased to announce the publication of my novel, "Winter is Past," published by Lucky Bat Books. Details are available on the website. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of Bluebell Books, and please forgive my shameless self-promotion.

Payne Stewart: the Authorized Biography

Title: Payne Stewart: the Authorized Biography

Author: Tracey Stewart, Ken Abraham, Mike Hicks

About the Authors:  Recounted by Tracey Stewart, the wife of the world famous professional golfer, Payne Stewart, along with Mike Hicks, Stewart’s caddie, this biography was penned by Ken Abraham, an author known for his collaborative works with celebrity figures such as Paul Azinger and Lisa Beamer.

In 1999, PGA golfer Payne Stewart won the US Open Championship at Pinehurst, North Carolina. Months later he was dead in a plane crash that took his life and that of several companions—an event that struck the heart of the golfing community: professional golfers and fans alike.

Even if you do not follow golf, you may remember Stewart by his signature knickers and tam. A man known for his practical jokes, his occasional arrogance, a sporadic misspoken or misunderstood press interview, Stewart was also a man whose family and faith were the center of his life.

This well-written biography is a quick read. Those who are not golf aficionados may want to skip over the ample details of some of the tournaments, but throughout the narrative you will discover a character who loved life and lived it fully. Tracey, his wife, does not gloss over his short-comings and strengths which give a balanced picture of a whole human being and the struggles, the joys, the growth and successes he enjoyed.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy sports, in particular golf and to those who look for inspiration in a life that was short but well-lived.

Submitted by Victoria Ceretto-Slotto, http://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/

Saturday Biography: Doorways to Significance by Pat Holland Conner

Title: Doorways to Significance: Finding Peace, Power and Passion

Author: Pat Holland Conner

About the Author:  A licensed family therapist and substance abuse counselor, Pat Holland Conner is a resident of Reno Nevada. She is owner of Peaceful Path Consulting and  through her educational and counseling activities, seeks to help her fellow journeyers achieve self esteem and wholeness.

Story Summary: This memoir is the story of Pat’s emergence from a sense of non-belonging into one of well-being. Born in the South in the 1940’s, Pat is an African American with light skin. She was not accepted by her own community and was rejected by those whose appearance she shared. Her story is one of survival and courage. After a difficult divorce, Pat, well into middle age, too a leap of faith and volunteered with the U.S. Peace Corps. Her travels took her to Thailand, throughout Asia and the Middle East, but her most important journey was within. In her memoir, Pat invites the reader to share a glimpse into her life.

Recommendation: Pat’s memoir is a source of inspiration for one’s own personal growth. Her easy writing style enables you to fly through the pages. I finished it in two evening sessions.

Saturday Biography: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero

Title: Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero

Author: Michael Hingson, Larry King, Susy Flory

Michael Hingson, blind from birth, survived the tragic events of 911 in the Twin Towers. With his guide dog, Roselle, he escaped his office on the 78^th story, lending support and confidence to those who surrounded him in the horrendous descent. This account alternates the story of that day with the challenges Michael faced in overcoming the bias against him as a blind person. His parents refused to “send him away” and rather encouraged him and supported him in his life-long mission to lead a normal and fulfilling life.

Michael and Roselle's story gives the reader a unique perspective on the attack of September 11, 2001 from the point of view of a survivor, while changing your outlook on what a person with a disability is able to achieve.

Michael now works for the Guide Dog for the Blind in San Rafael, California as a public relations representative. He travels around the country, sharing his story and touting the importance of team work, a trait that help him and his companions survive on that eventful day.

To learn more about Michael, check out his website and video at http://michaelhingson.com/newsite/

And for more about Roselle, who died in June, 2010, read her story at http://michaelhingson.com/newsite/2011/06/roselle-a-sad-day/  Be sure you have some tissues with you.

Saturday Biography Review: "Loving Frank"

Title: “Loving Frank: a Novel”

Author: Nancy Horan

About the Author:  The author of “Loving Frank,” Nancy Horan, is a former journalist who once lived in Oak Park, Illinois—the hotbed of Frank Lloyd Wright’s early architectural work and his home. She now lives on Puget Sound. While the story itself unfolds as fiction, it is based on historical research and the lives of actual associates of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Story Summary: Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect who practiced his art for 70 years in the 20^th Century, has wielded enormous influence in the world of design. His philosophy was to incorporate buildings as a part of, rather than in opposition to, the natural landscape. He established centers for learning for architectural students in Wisconsin and Arizona.

His personal life, however, was rift with tragedy and strife. This historical/biographical novel focuses on his relationship with Mamah Borthwick Cheney, his mistress—a relationship that destroyed both of their marriages and defied all the mores of the early 20^th Century. A relationship that terminated in her murder and the destruction of the original Taliesin, his home and center for architectural students.

Recommendation: ****

The story is a compelling read that, at the same time, supplies the reader with a wealth of information about 20^th Century architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright and his work. For those who have interest in a more detailed account of his work, I suggest “The Fellowship: The Untold Story of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Fellowship.”

Reviewed by Victoria Ceretto-Slotto http://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/

Taliesin East

Saturday Biography--Running with Scissors

Title: Running with Scissors: A Memoir

Author: Augusten Burroughs

About the Author:  Burroughs was born Christopher Robison in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the younger of two sons to poet Margaret Robison and John G. Robison, former head of the philosophy department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is the younger brother of fellow memoirist John Elder Robison. He was raised in Massachusetts, including the towns of Shutesbury, Amherst and Northampton. His parents divorced on July 29, 1978, when Burroughs was twelve years old, and he was adopted by his mother's psychiatrist who resided in the Northampton area.

Burroughs dropped out of school after the sixth grade and obtained a GED at age 17. He chose his name at age 18, and legally changed it in Boston.^[1] He later enrolled at Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, Massachusetts as a pre-med student, dropping out before the end of the first semester. He decided to settle in New York City and worked for a Manhattan-based advertising company. In 1996, he sought treatment for alcoholism at a rehabilitation center in Minnesota before returning to Manhattan.
His books are published by St. Martin's Press and Picador. Some of his childhood experiences were chronicled in Running with Scissors (2002), which was later developed into a film.
(From Wikipedia)

Story Summary: A disturbing memoir of a young boy who was shuttled off to live with his mother’s psychiatrist, Running with Scissors, is a penultimate experience of dysfunctional family systems. Controversy surrounds the author’s account of his childhood and teen years which were marked with uncertainty, a mentally ill mother, a bitter divorce that included alienation from his father, and life in the bizarre home of his mother’s psychiatrist.

The reader will be amazed at the boy’s ability to survive the circumstances of his life which included his dropping out of school after 6^th grade, his suffering sexual abuse at the hands of a pedophile and a psychiatrist-mediated fake suicide attempt in order to excuse him from attending school.

Although the names of his adoptive family and his own family were changed in the telling, Burroughs is now facing a lawsuit by the children of the psychiatrist who claim that his account grossly misrepresents the family.

Regardless of the controversy, Burrough’s poet-mother and his own attachment to journaling helped him succeed in a crafting a brilliantly-told story that is loaded with humor. This memoir has had a long run on the NYT’s best sellers list.

Recommendation: **** for the quality of the writing, but I caution that this story is more than a little disturbing. Graphic sexual content calls for discernment.

Saturday Biography Review: Farewell to Manzanar

Title: Farewell to Manzanar

Author: Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston

About the Authors: Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, a Japanese American, was born in California where she has spent most of her life. As a child during World War II, she was interned with her family in a camp in Central California, Manzanar.  She met her husband, James D. Houston, while studying journalism and sociology at San Jose State University. He has written novels and nonfiction.

Publisher: Random House, Inc. 1973

Story Summary: Wakatsuki’s memoir recounts her childhood experience as she and her family were detained in Manzanar during the years of World War II. Her story outlines in detail a tragedy of suspicion and indignity inflicted upon American-born Japanese during a sad epoch of world history. It showcases the strength of these people and their ability to cope with dislocation and then reenter mainstream life after the war. Thirty years later Jeanne returns with her husband and children for a visit to the former internment camp. There she achieves some degree of resolution and personal peace.

In my travels up and down Highway I-395, I pass Manzanar several times a year. All that remains in this beautiful location at the foot of the Sierra’s is a guard tower and a huge building that looks like an airport hangar which now serves as a museum. This book is now used in middle school sociology studies in the service of helping student develop cultural diversity and to outline the sad effects of racism run awry.

The book contains a group study guide and an author interview.

Recommendation: I give this book ***1/2 stars. It is informative and reads quickly.

Saturday Biography Review: Hitler, the Pathology of Evil

Title: Hitler: The Pathology of Evil

Author: Dr. George Victor

About the Author: Dr. George Victor, a practicing psychotherapist specializes in evaluation of personality disorders. He lives in New Jersey, USA

Publisher: Potomac Books Inc. 1998

Summary: This unique biography may be termed a psychological history of Adolf Hitler, a leader who turned the history of the world upside down. Dr. Victor explores the psychogenesis of Hitler’s hatred of Jews, rooted in his own self-loathing and rejection of that fact that in all probability, his grandfather was sired by a man of Jewish origins. Sickly at birth, his mother overprotected him and doted upon him while his father, a strict disciplinarian was abusive toward him. Hitler was never able to meet the man’s expectations. Dealing with a country that suffered terribly after its defeat in World War I, the leader of the new Nazi party set out to change the economic and ethnic character of Germany. A charismatic speaker, Hitler was able to entice his followers to accept programs designed to create a perfect race through genocide, involuntary sterilization programs and other practices the we deem to be atrocious in hindsight. Few people, even among his closest followers, we aware of the extent of the plans he had carried out. Hitler's obsession with attaining racial purity led to strategic decisions that resulted in Germany's defeat. The author also explores elements of his personal life such as his bizarre sexual practices, his inability to relate closely to others and his low sense of self-worth.

While not a “quick, easy read” this biography gives an overview of the war in Europe and the psychology of the man behind it. The author avoids highly clinical terminology and his material is organized and presented in a logical manner. The work is well-written and well-documented.

Recommendation: I give this biography ***1/2 and recommend it to those who have interest in World War II, in the psychology of evil or in the roots of Hitler’s choices. I did not in anyway feel that Dr. Victor was trying to defend Hitler’s behavior. He rather presented an objective analysis of the man’s character.

I’m off to read something light and fluffy now!

Review submitted by Victoria Ceretto-Slotto, http://liv2write2day.wordpress.com/

Saturday Biography: Maya Angelou--"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"

Title: “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”

Author: Maya Angelou

About the Author:

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has to; it sings because it has a song.”

Maya Angelou.

http://mayaangelou.com/

I find it a humbling affair to attempt to present the work of poet, educator, historian, educator, playwright, director, producer, actress Maya Angelou. An African American, Dr. Angelou was born in 1928 in Missouri and raised there and in Stamps, Arkansas. She studied dance and drama in San Francisco and became a significant force in the civil rights movement in the United States. Her participation in so many aspects of the artistic life earned her the Presidential Medal of Arts in 2000. She wrote and presented a poem for the occasion of President Bill Clinton’s Inauguration in 1993.

You can listen to her recitation of “On the Pulse of the Morning” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDtw62Ah2zY

Publisher: Random House, 1969

Story Summary: The author’s rich life lent itself, not to a single autobiography, but to a series, of which this book is the first installation, covering her childhood and early teenage years. The victims of a failed marriage, Angelou and her brother, Bailey, were foisted upon her paternal grandmother at ages 3 and 4 respectively. Raised primarily in Stamps, Arkansas she experienced the significant hardships of being raised Negro in the American deep south in the years prior to the Civil Right’s Movement. For a short period of time, she was reunited with her mother in Saint Louis where she experienced the guilt that accompanies sexual molestation and the death of her abuser shortly after his trial. After this horror, she was returned to the care of her grandmother until age thirteen when she and Bailey once again joined their mother (a prostitute) in San Francisco. The story is one of survival…no, excellence, in the face of the utmost adversity.

Comments: Reading this memoir was a feast of words, descriptions, story, metaphor. A poet writing prose, Angelou has spoiled my taste for the banal. (The lyrical quality of her work makes me want to incinerate my own manuscripts!) This book has had and will have appeal for people all over the globe, especially those facing discrimination of any type. The characters are living, breathing, strong, flawed human beings.

Read more about this remarkable woman on her blog, referenced above and at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Angelou