Carol’s television show was a constant companion as I was growing up; and, viewing pieces of those episodes at any time can still make me laugh.  Her cast of characters and her co-stars all became family friends; I still think of them fondly when I recall evenings that my family spent watching her television show.  Carol is more than an entertainer…she is a genuine person and that comes across in her performances, as well as her writing.   This book is a collection of random thoughts and experiences through the years and makes for a nice, relaxing time while reading.  I especially enjoyed being a fly on the wall when Carol writes of her time with Lucille Ball.  Lucy was a trailblazer and also a big part of my growing up years so it is wonderful to read of their relationship.  Both women are legends who had to be strong and stand out in their chosen profession…one previously dominated by men.

The book is a great way to have a window into some of her relationships and experiences with both famous and non-famous people, as she relates these stories.  There is humor and humanity on every page as well as sentimental reflection scattered throughout.  You won’t be wasting your time if you want to get to know Ms. Carol Burnett a little better; just spend a little time reading through, This Time Together, Laughter and Reflection.

This book was published in 2010 by Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc.  You can find their website here:  www.crownpublishing.com   You are able to purchase this book there.

For one thing, I consider myself to be a person who is well read, well informed on most social issues of the day regarding many of our leading celebrities.  Oprah is definitely a celebrity extra-ordinare.  She has fame, power, a benevolent image and lots of money.  This is a successful combination and I think that many people admire her for what she has been able to achieve in her lifetime.  She started out with very humble roots and she has climbed to the peak of success in her chosen field.

We have all heard bits and pieces of innuendo and gossip over the years about Oprah.  We have all heard about her close relationship with Gayle King, with her long time companion Stedman S. Graham as well as Oprah’s struggle with her weight and her spiritual journey to a higher self.  We all knew of her sexual abuse as a child/teen and her pregnancy that resulted in the birth of a baby who died shortly after birth.

What many of us have not heard are the behind the scenes moments of her climb to success.  We have heard rumors and innuendos on occasion.   However, we have not heard over much about her obsessive need for control…contracts that bind pretty much anyone who makes an appearance or does business with her in anyway from speaking out about their experience or their knowledge of her.  This was one of the most fascinating parts of the book for me.

While on one hand, I can certainly understand a celebrity’s need for privacy-as we all know, people will sell out a celebrity to a tabloid for money.  So, in some ways to protect any kind of an opportunity for a private life a celebrity must take desperate measures to insure that an employee or acquaintance isn’t going to make common knowledge violations of a person’s right to keep certain pieces of information out of the public eye.  However, it appears that this goes to the extreme when the person is Oprah Winfrey.

I also found the allegations of extreme greed, excess when it comes to material things for both herself and her friends or beneficiaries of her gifting to be somewhat troubling.  Oprah is an intelligent woman who is informed on so many subjects and yet, the instances that were shared in the book about her extreme extravagence seemed disappointing to me.   Her relationships come across as desperate and the antithesis of so many of her educational talk shows about women in dysfunctional relationships; this too was sad.

Now Kitty Kelley has been accused over the years of being a little too free with factual points in her books…in this book it is alleged that she has interviewed over 800 people in her research for the book.  She has a big publisher behind the sale of this book and in doing so…I am sure that they made certain that all the information in the book was able to be defended legally or there would be a very large price to pa,y both in a monetary way and in the form of reputation.

At the end of the book, I felt that I had a more complete idea of who Oprah is and who she projects herself to be.  What it boils down to is that Oprah is a complex woman of many layers.  She desires to do good and does in many ways, she controls what she can and struggles with the areas of life where she can’t control circumstances, she loves and fears, she praises and condemns, she supports and holds back her support when she feels strongly about a subject that she is passionate about.  Is that any different from any of the rest of us?

Is Oprah too big for her britches when it comes to influencing others?  Some would say yes, some would say no.  Do her ambitions in life jive with the goals of a person on a good and true course with a spiritual journey to their best self awareness and ability to live with a life of purpose?  Only God can answer that one.

       Her life as a young child can be described as, one horror after another.  Her definition of family was redefined by her experiences.  She considers one certain foster family to be her parents and that would be Barb and Dave.  Jessica considers their children Tony and Alyssa her brother and sister. 

        They were a foster family that had the care of Jessica within their family for one blissful year.  They accepted her as their own until the foster care system decided to end her stay there.  The tragedy is that she doesn’t know their last name or, what city in Indiana that they lived in.  To top it off…the system will not allow her to try to trace them or contact them.   It would be an amazing miracle to find them after all of these years.  Her heart aches to reconnect with them and to tell them of their impact on her life.  They gave her gifts that they may not realize that they bestowed upon the young girl who had never known unselfish love and acceptance.   How different would her life have been had she been allowed to put down roots in this family and grown to flourish and flower?

      There has been a long history of betrayal in Jessica’s life…through foster care and in her personal romantic relationships.   It is hard to trust when a childhood is filled with betrayal and abuse; so that makes it especially evil to have others in your life, as an adult, treat you with violence, abuse, neglect or betrayal.   Jessica developed a life long love of reading, horses and empowerment.  These are tools she employed to survive the torture that she endured.

       She has learned how to survive and how to overcome.  As a mother of two boys she has passed on her commitment to living a life of purpose.   She has documented her journey in The Road To Me.   As she says, her life isn’t pretty…but, it is real.  I like the fact that Jessica has strengthened her relationship to God.   She is still here on Earth because God ordained it.  She has resolved that she was allowed to go through so many soul wrenching situations so that she could be a voice for children and for individuals who suffer and come through stronger, because she knows what they are going through.  She also knows that it shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be that way!

        Jessica has developed what she calls her Definitive Voice.  In fact, she uses her voice to call attention to organizations and non- profits that change peoples lives for good.   She is a strong voice for things such as Live Strong the organization that Lance Armstrong started to create an awareness about cancer and it’s touch on the lives that it affects.  She is a strong supporter of CASA , advocates for children in foster care…this is one of her biggest legacies…as a champion for children.  In fact, she also  a strong advocate for Children’s Rights.   Another recipient of her support is The Lampion Center in Evansville, IN . 

        The human spirit is an amazing thing.  It has an powerful ability to heal & survive when all odds seem stacked against it’s very existance.   All it needs is a kernel of real love, real affection, real hope, real peace to begin rebuilding what forces of destruction have tried to tear down.  Those very things that have come against it to destroy, only serve to strengthen the wings of that person’s soul.  To reclaim joy and direction; the human spirit needs a purpose in life to be effective in connecting to others to make the most out of the short time that the human spirit has here on earth.   I believe that Jessica Angelique has found the path that God would have her on and I believe that he will reward her efforts to be obedient to her calling.  

        Jessica’s book, The Road To Me can be purchased on http://www.amazon.com . 

      He earned the name of the Crocodile Hunter by filming his everyday life in the protection, and education of the world surrounding the crocodile population.  He began as a humble child of two small zoo owners.  They raised him to cherish life and to be a teacher to others so that others would respect the wildlife around them.

       When he met and married a young American girl…he found a soul mate who shared his dreams and his passion.  Together they began a family with the desire to raise another generation of passionate conservationists toward the animals of the world.  Their children continue the legacy that Steve and Terri instilled in them…which began with their grandparents.

        This book is a wonderful tribute to Steve Irwin, and his legacy, who was taken from this life much too soon in a freak accident with a stingray.  The world fell in love with him and his family and their mission.  This is a book that is a joy to read.  It was copyrighted in 2007 and published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment. 

         The reason that i didn’t want to purchase the book is because of a little something that i have tagged, called an unwritten sibling rule.  That is a rule that is just understood between family members that no matter what…family is family and supports one another; no one picks on your siblings…unless it is you of course, at home.  It sort of goes against the grain to know that Madonna’s brother would write a sort of tell-all about his sister, for money.

          Of course, no one knows a person like their own family and therefore there is much interest in who Madonna is and what makes her tick.  The thing of it is…in reading this book…i think that we discover as much about her brother Christopher as we do about Madonna herself.   It becomes a two for one book!

           I do think that he makes an attempt to explain how Madonna thinks and therefore why she does some of the things that she does.  In trying to explain her to us…often, he makes excuses for her.  There is, at least to me, some real boundary issues in their relationship…or former relationship.  They mix business and family; it appears to work for short bursts of time and then it doesn’t.  There is a strange mixture of maverick behaviors, ambition,music,artistry,design, dance, relationship issues and religious issues; those are mixed with issues related to the loss of their mother.  It makes for a very complicated relationship.

           It is as if, Madonna is the sun and Christopher and others, in her life, are planets who are drawn into her orbit.  Nonetheless, it is an interesting read if you are into the psychology of family dynamics. 

           This book was copyrighted in 2008 and published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment.  You can view their site at:  www.SimonSaysTheSPOT.com

         There is the fiercely loyal daughter, and seemingly embarassed sister, the supportive wife, schedule wised disconnected wife, friend, ambitious reporter, skilled writer, talented interviewer, supporter of the arts, mother, trailblaizer, and entrepeneur. 

         There is a lot of name tossing…however, someone with a career like Barbara Walters has had, is based on the names and the celebrity status from  the interviews of people and places that have a place in history.

         There are wonderful pictures to give a glimpse into the private life of Ms. Walters.  There are revelations that will endear you, will touch you, repel you, and intrique you based on your own personal values.  But this book will not be boring, to most people, because of the wide variety of subjects Barbara has interviewed and interacted with over the years. 

        The book does make you feel like an insider at times; which i think was the point of the whole book.  If it feels a bit self centered, in spots, i guess one has to assume that to have a long lived career like Ms. Walters has had, for as long as she has had; one must understand that to accomplish what she has accomplished…one must stay focussed on that very same career with intensity.  If she has lost or lacked for anything, then, I think she considers that the cost of achieving her goals.  Whether she feels that those things balanced out in the end she doesn’t really say.  On the other hand, she seems to attribute much of her success to being lucky; rather than attributing her success to a determinedly chosen and executed plan.

       Like her or not…you have to admit that Ms. Walters has had a significant impact on our culture and our history.  She is at times inspirational and complex…as well as reflective, which is what most writers of a memoir hope to be able to achieve. 

        This book was published by Randomhouse and was copyrighted in 2008.  You can view their site at:  www.randomhouse.com/

        We get a window into what young Lisa was thinking when she left home, we read of some of her difficult experiences along the way and we peek into her romances of the heart.  The book shares some of her highs and lows without apology for the mistakes she may have made, along the way.  Her focus is unwavering throughout her career.

         But, what the book most illustrates is Lisa’s drive to compete and be the best.  She recently remarried in May of 2008 and we wish her and her family well.  Life is a journey and Lisa has had a well documented journey from young driven teen to accomplished adult.  Lisa changed the face of the surfing sport and she left her mark on individuals as well as business. 

         With a severe back injury; Lisa transitioned to an accomplished entrepeneur.   She launched a brand of surf wear for women called Roxy and she has raised children while she rode the waves.  She seems to have been able to successfully blend single parenthood (until recently) and doing what fufills her heart professionally.

        The book shares a bit about resolution of relationships both professional and personal and what we learn to take away from them and how we apply it to future relationships. 

         The pictures are beautiful and capture the spirit of adventure and competition.  For anyone interested in surfing and role models…this is an encouraging guide to reaching for your goals and becoming unstoppable. 

           Chronicle Books was the publisher and it was published in 2007.  Check out their website here:  http://www.chroniclebooks.com .  The book was written by Nick Carroll and the photographs are by a variety of photographers; each with their own beauty, grace, and power. 

        We get a glimpse of the ups and downs of a mother- daughter relationship that is impacted by all of their personal relationships with other people who seem to float in and out of their lives, over the years.

         The letters are revealing not only of Ann Landers public personna but also of her complex relationship with Margo .  There is, of course, all kinds of gossipy tid bits woven through out the letters relating to many celebrity and high powered individuals who knew Eppie Lederer otherwise known as Ann Landers and her daughter Margo.

        The book is interesting in a kind of enquiring mind sort of way.  If you take the time to compare the public, and the private person; it is somewhat interesting to see the contradictory sides of Ann Landers.  She was a woman who many held up, as a paragon of virtue, for knowing exactly what to do, and when & how to do it, through her daily newspaper columns.

         In a way, this is an un-official biography of both women…as the letters were written about every day events in both of their lives.

         This book, A Life In Letters, was copyrighted in 2003 and it was published by Warner Books, Inc.

           As a star in television, she had an intense effect on the American families.  She was accused of being communist and almost ended her career in Hollywood because of the accusations.  She and Desi Arnaz were not a conventional married couple during the 1940′s.  He was from Cuba and she was definately not from Cuba.  She had a career when most women did not.  They didn’t have children for many years.   Their backgrounds were completely at odds; and, so it seemed were their versions of what a marriage should be.

        Still, the combination of their skills,talents, and desires were to mix in such a successful way that their need to be together in life and in business could not be denied.   Lucy trail-blaized the way for future, female comics.  She was a wonder of entertainment with her innate sense of timing setting up gags in such a way to make the audience return week after week.  She was able to use her mind, and her body to elicite laughs like no other female person during this time. 

         The book covers all of the difficulties and challenges such a clash of cultures, and expectations could produce.  It also shows us, the behind the scenes of achievement and the cost that comes from being driven to be successful.

         The personal side of their family is both intriguing and bittersweet.  The many miscarriages;  Desi’s  love of family and yet his need to see women on the side, jealousies, professional/financial limitations, chance meetings with people who could and would influence their destinies, the birth of their children, the neglect of their children’s need for more time with their parents and the success of their television show and the Desilu Studio create so much drama it is amazing that even though they divorce and marry others…their love continues to endure their difficulties until death.

          It was a little eye- opening to discover that the woman that we welcomed into our lives growing up wasn’t always zany and laughing. She could be moody and difficult.   She was a complex woman dealing with many layers of success and dissapointments.  She was a perfectionist who demanded total and complete obedience and yet was submissive in many ways to Desi and his controlling ways.  In other aspects, she was unbending.  It was often forgiven, as she was usually on the money with what she asked for regarding her show.  She hated aging and was very unhappy professionally during her remaining years after the end of her show biz career.

           The book is fascinating and definately worth the time it takes to read it from cover to cover.  It was copyrighted in 2003 and was published by Alfred A. Knopf 

         It was fascinating to me to learn the stories behind the two very famous songs written about her by two very creative, talented and complex men; both men loved her and neglected her and eventually lost her.

          She writes of a lifetime of sorting out the experiences she had during this turbulent time with both men as well as eventually understanding the choices she made and why she made them.  She seems very open about her chaotic childhood.   Her childhood patterns of having to subject herself to the whims of those around her seem to have set the stage for her adulthood relationships. 

           She was a woman of accomplishment in her own right in the field of modeling during her courtship with George Harrison of the Beatles fame.  She allowed herself to give up the only defining thing to her independence and only later understood the sacrifice to her emotional well-being. 

          Feeling the pull of attraction during a low period in her marriage to George who she refers to as her soul mate…she gives in to temptation.  Pattie then found herself in a relationship with Eric only to be lost in a sea of alcoholic addiction and neglect. 

          Years later, understanding what it cost her…she, at times, both regrets and holds dear, the memories that came from  walking away from her marriages.  She has lived an interesting life.

           I very much enjoyed stepping into Patties thoughts as she worked her way through her life with her friends, family and famous lovers. She sheds a bright light into the relationship of the fab four during the highs and lows of their glittering careers.