Book In Review

This Time Together, Laughter and Reflection, written by Carol Burnett is a wonderful written part of her autobiography.  I’ve read her earlier book and enjoyed it immensely;  she writes with authenticity and sensitivity.  Her book leaves you feeling like you knew her all along… she is funny, smart and caring.

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.

Kitty Kelley who is known for writing what is considered to be negative, tell all, biographies has written one about America’s warm and fuzzy television talk show icon, Oprah.  While this biography is very different from her other biographies in that she doesn’t disclose any real big powerful career fireworks; it still is an eye opener for the reader who expects that they know all about the subject of the book, Oprah.

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.

     Have you ever read a book that was filled with so much introspection that you felt as if you were invading the writer’s right to privacy?  At first I felt that way while reading; Orange Is The New Black-My Year In A Women’s Prison; then, I decided to experience the book in a manner in which I felt that it was written.  I believe it was written in such a way as to educate, inspire, encourage and to challenge those who read it to understand that everyone who goes to prison is human and has value.

      Often I think society tends to think of those in prison as people who are unworthy of consideration; after all, they did the crime and they must do the time, right?  Lock ’em up and throw away the key until they have served their time, right?  Well, part of that is true in the sense that criminal behavior must have consequences otherwise we would become a world of continual chaos with little accountability for our behaviors.  However, what many people dismiss or never even consider is that there are so many layers of issues that cause a person to do the things that they do to find themselves in the position of becoming incarcerated at all.  Not everyone who ends up in prison is hopeless or unworthy of a future of freedom; even though there are some prisoners who should not again be turned loose on society.

        Then, also consider this…for each person incarcerated; there is a mother/father/sister/brother/son/daughter/aunt/uncle/cousin/grandparent/                         friend/neighbor, etc who is affected by what takes place when a person they care about enters the prison system.

         A prisoner’s world is turned upside down when their basic freedoms are taken from them.  Rules and expectations are different; and relationships must be forged with strangers out of necessity, in what is probably the most stressful time in that person’s life, just to be able to survive their prison term.  Fear, frustration and anger are part of the package as well as loneliness and shame.  How a person chooses to proceed can affect the rest of their life.  Do they keep former relationships alive or close off to those people who knew them before prison?  Should they form friendships with other prisoners or try to be invisible?  How long is their prison term and how do they best navigate all of the changes in their life once they  have been convicted?

          It is no small thing to maintain a relationship with someone who is behind bars.  After all, there are limited opportunities to visit in person, talk on the phone, exchange letters with one another.  Add to that, someone has to “hold down the fort” no matter how long that person is jailed.  Life never stops changing and that includes children who grow up, people within relationships with the prisoner who become ill, pass away, or are hospitalized.  Don’t forget the financial hardship on innocent family members who must struggle to maintain a place to live, jobs, child rearing, pay legal fees, and handle all things pertinent to paying the bills and helping everyone “left behind” as they struggle with the emotional implications of having a loved one incarcerated.

        I think Piper Kerman does a fine job of shining a light on all of these facets of life, and more, when a person is convicted of a crime.  Of course her book is about her experience as she went through the system.  How decisions she made as a young women impacted her future with her friends, family and future mate.  The shame, the frustration, the acceptance of her fate as well as her determination to make the best of the prison time by learning what she could from the experience and turning it into a personal development of sorts.

         While her journey into this phase of her life is not something I would recommend to a person searching for a deeper understanding of the criminal justice system and it’s impact on American society; I would recommend this book to anyone who wants, or needs, to know how to navigate the most challenging shock to the loss of freedom when they or a loved one is facing a prison term.

          Piper’s book is the next best thing for learning from the experience besides having to go through it personally.  I think it is an eye- opening book, and one definitely worth reading.  I will warn you that there is some rough language in places…however, because of the nature of the book; I would expect most people could understand the context of it’s use.  This book will challenge you to think about how you view the prison system and those who are a part of it. 

             You can learn more about Piper here on her website: http://piperkerman.com/ and her book was published , in 2010, by Spiegel and Grau, which is an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group.

     Michigan- The Great Lakes State is a book written for children; however, I think many adults will find this short book about the state of Michigan to be fascinating.  The short book, a mere 24 pages, is part of the Our Amazing States Series from PowerKids Press.  It was written by Tika Downey; published in 2010, and covers a variety of subjects.

      The book starts off talking about the fact that Michigan has two different peninsulas; often people only think of the upper portion of the state as a peninsula.  The state of Michigan is surrounded by water, thus it is a state that is divided into two portions and both halfs are considered to be peninsulas.   There is information on how Detroit got it’s nickname of Motown.

       Michigan is rich in history and this book doesn’t cheat you from discovering some of that richness.  There is information on explorers, Native American tribes, the Underground Railroad, sand dunes, rivers, lakes, mountains and wildlife. 

         An important thing to know about Michigan is what it contributes to the rest of the country by way of manufactering, farming, forestry and tourism.  The book discusses those things and also gives you ideas of things to do for fun and learning in Michigan.  For instance, did you know that Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state in America?  There are over 120 of them according to this book.  I find that information to be fascinating. 

          Many famous people were born or raised in Michigan including presidents of the United States Of America, athletes, writers, and inventors.  There is much to learn between the covers of this book and you will enjoy the pictures as well.   I highly recommend this book for children from ages 5-13 and adults as well.

      This mid-sized children’s book, Help Your Parents Save The Planet, is just the right size for young readers to wrap their hands and their hearts around.  The subject is all about its 50 simple ways to go green now.    The book was written by Gregory Rutty and all of the photographs are by Shutterstock.  It was copyrighted in 2009 by Play Bac Publishing USA, Inc.  What I absolutely love about this book is that it is very hands on in it’s ideas for kids to make a difference in the world just by the choices that they make in their everyday life.

       For instance, I like the fact that they cover what kinds of things can be done in the kitchen.  Children are smart and they get to thinking about those ideas (they are contagious you know); once the ball gets rolling…they come up with some pretty smart ideas of their own.  Here the book talks about making better choices when shopping for groceries or even the items that we use to serve our meals and snack.   Household chores are discussed and really teach about making the most of conserving water while doing dishes.  Opening up a dialog with children about using real dishes instead of toss away, like paper or styrofoam, products shows children that even simple choices can impact the world and save money. Read the rest of this entry…

      The Talent Show was written by Dan Gutman who just happens to also be the author of  the children’s book, The Homework Machine.  He writes children’s books with a wonderful gift of knowing what makes a kid tick.  The Talent Show is all about kids coming together to save their town, Cape Bluff, Kansas after it is destroyed by a tornado.

      I like how he lays out the story of what each child is doing when the tornado hits.  Then he delves into the chaotic world of the adults who are stumped on how to overcome the despair that comes with the responsibility of rebuilding a town which has seen disaster more than once.  As the adults are brainstorming ideas on how to go about financing the rebirth of their town and their personal lives…one adult has a crazy idea. 

       That idea just happens to be putting together a talent show.  When that crazy idea is compared to the other crazy idea…well, let’s just say that the crazy idea of a tallent show…suddenly becomes very popular.  Not only that, but kids become empowered and energized and so do the adults.  Everyone pitches in to make it a success.  Each child discovers things about themselves and their friends that they never knew.

        Of course, as the town gets behind the talent show and it’s efforts to raise money for the school library, that’s lost all of it’s books in the tornado, trouble brews behind the scenes.  Characters and personal integrity are revealed and friendships are strengthened and lost in the process.  What I like about Dan’s book is that if one pays attention; lessons on positive personal development can be put to good use.  Discovering our own strengths and weaknesses and learning how to encourage positive self- growth and diminish the negative qualities we possess, can be very enlightening. 

        If you want to learn more about the writer Dan Gutman or his books check out his website here:  http://www.dangutman.com .   This book, The Talent Show was published in 2010 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.   I would say that this book is ideal for kids 7-12 years old.

      This wonderful children’s picture book, ICE CREAM- How Did That Get To My Table, explains the process of manufacturing to curious readers who are beginning to understand the world around them.  The pictures in this book are excellent.  They are colorful and pleasing to the eye.

       The text of the book explains in real language that doesn’t talk down to a child.  The book was written by Pam Rosenberg and she does a wonderful job of answering the question of how the end product, ice cream, goes from raw product, to the wonderful delight on the desert wish list of most children. 

       Through both mouth watering pictures and words designed to lead from one thought concept to another about what has to happen to turn milk into ice cream…the reader is left with an understanding of how that happens. 

        I like that Pam Rosenberg inspires the reader to ask questions of those people in the everyday life of the reader who may play a part in a manufacturing process.   Those people may include a farmers who produce raw products, to a trucker who delivers raw or finished products, to a factory worker who works on an assembly line or, maybe even a grocery worker who stocks the product, or a cashier who sells the ice cream.

       I like the fact that this book also has a list of glossary terms to help young readers understand words that may not be in their vocabulary as well as a page of websites and other resources on the subject.  There are 24 pages and the reading level is for children grades 2-4. 

        Those examples in manufacturing open the eyes of a child to the world around them…not only for ice cream products; but , also to open their eyes to other manufactured products, and jobs or potential careers that may be in their future.

          This children’s picture book was published by: http://www.cherrylakepublishing.com  in Ann Arbor, Michigan; copyrighted in 2010. 

       Saving Cicadas is a wonderful work of fiction about a single mom who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant.  Woven throughout the book are some great illustrations of the complexity of families and relationships.  Our emotions often get the best of us and we sometimes don’t see past those emotions to learn the life lessons that we are meant to learn while we are here on earth. 

        This novel explores so many subjects that it is hard to imagine how they could all be woven so expertly into the story line without feeling like you are ticking off a list; however, the author skillfully does so.    Saving Cicadas shares with us an adult unplanned pregnancy, we learn of a teenaged pregnancy, an estrangement from parents in a time of need, we get a window into what it is like for a parent to deal with life’s ups and downs while parenting a special needs child.   Along with those issues we get exposed to the consequences of relationship failures and how they not only impact those in the intimate relationship; but also, into other peripheral relationships and how they are affected.   This story explores the raising of children without fathers, it dives into adoption, abortion, abandonment, and the complicated layers of influence that religion plays on our decisions and our choices in our daily lives.

         There are some definite artistic licenses taken with traditional Christian beliefs when it comes to exploring the concept of angels and the limits, or lack there of, that they play in our earthly lives.   The line between our physical selves and our spiritual selves is explored too.    I love how the story line explores the ramifications of what would have, should have, or could have been, in regards to the life of the unborn who’s lives were terminated through abortion.  This may be a hard read for those who have been touched by abortion.  However, the book also underscores the power of repentence and forgiveness which is exactly what scripture promises to those who truly seek it.

          All in all, this book is a life affirming book which I believe makes it worth the time and emotional energy that the reader expends while unfolding the storyline.  It is a good book and I like that the author takes the time to write questions at the end of the book which helps guide the reader’s feelings and understanding of the different areas of thought on these subjects. 

            The author is Nicole Seitz and the book was published in 2010 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.   The publisher’s website can be found here:  http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/  and here is the author’s website:  http://www.nicoleseitz.com/