Arts & Literature Books - Page 12

Grace After Midnight: A Memoir

Felicia Pearson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

While Felicia is a brilliant actor in a truly chilling role, what's most remarkable about "Snoop" is what she has overcome in her life. Snoop was born a three-pound cross-eyed crack baby in East Baltimore. Those streets are among the toughest in the world, but Snoop was tougher. The runt of the ghetto showed an early aptitude for drug slinging and violence and thrived as a baby gangsta until she landed in Jessup state penitentiary after killing a woman in self-defense. There she rebelled violently against the system, and it was only through the cosmic intervention of her mentor, Uncle Loney, that she turned her life around. A couple of years ago, Snoop was discovered in a nightclub by one of The Wire's cast members and quickly recruited to be one of television's most frightening and intriguing villians.

While the story of coming up from the hood has been told by Antwone Fisher and Chris Gardner, among others, Snoop's tale goes far deeper into The Life than any previous books. And like Mary Karr's story, Snoop's is a woman's story from a fresh point of view. She defied traditional conventions of gender and sexual preference on the hardest streets in America and she continues to do so in front of millions of viewers on TV.

Fabulosity: What It Is & How to Get It

Kimora Lee Simmons

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Fabulosity (n): 1: a state of everything that is fabulous 2: a quality ascribed to that which expresses glamour, style, charisma, power, and heart

Kimora Lee Simmons knows what it means to have fabulosity -- and she wants to tell you how to get it.

In this empowering new book, Kimora -- a top model, wife of hip-hop legend Russell Simmons, mother to two daughters, a national media presence, and president and creative director of the multimillion-dollar Baby Phat company -- shares her personal secrets of success and fabulosity.

Kimora knows that in today's ultracompetitive world, it's not enough for women just to be smart or dress well. With too much to do and competition everywhere, the savvy woman must know how to combine feminine glamour with professional power, business ambition with personal values, and confidence with heart. Kimora is the living picture of all these things.

What are Kimora's secrets to achieving her goals, her signature fabulosity? One is her ability to identify and build upon her own unique talents and strengths. In Kimora's case, she brilliantly combined the two worlds she knows best -- the high fashion and hip-hop scenes -- to create Baby Phat, her ultrasuccessful hip-hop inspired lifestyle brand.

How do you uncover and develop your own special talents? Kimora shares her step-by-step guide to achieving your wildest dreams, including her 16 laws of success, which cover everything you need to become the woman you want to be.

Whether you're college-educated or street smart, just starting out or at the top of your game, Fabulosity has something to say to you. Learn how to cultivate Power, Independence, Confidence, and Positivity in everything you do, whether it's finding Mr. Right, snagging that corner office, or rocking the latest fashion trend. Packed with useful lessons and Kimora's personal tips, this book will be your instruction manual to empowering yourself, turning your individual talents into permanent success, and unleashing your inner fabulosity.

The Writing Life

Annie Dillard

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Annie Dillard has spent a lot of time in remote, bare-bones shelters doing something she claims to hate: writing. Slender though it is, The Writing Life richly conveys the torturous, tortuous, and in rare moments, transcendent existence of the writer. Even for Dillard, whose prose is so mellifluous as to seem effortless, the act of writing can seem a Sisyphean task: "When you write," she says, "you lay out a line of words.... Soon you find yourself deep in new territory. Is it a dead end, or have you located the real subject? You will know tomorrow or this time next year." Amid moving accounts of her own writing (and life) experiences, Dillard also manages to impart wisdom to other writers, wisdom having to do with passion and commitment and taking the work seriously. "One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place.... Something more will arise for later, something better." And, if that is not enough, "Assume you write for an audience consisting solely of terminal patients," she says. "That is, after all, the case.... What could you say to a dying person that would not enrage by its triviality?"

This all makes The Writing Life seem a dense, tough read, but that is not the case at all. Dillard is, after all, human, just like the rest of us. During one particularly frantic moment, four cups of coffee and not much writing down, Dillard comes to a realization: "Many fine people were out there living, people whose consciences permitted them to sleep at night despite their not having written a decent sentence that day, or ever." --Jane Steinberg

Story of My Life

Jay McInerney

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Sex and Drugs and the City 4 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Halfway through reading this book, I had to remind myself that I was reading a novel by Jay McInerney and not a female author. McInerney captures the voice, personality and hang-ups of Alison Poole so well that it's as though the novel is a transcription of an audio tape. Very few authors have been able to pull a feat like this off so convincingly (I'm thinking Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone") but then, McInerney is also the guy who made me love a novel written in the second person, so I shouldn't be too surprised.

McInerney's characters are believable and his New York singles scene still resonates after nearly twenty years. Sure people have cell phones now, but that doesn't mean Alison wouldn't face just as many answering machines (or voicemails) today as she did then; she'd just be calling a lot more and things would be even more frustrating. Story of her life. I'm surprised that this novel hasn't received better press; I hadn't even heard of it until I spotted it in a bookstore but it sure goes against the popular myth that McInerney was just a one hit wonder. "Story of My Life" is a worthy follow-up.

One complaint: I think that the ending of the novel is a bit too abrupt and somewhat of a cop-out, as though the author had written himself into a corner and wasn't quite sure where to go from there. Up until then, I was so into Alison and her crazy world that when she reaches a dead end, I was let down. Don't let that deter you from checking out this novel though; it's a look into an urban scene that's in the past but at the same time hasn't really changed at all.

Editorial Review:

In his breathlessly paced new novel Jay McInerney revisits the nocturnal New York of Bright Lights, Big City. Alison Poole, twenty going on 40,000, is a budding actress already fatally well versed in hopping the clubs, shopping Chanel falling in and out of, lust, and abusing other people's credit cards. As Alison races toward emotional breakdown, McInerney gives us a hilarious yet oddly touching portrait of a postmodern Holly Golightly coming to terms with a world in which everything is permitted and nothing really matters.

Kirby: King of Comics

Mark Evanier

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This isn't a comprehensive biography of Jack Kirby, but it's an exceptionally well-done overview of his career 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Read this in an evening. Well-researched (the author was an assistant of Kirby's in the late '60s and early '70s), well-organized and well-illustrated. This isn't a comprehensive biography of Jack Kirby, but it's an exceptionally well-done overview of his career. Only complaint: I would have enjoyed seeing more examples of Kirby's non-comics projects, such as his production designs for the never-produced adaptation of "Lord of Light".

Editorial Review:

Jack Kirby created or co-created some of comic books’ most popular characters including Captain America, The X-Men, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, The Mighty Thor, Darkseid, and The New Gods. More significantly, he created much of the visual language for fantasy and adventure comics. There were comics before Kirby, but for the most part their page layout, graphics, and visual dynamic aped what was being done in syndicated newspaper strips. Almost everything that was different about comic books began in the forties on the drawing table of Jack Kirby. This is his story by one who knew him well—the authorized celebration of the one and only “King of Comics” and his groundbreaking work.

“I don’t think it’s any accident that . . . the entire Marvel universe and the entire DC universe are all pinned or rooted on Kirby’s concepts.” —Michael Chabon

Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic

Martha Beck

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Total reviews: 191 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Expecting Adam is an autobiographical tale of an academically oriented Harvard couple who conceive a baby with Down's syndrome and decide to carry him to term. Despite everything Martha Beck and her husband John know about themselves and their belief system, when Martha gets accidentally pregnant and the fetus is discovered to have Down's syndrome, the Becks find they cannot even consider abortion. The presence of the fetus that they each, privately, believe is a familiar being named Adam is too strong. As Martha's terribly difficult pregnancy progresses, odd coincidences and paranormal experiences begin to occur for both Martha and John, though for months they don't share them with each other. Martha's pregnancy and Adam (once born) become the catalyst for tremendous life changes for the Becks.

Focusing primarily on the pregnancy but floating back and forth between the present and recent and distant past, Martha Beck's well-written, down-to-earth, funny, heart-rending, and tender book transcends the cloying tone of much spiritual literature. Beck is trained as a methodical academician. Because of her step-by-step explanation of her own progress from doubt to belief, she feels like a reliable witness, and even the most skeptical readers may begin to doubt their senses. When she describes an out-of-body experience, we, too, feel ourselves transported to a pungent, noisy hawker center in Singapore. We, too, feel calming, invisible, supporting hands when she falls. Yet, whether or not readers believe in Beck's experiences is ultimately a moot point. There is no doubt that Adam--a boy who sees the world as a series of connections between people who love each other--is a tremendous gift to Beck, her family, and all who have the honor of knowing him. --Ericka Lutz

Hiding in Hip Hop: On the Down Low in the Entertainment Industry--from Music to Hollywood

Terrance Dean

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

It's ok.....I guess (not) 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I have this book and I haven't finished it yet. It's pretty much about one mans struggle with what is so obvious (that he is so gay). It's pretty frustrating because he goes back and fourth so much. Then there is a point where he is only with men and describing his sex adventures. Then there is the whole spirituality struggle that he is dealing with. This book so far has really upset me with how much denial this person is in and everyone who he describes in his book. They surely don't care about the what they are doing to the black community by being on the "down low". I mean seriously if your mother and little brother had HIV/AIDS I don't think that you would be out here living this secret life, just because you want to be selfish. Like I said though I haven't finished this book and from what I hear I am only in the beginning of this book (page 123) this is still day one but I doubt I will finish it just as I tried to read that other DL book.

Editorial Review:

Everyone wants to know the truth about their favorite celebrities' heart's desire. Within the masculine culture of Hip Hop and Hollywood, there is a well-known gay subculture that industry insiders are keenly aware of but choose to hide. Terrance Dean worked his way up for more than ten years in the entertainment industry from intern to executive, and has lived the life of glitz and bling along with Hollywood and Hip Hop's most glamorous. With a family full of secrets and working in an industry founded on maleness -- where one's job, friendships, and reputation all depend on remaining on the down low and in hiding -- Dean writes a revealing account of the journey of coming out from hiding.

Full of startling anecdotes and incredible true stories, Hiding in Hip Hop is not a traditional tell-all. A personal and poignant memoir, it is also one of the most provocative and honest looks at stardom and sexuality.

Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography

Andrew Morton

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Total reviews: 130 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

1992: Andrew Morton showed a Princess in a light we had never seen before--Diana: Her True Story became a #1 New York Times bestseller.

1999: Andrew Morton revealed the young woman behind the blue dress--Monica’s Story was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

January 15, 2008: Andrew Morton uncovers the true story of the biggest celebrity of our age.

Everyone knows Tom Cruise---or at least what he wants us to know. We know that he overcame a difficult childhood to star in astonishing array of blockbusters: Top Gun, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July, A Few Good Men, Interview with the Vampire, Jerry Maguire, three Mission: Impossible movies, War of the Worlds, and more. We know he has taken artistic chances, too, and as a result has earned three Academy Award nominations and three Golden Globes, along with the respect of acting legends like Paul Newman and Dustin Hoffman.
After that, the picture becomes a little less clear. We know that Tom is a Scientologist, but not necessarily what that means in his life. We know that, despite persistent rumors about his sexuality, he has been married to Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes. But it was not until the spring of 2005, when he jumped on Oprah’s couch to proclaim his love for Katie and denounced Brooke Shields for turning to the “Nazi science” of psychiatry, that we began to realize how much we didn’t know about the charming, hardworking star.
For two years, award-winning biographer Andrew Morton has been tirelessly seeking out everyone from former teachers and girlfriends to Scientology insiders to friends who have watched a once-bullied, “nothing special” outsider transform himself into an icon Forbes has called the most powerful celebrity in the world Here, with never-seen photos and never-heard revelations, is a riveting, sometimes shocking portrait of the real Tom Cruise---his work, his love life, his marriages, his religion---from a master at uncovering the true story behind the public face of celebrity.

Leave the Building Quickly: True Stories (P.S.)

Cynthia Kaplan

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Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Buy this book... now 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Cynthia Kaplan is funny. But that's almost besides the point. She's reflective and thoughtful. While you're laughing, in your mind's eye you can picture exactly what she's describing... and why... and how it applies to you and your life. Wise readers would buy everything that she writes. And read it many times.

Editorial Review:

Cynthia Kaplan, acclaimed author of Why I'm Like This, once again casts her gimlet eye upon the current state of her affairs. Also of your affairs, and some other people's affairs as well. Journey with her as she humiliates herself in a variety of locales and fearlessly takes on all the important issues of the day—including her family, intelligent design, Narnia, and New England's deer population.

Leave the Building Quickly is a hilarious, moving, bitingly honest, take-no-prisoners incursion into the kind of real-life daily circumstances that inspire us to crouch in the linen closet at three in the morning. But that's okay because Kaplan's there, too. And she's brought snacks.

Sounds of the River: A Young Man's University Days in Beijing

Da Chen

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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

University Life - Beijing Style 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I really enjoyed this whimsical memoir of the intellectual and social journey of a young man from the countryside of southern China as makes his way through university life in the big city, and through the years after the end of the Cultural Revolution in China. It is the only memoir of university life of this type that I have encountered so far in the course of a lot of reading about China, and the only one that describes university life in China so well. It has been very interesting to see aspects of university life that we know in a different and western context, in a country and time that are so very different from ours in the U.S.

Editorial Review:

In this "equally beguiling sequel to his acclaimed memoir, Colors of the Mountain" (Kirkus Reviews), teenager Da Chen takes his first train ride away from the farm he was raised on to his new university life in Beijing. He soon faces a host of ghastly challenges, including poor living conditions, lack of food, and suicidal roommates. Undaunted by these hurdles, and armed with a dogged determination to learn English and "all things Western," he competes to win a chance to study in America -- a chance that rests in the shrewd and corrupt hands of the almighty professors.

Poetic, hilarious, and heartbreaking, Sounds of the River is a gloriously written coming-of-age saga that chronicles a remarkable journey -- a travelogue of the heart.