“The Great Taos Bank Robbery and Other Indian Country Affairs”

  By Tony Hillerman

 

2011 Book Review #108

Summary from back cover

The two inept bandits who staged the Great Taos Bank Robbery got away, though empty-handed -- and ended up panhandling downtown, somehow overlooked by the police hunting them everywhere else. They thus entered the annals of local lore -- along with the Great Flood of 1935, a three-day drizzle that caused an epidemic of leaky adobe roofs in the usually arid Taos.

These stranger-than-fiction true stories are from master storyteller Tony Hillerman's own collection of favorite anecdotes.  Reading the stories himself, he captures the quirky character of Taos and other areas of New Mexico as only a loving resident… and great writer… could, skillfully using regional tales to comment wryly on the most universal of human foibles.

My Thoughts:  Hillerman tells short stories about the area of Taos and the Navaho with humor and affection.  I listened to the audiobook which is only 90 minutes long.  Love Hillerman and his tales!

"A Moveable Feast"   
     by Ernest Hemingway

2011 Book Review #22

Summary: 

Published posthumously in 1964, A Moveable Feast remains one of Ernest Hemingway's most beloved works. 

It is his classic memoir of Paris in the 1920s, filled with irreverent portraits of other expatriate luminaries such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein; tender memories of his first wife, Hadley; and insightful recollections of his own early experiments with his craft. 

It is a literary feast, brilliantly evoking the exuberant mood of Paris after World War I and the youthful spirit, unbridled creativity, and unquenchable enthusiasm that Hemingway himself epitomized.  

My Thought:  I found this book interesting in a quite and charming way.  Hemingway makes it easy to picture life during that period of time.

An Amazing True Story:
"same kind of different as me"  
by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent

2011 Book Review # 17

This is a true story written by two men, one black, one white.  One a homeless, ex-sharecropper held under plantation-style slavery until he fled Alabama in the 1960s…the other, a self made, very wealthy, art dealer whose Christian Mission wife was responsible for their meeting.

It is not just the story of how they met, but, about the “forever” friendship they formed and how they each changed the life of the other.  The story begins in the 1950’s and continues thru present day.

A simply written story, it serves to remind us of how we have the ability to affect everyone we meet.

I have a hard time explaining why I liked this book so much, but, I did!  I couldn’t put it down!  I highly recommend it to everyone!

“In a Heartbeat”   

by Leigh Anne & Sean Tuohy  

with Sally Jenkins

Review # 183

Those familiar with the film or Michael Lewis's best-selling book, “The Blind Side”, will already know the inspiring story of how the Tuohys took future, NFL star Michael Oher, into their home and adopted him. So, what more is there to say about it, the answer is… plenty!

In “In a Heartbeat” the Tuohys attempt to explain their philosophy of “cheerful giving” and what it was that made them reach out to the homeless African-American boy they saw walking down the street in a t-shirt and shorts on a winter's day.  Leigh Anne and Sean have known tough times themselves and, as a result,  have put themselves on the lookout for troubled kids and others in need of help all around them. They may be millionaires now, but, they have not always been and they have never forgotten the help that came their way when they needed it.

This book is an in-depth look at the Tuohy family and the dynamics of their lives.  With Jenkins's help they write with humor about their quirks and the joy that Michael brought to their family, finally arriving at the belief that "we can all change people's lives by investing time in individuals."

I found this book inspiring and fun…couldn’t put it down!

“Devil’s Knot: the True Story of the West Memphis Three”

By MARA LEVERITT
Review #138

On the evening of May 5, 1993, in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas, three eight-year-old boys disappeared. The next afternoon, all three of the boys’ bodies were found submerged in a nearby stream. The boys had been bound from ankle to wrist with their own shoelaces and severely beaten.

The crime scene and forensic evidence were mishandled, but a probation officer directed the police toward Damien Echols, a youth with a troubled home life, anti-authoritarian attitudes and admiration for the "Goth" and Wiccan subcultures. Amid rumors of satanic cult activity, investigators browbeat Jesse Misskelley, a mentally challenged 16-year-old acquaintance of Echols, into providing a wildly inconsistent confession that he'd helped Echols and a third teen, Jason Baldwin, assault the boys.

All three boys were convicted on the basis of Misskelley's dubious statements and such "evidence" as Echols's fondness for William Blake and Stephen King. The oldest boy, 18, was sentenced to death.

In this book, Arkansas Times investigative reporter, Mara Leveritt, explores the murder convictions, (the subject of two HBO documentaries). The book is arranged chronologically, from the crime through the trial, and dispassionately dissects the prosecution's case against the three teens. Leveritt interviewed the principals, reviewed the police file and trial transcripts, and leads the reader to conclude from her exhaustive research (430 footnotes) that the case was botched, improperly based on a single confession from a retarded youth and the defendants' alleged ties to satanic rituals.

All three ‘boys’ are still in prison. A group to “Free the West Memphis Three” has been actively trying to get them out of prison for years. The authorities continue to ignore them.

Well written in descriptive language, the book is an indictment of a culture and legal system that failed to protect children as defendants or victims. Leveritt, also suggests an alternative suspect: one victim's stepfather, who had a history of domestic violence, yet was seemingly shielded by authorities because he was a drug informant for local investigators.

“Lives of the Artists” by Kathleen Krull

Masterpieces, Messes and (What the Neighbors Thought)

Family reading for ages 10 and up.



Review #134

The 20 artists discussed are:

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519),
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564),
Peter Bruegel (1525?-1569),
Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625),
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669),
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849),
Mary Cassatt (1845-1926),
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890),
Kathe Kollwitz (1867-1945),
Henri Matisse (1869-1954),
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973),
Marc Chagall (1887-1985),
Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968),
Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986),
William H. Johnson (1901-1970),
Salvador Dali (1904-1989),
Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988),
Diego Rivera (1886-1957),
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954),
Andy Warhol (1928-1987).

This is a short book with mini-biographies that focus on the subjects' personal lives and eccentricities rather than chronologies of their masterpieces. A few notes on major artworks follow each biography.

Each chapter begins with one of Illustrator Kathryn Hewitt's distinctive portrait paintings, handsome caricatures of the artists and a few significant or distinctive objects indicating their interests and individual traits.

I’m way over 10 and still found this book to be very interesting!
Basically, I think the book will encourage younger persons to want to read more about the artists.

“Strange Tribe” by John Hemingway

A Hemingway Family Memoir



Review #133
This is the story of a famous family plagued by tragedy.

The author, grandson of Nobel Prize winner Ernest Hemingway, and son of his youngest child, Gregory, investigates the similarities between these two paternal figures and seeks to find his place in their "strange tribe with a famous last name".

The book does much to complicate Ernest's image as a macho man, cataloguing both his dependence on women and his gender-bending proclivities. However, the true heart of the book is in exploring the Hemingways’ failure as parents and how the familial disposition toward manic-depression created a genetic "Hemingway curse". The author, having escaped the disease, paints his father and grandfather in blunt strokes as loving and generous men who had little understanding of their psychological disorder.

The most endearing and comprehensive portrait is of his father's struggles as a transvestite son of a "pillar of American manhood." (Gregory surgically became a woman and died of heart failure in a Miami women's jail in 2001.) When describing his own parents' early neglect (his mother was schizophrenic) and, later, his partial reconciliation with his father, the book focuses on the author's generation of Hemingways. But, mostly, the book is intent upon setting the record straight about Ernest, his youngest son and their similarities.

In his twenties, John moved to Italy to find his way and now lives with his wife and two children in Spain working as a writer and translator.

A very interesting book!

“Seldom Disappointed” by Tony Hillerman

Review #129

A memoir of Tony Hillerman, who has brought the Southwest and Navajo Nation culture alive for millions of readers through his mysteries starring Navajo Tribal Police Officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee.

The most frequently asked question of Hillerman is this: How did an Anglo-Saxon man come to know so much about the Navajos? This compelling autobiography is Hillerman's answer to that question. It is also a testimony to a toughened optimism and resiliency. The title of this book comes from his mother's favorite saying: "Blessed are those who expect little. They are seldom disappointed."

As Hillerman looks over his years, from his growing up during the Great Depression/Great Dust Bowl in Oklahoma, through his tour in World War II, through wire-service journalism and academia and, finally, through his experiences as a novelist, he casts himself as a character whose many fiascoes have always contained hidden blessings. Perhaps the most terrifying moment in this whole memoir is when Hillerman's first agent tells him, in 1969, to "get rid of the Indian stuff" in his first novel.

This is an autobiography as clear-eyed and entertaining as any of the author's mysteries.

NOTE: I listened to the audio book read by the author himself. I love Tony Hillerman’s book writing…his book reading…not so much! I suggest YOU READ the book yourself.

"Here’s the Deal…                                       Don’t Touch Me!” 
by HOWIE MANDEL

Review #125 
A Memoir

In this reflective autobiography, written with extraordinary honesty and passion. Actor, comedian and game show host, Howie Mandel, alternates between funny anecdotes and stories of intense personal problems. He opens with a description of his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the situations in his Toronto childhood that shaped his comedy career. On top of the OCD, Mandel also has Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and a severe germ phobia.

Early in his life, Mandel developed what he calls "Obsessive Prankster Disorder," a need to stage elaborate practical jokes, some amusing…some not so amusing…some would even say cruel at times! (Ex: He was expelled from high school for impersonating a member of the school board and signing a construction company to make an addition to his school.) Mandel also describes how mental disorders and medical crises have impacted his career, and balances his triumphs with lengthy surveys of failed performances.

In 1980, after appearing in local comedy clubs for a couple of years and, despite little other experience, Mandel left Canada for Los Angeles to pursue stand-up comedy, where he eventually moved from the clubs to cable specials, an album and numerous late-night talk show appearances, success he parlayed into film roles and a 6-year stint on NBC hospital drama, “St. Elsewhere”. He had several TV shows before being asked to host “Deal or No Deal” in 2005. He is also, a panelist judge on the "America Has Talent" TV program.

This is an interesting book even though there were times when I didn't like HIM very much!
Warning: This book contains language and a few references you may find offensive.

(The audio book is read by Howie Mandel…in 4 hours)

“How Starbucks Saved My Life” by Michael Gates Gill

The inspiring story of a man who had it all, lost it all and found it again where he least expected to…at Starbucks!

Review #122
A Memoir

Michael Gates Gill, the son of New Yorker writer Brendan Gill, was born into privilege and grew up meeting the likes of Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, Queen Elizabeth, T. S. Eliot, and Jackie Onassis, just to name a few. A Yale education led to a high-powered advertising career at prestigious J. Walter Thompson Advertising right out of college.

But, at age 53, Gill has become ‘too old’ for JWT’s ‘image’ and is downsized. On top of that, an ill-advised affair has resulted in a son (his 5th child) and a divorce. At age 63, his entire life has gone sour…he has been diagnosed with a slow growing brain tumor and his business is collapsing.

Despairing at the prospect of looming poverty, he stops at a Manhattan Starbucks to comfort himself with what he thinks may be his last latte. By chance he meets Crystal, a young African American woman recruiting new workers for the coffee giant. She jokingly asks him if he is looking for a job. Almost as an act of desperation, he says yes!

Several weeks later, he dons the uniform of a barista-in-training at an Upper West Side Starbucks. Gill, who is white, gets an education in race relations along with the life of a working class Joe. He starts at the bottom...cleaning the bathroom! Over the following months he learns to deeply respect Crystal, to appreciate the mutual support of his coworkers and to genuinely cherish the passing parade of customers, each unique. To his own astonishment, he realizes that he actually looks forward joyfully to every hectic, exhausting workday.

Throughout the book, Gill looks back at the life he lead before Starbucks and projects a number of lessons we could all stand to learn!

I found this book intensely interesting.

(Playaway audion book 7 hours)

"Finding Fish” A Memoir by Antwone Quentin Fisher with Mim Eichler Rivas

Review #113

This is an amazing story of the life of Antwone Fisher (“Fish”) who is now a successful screenwriter and producer in Hollywood.

He was born in prison, lived in foster care for 16 years where, for 14 of those years, he was mentally, physically and sexually abused. At age 16, he was given temporary shelter in a boy’s reform school. He became homeless at age 17…during the golden age of the Black Power movement. At age 18, he joined the Navy and traveled around the world…growing up, finding true friendship, gaining confidence in his abilities and…started to find himself! Leaving the Navy after 11 years, he went to work as a prison guard in Georgia for a few of years (where he met well-known criminals) and later as a guard on Sony’s lot in California (where he met well-known stars).

Eventually, he finds his mother, finds his father’s family (his father was murdered 2 months before he was born), writes his life story which is turned into a movie produced and starred in by Denzil Washington, gets married and has a little girl, Indigo.

This is a very simplistic look at Antwone’s life. How he got through it and all the things that happened to him while he did, is one of the most amazing and facinating stories I have ever read! It will break your heart and it will make you jump for joy!

It is also an unflinching look at the adverse effects foster care can have on a child's life. If you don’t read another book this year, read this one or better yet, listen to it on audio.

I warn you though, it’s filled with offensive language, true to the times and the culture of the times.

Coincidently, after I finished listening to this book on Sunday, I turned the TV on and found the movie, “Antwone Fisher”, playing. I watched and it was a good movie. However, I was very disappointed to find so many inconsistencies with the book and...the story was incomplete. So, even if you have seen the movie, read the book anyway to get the REAL story. Antwone Fisher’s life is so much more interesting than the movie portrays!

“Making Rounds With Oscar” by David Dosa, M.D.

Review #98

Expanded from an essay in The New England Journal of Medicine, this beautifully written, heartwarming memoir centers on Oscar, a seemingly ordinary house cat with the ability to sense when nursing home patients are within hours of dying. Oscar snuggles with the patient and family members until the patient passes. His mere presence at the bedside is viewed by physicians and nursing-home staff as an almost absolute indicator of impending death, considered a blessing because it allows staff members at Steere House to notify families that the end is near and because he provides companionship to those who would otherwise have died alone.

Most of the patients under geriatric doctor. David Dosa's care are in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease, and depictions of Oscar's interactions with them take us into the difficult world faced by their families, friends, and caregivers.

Dosa, ever the scientist, is at first, skeptical. He decides to talk with relatives of some of the patients visited by Oscar and slowly, he starts to concede that there may be something special about this cat. He discovers how powerfully Oscar's mere presence reassures frightened or grieving family. Ultimately, the good doctor realizes that it doesn't matter where Oscar's gift comes from; it's the comfort he brings that's important. Told with profound insight and great respect for all involved, this is more than just a cat story, this inspiring guide is for anyone touched by Alzheimer's or terminal illness

This touching and engaging book is a must-read for more than just cat lovers; anyone who enjoys a well-written and compelling story will find much to admire in its unlikely hero.

“Don’t Kiss Them Good-Bye” by Allison Dubois

Review #89

"Death is a funny thing. It brings out the best and worst in people. It casts light on the truth and makes life blindingly clear." Her visions have helped solve crimes; her instincts have helped find missing people; she can predict future events and sense your thoughts. These are some of the extraordinary gifts that define Allison DuBois, the real-life medium, wife, and mother whose life is the inspiration for the hit NBC television series "Medium".

When she was six years old, Allison became aware that she saw and heard people that others did not. The purpose of her gifts became clearer when Allison worked as an intern (while attending college to become an attorney) in the homicide bureau of the district attorney's office and found that she visualized the crime as she handled the evidence.

In her book, Allison shares stories of her encounters with people who have passed and her adventures as a profiler for various law enforcement organizations. With wit and compassion, Allison shows us what it is like to live with these special gifts and talents and also tells about her struggle to live a normal life as a wife and mother. She shows how learning to accept her own gifts has helped her accept the unique gifts of others and how her compelling desire to relieve the pain of others has helped define her own life, a life committed to the search for ultimate truth.

Allison has been scientifically tested, (she spent four years participating in various tests at the University of Arizona to assist them in their studies of mediums and psychic phenomena) and determined to be a true medium.

If you have ever questioned whether there is an afterlife, this book may help you decide. I wish it had been more of an autobiography than it was, but it provided interesting material.

I read this book because I’ve watched "Medium" since its inception and was curious to know how much was ‘real’ and how much was the writers’ imagination. This is what I believe to be the answer: Allison DuBois, her aerospace engineer husband, Joe, and their children, Ariel, Brigitte and Marie are real. Allison does help law enforcement to solve criminal and missing persons cases, but does not actually work in the DA’s office on a daily basis. Also, she states in her interviews that she gets most of her visions while awake even though the action in the TV show is based, mostly, on what she dreams.

Sooooo, I found my answer.

“BECAUSE THEY HATE” by Brigitte Gabriel

Review #85

A SURVIVOR OF ISLAMIC TERROR WARNS AMERICA!
American Congress for Truth founder, Brigitte Gabriel rebukes the American public for being "weak, asleep or careless" in the face of Muslim terrorism.

This review is taken directly from the book description page:

“Brigitte Gabriel lost her childhood to militant Islam. In 1975, she was ten years old and living in Southern Lebanon, when militant Muslims from throughout the Middle East poured into her country and declared jihad against the Lebanese Christians. Lebanon was the only Christian influenced country in the Middle East, and the Lebanese Civil War was the first front in what has become the worldwide jihad of fundamentalist Islam against non-Muslim peoples. For seven years, Brigitte and her parents lived in an underground bomb shelter. They had no running water or electricity and very little food; at times they were reduced to boiling grass to survive.

Because They Hate is a political wake-up call told through a very personal memoir frame. Brigitte warns that the U.S. is threatened by fundamentalist Islamic theology in the same way Lebanon was and radical Islam will stop at nothing short of domination of all non-Muslim countries. Gabriel saw this mission start in Lebanon and she refuses to stand silently by while it happens here. She sees, in the West, a lack of understanding and a blatant ignorance of the ways and thinking of the Middle East. She also points out mistakes the West has made in consistently underestimating the single-mindedness with which fundamentalist Islam has pursued its goals over the past thirty years.

Fiercely articulate and passionately committed, Gabriel tells her own story as well as outlines the history, social movements, and religious divisions that have led to this critical historical conflict.”

Emotionally, this is a very hard book to read. It took me more than a couple of weeks to read because I had to take a break from it periodically.

However, you will read this book if you are interested in the future of this country, your future and especially… the future of your children. It is a memoir and therefore, by definition, a biased view of the subject. So, it will be up to you to decide whether or not to accept Gabriel’s heart-felt warning!

"Born On a Blue Day”       by  Daniel Tammet
Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant.

Review #77

Daniel Tammet is one of the world's 50 or so living autistic savants and is the first and only one to tell his compelling and inspiring life story and explain how his incredible mind works. He was the subject of the 2005 documentary, ‘Brainman’,

This unique, first-person account, offers a window into the mind of a high-functioning, 32-year-old British autistic savant with Asperger's syndrome.

Tammet's ability to think abstractly, deviate from routine, and empathize, interact and communicate with others is impaired, yet, he's capable of incredible feats of memorization and mental calculation, (in five hours he recited the number pi up to the 22,514th digit, breaking the European record).

Besides being able to effortlessly multiply and divide huge sums in his head with the speed and accuracy of a computer, Daniel speaks 9 languages and learned the Icelandic language (one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn) in a single week. He also experiences synesthesia, an unusual neurological syndrome that enables him to experience numbers and words as "shapes, colors, textures and motions."

His adult achievements include teaching in Lithuania, achieving financial independence with an educational Web site (http://www.optimnem.co.uk/) and writing some of the clearest prose anyone has ever read. He tells his story with such concentration, precision, and simplicity that his familial poverty, schooling as a mainstreamed student, self-realization as gay, and embracing of Christianity prove as enthralling as they are, ultimately, normal.

His ability to express himself clearly and with a surprisingly engaging tone (given his symptoms) makes for an account that will intrigue anyone who hears his story.

I found that, occasionally, he became overly descriptive of his subject and lost me (especially in the math department). ;) But…I was so engrossed with Daniel Tammet’s story that I listened to the entire book in one day! Although Daniel did not do the audio himself, I recommend getting the audio tape of this book so you can experience the feel of his telling you in person about his life!
The book is entirely in first person prose!

Tammet has written a second book,"Embracing the Wide Sky" and is writing a third, has a personal blog, http://www.optimnem.co.uk/blog/index.php, and his official website, http://www.optimnem.co.uk/.

"The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Irish History and Culture”                                          by Sonja Massie

Review #73

Don't get shook up...I did not read this book in 2 days! I have been reading it on and off for several weeks!


There are approximately 40 million people of Irish descent in America today and they are not the only ones who have made books such as How the Irish Saved Civilization and Angela's Ashes international best sellers. This Complete Idiot's Guide contains exhaustive, easy-to-follow coverage of all of Irish history from the Celts to the Dark Ages… to the crucial role of Christianity… to conflicts with England… to the vital Irish assimilation into American culture. This book includes concise biographies of great Irish leaders, as well as profiles of famous poets, novelists, playwrights, short story writers, artists, actors, and more.

Whether you are Irish or not, if you have an interest in the Irish, you will love this book! I would also recommend it for parents whose children are studying Ireland.

I liked it so much, I actually bought it after returning the Library’s copy.
(I am of Scots-Irish-English-Cherokee Indian descent.)

"The Murder of King Tut”                               by James Patterson and Martin Dugard

Review # 67 

Non-Fiction:
Since 1922, when Howard Carter discovered King Tut's 3,000-year-old tomb, most Egyptologists have presumed that the young king died of disease, or an accident, such as a chariot fall. But what if his fate was actually much more sinister?

Now, in THE MURDER OF KING TUT, the authors describe their investigation and in-depth research into the death of King Tut to find out what really happened to him. They comb through the evidence; X-rays, Carter's files, forensic clues, and scavenge for overlooked data to piece together the details of his life and death.

The result is a true crime tale of intrigue, betrayal, and usurpation that presents a compelling case that King Tut's death was anything but natural. Since there is no written accounts, the only fiction here are conversations that take place before the death of King Tut.

If you are curious about the “boy-King”, you will definitely enjoy this thought-provoking book.

THE TIME OF MY LIFE”                                                                by Patrick Swayze and wife, Lisa Niemi



Book Review #35
I read this book a couple of weeks ago and somehow, forgot to post it...so...here it is!

An autobiography of Patrick Swayze, dancer, actor, TV star, singer, song writer, woodworker and many other things.

The film and television star, known for his roles in "Dirty Dancing”, "Ghost", "North and South", and “The Beast”, and his wife offer a memoir about his life, marriage, career, and battle against pancreatic cancer.

Swayze's memoir offers new information on his heroic fight as well as his legendary career in New York and Hollywood. He recounts his childhood, his first love of and struggle to become a professional ballet dancer, the injury he sustained that eventually put an end to his ballet dreams, his first acting experiences as well as his romantic life and personal battles. The writing is as intense and honest as it gets. Reading this account of his life is deeply moving along with surprising. There were many sides to Patrick Swayze!

Although Swayze is best known for the performances already mentioned, he was a part of many, many good movies, (and a few bad ones), television appearances and theatrical performances, more than most people have ever heard about. He wrote a song which appears on the “Dirty Dancing” movie soundtrack.

While there is no shortage of emotion, readers will find this to be less dirge than a celebration of Swayze's life and achievements. I found Patrick Swayze’s story to be fascinating!

He lost his fight with cancer on September 14, 2009 at the age of 57.

NOTE: If you are interested in Swayze’s achievements, but don’t want to read the book, Wikipedia has an outline of his work. However, you won’t get a clue about his attitude from Wikipedia.

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

“AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE”                                      by  James Patterson and Hal Friedman


Review #34

This is the TRUE STORY of Cory Friedman who for years, with the help of his family, battles for survival in the face of extraordinary difficulties and a medical establishment that couldn’t get it right! This incredible story is told from 17 year old Cory's point of view.

Cory woke up one morning when he was five years old with the uncontrollable urge to twitch his neck. From that day forward his life became a constant struggle to deal with irrepressible tics and involuntary utterances and gestures. He and his family went on an unbelievable and excruciating journey from specialist to specialist to discover the cause of his disease. Soon it became unclear what tics were symptoms of his disease and what were side effects of the countless combinations of drugs (he was prescribed over 60 drugs in a period of 13 years). The family was unable to tell if the doctors really knew what they were doing or just using Cory as an “experiment”.

Eventually, Cory was correctly diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome and OCD. But, as symptoms just kept getting worse, Cory and his parents decided to take matters into their own hands. By then, Cory was 17 years old, a Junior in High School and had reached his last straw.

It is a heart-rending, inspirational story of struggle and triumph with a climax as dramatic as any mystery novel I have ever read…except it’s TRUE!!

I listened to the audio tape of this book all in one day, Sunday!
I_ couldn’t_ stop_ listening.

THE GREATEST STORIES NEVER TOLD
 Review #26

THE HISTORY CHANNEL asked Rick Beyer to create a series of “history minutes” marking the millennium. The stories in this book are out shoots of that request. Some originally appeared on THE HISTORY CHANNEL, some did not.

I have been reading this book for the past 6 months…over and over and over. My memory is such that I tend to forget things…so I had to go back and read them again and again! I love this book!

The Greatest Stories Never Told consists of 100-2 page tales about little known facts in history!

I am at a lose for words so…I am including the first paragraph of the book here.

“History is filled with unpredictable people and unbelievable stories. Consider: The Pilgrims landed in Plymouth because they ran out of beer. Annie Oakley almost shot Kaiser Wilhelm before World War I. Three cigars changed the course of the Civil War. The stethoscope was invented by a modest French doctor reluctant to put his ear to a female patient’s bosom. An Italian priest perfected the first practical fax machine in 1863. Teddy Roosevelt is the father of football’s forward pass. And, believe it or not, actress Hedy Lamarr not only appeared in the movies’ first nude scene, but also, later, patented an idea that formed the basis for cell phone encryption.”

If that doesn’t make you want to read this book….nothing ever will!

I was unable to find this book in the library but, amazon.com has them priced from $14.00 to used books for $4.00.

Rick Beyer also wrote:

The Greatest War Stories Never Told

The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told

The Greatest Science Stories Never Told