“Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948” by Madeleine Albright (Harper, 2012)

In this moving true story of Madeleine Albright’s past as a child growing up in Europe, readers get to experience her discoveries of her history through her words, many of them a shock to her, especially with her Jewish heritage.  In a way, Prague Winter is a voyage of discovery and with Albright’s clear and honest writing style, readers are swept away by her prose.

This is the harsh story of a world that now seems unfamiliar to us, when a rising Germany controlled by a vicious dictator saw the fate of human existence in black and white, where only the white were allowed to survive in Hitler’s mind.  As a child growing up in what was then Czechoslovakia, it is a heart-wrenching story in some ways, as Albright tells it with skill and drama, mounting the tension that was very real, as she and her family left their home country for England.  But stories continued to unfold of what was happening back in their native nation.

Albright has clearly done a lot of research for this book, not just on her own family, but on the history and sources of the period, along with many photos from that time, it presents a thorough picture of this part of Europe during World War II and the rise of the Fuhrer.  It is also an insight into the culture of the Czechs, a people who do not bow down lightly and whose patriotism and culture is everything to them.  In some ways, Prague Winter reads like a powerful history book that would make great reading for any high school or college student wanting to learn more about the period; and at the same time it is a poignant biography of these people and of this child that was shaped into the incredible woman that she was to become.

Originally written on March 17, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.

To purchase a copy of Prague Winter from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.

“Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns)” by Mind Kaling (Crown, 2011)

Mindy Kaling, best known for the portrayal of her character, Kelly Kapoor, on The Office, is also one of the show’s main writers, and a talented comedian.  In her greatly entertaining book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, Kaling is not looking to just tell her life story so far, nor is she just relaying a series of hilarious anecdotes, or recommended life lessons; instead she does a perfectly blended combination of all three.

The key to Mindy Kaling is that like other great contemporary female comedians like Tina Fey and Molly Shannon, she doesn’t hold back, but is willing to make herself look ridiculous, knowing it’s incredibly funny.  The book is filled with amusing photos from her life, growing up, as she regales the reader with stories of her life in becoming a comedy writer.  The book is a short, fast read that covers important episodes of Kaling’s life, and her work on The Office, but also features some great life lessons she’s learned along the way that the reader can really appreciate, whether they’re female or male.  The highpoint of the book is her attendance at a photo shoot where she is graced by a trailer full of beautiful dresses all in a size zero, way too small for her.  After accepting this insulting setback and some inner searching, she comes back to the costume designer, demanding that he make a specific dress fit her, even though it’s too small for her.  The dress ended up getting cut and ruined so that it looked fantastic from the front.  It was a harsh lesson for Hollywood that is simply inspiring for readers.

Originally written on November 20, 2011 ©Alex C. Telander.

To purchase a copy of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.

“Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks” by Juliet Eilperin (Pantheon, 2011)

If you’re reading this, chances are you have some sort of fear of sharks . . . and maybe by discovering what Demon Fish is about, you will confront these fears, learn more about these incredible fish, and in turn come to respect them as the amazing creatures that they are.  Well, if there was a book that could help you with that, Demon Fish is certainly it.

Juliet Eilperin works for the Washington Post.  Her first book was on politics, Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives, but in April of 2004 she covered the environment for the national desk, reporting on science, climate change, and the oceans.  If there were a comprehensive biography of the ancient, long-lived fish known as the shark, Demon Fish would qualify.  Eilperin begins with an introduction of her first meeting with these majestic yet powerful and terrifying creatures, and how she grew to appreciate them.  She tells the story of the World-Famous Shark Callers found on the island of Papua New Guinea, who have been hunting these fish for centuries with a ritualistic method that involves calling the shark, then capturing it; once killed every part of the fish is used in some way.  But Shark Calling is a dying art, especially when there are other companies that use more modern technology to deplete the nearby shark populations.

Eilperin’s chapter on “An Ancient Fish” presents a full history of the shark, starting long ago during the time of the dinosaurs when they were massive creatures feared by just about everything beneath the waves (and above no doubt), to the smaller but no less frightening versions of today.  The shark is in fact one of the oldest, longest living creatures on the planet, and now has over four hundred species.  Eilperin travels the world, visiting and working with different people who interact with sharks in different ways: whether it’s fishing for them, taking tourists out to see them and attempt to catch them, or tagging and conserving and protecting them however they can.  She devotes a significant portion of the book to the shark fin industry, which is the biggest threat to this fish, as the restaurants of Asia (as well as many others around the world) continue to serve shark fin soup, even though it doesn’t taste of much – as Eilperin makes clear – but is a cultural expectation, not just in Asian restaurants but expected to be served at weddings as a sign of the bride’s family’s noble standing.

Demon Fish doesn’t attempt to convince or convert or proselytize on the threatened numbers and species of shark around the world; Eilperin just presents the facts and realities for what they are in many different places across the globe.  It is clear that things are not fine with this ancient fish, and when the likes of Jaws and other similar stories continue to perpetuate this fear of a gravely misunderstood creature, Demon Fish does an excellent job of informing and educating, making one realize at the end that the shark is simply another one of the incredibly unique animals populating this planet and has just as much right to live and breed and exist as all the others do, including the many humans who fear it.

Originally written on September 23, 2011 ©Alex C. Telander.

CLICK HERE to purchase your copy from Amazon and help support BookBanter.

An exclusive interview with Juliet Eilperin will be available on BookBanter on November 15^th.

“Nerd Do Well” by Simon Pegg (Gotham Books, 2011)

Nerd do Well isn’t your ordinary book.  It’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in another mystery that’s very good friends with an enigma.  Simon Pegg’s biography is a maze (also amazing) of moving tales of youth and growing up in Britain; entertaining hijinks and comedy jokes; and philosophizing on the merits of Stars Wars and the failure of the prequels.  And then there is the other story, the fictional heroic epic of the rich, magnificent genius and renowned action hero who is Simon Pegg; who has saved the world many times over, loved by all women and known throughout the world for his sexual prowess; Pegg takes readers on a journey of action and adventure along with his robot butler/sidekick.

When Pegg is not telling of his abilities as a superhero, he is reliving his childhood, growing up in Gloucester, and discussing his pivotal moments when he discovered acting, comedy, movies that changed his life – Stars Wars features prevalently throughout the book, of course – as well as his meeting and involvement with so many famous people who he grew up idolizing and learning from, like George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Steven Spielberg, George A. Romero, Quentin Tarrantino, and many more.  Pegg doesn’t spend much time in his recent movies and projects, as fans already know this aspect about him already.  He includes plenty of references to British TV and celebrities, so any previous knowledge of these subjects certainly helps, but is by no means required.

In Nerd do Well, Simon Pegg has created a new sort of genre that is a combination of heartfelt life story and entertaining work of fiction, but unlike other authors who have attempted this before, Pegg keeps the two separate; nevertheless readers get a great two for one deal here.  Nerd do Well is a book that you’ll want to read and reread; to speak allowed to your family and friends; to yell from the rooftops to the masses; in short, Nerd do Well is a book you won’t soon forget.

Click here for Simon Pegg interview with BookBanter.

CLICK HERE to purchase your copy from Bookshop Santa Cruz and help support BookBanter.

Originally written on July 1, 2011.

“Lucky Man: a Memoir” by Michael J. Fox (Hyperion, 2002)

It has been quite some time since Michael J. Fox of Back to the Future and Family Ties fame announced to the world that he had Parkinson’s disease.  What is most interesting with this memoir is that he is in no way depressed about his rare affliction, but in some ways feels happy to have contracted it.  He feels a lucky man.

His career did not begin with the big bucks.  As a young boy from Canada, he wanted to strike it rich in Hollywood, but in the beginning years he often went hungry due to lack of funds.  But then he got his bi break with Family Ties, which soon went in tandem with the Back of the Future trilogy.  With these two projects under his belt, Fox felt pretty unstoppable, so it was quite surprising when each movie he made did not even reach close to the success of his past projects.

It was during the early nineties that Fox began to notice a shaking in his hand and arm which he simply could not control.  It began to get worse as the years progressed and he finally had it checked out and received the shock of his life when he was told he had Parkinson’s disease, which is extremely rare in young people.

Since leaving Spin City, which he stayed with for as long as possible, he has been writing his memoirs, doing voices for movies like Stuart Little and Disney’s Atlantis, as well as enjoying life with his wife and kids.  He feels a lucky man to have received such wonders in a life that he never takes for granted.  Lucky Man is his story and it is a very moving one.

CLICK HERE to purchase your copy from Bookshop Santa Cruz and help support BookBanter.

Originally published on December 9^th, 2002.

Originally published in the Long Beach Union.

“Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life” by Alison Weir (Ballantine Books, 2002)

There are not many important women of the Middle Ages, but Eleanor of Aquitaine has to be the most prominent and important: wife to King Louis VII of France and King Henry II of Britain and Aquitaine, mother of King Richard the Lionheart and King John of Magna Carta fame.

Quite a few biographies have been written over the years of Eleanor of Aquitaine, but there has never been one so adherent to primary and secondary sources, to the extent that the scenes depicted veritably come to life before your very eyes.  The reader joys as Eleanor weds Louis and then Henry, but is much saddened at her imprisonment by Henry after her deception, and then admires her motherly love for her son Richard.

With some four hundred pages, including an index, bibliography, a collection of photos, as well ass notes on the chief sources, and extensive family trees; there is never a dull moment in this book.  Each page is packed with so many facts and details that if one were to skip a passage, they would soon become lost in the complex yet fully explained happenings of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

If you liked this review and are interested in purchasing this book, click here.

Originally published on October 21^st, 2002.

Originally published in the Long Beach Union.

“On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King (Scribner, 2000)

Stephen King’s On Writing is out, so go get a copy!  Having read past the three-quarter mark already, I can veritably say that this book is a doozy.  First off, this is not an autobiography, even though it is being marketed as one.  Trust me, I have heard from Steve himself (in the book that is) and he most certainly does not want the Constant Reader to think that.

The book is just under three hundred pages long, for the simple reason that King wanted to keep it as simple and straightforward as possible, without the boring drivel that so many other authors employ.  In his words: “This is a small book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit.”  There are many sections throughout the book, but it can be divided into two main parts.

The first consists of Stephen King’s life, growing up in a poor family, without a father, and with a mother who was always working.  He talks about how he spent most of his early years traveling from state to state; his family struggling to get by.  He graduated from the University of Orono, Maine with a degree in English education, but he couldn’t get a job, so he ended up working in a Laundromat, washing sheets every day.  His first story to generate a substantial income was “The Graveyard Shift.”  Then there was nothing until a publisher picked up Carrie, whereupon he began the journey to success, fame and riches, not to mention being one of the world’s bestsellers.

The second major section of the novel consists of his view on writing: what he believes to be good writing, and what he thinks one should look out for when writing, the pitfalls and hang-ups, as well as his pet peeves.  The reader also learns of how he came up with his ideas that eventually led to the lengthy novels that have given him great success throughout his career.

Now for some secrets:  the main character in Carrie was actually based on two girls Stephen King knew in high school; for the first fifteen years of his career, he was an alcoholic and a cocaine addict; he remembers nothing about writing Cujo; in Misery he is the writer and the number-one fan, Annie Wilkes, is all his problems, including the drugs and alcohol.  This helps to explain the numerous characters in his book who are either raging alcoholics or have been.  It also helps to explain some of the wickedly twisted and fucked up, yet always entertaining, ideas that he has produced throughout the years.

If you’re an aspiring writer, read it.  If you’re a published writer, you should still read it.  If you’re a fan, don’t hesitate!  And if you’re none of the above, still read it because it’s a great book.  On Writing is currently available pretty much everywhere, but the nearest location is your campus bookstore.

The book is filled with pearls of wisdom for everyone; you will not be disappointed.

If you liked this review and are interested in purchasing this book, click here.

Originally published on October 9th 2000 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Long Beach Union.