Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography

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Adam Clymer, in his lengthy biography of Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy, understands that his subject is simultaneously one of the most loved and most hated figures in American politics. Clymer nevertheless pours on the praise, calling the Massachusetts Democrat "a lawmaker of skill, experience, and purpose rarely surpassed since 1789." Clymer, Washington editor for The New York Times, also recognizes that Kennedy has never fulfilled his great ambition--to become president--because he stood far to the left of the public as much as because of personal controversy. Yet Jack and Bobby's kid brother has forged a remarkable career in the Senate, where he has become one of its longest-serving members and arguably the most influential senator of the 20th century. Even Kennedy's conservative enemies don't question his dogged persistence and ability to advance his goals through slow-paced reform. He is maddeningly effective, especially when it comes to "finding Republicans to work with and sharing the credit, or even letting them have it all." Clymer's book is engrossing, although it occasionally gets bogged down in legislative intricacies (chapter titles: "Creating Disability Rights" and "More Incremental Health Care Progress"). It's a compelling study of a man whose enormous political skills are routinely overshadowed by his own foibles. In the end, however, Clymer grows positively rhapsodic: "He deserves recognition not just as the leading Senator of his time, but as one of the greats in history." --John J. Miller

Book Description

The life of Edward M. Kennedy is a chronicle of our country's last forty yearsand this authoritative and wonderfully readable biography offers unprecedented insight into the inner workings of our legislative process. Drawing on interviews with the Senator and those close to him Adam Clymer follows Kennedy through his highs and lows to his present years as a patriarch of his famous family.

In this biography, Clymer places Kennedy's career in a historical perspective, and observes how his infamous family legacy has affected his political performance. From Chappaquidick to his public divorce and his involvement in his nephew William Kennedy Smith's Palm Beach incident, readers will see how lie struggled to maintainhis own dignity and that of his very visible family.

Customer Reviews:

Great, though biased, examination of Edward Kennedy's career.......2004-08-14

In this book, Adam Clymer offers us a well-written, detailed portrait of the life and career of Edward Kennedy, a man who has long labored under the shadows cast by his ambitious family. Burdened by the expectations the came with the family name and tarnished by the self-inflicted wounds of scandal, he nonetheless persevered to become a force in the United States Senate, one whose career the author ranks as one of the greatest in the history of the institution.

Such a judgment certainly reflects Clymer's bias for his subject. But he does make a convincing case for the influential role that Kennedy has played in the Senate over the past three decades. Clymer conveys Kennedy's love for the Senate, which he argues was reflected in his half-hearted attempts for the White House in the 1970s and 1980s. While some may argue that his failure to win the nomination makes any effort to minimize his presidential campaigns a case of sour grapes, Clymer demonstrates how Kennedy thrived in the Senate in a way his brothers - who seemed to treat their careers there as little more than platforms from which to launch their bids for the White House - never did.

Yet Clymer's biography is not without its flaws. As some reviewers have noted, the book occasionally bogs down in the minutiae of legislative maneuvering, the deals and rules that play such an important role of Kennedy's career (and his mastery of which is one of the keys to his influence). Even more troubling, though, is Clymer's inability to reconcile successfully the powerful senator with the dissolute personal character. He acknowledges Kennedy's personal problems but refers to most of them in passing only, which has the effect of reducing Chappaquiddick to an isolated incident rather than the most tragic example of the personal conduct which has defined the man in the minds of many Americans.

In spite of this, Clymer's book stands as an excellent biography of Edward Kennedy. Detailed, insightful, and well-argued, it will remain for some time the best book about the Kennedy brother who might turn out to have been the most important and influential one of them all.

A SURPRISINGLY SHALLOW BIOGRAPHY OF A DEEP MAN.......2003-05-25

He was the "last" brother, the Kennedy who, despite a (mostly) sterling reputation and record in the Senate, will never become president. And so we are delivered yet another Kennedyana kernel, this one by "New York Times" reporter Adam Clymer. The book fails to capture the spirit and humanity of the man; the insights are surprisingly shallow for such a respected journalist. On the Chappaquiddick incident, during which a young female Kennedy supporter was drowned when the car in which Ted was driving went off the road, leaves Clymer writing the shocking news that Kennedy was a bad driver who "probably" was drinking prior to the accident! A faded rose indeed.

Resurgence of Edward (not Ted).......2002-12-19

Adam Clymer's biography on Edward M. Kennedy is monumental: the result of fastidious research and decades-long stint writing for both the New York Times and Baltimore Sun. What is so skillfully articulated here is a sober account of the Senator's long, strange trip -- from childhood days, under the shadow of older brothers, Jack and Bobby; to the tragedy at Chappaquiddick, effectively incinerating any dreams of securing the Oval Office; to his resurgence as one of the most influential and powerful political leaders in American history.

Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography, is what Mr. Clymer achieves. There are no speculations, conspiracy theories, or interviews with shady "informants"; only an astute biography of a man who is as brilliant and perseverant a leader as he is controversial and complicated a human.

A giant with feet of clay.......2001-10-12

The best senator in Congress... and Clymer explains exactly why it is so. A flawed man, who by hard work and diligence, becomes an excellent representative and spokesman for the highest ideals of the republic. An outstanding biography, a story you need to know.

a powerful history of both the man AND the country.......2001-03-15

THIS is the way high school history texts should be written. You read Clymer's bio on EMK (Edwardd M Kennedy) and, without realizing it, come away with a world of knowledge about Ted Kennedy, his brothers John and Robert, as well as almost every other relevant figure in U.S. and world history since the 1940s. By recounting the political history of the Kennedy family, and EMKs initially minor, but overall dominant, role in it, we learn about the political history of the United States in the past 50 years, and come to realize - astonishingly - that TED Kennedy is responsible for so many more accomplishments than either of his more famous brothers. More importantly, the text is a fair, objective assessment of EMK. Clymer does not shy away from the scandals like his expulsion form Harvard, the tragedy at Chappaquiddick and the rape trial of EMKs nephew in 1991. He deals with these issues head on, in detail, and lets the reader decide how to judge Kennedy - framing the paradox that IS Ted Kennedy - a man who has deal with more personal tragedy than most Shakespearean characters and sporadic personal failings, but who has spent 5 decades shaping US policy on domestic and international issues. There are so many great details in this book about JFKs early campaigns, the 1960 presidential election, Ted's Senate races in '62 and '64, the 1968 presidential election, Ted's work in the Senate in the 70s and international human rights efforts in Poland, Soviet Union, and South Africa, the 1979-80 presidential campaign, the Bork and Thomas Supreme Court nominations, and his work under Reagan, Bush and Clinton. You learn so much about the different presidencies and the leaders in Congress and US history that you cannot help but feel edified. This book is not a cheering section for EMK, but an articulate, thoughtful, objective history with just the perfect blend of detail, inertia and humor. Should be the standard for political biographies.

Ralph W. Yarborough, the People's Senator (Focus on American History Series,Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin)

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A Maverick Senator
Feuding Giants. Lasting Legacy.
Bio of Texas Legend Long Overdue

Ralph W. Yarborough, the People's Senator (Focus on American History Series,Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin)
Patrick L. Cox
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 029271243X

Book Description

"Ralph Yarborough was a loyal friend and a tower of integrity. He was a shining example to all of us who serve in public office. 'Discouraged' was not in his vocabulary. He taught us never to give up or give in and that, with a courageous attitude, victory was always possible next time or next year. In his biography of this greatly respected and much beloved giant of our time, Patrick Cox shows us why Ralph Yarborough truly was 'the People's Senator.'"

—Senator Edward M. Kennedy

Revered by many Texans and other Americans as "the People's Senator," Ralph Webster Yarborough (1903-1996) fought for "the little people" in a political career that places him in the ranks of the most influential leaders in Texas history. The only U. S. Senator representing a former Confederate state to vote for every significant piece of modern civil rights legislation, Yarborough became a cornerstone of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs in the areas of education, environmental preservation, and health care. In doing so, he played a major role in the social and economic modernization of Texas and the American South. He often defied conventional political wisdom with his stands against powerful political interests and with his vocal opposition to the Vietnam War. Yet to this day, his admirers speak of Yarborough as an inspiration for public service and a model of political independence and integrity.

This biography offers the first in-depth look at the life and career of Ralph Yarborough. Patrick L. Cox draws on Yarborough's personal and professional papers, as well as on extensive interviews with the Senator and his associates, to follow Yarborough from his formative years in East Texas through his legal and judicial career in the 1930s, decorated military service in World War II, unsuccessful campaigns for Texas governor in the 1950s, distinguished tenure in the United States Senate from 1957 to 1970, and return to legal practice through the 1980s.

Although Yarborough's liberal politics set him at odds with most of the Texas power brokers of his time, including Lyndon Johnson, his accomplishments have become part of the national fabric. Medicare recipients, beneficiaries of the Cold War G. I. Bill, and even beachcombers on Padre Island National Seashore all share in the lasting legacy of Senator Ralph Yarborough.

Customer Reviews:

A Maverick Senator.......2002-01-15

This is a great book about a Texan who refused to compromise with big oil, big banks, and big business - the forces that shaped politics in Texas in the 50s and 60s - and was still elected to the US Senate. In the Senate he devoted his career to "putting the jam jar on the lower shelf," so that the little people could reach it. He came from populist East Texas and remained true to the Populist tradition long after it had died in the rest of the country. Dr. Cox has made use of Yarborough's personal papers and his public papers to tell the lively story of an American who had the courage to go against the grain. The book is well-written and is essential for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of natiuon politics in the '60s.

Feuding Giants. Lasting Legacy........2002-01-14

Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, with Senator Ralph W. Yarborough riding shotgun in a limousine through the streets of Dallas on November 22, 1963 were both ordered by a secret service agent to hit the deck. History-altering shots were being fired at the motorcade into the lead car carrying President John F. Kennedy, Governor John Connally and their wives. Together they arrived at Parkland Hospital where they witnessed the horrific scene of the bodies of President Kennedy and Governor Connally being wheeled inside.

After the assassination, stories about how Yarborough and "refused" to ride with Johnson the day prior due to their ongoing "feud" became legendary. This feud among these giants of Texas Democratic politics of the 1960's--Yarborough, Johnson and Connally--serves as the fuel to power Dr. Patrick Cox's compelling story. Cox deftly applies his storytelling skills, honed as a former Texas newspaper editor, to weave a taut and fascinating tale of Yarborough and the other giants before and after the assassination.

Known in the U.S. Senate as "Mr. Education", Yarborough's fingerprints can be found on such landmark Great Society legislation as the Higher Education Act, the National Science Foundation, Head Start, Job Corps, Vista and many others. But Ralph Yarborough:The People's Senator is more than an academic treatise about the legislative accomplishments of Ralph Yarborough. He was a profile in political courage, the only southern senator from either party to vote for all the major civil rights bills from 1957 to 1970, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

This reader is left to conclude that LBJ's fall in 1968 and Yarborough's political defeat in 1970 market a turning point in American history. With protests over Civil Rights and Vietnam dividing America, Republicans began hacking away at the "ills" of the Great Society. Yet, the lynchpins of the Great Society and much of Ralph Yarborough's contribution still survive and thrive.

This book was a delight to read from start to finish. For political junkies this is pure 100% oxygen. But the novice should enjoy the ride as well. In Ralph Yarborough: The People's Senator, Patrick Cox has unearthed a giant of the 1960's and breathed life into a great American. Ralph Yarborough deserves our attention and appreciation.

Bio of Texas Legend Long Overdue.......2002-01-07

My only regret about this book is that it didn't get published while Yarborough was still alive to enjoy it.
Yarborough was LBJ's peer & frequent rival but they buried the hatchet when JFK was killed and, together, created a massive record in civil rights, education and the environment. To understand the legacy of the 60's it is essential to understand Yarborough. It is doubtful that there will ever be a more thorough or more readable treatment of Yarborough's amazing roller coaster career than this one. Highly recommended.

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Edward M. Kennedy A Biography
Adam Clymer
Manufacturer: Perennial (HarperCollins)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF3UX0

Good Ted, Bad Ted: The Two Faces of Edward M. Kennedy

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Good Ted, Bad Ted: The Two Faces of Edward M. Kennedy
Lester David
Manufacturer: Carol Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1559721677

Jerry Wiesner, Scientist, Statesman, Humanist: Memories and Memoirs

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The Essential Jerry Wiesner--Scientist Extraordinaire

Jerry Wiesner, Scientist, Statesman, Humanist: Memories and Memoirs

Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0262182327

Book Description

The recurring theme in Jerry Wiesner's varied and distinguished career was what Senator Edward M. Kennedy calls in the foreword to this book a "passionate involvement to make a better world, and a safer world." His odyssey as a public citizen included work as an acoustician for folklorist Alan Lomax in the Library of Congress, research at MIT's Radiation Lab and at Los Alamos, service as President John F. Kennedy's Special Assistant for Science and Technology, and his years at MIT as professor, dean, provost, and president. At Los Alamos he received what he called "a valuable education on issues that were to occupy a large part of my life." The lessons learned informed his later work on nuclear disarmament; he was a pivotal adviser on both the 1963 partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the 1972 ABM Treaty and an early member of the Pugwash group, an organization of scientists from both sides of the Iron Curtain. His many accomplishments as president of MIT similarly reflected his conviction that science and technology cannot be separate from society.

Jerry Wiesner had long planned an autobiographical book that would combine personal experience and historical interpretation, covering the wide range of interests that he compared to "the many parts of a giant jigsaw puzzle," but the commitments of his postretirement life and a serious stroke in 1989 kept him from completing it. Jerry Wiesner, Scientist, Statesman, Humanist, conceived by Wiesner's longtime colleague and friend Walter Rosenblith, fills the gap between the unwritten autobiography and the still-to-be-written biography, assembling reminiscences of Wiesner by such friends as Alan Lomax, Theodore C. Sorensen, and John Kenneth Galbraith, and writings by Wiesner himself, including the autobiographical pieces that would have been the basis of his own book.

Customer Reviews:

The Essential Jerry Wiesner--Scientist Extraordinaire.......2006-01-29

Jerome B. Wiesner is far from being a household name, but he was arguably one of the most significant figures in science and technology in the middle part of the twentieth century. He was the President's Science Advisor during the term of John F. Kennedy, and president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), between 1966 and 1975. He was an outspoken advocate of nuclear arms control, believing it the only way to prevent nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union, and was a founding member of the International Foundation for the Survival and Development of Humanity. During his tenure as presidential science advisor he was involved in the build-up of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to accomplish Project Apollo, the commitment to land Americans on the Moon before the end of the 1960s.

A longstanding faculty member at MIT, Wiesner first made a name for himself in the immediate post-World War II era by assisting national leaders in setting science and technology policy. Two areas, especially, sparked his involvement. The first was nuclear weapons and the deterrence theory then current during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Wiesner favored a strong military capability for the United States, but always argued for efforts limiting the number of nuclear warheads available to both sides. Accordingly, Wiesner participated in the Geneva summit of 1958 and the Pugwash conference of 1960, in both cases making arguments in favor of strategic arms limitations.

The second area where Wiesner played an especially important role was in the Cold War rivalry concerning space flight. At the time of Sputnik in October 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower asked him to serve on a special science advisory committee charged with revamping the federal government's oversight of critical science and technology development efforts. He advocated the creation of NASA in 1958 and the consolidation of non-military space flight activities under its leadership. When John F. Kennedy was preparing to take office in late 1960, he appointed an ad hoc committee headed by Wiesner to offer suggestions for American efforts in space. Wiesner concluded that the issue of "national prestige" was too great to allow the Soviet Union leadership in space efforts, and therefore the U.S. had to enter the field in a substantive way. Wiesner also emphasized the importance of practical non-military applications of space technology--communications, mapping, and weather satellites among others--and the necessity of keeping up the effort to exploit space for national security through such technologies as ICBMs and reconnaissance satellites. He tended to de-emphasize the human space flight initiative.

After the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, Wiesner resigned from government service and returned to MIT. He spent the rest of his career there in senior positions, much of it as its president.

This work is a collection of documents and reminiscences by and about Jerry Wiesner and well worth the time to read. Some of the pieces were written by such luminaries as Theodore C. Sorensen, Edward M. Kennedy, and John Kenneth Galbraith. Others are by Wiesner and relate his passion for myriad aspects of science and technology in modern American life.

Biography - Kennedy, Edward M. (1932-): An article from: Contemporary Authors Online

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Biography - Kennedy, Edward M. (1932-): An article from: Contemporary Authors Online
Gale Reference Team
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0007SCZ80
Release Date: 2007-06-13

Book Description

Word count: 3065.

Heroes, Scamps, and Good Guys: 101 Colorful Characters from Cleveland Sports History
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A grandslam

Heroes, Scamps and Good Reads

Sports Trip Down Memory Lane

A Sports Trip Down Memory Lane

Heroes,Scamps, and Good Guys

Heroes, Scamps, and Good Guys: 101 Colorful Characters from Cleveland Sports History
Bob Dolgan
Manufacturer: Gray & Company Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Best of Hal Lebovitz: Great Sportswriting from Six Decades in Cleveland

False Start: How The New Browns Were Set Up To Fail

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ASIN: 1886228671

Book Description

Colorful characters crowd the world of sports, and we've certainly had our share in Cleveland.

Sportswriter Bob Dolgan has written about them all while covering the sports beat for The Plain Dealer during the past six decades.

This book collects for the first time Dolgan's best short profiles of the most interesting athletes—stars, bench-jockeys, and everyone in between—ever to grace the fields, courts, and rinks of Cleveland.

These stories will rekindle memories in any Cleveland sports fan and introduce some remarkable characters from the past who are worth getting to know.

It takes all kinds to fill out the sports pages.

Look back on any era, and dozens of wonderfully memorable people stand out, sparkling like diamonds in the grass.

There have been heroes, like Rocky Colavito and Jesse Owens. Scamps, from Joe Jackson to Albert Belle. Good guys, like Lou Groza and Mark Price. And a few special cases—legendary greaseballer Gaylord Perry, for one—who were a little bit of each.

Dolgan recalls the onfield glory but looks beyond it, too, for the telling details that reveal the person behind the athlete.

Most of the big names are here. But Dolgan also shares the tales of some special people who deserve to be remembered as more than just a few statistics in a record book. Kevin Rhomberg, for instance, the Indians outfielder best known for his extraordinary superstition about being touched. And Eddie Klep, the only white player in the Negroe Leagues. And jovial Honest Yockim, diminutive denizen of Cleveland's notorious Short Vincent sports gambling scene.

Customer Reviews:

A grandslam.......2003-11-06

Bob Dolgan's Heroes, Scamps and Good Guys is as much a history of Cleveland over the past six decades as it is a cornucopia of the city's sports memories. The award-winning Plain Dealer sportswriter draws on his long association with the Cleveland sports scene to treat readers to a broad assortment of the best, brightest and most bizarre athletes who have both thrilled and thwarted Forest City sports fans in his lifetime. Dolgan's biographical glimpses into the athletic feats and later lives of some 101 participants in Cleveland's rich sports history range from Dutch Levsen, the last major league pitcher to hurl two complete-game wins in a doubleheader, to Jim Thome, Albert Belle and Mike Hargrove. Along the way Dolgan also introduces such collegiate legends from the Greater Cleveland area as Harrison Dillard and a sprinkling of high school wunderkinds including St. Ignatius's Dave Demko and Benedictine center Mike Medich, a giant in his time at 6'5" who tallied 59 points against West High School one night at the tail end of 1945 to set a new Ohio state scoring record. A deft interviewer, Dolgan is equally at home talking with former Indians infielder Kevin Rhomberg, owner of a raft of weird superstitions that have no doubt daunted many another sportswriter over the years, Boxing Hall of Famer Joey Maxim, "one of only two Clevelanders to win world ring titles," and Barbara Turcotte, the queenly wife of Cleveland harness racing king, Mel Turcotte. Heroes, Scamps and Good Guys, though steeped in the triumphant moments enjoyed by the Browns, Indians, Barons and Cavaliers, is likewise a trove of the heartaches and last-second disappointments that have left Clevelanders without a championship in any major league sport for nearly forty years.

David Nemec

Heroes, Scamps and Good Reads.......2003-10-24

This lively, pithy account of Indians, Browns, Cavs and other local athletes ALMOST makes the heartache of being a Cleveland sports fan worthwhile. Author and Plain Dealer scribe Bob Dolgan has been a staple of the local sports diet for almost as long as the Tribe has gone without World Series rings. It takes a wise soul and a strong heart to give us new perspective on The Fumble, Red Right 88, 20-Cent Beer Night and what, 83 years later, thankfully remains the only death from an injury sustained in a Major League Baseball game. May Dolgan perservere long enough to pen a second edition about dozens of future Cleveland championships!

Sports Trip Down Memory Lane.......2003-09-21

A large part of what makes baseball so attractive is that it imitates life. Ear-splitting roars are reserved for stupendous comebacks and tide-turning home runs. Most games proceed, fans like to observe, like Sunday school outings.
Author Bob Dolgan adds another dimension to the game's popularity, as well as well-honed peeks at luster figures of other sports. What he endearingly captures in its quick-reading pages is the person behind the celebrity.
HSGG is a potpourri of 101 short stories on often fascinating, at least talented or simply memorable athletes, mainly ball-and-glovers who wore the wool and spandex of the Cleveland Indians from 1971 to 2001. Some of the headliners reflect the nearly invincible Cleveland Browns of the Paul Brown coaching days while a few found stature clinging to the edges of the sports world covering many venues and situational endeavors.
Warts and all, there is the first big-time Indians free agent, hurler Wayne Garland who, after pocketing a guaranteed ten year, $2.3 million contract, saw his arm go the rotator cuff surgical route even before pitching his first game for his new team. Garland and his wife unwisely spent a large portion of their cash take on a toney mansion in glittery Pepper Pike. So rapidly did they spend their bounty that Wayne eventually had to pump gas to make ends meet.
Sam Rutigliano, who alternately soared and stumbled as coach of the Browns, had as a favorite descriptive of a loss that "eight hundred million Chinese couldn't care less."
Jimmy Piersall, named as among the 100 best Indians of all time, ran backwards around the basepaths once after belting a homer just to bring laughs to the game and wake up the crowd.
Pat Seerey, roly-poly outfielder who played several decades ago when Tribe fortunes dipped near their lowest, seemed to smack a home run or strike out every other time at bat. An atrocious fielder, fans were galvanized by his all-or-nothing swings at any pitch that cut the heart of the plate.
Chief groundskeeper Emil Bossard often did as much from the sidelines to encourage a Cleveland wind as its players on the field. For example, he was a past master at flashing signals from the scoreboard that tipped off home batters as to the kind of pitch coming up next...and seldom was Emil reluctant to slant the third-base line toward foul territory when the opposition boasted astute bunting skills.
Reporter Dolgan, covering all sports for the Cleveland Plain Dealer over the past half century , winning awards along the way, now specializes in writing features soaked in nostalgia. It is seldom enough for him to hang his stories on startling statistics. He pokes about for the argument with the wife that may have preceded and influenced the big game upcoming or be-bops about for the funny happenstance that perhaps triggered a vital play.
With Dolgan, scamps and good guys rank right up there with heroes just as they do for fans in real life sitting on the edge of their seats in a crucial game or leaning back contentedly munching their second hotdog in a "Sunday school" affair and this perhaps is the beauty of the book.
Dolgan's machinations make for a delightful trip down memory lane, a chapter revisited of sports memorabilia a la the Cleveland scene bustling with the gusto and flavor of a bygone past. If you'd like a healthy taste of this time, dig into Dolgan's slice of it.

A Sports Trip Down Memory Lane.......2003-09-21

A large part of what makes baseball so attractive is that it imitates life. Ear-splitting roars are reserved for stupendous comebacks and tide-turning home runs. Most games proceed, fans like to observe, like Sunday school outings.
Author Bob Dolgan adds another dimension to the game's popularity, as well as well-honed peeks at luster figures of other sports. What he endearingly captures in its quick-reading pages is the person behind the celebrity.
HSGG is a potpourri of 101 short stories on often fascinating, at least talented or simply memorable athletes, mainly ball-and-glovers who wore the wool and spandex of the Cleveland Indians from 1971 to 2001. Some of the headliners reflect the nearly invincible Cleveland Browns of the Paul Brown coaching days while a few found stature clinging to the edges of the sports world covering many venues and situational endeavors.
Warts and all, there is the first big-time Indians free agent, hurler Wayne Garland who, after pocketing a guaranteed ten year, $2.3 million contract, saw his arm go the rotator cuff surgical route even before pitching his first game for his new team. Garland and his wife unwisely spent a large portion of their cash take on a toney mansion in glittery Pepper Pike. So rapidly did they spend their bounty that Wayne eventually had to pump gas to make ends meet.
Sam Rutigliano, who alternately soared and stumbled as coach of the Browns, had as a favorite descriptive of a loss that "eight hundred million Chinese couldn't care less."
Jimmy Piersall, named as among the 100 best Indians of all time, ran backwards around the basepaths once after belting a homer just to bring laughs to the game and wake up the crowd.
Pat Seerey, roly-poly outfielder who played several decades ago when Tribe fortunes dipped near their lowest, seemed to smack a home run or strike out every other time at bat. An atrocious fielder, fans were galvanized by his all-or-nothing swings at any pitch that cut the heart of the plate.
Chief groundskeeper Emil Bossard often did as much from the sidelines to encourage a Cleveland win as its players on the field. For example, he was a past master at flashing signals from the scoreboard that tipped off home batters as to the kind of pitch coming up next...and seldom was Emil reluctant to slant the third-base line toward foul territory when the opposition boasted astute bunting skills.
Reporter Dolgan, covering all sports for the Cleveland Plain Dealer over the past half century, winning awards along the way, now specializes in writing features soaked in nostalgia. It is seldom enough for him to hang his stories on startling statistics. He pokes about for the argument with the wife that may have preceded and influenced the big game upcoming or be-bops about for the funny happenstance that perhaps triggered a vital play.
With Dolgan, scamps and good guys rank right up there with heroes just as they do for fans in real life sitting on the edge of their seats in a crucial game or leaning back contentedly munching their second hotdog in a "Sunday school" affair and this perhaps is the beauty of the book.
Dolgan's machinations make for a delightful trip down memory lane, a chapter revisited of sports memorabilia a la the Cleveland scene bustling with the gusto and flavor of a bygone past. If you'd like a healthy taste of this time, dig into Dolgan's slice of it.

Heroes,Scamps, and Good Guys.......2003-07-23

Anyway who has read the Plain Dealer in the last five or six decades is aware of Bob Dolgan, who has written thousands of articles for this daily and continues to enlighten us with stories of our famous and infamous Cleveland area sports heroes.
Although Bob has covered everything from the Indians to horse racing, his most cherished works are his nostalgic looks at the many sports figures who graced our city from all walks of life and in all sports afields.
Capturing articles from 1971-2001 we are brought back to a time where money was not God and most athletes played for the love of the game.
From Jessie Owens to long forgotten baseball characters, Bob's articles got into the heart and soul of the men and women who spent their time showing us their skills in an often frustrating town, with few too many champions.
Anyway who loves sports and enjoys classic black and white photos will relish this fine hardcovered book, which makes us remember once again how many colorful and also very skilled athletes the city of Cleveland has been blessed with. From greats like Tris Speaker, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Lou Boudreau in baseball to characters even from the world of gambling he has hit the mark over the years.
I personally enjoyed stories about my boyhood heroes like Rocky Colavito and Jim Brown, but also enjoyed the likes of the great teams of the late 40's and early 50's.
I highly recomment this publication to anyone who loves Cleveland sports. You will see why Bob Dolgan is a member of the Writers Hall of Fame and has won many other local and national awards for his writing.

Jerry Fitch

Book Description

This survey of the most significant modern composers and their techniques has become a standard work on the constantly shifting musical developments during the greater part of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews:

Very useful, an excellent introduction.......1999-06-22

Whittall starts with the basic premise that the Wagnerian era, being over, was replaced by two basic schools, that of Schoenburg, Berg, and Webern, and Tonalists such as Stravinsky, Bartok, Sibelius, Nielson, and other mid century symphonists. His approach is to treat these composers as the pivotal characters spanning the very important years between the beginning of post romantic disillusionment and the more modern era.

He treats music after this point in a more brief fashion. Picking seven composer, (amongst them Berio, Stockhausen, Messaien and Xenakis) he discusses them not as the originators of specific schools of thought, but examples of highly individual exponents of very recently developed art. From this point of view, his treatment is highly effective, albeit somewhat brief.

What might be missing now, from the perspective of the passage of about twenty years since this book was originally published, is the inevitable acknowledgement that in fact several major identifiable contemporary movements now exist, and probably merit the sort of treatment in the first section of the book devoted to the giants. Mr Whitalls selection of modern composers shows tremendous foresight - these individuals have indeed become very important, almost as pivotal as the earlier generation of composers documented.

The book is absolutely exemplary in its detail and objective documentation of a very complex and often hard to research subject. I read this when I was 17 and gained an incalculable amount from it.

Music since the First World War
Average customer rating:
Music since the First World War
Arnold Whittall
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press(UK)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLAWNK

Freeholds and Hidden Glens (Changeling - the Dreaming)
Average customer rating:

Not a bad piece of book

Freeholds and Hidden Glens (Changeling - the Dreaming)
Leif Jones
Manufacturer: White Wolf Games Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Changeling | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Changeling | Gaming | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Isle of the Mighty (Changeling - the Dreaming)

Noblesse Oblige, the Book of Houses (For Changeling, the Dreaming)

The Autumn People (Changeling - the Dreaming)

Immortal Eyes: Shadows on the Hill (Immortal Eyes)

The Splendour Falls (A Changeling: The Dreaming Anthology)

ASIN: 1565047060

Customer Reviews:

Not a bad piece of book.......2001-03-26

Pretty good source book that provides a lot of backstory to some of the most legendary freeholds in all of Concordia. It has descriptions of the freehold itself, it's history and the people that frequent. Seelie, Unseelie, noble and commoner are all included, making this a valuable resource for adding a little beef to a chronicle.

Average customer rating:

High impact leadership starts with the leader

Just A Delightful Book

The Radical Edge: Stoke Your Business, Amp Your Life, and Change the World

Berry Berry Good

LIfe Changing Information

The Radical Edge: Stoke Your Business, Amp Your Life, and Change the World
Steve Farber
Manufacturer: Kaplan Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership

Change the Way You See Everything: Through Asset-Based Thinking

Encouraging the Heart: A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others

The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable

Power of An Hour: Business and Life Mastery in One Hour A Week

ASIN: 1419511319
Release Date: 2006-04-01

Book Description

In his bestselling book The Radical Leap, Steve Farber introduced readers to Extreme Leadership, showing them how to renew their passion and excitement and become committed to changing the world for the better by disregarding normal constraints.

Now, Farber takes readers to an even higher level of self-discovery in The Radical Edge. Management guru Steve is back, working with young Senior VP Cameron Summerfield, who has superstar sales skills but a severe and demoralizing leadership style. Along the way, both Steve and Cameron learn how taking responsibility for making the future markedly better than the present can improve the world. Readers will learn answers to these questions:

•How can people amp up their lives to amazing levels of achievement?

•If individuals assume personal responsibility, can customers, companies, and employees change for the better?

•Is it really possible to shake off inertia and transform your work—and your life?

""The best book you’ll read this year. Captivating from the first page and jam packed with invaluable lessons. This is a must read. The Radical Edge is terrific!"" --Jason Jennings New York Times bestselling author It’s Not The Big That Eat The Small – It’s The Fast That Eat The Slow, Less is More and Think BIG Act Small

""Farber’s style is disarmingly honest as he gives us a playbook for harnessing the power of the human spirit. Invite your team to read The Radical Edge and you’ll have a lasting framework to move your life and business forward."" --Simon Billsberry CEO Kineticom (#33 on the Inc. 500, 2005)

Customer Reviews:

High impact leadership starts with the leader.......2007-08-27

This weekend I picked up Steve Farber's The Radical Edge.

I really enjoyed the simplicity of this book. I'm finding that I enjoy the Leadership Parable format a lot more than the principle driven books. Steve Farber, Pat Lencioni, Ken Blanchard are all writing in this same vane and it's very enjoyable. As the reader I am found myself very engaged with the characters and with the drama that surrounds their lives.

I found that this book really focuses on the person more than the organization the person works in. I think that is an important principle because as a leader if you don't know who you are then you are just going to vacillate in your leadership, following the whims and fancies of the day. But if you really know who you are and what you want to do and where you want to do it, you will succeed.

This book has a lot of simple principles that I think are helpful and easy to initiate. The principle of the WUP (Wake-Up Pad) is great and something that I have been trying to do. Basically record what's going on around you. I'm not very good at it, but this blog and the journal that I've been using have helped.

I'm considering reading it again just to really cement the concepts in my brain. But I would highly recommend this book to anyone trying to be a better leader.

Just A Delightful Book.......2007-05-14

I found this book while wandering in a used bookstore. Looked good so I bought it and it sat in my car for about a month. I picked it up last week and could not put it down. The book is a fictional story, but it was capitivating. I wished the characters in the story were real, and that I could meet them and become part of their circle.

I was touched by the message of the book, and I believe that you will be as well. The characters in the book are what examples of whom I want to surround myself with.

Read the book and allow yourself to get lost in the story.

The Radical Edge: Stoke Your Business, Amp Your Life, and Change the World.......2007-05-13

The company I worked for bouught and read this book. It was highly enlightening and helpful to give you insight and suggestions on how to improve your work environment and personal life. If you enjoy a non-fiction book that has the spin of a real life soap opera than this is a good read for you!

Berry Berry Good.......2007-03-28

One of the best management books I've read; it's a quick read; it's an enjoyable read; it's an enlightening read

LIfe Changing Information.......2006-08-11

This book is all about changing one's life for the better, and it does just that. I felt like I was part of a great enterprise simply by reading along. The words and ideas fall off the page and into your mind with ease and aplomb. It's a quick read (four to five hours tops) but chocked full of great stuff: key points that are easily remembered and employed. I'm recommending it to all my friends, and even my enemies to convert then to friends.

Michael Behre

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