Customer Reviews:
no myths or lies here.......1998-12-30
I really enjoyed this book. It was very refreshing. There are so many books out there on the Kennedy's that are there just to sling mud, portraying rumors and myths as facts. It was nice to read a book about Jackie, the person. It's an uplifting book about a remarkable woman.
This book reveals many secrets about Jackie's private life........1998-12-11
I would recommend this book to anyone but especially to women. The story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is about a public figure who is very different from the private person. It tells the inside story of her life. There are many things she was holding from the public. Her life behind the camera as the wife of the president is particularly interesting. This book reveals many secrets about the life of Jackie and her family. There are also many good lessons to be learned. I think that this book is well written and holds you attention. Morgan Bush
Amazon.com
Muhammad Ali once admitted to former Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram that he and Joe Frazier went to Manila for the third of their three epic fights "as champions and we came back as old men." Boxing is a particularly unforgiving sport for old men, especially those--as Kram tells us in Ghosts of Manila, his thoroughly riveting account of one of the Sweet Science's greatest rivalries--"with too much pride, heart, and unexamined confidence for their own well-being." Which defines Ali and Frazier's essential characters in a nutshell.
Kram begins his saga in the present, looking at the different kinds of isolation that currently surround each man's life, then dances back and forth through time to spar with just who these warriors have been and how they came to be the icons, for better or worse, they became. Ghosts of Manila is more than a twin biography, though; it is an often haunting meditation on how much we project onto our athletes, and how destructive the projections can be. As much as any punishment sustained in three of the most brutal title fights in heavyweight history, the baggage--personal and societal--that Ali and Frazier carried into and out of the ring changed them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Did Ali earn all the love? Did Frazier deserve all the scorn? To answer the questions, Kram bravely goes toe to toe with Ali worship and Ali's myth. His daring rewards us with knockout profiles of two legends more complex and real than mere iconography might allow. --Jeff Silverman
Book Description
When Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier in Manila for their third fight, their rivalry had spun out of control. The Ali-Frazier matchup had become a madness, inflamed by the media and the politics of race. When the "Thrilla in Manila" was over, one man was left with a ruin of a life; the other was battered to his soul.
Mark Kram covered that fight for Sports Illustrated in an award-winning article. Now his riveting book reappraises the boxers -- who they are and who they were. And in a voice as powerful as a heavyweight punch, Kram explodes the myths surrounding each fighter, particularly Ali. A controversial, no-holds-barred account, Ghosts of Manila ranks with the finest boxing books ever written.
Customer Reviews:
Ali and Frazier: a welcome revisionist view.......2006-12-29
It's human nature to look for heroes. Few candidates for this level of acclaim, however, especially in an age where little of a public figure's life remains private, can withstand scrutiny and still come out shining. Muhammad Ali's shortcomings have been glossed over during the last thirty plus years and his actions have been recast in a more complimentary light by his many hagiographers to turn him into a sacred cow, a heroic figure who can do little wrong.
Mark Kram's "Ghosts of Manila" is essentially a revisionist view of two great heavyweight champions of the 70s, one whose character has perhaps been overvalued, the other who has never received his due. The tension between the two men, an exploration of their psychologies and their historic trilogy of battles are the subject of the book.
Hardly anybody is shown in a positive light in Kram's book and one can't help but feel that the author has some mysterious axe to grind. Yet much of what is described here can be found in other books about Ali. What makes Kram's book unique is that he analyses the actions of the key figures and the context they lived in to give an alternate picture that leads one to assess both men differently, or more accurately in Frazier's case, to assess him at all.
The Ali who emerges in Kram's book is an opportunist who happens to be in the right place at the right time and whose every proclamation and gesture is spun to take on a level of significance to which he is essentially ignorant. The icon we hold as a model of courage is dismantled to reveal a man who repeatedly turned his back on those who supported him, either because there was risk attached to remaining loyal (Malcolm X) or it was inconvenient to do so (his numerous ex-wives as well as a few of his children).
Frazier is presented in only a slightly more sympathetic light because he is seen as the victim, the target of Ali's most offensive insults. The man who emerges is an embittered figure who has sacrificed his dignity (as well as his friends and family) to his rage.
Kram is a skilled, but occasionally undisciplined, writer. Some of the metaphors are overblown and some of his digressions seem to go nowhere, suggesting that the book could have used more editing. In general though his prose is sharp and devoid of cliche.
This book has aroused a fair bit of controversy, as some of the other reviews here illustrate (some of which, interestingly, go to some length to discredit the author). Yet it is a well written book, which provides an interesting antidote to the popular view of the two fighters. The author's courage in taking a critical stance toward one of our sacred cows is to be lauded. Where the book could have gone deeper is in exploring the reasons Ali's many obvious failings have been ignored in the public's eyes to give him the saint-like stature he currently holds.
"Ghosts of Manilla" should have obvious appeal to those with an interest in boxing in general and Ali and Frazier in particular; it should especially interest anybody who wants to get an alternate view of one of the most famous public figures of our time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (please read).......2006-11-29
Before making a decision on whether or not to purchase this book, I feel I should share some important information about its author, one Mark Kram, so that you can make an informed decision on whether this is the kind of honest man who is going to write a fair and even handed account on anything regarding boxing:
In 1976 Don King arranged the infamous US Championships Tournament for ABC television. This was a tournament involving fighters signed with Don King or his cohorts only. Bribery was used to corrupt ratings to justify the inclusion of undeserving King fighters/exclusion or far more deserving non-King fighters. The more worthwhile fighters who wanted to participate were told they would have to kickback a chunk of their purses to King, whilst also leaving their current manager and signing with King. Those who refused this blackmail were left excluded. And thus a bogus tournament was created with a clutch of retired preliminary fighters and obscure journeymen, dressed up as contenders with fake records and paid for rankings.
Where was Mark Kram in all of this? This `journalist' accepted gifts and gratuities from Don King and penned a puff piece article promoting the tournament for the January 1977 Sports Illustrated. Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, this `journalist' was bought and wrote a four page article extolling the virtues of this "great tournament" and "the honesty of Don King"! Of course the tournament fell apart half way through and its massive corruption was exposed, as well as Kram's. This `journalist' took money under the table to humiliate the most respected sports publication in the US. No surprises the magazine fired Kram and had to write a full expose/apology by Robert Boyle in the May 1977 Sports Illustrated, atoning for Kram's article of lies.
And now all these years Kram resurfaces from under his rock, attempting to destroy the character of Muhammad Ali. Perhaps a look in the mirror may have been more appropriate. Muhammad Ali is loved by millions worldwide, and accorded major respected by fighters, both amateur and professional. Mark Kram however, is an exposed crook and isn't even accorded respect by fellow journalists, let alone fighters. Maybe if Kram had ever had the guts to lace on a pair of gloves he would have more of an understanding of just how hard it is to do what Muhammad Ali does.
Fascinating read.......2006-11-05
Kram goes beyond much of the shallow coverage that passes for sportswriting these days to deliver a first-rate package that won't disappoint anyone with a modicum of interest in boxing's golden age. He provides fascinating insights into the two central characters and many others in the business. Thoroughly recommended.
The Thrilla from Vanilla..........2006-07-11
Muhammad Ali has received hagiographical treatment for the past thirty years or so. This book has a different perspective, however. Kram was there the whole time, saw everything, knew everybody, and lays out his take, to use an apt metaphor, without pulling any punches. Kram does occasionally lose himself in pretension--using the word "rodomontade" in a boxing book?--but, hey, he was an old guy, close to death, and I guess he wanted his last work to be more profound than the subject matter permitted. For everyone who thought Ali was a keen intellect, or a political visionary, or, indeed, a saint, here is your bucket of cold water. He certainly was a talented athlete--a heavyweight with the speed of a middleweight--and he may have been a symbol of pride to blacks...but that's about it.
Not a Thrilla.......2006-06-26
This book was a major disappointment. If books could be returned for a full refund because of disappointment with the contents, then I would immediately return this one. I liked the title and I am a fan of both Ali and Frazier and I was interested in reading more about their great third fight. Plenty is written about Ali, but I was interested in reading and learning more about Frazier. Well, 90% is about Ali and race. 6% is about Frazier and only 4% is about the fights themselves, including the third fight that the book is based on! This book could have been a short magazine article, instead it is needlessly expanded. I only finished this book because I paid full price for it and I knew that I couldn't get my money back.
Amazon.com
The story of The Magnificent Ambersons is one of the saddest in movie history. Directed by Orson Welles the year after Citizen Kane, this magnificent movie was butchered by RKO studios, which had wrested the final cut away from the director. RKO had become increasingly disenchanted with Welles after the box-office failure of Kane and the dismal reaction of Ambersons's preview audiences. In a futile attempt to make the second film more commercial, the studio tossed many of Welles's scenes onto the cutting-room floor and shot new sequences that led to a happy ending, ultimately transforming a dark 131-minute epic into a far more benign 88-minute work that manifested confusing changes of tone and sometimes degenerated into complete incomprehensibility.
Robert Carringer has done a splendid job of reconstructing this lost movie. His book contains a chronology of the Amberson family and a documentary history of the "ordeal of editing and reediting" the film. It provides a complete transcription of the film's original shooting script, illustrated with storyboards and photographic stills and accompanied by voluminous explanatory notes. It's a revelation to see the surviving cut of The Magnificent Ambersons and then refer to the book to find what the movie might have been, but Welles's screenplay is so literate that it makes fine reading on its own. --Raphael Shargel
Book Description
Orson Welles considered The Magnificent Ambersons the crucial turning point in his career. He said, "They destroyed Ambersons and it destroyed me." In 1942, while Welles was away, RKO Studios drastically recut the completed film. None of that deleted footage is known to survive.
Now film scholar Robert Carringer has reconstructed Welles's own version of Ambersons, using all available surviving evidence including rare studio documents and the recollections of Welles himself and other original participants in the film.
Carringer reaches startling conclusions about where the responsibility for the film's undoing ultimately lies. His spellbinding--and no doubt controversial--book will be eagerly welcomed by film historians and enthusiasts.
Customer Reviews:
required reading minus the Oedipus at Kenosha introduction.......1999-08-24
This is about as close as we're ever going to get to know how Ambersons was constructed and as such is required reading for any cineaste. However, one should read Carringer's introduction with a bucket of salt. The idea that Welles couldn't complete this rendition of Hamlet because of unresolved conflict with his own family I find a bit hard to swallow. I'd say circumstances (RKO's management shuffle, the war effort, Nelson Rockefeller being a tool, Orson's big mouth/ego) had more effect on the collapse of Ambersons than Welles' mom. Still, well worth the price for the cutting continuity.
Customer Reviews:
Third time and still a charm!.......1999-07-15
Stackpole closes it all up in this, the last book in the Fiddlebcak Trilogy. Tycho and his friends much join forces with the very evil they fight to save the Earth from an invading army of perfect warriors. Fiddleback plans betrayal, but Tycho and his friends are ready for anything.
Customer Reviews:
Hilarious!.......2005-11-18
4 stars in a really bad "instructional movie" sort of way. Think of "Refer Madness", but even more hysterical.
I like to drink, and somehow a copy of this book (an original 1853), entered my collection by unknown means (some of you will understand). I really have no clue how I got this.
Most of the book can be described by a marriage in which a woman (usually described as being something like "perfect, god fearing, wholesome" etc. etc. (the supposedly "perfect woman" of 1853)). Marries a man who one day desides to drink a beer, then he travels to a public house, then (soon) all ends in ruin for everyone involved.
There is one story about a young boy who is instructed to take a barrel of whiskey to some workers, drinks the whole thing and dies. I thought this was sort of anti-climatic, but still funny.
doo, de doo, de doo, what is this,yum, oh no I'm dead
.
If it had a description of the member of the devil it would be 5 stars.
I apologize for any spelling or grammatical mistakes, but it is my duty to record this in a drunken state.
Book Description
In the Make Money series, renowned real estate investor and bestselling author Gary W. Eldred shows you how to profit from the safest, most reliable wealth builder in the world-real estate. With coverage of all the fundamentals-from finding the right properties to financing and managing them-Eldred shows you the ropes so you don't have to learn important lessons the hard way. Unlike general guides to investing in real estate, each title in the Make Money series gives you the specialized expertise necessary to fully profit from a select investment strategy.
Make Money with Small Income Properties shows you how to grow your fortune by purchasing and managing multi-unit rental properties-from duplexes to twenty-four-unit buildings. Compared to other real estate investments, small income properties offer higher returns, positive cash flows, and easy-qualifying seller financing. The expert guidance you'll find here illustrates how you can boost property values and increase rent collections through effective and friendly management. This simple-to-follow guide offers the knowledge you need to find properties that will increase in value, manage them effectively (rule one: never think of yourself as a landlord), and maximize your profits. Make Money with Small Income Properties will show you how to:
- Purchase and profit from affordable rental properties
- Develop your entrepreneurial strategy
- Understand the economy and pick the right neighborhoods
- Size up the market and your competition
- Carve out a target market
- Accurately price properties
- Build equity fast with easy improvements
- Create ways to generate more income
Download Description
Everything first-time investors need to know about small income properties
Millions of investors are looking for a safe place to put their money. Make Money with Small Income Properties shows readers how to invest in everything from duplexes to twenty-four-unit properties. The book explains to first-time investors why small income properties are such a good investment and shows them how to take advantage of seller financing. The author includes tips on how investors can use property management and tenant management schemes to increase value. Topics include location, property conditions, market conditions, calculating net profit, and securing financing.
Gary W. Eldred, PhD (Gainesville, FL) is a realtor who has served on the graduate business faculty at Stanford University and the University of Illinois. He is also the coauthor of Investing in Real Estate, Fourth Edition (0-471-32339-X) and author of Yes! You Can Own the Home You Want (0-471-09978-3) and The 106 Common Mistakes Homebuyers Make (and How to Avoid Them) (0-471-12658-6), all published by Wiley.
Customer Reviews:
Small Income Properties.......2007-06-27
If you are looking for a how to guide this is not the book. Eldred, gives you a very high level overview of the real estate game.
Excellent.......2006-08-02
Provides terrific materials in an understable way. I'm a novice and have
heard and read many claims and get rich tomorrow schemes.
This is an excellent tool.Even if I don't invest this year, it is a great
way to understand the economy for anyone.
Not your first real estate book, but very valuable.......2003-11-13
This book, as others have noted, is not about the mechanics of proceeding; it's no cookbook and doesn't outline the specific steps to implement a deal. Nor does it specify some mythical "one true strategy" you should follow. What it does, and does very well, is cover the entire spectrum of larger strategy issues that will distinguish the greater success of strategic thinkers from the blind-luck results of simple tactical implementers.
Who is this for? People who have read (or done) enough real estate that they don't need yet another book of the details. People who want (or need) to be reminded to think about the larger plan, where they are going, and how to optimize your strategy for best results. I'm a business strategist professionally, and I think this is well written and useful. Some of the people who appreciate it the least ("just do it" types who want to be handed simple answers) would benefit the most from this very good summary of real estate strategic thinking. It's true, you do need to dive in and "just go do it" to make RE work. But thinking about the issues in this book will probably make any RE campaign significantly *better*. Good luck, to each of you.
Create value, Increase net income.......2003-10-13
This is the second book I've read by Eldred. I like his style and thoughtful ideas. Unlike so many get rich in real estate books, Eldred seems to have his feet on the ground, yet he still demonstrates great ideas and techniques for buying, improving, and creating value for properties. This book does not cover "everything you need to know" (what book does?), but it does give you a unique and solid approach to investing smarter and more profitably.
Great book for beginners or pros.......2003-09-28
If you're thinking about investing in real estate, this book will give you a clear path to follow to maximize your profits. I found its strength both in its clearly written explanations as well as the tips and ideas on how to develop an improvement strategy. As a quick read that fully covers the basics, it's the best book on investing in small apartment buildings that I have read. True, as the reviewer below notes, you won't find a bunch of crazy "no credit, no cash" dealmaking tatics here. But you will find substantive content that distinguishes this author from others. Whether investing pro or amateur, I believe you'll come away from this book with insights that will really boost your return potential. I certainly did.
Books:
- Je Suis Ici Dans Les Gallas
- John the Fearless: The Growth of Burgundian Power (History of Valois Burgundy)
- JOURNEY INTO DARKNESS: Follow the FBI's Premier Investigative Profiler as He Penetrates the Minds and Motives of the Most Terrifying Serial Criminals
- Lady Jane: Nine Days Queen Of England 1553
- Like Family: Growing Up in Other People's Houses: A Memoir
- Lilibet: An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth II
- Madame de Pompadour: Mistress of France
- Marie Antoinette: The Journey
- Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen Of France
- Mary, Queen of Scots: Pride, Passion and a Kingdom Lost
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Watchdogs of Democracy
- The Way of the Heart: Desert Spirituality and Contemporary Ministry
- Witness of St. Ansgar's
- Who's Who in Age of Alexander the Great: Prosopography of Alexander's Empire
- What Color Is Your Parachute for Teens: Discovering Yourself, Defining Your Future
- Uncertainty and Information: Foundations of Generalized Information Theory
- Wetlands
- The Vital Few: The Entrepreneur and American Economic Progress
- The Paradox of Progress: Can Americans Regain Their Confidence in a Prosperous Future
- The vascular plants of Louisiana: An annotated checklist and bibliography of the vascular plants rep
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life
The Eloquent Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis : A Portrait in Her Own Words (With a One-Hour DVD Insert from A&E Biography)
The Jackie Handbook
America's Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
![Falstaff Chimes At Midnight [Import]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0007X6KM2.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
