Average customer rating:
- Superb, distinctive, and oddly heartwarming
- An intriguing and touching collection of family memories
- There once was a time....
- An intriguing and touching collection of family memories
- It's all in the family.....
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The Nearly Departed: Or, My Family & Other Foreigners
Brenda Cullerton
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0316162531 |
Book Description
Brenda Cullerton's parents were always eccentric. Her mother gardened in curlers, pop beads, and black satin underpants, while her father hid wads of cash in shoes in the garage. It was a family to escape from, and Brenda did. But advancing age and illness eventually made early behaviors look downright normal. When Brenda starts making trips home to care for her parents in their last years, she finds her brother installed in a tarpaper shack on the lawn, a barefoot caretaker from Ghana weeding with a machete, and her 73-year-old pot-smoking uncle hunting Canadian geese in the lake by their backyard. The neighborhood association is apoplectic with rage. After years of traveling the world, Brenda Cullerton comes home to the strangest land she's ever visited and finds that it is loving, not leaving, that saved her. The Nearly Departed is a haunting, heartbreaking, and incredibly funny book that is a love letter to parents, family, and home-however strange they may be.
Customer Reviews:
Superb, distinctive, and oddly heartwarming.......2004-06-11
It's a crime that Brenda Cullerton isn't writing novels, because her style (reflecting years as a professional writer) is powerful and distinctive. So is her story of her upbringing by a pair of eccentrics protected by their talent and family wealth from any need to face reality. Cullerton, having escaped her parents after college, bravely decides to wade back in and come to grips with them in their declining years (which are every bit as colorful and maddening as their mid-life crises). I found her unvarnished account of her relationship with them enormously heartening. With the support of her husband, she got as close to them as she could and came away with some peace of mind--and a great book.
An intriguing and touching collection of family memories.......2004-03-03
"As mother taught me, life was a stage - a real stage, with no metaphor intended - and everyone on it but us was an extra."
(-The Nearly Departed: Or, My Family & Other Foreigners)
Far from prosaic and most definitely diverting, Brenda Cullerton's unabashedly candid memoir "The Nearly Departed: Or, My Family & Other Foreigners" is a refreshing departure from the autobiographical norm. Dancing between dark humour, stinging wit and poignant life realities, the author's recollections of her wildly outlandish family are often more bitter than sweet. To be sure, the collective confessions from the `Cullerton Family Crypt' will have you sobbing, guffawing, sighing, and feeling strangely schizophrenic - all in one chapter.
The truth is, Brenda Cullerton's family would raise anyone's eyebrow. At the forefront of these eccentric anecdotes are her parents - a social misfit mother who gardened in baggy black undies, lavish jewelry coupled with pop-it beads, and her hair bedecked in curlers; and an alcoholic father who was usually found anywhere but home, and amassed a hidden fortune as traveling businessman in the shoe trade (only to later hide his cash in their dilapidated barn, stuffed in the toes of moldy footwear).
Now in their winter years, Brenda Cullerton's parents - suffering from ill health - evoke her return to this alien landscape called "home". As the author painstakingly sifts through piles of family memories encountered along the way, not only does she learn more about these virtual "foreigners" who are family, but ultimately discovers herself and the all reasons for her insatiable desire to escape the past.
Artfully and intelligently captured on paper, it is Cullerton's ingenuous journey through introspection which makes "The Nearly Departed" quite nearly flawless.
There once was a time...........2003-10-07
I must say that I particularly enjoyed the review of the Fla. resident. I am a 23 year resident of this town that Brenda C
ullerton describes. I only wish I had known her, AND her family! The "McMansions", now an everday word here, are ridiculous! She saw it with the building of one behind her own home!!
But the most compelling thing about the book is the waste,of human lives!! These people were disfunctional, no doubt about it!And probably would be charged with "child endangerment" today. But the love that the author shows for her mother and father, NO MATTER THEIR QUIRKS, and her inability to express that love, makes a true study in the nature of human beings!Sometimes, we lose what we choose to. She chose to make it front and center in this book! I can't say that I agree with all the author did, nor her family!! Some people will go "AGHG"! But as a resident of this town for some time, it sure is nice to see the veneer crack, and people weren't so perfect I truly loved when she described her mother gardening in her black bra and baggy panties!! And her mother going to town in the pink foam rollers!!That would be a REAL NO- NO today! This is a town of "Stepford Wives"! Would THEY go to town in pink foam rollers and snap-it beads?? Thanks, Brenda, for bringing a little "real" back to Ridgefield!!!
An intriguing and touching collection of family memories.......2003-09-14
Far from prosaic and most definitely diverting, Brenda Cullerton's unabashedly candid memoir "The Nearly Departed: Or, My Family & Other Foreigners" is a refreshing departure from the autobiographical norm. Dancing between dark humour, stinging wit and poignant life realities, the author's recollections of her wildly outlandish family are often more bitter than sweet. To be sure, the collective confessions from the `Cullerton Family Crypt' will have you sobbing, guffawing, sighing, and feeling strangely schizophrenic - all in one chapter.
The truth is, Brenda Cullerton's family would raise anyone's eyebrow. At the forefront of these eccentric anecdotes are her parents - a social misfit mother who gardened in baggy black undies, lavish jewelry coupled with pop-it beads, and her hair bedecked in curlers; and an alcoholic father who was usually found anywhere but home, and amassed a hidden fortune as traveling businessman in the shoe trade (only to later hide his cash in their dilapidated barn, stuffed in the toes of moldy footwear).
Now in their winter years, Brenda Cullerton's parents - suffering from ill health - evoke her return to this alien landscape called "home". As the author painstakingly sifts through piles of family memories encountered along the way, not only does she learn more about these virtual "foreigners" who are family, but ultimately discovers herself and the all reasons for her insatiable desire to escape the past.
Artfully and intelligently captured on paper, it is Cullerton's ingenuous journey through introspection which makes "The Nearly Departed" quite nearly flawless.
It's all in the family............2003-06-19
I read a review of "The Nearly Departed" in the Ridgefield Press, which I still have delivered to my new address in another state. The review had me laughing so hard, I decided that I simply had to get this book. Having spent 23 years in Ridgefield, CT was a plus as I could picture so many scenes as described and these are NOT things one would see in Ridgefield! Perhaps one would see people going down a Main Street in pink foam curlers elsewhere, but certainly not there. Now that that is in perspective, Brenda Cullerton has a wit that will get you laughing out loud, but the book is so much deeper than one might first think. I realize that the average family is dysfunctional to a degree. Unfortunately for Brenda, her family seemed to encompass every dysfunctional element known to man! Hopefully in writing this book, she was able to come to terms with issues in her life; I know that in reading it, she helped me to both understand and come to terms with some things in mine. Thank you Brenda, for both a terrific laugh and a learning experience.
Book Description
In the twelve years that he has been in the public eye, Sachin Tendulkar has been explosive on the cricket field and just as reticent off it. He was barely fifteen years old when he first wrote his name into the record books with a stupendous 664-run partnership with his childhood friend Vinod Kambli. Two year later, he struck his first century in first-class cricket. At eighteen, he became the second youngest man to make a hundred in international cricket, and after that there was no looking back. Records tumbled by the wayside as he captivated audiences first in his home city of Mumbai, then in the rest of India and all over the cricket-playing world. Today, Sachin is widely accepted as the world's finest batsman, with impeccable technique, an incredible array of strokes, and maturity far beyond his years. His teammates and friends swear by him, his fans worship him and there are few, if any, critics of his game or his temperament.
In this biography of the hero of Indian cricket, sports writer Gulu Ezekiel mines interviews, press reports and conversations over the last decade to create an accurate and sympathetic account of the man and his first passion: cricket. He tracks Sachin from his childhood when he first caught the bug of cricket, through his early performances in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments, and follows him on his meteoric rise to international stardom. With unfailing attention to detail, he reconstructs the crucial matches and events that marked Sachin's career and unravels for us the magic of the charismatic cricketer whom Wisden once dubbed 'bigger than Jesus'.
Sachin: The Story of the World's Greatest Batsman, the first, serious exhaustive biography of the Tendulkar career so far, brings back, like a warm autumn breeze does, the memory of the wunderkind's early exhilarating summers in international cricket...The book is akin to a documentary in prose...the book's big virtue is that it is laboriously researched and cross-referenced. For any quizzer on Mastermind India opting for "The Life and Times of Sachin Tendulkar" as their specialist subject there's good news. You just got yourself the ready reckoner that covers 1973-2002.
Book Description
The script to the 1966 film by Alain Resnais profiling the effect of the Spanish Civil War on the lives of a group of anti-Franco exiles living in France, and still actively working for the overthrow of the dictatorship. Called an incomparable thriller by some critics, it is also a beautiful love story and a moving document of our time. This volume presents the complete scenario by Jorge Semprun and 114 frame-enlargements from the film itself, carefully keyed to the text.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on September 22, 2001. The length of the article is 886 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: La Guerre est finie.(Review)
Author: Richard Porton
Publication:
Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2001
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: 26
Issue: 4
Page: 80
Article Type: Movie Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
- Le regard d' une femme sur la Guerre
- Emotional voyage
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Maman, la guerre est finie (Collection Parler vrai)
Judith Radiguet
Manufacturer: Editions Du Rocher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 226802217X |
Customer Reviews:
Le regard d' une femme sur la Guerre.......2006-07-13
une vision interessante & saisissante d'une femme, d'une mere qui se trouve aussi etre une jeune journaliste francaise qui fait ses premieres armes au milieu d'un pays ravage par un conflit et la souffrance.
Emotional voyage.......2006-07-13
A very personal perspective from a young reporter/mother of the all miseries & consequences that war inflicts on our personal lives, loved ones and our vision of life, death & loss.Also a sharp,vivid & real account of the slow resolution & end of the VIETNAM war by a youg journalist who later became a prominent & award winning reporter for major French TV & news media.
Average customer rating:
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Schubert - the final years
John Reed
Manufacturer: Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Schubert, Franz
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ASIN: 0571098428 |
Book Description
Set off on a magical history tour with Milbourne Christopher's classic Illustrated History of Magic. Follow the fascinating stories of the world's greatest conjurers, from sorcerer-priests in ancient Egypt, The Great Herrmann, Harry Kellar, Chung Ling Soo, Houdini, to modern miracle workers like David Copperfield, Siegfreid and Roy, and David Blaine. Filled with fantastic illustrations—poster art, photographs, illusion diagrams—this book is a feast for anyone interested in the conjuring arts.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book for Magician Historians.......2007-04-25
This is not a book on "How to do Magic" but on the History of Magic and the expert conjurers and Illusionist of all times. It's extremely well written with detail accounts of parlor and stage magic stories. If you are a serious Magician, this is a most for your private collection. As a close-up Magician, I have learned many strateties, and this Book served me and inspired me to continue with my craft.
By, Rasputin
Great Magic reference.......2007-01-17
This book is full of all kinds of magical history and theory. Whether you are a practicing magician, a magic hobbiest or just enjoy reading an interesting historical story... this book is a "Must Read".
Fantastic book! Buy it!.......2001-12-05
After seeing this book on several times at my local magic shop, I finally bought it here. The list price is (...), but I paid less (...) here and it was new in plastic wrap too. It is an absolutely fabulous book with very detailed illustrations and numerous color picture. Worth much more than they ask for! It's an invaluable reference also for magic lovers!
Excellent!!!.......1999-05-11
This is one of my favorite magic books. I have to go back and look at it from time to time. Great stories- great pictures. -Diamond Jim Tyler
Average customer rating:
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Magic Pencil: Children's Book Illustration Today
Manufacturer: British Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer
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Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer
ASIN: 0712347704 |
Book Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1877 edition by Lee & Shepard, Boston.
Product Description
Over-sized hard cover pictorial edition by Barnes and Noble, 1999. Filled with color photos, illustrations. 192 pages
Customer Reviews:
Not all women carry purses.......2007-09-10
This book, written by a woman, presents eight case studies in eight chapters, each detailing how a specific corporation has changed its business practices in the past decade to adjust to the growth in purchasing power of female consumers. Half of these companies had traditionally sold to men only; these being DeBeers Diamonds, Home Depot, Nike and Kodak. Two had traditionally sold to women; Avon and Proctor & Gamble. The last two, MGA (maker of Bratz dolls) and McDonalds sold to youngsters, both boys and girls. Most of the chapters showed how its subject's past practices led to stagnant sales and declining market share, which was reversed when new people came on board and revamped both products and product advertising to make them more appealing to a new breed of female customers; wealthy, independent, and often single. One chapter, the one on MGA, showed how this company created an entirely new product line, Bratz dolls, that overtook Barbie dolls within two years of product launch.
Each chapter consists of the story, followed by a one page summary of key lessons learned by the company that was highlighted. As such, this book serves as both history text, and educational text; a great combination. The length of the book was great, readible within a weekend, and the reading difficulty was appropriate for college freshman in business. The only drawback of the book was what was left out. Specifically, the book ignored the financial and automotive industries. Regarding the former, the last twenty years has seen a huge growth in the number of women investing for themselves independently of spouses or families. Regarding the latter, the Japanese auto companies made their initial inroads into the American car market by selling cars geared for women customers; think of the vanity mirror on car sunshades. But overall, this is still a good book.
Thought-Provoking Case Histories.......2006-03-05
Somewhere in the first five minutes of any good business school's initial marketing class, the professor will sternly admonish students to listen to their customers and provide what's relevant. Ms. Warner in this book suggests that many such students must have fallen asleep during that lecture . . . or didn't understand the point.
In The Power of the Purse, Ms. Warner shows how some of the largest companies in the world fell asleep providing offerings and marketing to support those offerings that perhaps fit the U.S. market in 1955 . . . but certainly don't fit the market today.
To me, the most powerful case history was for Bratz, the new doll series that overtook Barbie in three years after 50 years of doll dominance. Few parents in my experience failed to note that Barbie wasn't right for their daughters. But it was hard to find alternatives that were any better. Bratz was based on the idea that pre-teen girls grow out of wanting to play with a doll that's Mommy and want to play with dolls that are like the girls and their friends. To do that, the dolls needed to look like real girls and not Donald Trump's idea of a dream date or trophy wife. They also needed to dress like contemporary girls. Bratz provides those obvious benefits and took the world by storm. The company's leader credits much of the inspiration from watching his daughter play with her dolls.
If you survey women over 70, their attitudes are pretty much the traditional ones. If you survey girls, you find that they believe that can do anything and want to be in charge of their lives. The age groups between those extremes express blended combinations of those views with the mixed based on the age.
In other words, women in the U.S. have been changing and marketers have been missing the boat. These case histories eloquently combine statistics and stories to prove that point.
The cases include McDonald's discovering that women want to eat something remotely healthful when they bring the kids in for a treat, Kodak finding out that women want simple ways to develop family photo memories, Torrid providing plus size fashion like what the fashionably anorexic normally wear, Avon discovering that the daughters of Avon Ladies want to make a buck too . . . but in a different way, Procter & Gamble making it easier to be a bread winner who enjoys the satisfaction of a clean floor, Nike learning that women's feet are different from men's, Home Depot uncovering male-female partnering in home improvement projects and women discovering the joy of buying diamond rings for the right hand.
Reading these stories made me think that most companies have a long way to go.
The main drawbacks of the book are three. First, Ms. Warner loves to give you all the details. Her case histories are longer than they need to be, as a result. The first one on McDonald's is a real snore. Keep reading. It gets better. Second, Ms. Warner adds almost no management insight to her case histories. These cases are like stories written for a glossy magazine rather than to train marketers. Third, Ms. Warner spreads her points about how women have changed throughout the book. She takes a long time to get her point across. A better opening that summarized the key elements would have made the rest of the book a lot more interesting by providing the context before the examples.
Normally, I wouldn't rate such a bare bones book as highly as this one. But I don't know of any better book on how marketers are overcoming decades of bad habits in serving women. So any book that's the best in its field deserves five stars.
Nice insights, Ms. Warner!
Beyond Pink: Marketing to Women.......2006-01-23
This book combines the story of women's new economic power with case studies that detail how major companies have revamped their marketing to target women customers. Author Fara Warner, a journalist, knows her beat. In fact, she sometimes gets carried away with the facts, and her style can be dry and predictable. Still, we find this book invaluable for marketers and people interested in women's emerging economic clout, a major social and demographic trend. Warner provides specific advice that will help you avoid costly, time-consuming marketing mistakes as you pursue these crucial customers.
An Outstanding Entry in a Crowded Field.......2005-10-23
Many books purport to offer marketing advice. However, most of them, especially those that are case study-oriented, are somewhat superficial and simply reiterate some basic truths that most practitioners already know. In contrast, Warner's book digs in deep to provide the nitty gritty "so what" details that readers need in order to actually apply the lessons to their own work. You are not left hanging as to what the company under discussion actually did, or what results were achieved. As a marketer with a leading technology company, I was particularly interested in the chapter on Kodak's success with the EasyShare camera and software. There are some great lessons on how to get beyond the "early adopter" crowd to succeed with the mainstream consumer. I have passed this book on to others in my organization, who report that they too have found it both insightful and useful.
A Great Debut .......2005-10-14
Warner with her precise indepth business examples covering varying types of businesses shows us how powerful "listening" to women can be. Increased revenues in marketshare from both gender segments. Warner doesn't pidgeon hole women, which is refreshing. She is a keen observer and makes the point clear just how simple and easy it can be for businesses to ask women what they want how powerful it is when businesses really listen and then take the necessary steps to make it a reality. Warner's examples shows when businesses do this it's a win win for everyone. It also puts honesty back into marketing.
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