Dog Is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World's Oldest Friendship

Dog Is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World's Oldest Friendship
Average customer rating:

Dog lovers can relate to the stories in this book

A must read!

A Dog in Every Chapter

Easy pick up

Dog is my Co-Pilot

Dog Is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World's Oldest Friendship
Bark Editors
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Dogs | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Essays | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1400050537
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Book Description

Dogs have been our muses, our mentors, and our playful and noble co-pilots. They’ve had a profound influence on us as healers and spiritual guides, and also as co-workers, helping to guide, hunt, herd, search, and rescue. Our bond with dogs is deep and unbreakable, and there’s no better source a reader can turn to for a richer understanding of that complex and wonderful relationship than The Bark.

The Bark began as a newsletter in Berkeley, California, that advocated for an off-leash area where dogs could cavort and play. Within a few years it had become a full-fledged, award-winning glossy magazine that published work by some of the best writers in America today. And as it grew, the magazine embraced a much larger canvas: to cover the emerging phenomenon of “dog culture” that has been developing over the past decade, as dogs have moved out of the backyard and into our homes, communities, and, indeed, the very center of our lives. As editor Claudia Kawczynska writes, “The implications of integrating another species into society’s daily fabric go well beyond how we nurture our dogs. It calls for a revamping of the standard etiquette—respecting the concerns and interests of society at large. This new relationship, along with an appreciation for our rich and unbounded future, comprises what we call dog culture. This is what The Bark set out to chronicle.”

Dog Is My Co-Pilot is an anthology of essays, short stories, and expert commentaries that explores every aspect of our life with dogs. Fifty percent of the material here has never been published before. The book is divided into four sections: Beginnings explores that first meeting, “the initial murmurings when a dog-human relationship is formed.” Pack investigates the theme of “togetherness” and pays tribute to the dynamic of multiple personalities in the canine-human relationship. Lessons examines what dogs teach us, from love to enlightenment. The final section, Passages, reflects on the themes of true friendship, transformation, and loss.

Included are pieces by Lynda Barry, Rick Bass, Maeve Brennan, Margaret Cho, Carolyn Chute, Alice Elliott Dark, Lama Surya Das, Pam Houston, Erica Jong, Tom Junod, Caroline Knapp, Donald McCaig, Nasdijj, Ann Patchett, Michael Paterniti, Charles Siebert, Alexandra Styron, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, and Alice Walker. In selections that are humorous, poignant, truthful, sometimes surprising, and frequently uplifting, Dog Is My Co-Pilot embraces the full experience of the world’s oldest friendship. For people who love great writing and, yes, great dogs, it’s a book to be both shared and treasured.

Customer Reviews:

Dog lovers can relate to the stories in this book.......2007-07-19

Most of the stories in this book "hit home" with me and I found myself saying "I've had that experience with my dog(s) - I could have written that". Some stories were a little long, just a few I found not as interesting. A good read for dog lovers.

A must read!.......2007-06-26

If you are a dog lover this should be required reading it is such a great book! It is a little treasure of great writing from some of the best writers ever....I wanted this book to last forever I enjoyed it so much!

A Dog in Every Chapter.......2007-01-28

There's a lot in this book for dog owners--namely, 42 stories on some aspect of dog. Some of the information is factual, but most has to do with relationships--dog to person and dog to dog, the former being much more prevalent. Most any dog owner would gain something of value from this book.

I like the stories from Caroline Knapp, Alice Elliott Dark, and Bonnie Jo Campbell the best. Knapp's and Dark's stories are serious and compelling. Campbell's story about her dog Roscoe, who she comes to believe is a reincarnation of her former and erstwhile fiancé Oscar, is hilarious. The ties between the two are numerous. Even the dog's shortened ear (frostbite) is linked to Oscar's untimely and embarrassing demise.

My pick of three female authors should not be considered unusual in that most of the stories in this book are by females ("A dog is woman's best friend"). Most, also, are about medium- to large-sized dogs. Labs and herding dogs (blue heeler or cattle dog, Border collie, kelpie, and German shepherd) get the most ink.

If you're like me, meaning you often don't do what trainers recommend, you should find some comfort in instances where an owner didn't do what trainers recommend, and things turned out okay. Amusingly, one owner and her dog celebrated their graduation from training by going home and climbing onto the sofa, something the dog had been forbidden to do during the twelve-week training course. The story's message is two-fold: Loving your dog the way you wish is sometimes more important than rules. And since dogs are infinitely variable, what works with one may be useless or even counterproductive with the next.

Many of the owners in this book seem to have dogs who sleep with them religiously. My dogs never have. The closest I've come has been a miniature schnauzer, but even she had her limits and often baled sometime during the night. My current dog's routine, which matches that of the dog before her, is to stay with me until I stop reading and turn off the light. Then she's off to her familiar haunt--a fabric-covered chair near the front door (a nice arrangement, however, for the nights we forget to lock the front door). What these other owners have that I don't I can only wonder. Less body odor or perhaps--we're talking dog here--more?

(I'm giving the book five stars even though I found the formatting (justified, double-spaced text in two columns) at the start of each chapter irritating.)

Easy pick up.......2006-08-02

This is a book that is easy to carry with you and the stories are just the right length to read while waiting (for anything). I could relate to many of the stories.

Dog is my Co-Pilot.......2006-02-24

If you enjoy dogs, you will enjoy this book. It is a perfect book to have by your bed to read a few essays, savoring them, before drifting off to sleep. The essays are well written, in different styles, some humerous, some sad, all enjoyable. I have bought several as gifts for fellow dog lovers.

5 Books: DOGA - Yoga For Dogs / The Well-Mannered Dog / Simon & Schuster's Guide to Dogs / Dog Is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World's Oldest Friendship / The INTELLIGENCE OF DOGS (Unboxed Set of Teaching, Appreciating, Dogs & Puppys Books)

Average customer rating:

5 Books: DOGA - Yoga For Dogs / The Well-Mannered Dog / Simon & Schuster's Guide to Dogs / Dog Is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World's Oldest Friendship / The INTELLIGENCE OF DOGS (Unboxed Set of Teaching, Appreciating, Dogs & Puppys Books)
Jennifer Brilliant , William Berloni , Simon and Schuster , Stanley Coren , The Editors of Pets: Part of the Family , and Bark Editors
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WE89SO

Product Description

5 Books: DOGA - Yoga For Dogs / The Well-Mannered Dog / Simon & Schuster's Guide to Dogs / Dog Is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World's Oldest Friendship / The INTELLIGENCE OF DOGS (Unboxed Set of Teaching, Appreciating, Dogs & Puppys Books), in either Hard or Softcover, (See Seller Condition Comments), Shipped in one package to save on shipping costs.

Book Description

Between 1870 and 1942, successive generations of Asians and Asian Americans—predominantly Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino—formed the predominant body of workers in the Pacific Coast canned-salmon industry.

This study traces the shifts in the ethnic and gender composition of the cannery labor market from its origins through it decline and examines the workers' creation of work cultures and social communities. Resisting the label of cheap laborer, these Asian American workers established formal and informal codes of workplace behavior, negotiated with contractors and recruiters, and formed alliances to organize the workforce.

Whether he is discussing Japanese women workers' sharing of child-care responsibilities or the role of Filipino workers in establishing the Cannery and Field Workers Union, Chris Friday portrays Asian and Asian American workers as people who, while enduring oppressive restrictions, continually attempted to shape their own lives.

Book Description

Travellers are now spoilt by choice of available holiday destinations. In today's crowded tourism market place, destination competitiveness demands an effective marketing organisation. Two themes underpin Destination Marketing Organisations. The first is the challenges associated with promoting multi-attributed destinations in dynamic and heterogeneous markets, and the second is the divide between tourism 'practitioners' and academics. Written by a former 'practitioner', Destination Marketing Organisations bridges industry and theory by synthesising a wealth of academic literature of practical value to DMOs.

Key learning outcomes are to enhance understanding of the fundamental issues relating to:

The rationale for the establishment of DMOs

The structure, roles, goals and functions of DMOs

The key opportunities, challenges and constraints facing DMOs

The complexities of marketing destinations as tourism brands

The Author

Dr Steven Pike (PhD) spent 17 years in the tourism industry, working in destination marketing organisations, before joining academia. He is currently a Visiting Scholar with the School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations at Queensland University of Technology, and Senior Lecturer in the School of Marketing and Tourism at Central Queensland University.

Average customer rating:
Destination Marketing Organisations : Bridging Theory and Practice
STEVEN PIKE
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGVWIE

Way to Go, Smith
Average customer rating:

Way to Go Indeed!!!

Middle of the Road

Loved it!

Keep 'em coming, Bob...

Funny book !

Way to Go, Smith
Bob Smith
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Full Circle

ASIN: 0060957948
Release Date: 2000-11-07

Amazon.com

"The great thing about the shareware between a couple is that the network is limited to the two of you," writes humorist Bob Smith in "Wolf Whistling in the Dark," the first chapter in his second collection of interlinked essays. "No one has ever understood me or known me better than Tom, but recently we seemed to have forgotten each other's access code." The novella-length examination of the breakup of Smith's long-term relationship is one of the highlights of Way to Go, Smith!--but each essay has its gemlike moments. Although some of his epigrammatic quips are gay-specific ("Gay men have a tendency to examine an attractive body almost as if, by some miracle, they might have to identify it later when it turns up in their beds"), Smith's recollections of his childhood experiences at home and school would strike a chord with any reader. His sexuality and the experiences that stem from it are combined with these anecdotes in an unapologetic but also unassuming way that teaches all of us to accept Bob Smith just as he is (though it's hard not to like such a handsome and witty guy)--and, hopefully, to accept others around us for who they are as well. --Ron Hogan

Book Description

In his award-winning first book, Bob Smith offered up a witty dose of nineties reality with his observations as a happily adjusted gay man. Now, after breaking up with his longtime boyfriend, Smith looks back to his painfully normal childhood to see where all the trouble really began. Like every other American kid, Bob's adolescence was marked by alternating moments of blissful ignorance, hazy confusion, and humiliating self-consciousness. And in these pages, Bob evokes his youth with a vividness that will make you shudder and howl with recognition.

In these hysterically humorous pages, Bob Smith introduces readers to his comically unsympathetic grandmother, who makes light of his carsickness: "Bob only throws up because he's near the window and he can"; to his first teacher crush, whose "five-o'clock shadow could plunge a room into darkness"; and to his first brush with fame, when he fainted from his chair during a biology filmstrip ("Way to go, Smith!"). Sharp, observant, ingeniously ironic and wholly satisfying, this new Lambda Award-nominated collection is at once bittersweet nostalgic fun and a testament to the unquestionable gifts of a highly original comic writer.

Customer Reviews:

Way to Go Indeed!!!.......2005-05-09

I bought this book at a dollar store and it was worth every penny. Oh well, now that you've suffered through my lame attempt at humor move on to Bob Smith's genuinely funny and frequently moving collection of memories of childhood and busted romances. I usually avoid humor books of this sort (the authors usually concoct nothing out of nothing) but Smith has a engaging style of writing and vivid insights that can really take you back to your childhood, especially if you are in the same age range as him. The funniest are his memories of his fourth grade teacher, Mr. McGaffin. "I quickly realized one of the benefits of having a male teacher was that I could look at Mr. McGaffin as much I wanted while he taught...I studied Mr. McGaffin as if I was going to be tested on the geography of his face." Later that year, Smith discovers his semi-conscious crush has a "friend" Jeffrey and is curious about their relationship but too shy to pry, fortunately for him he is around when "Debbie Gruber...a loudmouthed girl and every thought that came into her head fell from her mouth like a letter through a mail slot" bluntly asked "Mr. McGuffin, do you live with Jeffrey?" Later, Smith learns the men live nearby his home and rides by their own their bike and spots Mr. McGuffin mowing the lawn. "I regretted I hadn't asked the inquisitive Debbie Gruber to tag along. She would have demanded, 'Can we see the inside of your house?'"

This book is so funny I might save up a dollar and buy his other one.

Middle of the Road.......2003-12-26

I had high hopes for this book. It started off really well. The stories of Bob's break-up from Tom was actually interesting to read, and was a story I could follow and invest in. I was hoping for a happy ending at the end--perhaps taking this sad event and finding the humor and of course life lessons in it.

Halfway through the book, Bob resorts to childhood memories. It almost seemed as though he was writing two different books, one of memories and the other of his current life. I felt somewhat lost at times. The stories were entertaining, but didn't seem to make sense being plopped down in the middle of the rest of the current day situations. He ends the chapter with "Mom, I have a date." What a great line! It allows the reader to find out with who?? Is he moving on? Is he the man of his dreams? We never get to find out.

Instead, he moves quickly into his childhood, relating stories that are amusing in their own right but highly out of place. It almost makes me wish that the author would take a chance and finish that third book, finish the second book, and rerelease them.

He then skips back to current day with his misadventures of dates...which sort of leaves me wondering what was going on with the childhood chapters in the middle of the story. They didn't seem to go with the rest of the text.

It was enjoyable...but it left me wanting more.

Loved it!.......2002-06-10

What makes a good author, in my opinion, is his or her ability to capture the human condition in such a way that it comes across as real.

What makes a good comedian, again in my opinion, is to take slices of ordinary life and see the humor in them. Mr. Smith is clearly capable in both areas. While he's not the only person (let alone gay one) to see a relationship end, his ability to harness all of the involved elements (the concerned family, division of the utensils, joint custody of mutual friends and the eventual return to the single's scene) and make them both funny and touching.

It may not be as funny if you can't "relate" .. but for anyone who has ever addressed and gotten through a painful situation through humor, this book is a treat.

Keep 'em coming, Bob..........2002-06-09

I love this book. Actually, I love all three of his books. This book is a must read for anyone who has recently broken up with a boyfriend and needs a chuckle and a little hope. I love everything Bob writes. I subscribe to 'Out' magazine just to see what he writes next. I'm ready for the next book. Keep 'em coming, Bob.

Funny book !.......2002-03-11

I picked this book up at a booksale and really enjoyed it. Bob Smith is a very funny guy that talks about his failed relationship of 10 yrs, his relationship with his family and how he's beginning to date again and getting on with his life. I think his feelings on a relationship ending, on his mother, etc, are very universal and not limited to gay people. I think gay and straight alike can enjoy this very funny book. Find a copy and try not to crack a smile!

Average customer rating:

Way to Go, Coach!
Ronald E. Smith
Manufacturer: Warde Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books

Sports Psychology | Miscellaneous | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1886346070

Book Description

Way to Go, Coach! celebrates the role of the volunteer coach, recognizing that coaches have unique opportunities for positive impact on young people. The first edition of Way to Go, Coach! was heralded by many as the most comprehensive book available on the psychological aspects of coaching young athletes. The new edition includes three entirely new chapters on health issues impacting young athletes including physical development, training and conditioning, and sports injuries. With the edition of these three chapters the book is the complete guide to coaching young athletes.

Feminism and Marxism: A place to begin, a way to go

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Feminism and Marxism: A place to begin, a way to go
Dorothy E Smith
Manufacturer: New Star Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Way to Go, Coach: A Scientifically-Proven Approach to Coaching Effectiveness

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Way to Go, Coach: A Scientifically-Proven Approach to Coaching Effectiveness
Ronald E. Smith , and Frank L. Small
Manufacturer: Warde Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 1886346011

Book Description

Way to Go, Coach! provides easy-to-use yet scientifically based information for a large audience of adults, both parents and coaches, who have tremendous opportunities to have a positive impact on kids in youth sport programs across America. Written by leading sport psychologists, Way to Go, Coach! is based on over 20 years of research on coaching behaviors and how they affect athletes. Coaching Effectiveness Training (CET), developed and tested in this research program, is a scientifically validated coaching education program.

Finding Work You Love, When You Don't Know Which Way To Go

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Finding Work You Love, When You Don't Know Which Way To Go
Stephanie K. Smith
Manufacturer: Aventine Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Job Hunting | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1593302533

GARDENING FOR FOOD: Today's Argument for Growing Yourown, and a New Way to Go about It

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GARDENING FOR FOOD: Today's Argument for Growing Yourown, and a New Way to Go about It
W. G. Smith
Manufacturer: Scribner's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000M0L926

Way to Go!: Solving Problems and Making Decisions (The Walch Real Life Series)

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Way to Go!: Solving Problems and Making Decisions (The Walch Real Life Series)
Diane R. Smith
Manufacturer: J Weston Walch Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Personal Transformation | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0825126983

Average customer rating:

Way to Go, Smith
Bob Smith
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF9FU2

Product Description

By William Starr. These variations on standard Suzuki melodies were written to have specific technical challenges such as vibrato, double stops, finger action, bowing techniques, shifting, harmonics and positions.

Customer Reviews:

DIsconnected like WHAT.......2007-06-21

I seriously have no clue what is going on with this book...I purchased it hoping that there would be scholarly information with connections between linguistics and morality (as the title suggests) for a thesis. Unfortunately this is a low budget um, something. It's not good enough to be called a book. A professor looked at it and gave me the weirdest look ever, thus it is now a coaster on my night table.

providing balance..........2003-04-14

I haven't read this book, but I can give a review based loosely on what the reviewer below says. That is, the field of Deism refutes the reviewer's clumsy claims and interest me sufficiently to order a copy.

Condemnation by an oaf translates easily into informed praise.

Pathetic book........1999-05-23

authors argue that god is silent and alwyays has been. That is such an affront to Jesues that i reall wonder how a Notre Dame Press book even considnered it. No wonder kids are killing kids.

Book Description

Barth's lively, highly original collection of short pieces is a major landmark of experimental fiction. Though many of the stories gathered here were published separately, there are several themes common to them all, giving them new meaning in the context of this collection.

Customer Reviews:

the way we tell stories.......2007-03-07

Taken both separately and as an arranged series, these 14 stories explore the relationships between narrative, life, knowledge, creation, self and being. Like much of Barth's work, these texts wrestle with the profound implication that insight into the way we narrativize experience, into the way we make and tell stories, can actually help us understand how we perceive and live life. Deeply existential, yet also inventive and playful, Lost in the Funhouse twists and turns the established folds of form and meaning, trying to tease out something new. Where the stories succeed, they shimmer brilliantly.

In a few instances, however, the book sinks a little too far into post-modern self-referentiality, with stories about their own conception, about their own futility. While these concepts are intriguing, and Barth's examinations lively, several pages worth is often too much. Especially at first reading, such stories seem not only bewildering but also boorish, even annoying. Part of the problem is perhaps simply that such ideas are no longer new. But it's also true that some of the stories are rather obscure, so much so that the book now includes Barth's "Seven Additional Author's Notes," for needed clarification.

The stories in this slim volume, many of which are post-modern or metafictional experiments, seem inevitable, even necessary. Eventually someone was going to have to write them, and no one is perhaps more capable of exploring narrative and form in this way than John Barth. Unfortunately, however, some of the stories drag and feel a little tedious, which the reader should be prepared for. Overall, this is a challenging, rewarding and expansive book. Lost in the funhouse, indeed...

Confusing, Hilarious, Profound.......2006-06-05

Lost in the Funhouse can be a very bewildering and irritating collection if you aren't in the right mood for it. If you aren't well-versed in post-modern fiction (barthelme, calvino, etc are good reference points) you might want to start somewhere else first. Even Barth's novels are more immediately digestible.

With that said, though, this collection doesn't really operate on one consistent level. Perhaps this is because many of these stories were written by Barth much earlier in his career. The three stories concerning Ambrose's birth and development are very straightforward and enjoyable on a surface level until the whole series goes flying into left-field with the titular "Lost in the Funhouse" story (which Barth is probably most known for). From that point on, most of the stories are more about the process of writing and the relationship between the reader, writer, and the characters. Stories like "Title" and "Life-Story" work more as essays on the nature of fiction than actual works of fiction, and were (for me at least) a little tedious. The best moments occur when Barth combines his thoughful analysis on the nature of writing and art with a really good ground-situation, typically based on Greek mythology. The best of these are the utterly raunchy "Petitition" and the labyrinthine "Menelaiad".

Taken as a whole, though, Lost in the Funhouse is greatly satisfying, even if (like me) you really only understood about 20% of what Barth was talking about on your first read-through. It's the sort of book I'll go back to again and again to try and delve deeper into the mystery of the funhouse while appreciating all over the hilarious bawdy humor.

Oh, and make sure to read Barth's seven additional notes at the front of the book (though maybe only after you've read the story that is being discussed in each note, so as not to ruin the initial experience)-- they really help to clarify some of Barth's intentions. I can't even imagine appreciating a story like "Glossolalia" without having read the note concerning it.

Maybe not as bad as I originally thought.......2003-01-13

I reviewed this book in 1999, calling it "Self-Serving Drivel." I recently went back to re-read it, hoping that I had been naive and dumb at the time and that Barth's stories would improve with the reader's experience. No such luck. It's still self-serving drivel.

Maybe at the time it was published this brand of metafiction was revolutionary, but it has not held up well over the intevening years. Some modern metafiction has revealed important, enduring truths about the problems of reading and writing, but Barth's convoluted first steps into the genre read as needlessly complicated tellings of very simple stories.

His prose style is certainly unique and evocative, and some of his stories are amazingly inventive ("Ambrose His Mark" most notably) but as a whole this collection comes off very badly. When he launches off into syntax-less prose poetry he reveals all of his style's weaknesses in exchange for no noticeable strengths. All in all, not very good.

Stretching short stories.......2002-10-07

I will admit that there are plenty of classic masterpiece quality short stories out there, collections or otherwise. I'm just not an avid reader of them . . . maybe I just like big hefty books, maybe I don't like switching gears every twenty pages or so . . . who knows? But I do like Barth and this is pretty short so I figured, what the hey? Unlike most short story collections which generally just wait until an author has enough stories to fill a book before publishing, this book was originally conceived as a group of short stories that in some form or another share the same thematic elements and much like an album, is sequenced into a proper order and should be read that way. So he says. Barth admits in the foreword that he doesn't normally write short stories and this was his attempt at playing with the medium, which as you might suspect gives you all kinds of hit or miss stories . . . generally the quality is pretty high and for such an academic guy, Barth's pretty funny (he can respect and make fun of mythology at the same time without seeming smug or arch, which I think is hard to do) and if the humor's on, then for the most part that can carry the nuttier moments. Basically it's a "post-modern" sort of short story collection, so there aren't many compromises to things like form or structure or plot (one story is essentially a Moebius strip) which has the effect of making some stories feel like little more than academic exercises in form, rendering them a bit distant emotionally. Like looking at abstract art I guess, you can admire the technique even as you can't appreciate the emotion behind it. But when the collection works, it works great. The title story is my personal favorite, but the last one is the best of the mythology based ones (parts of this seem like a runthrough for Chimera) and overall if you're not looking for Joycean slice of life tales or knotted little tales of suspense, but instead an attempt to bend the rules a bit, then you'll probably like this. Not Barth's best work but it's short and the gems outweigh the duds by a good margin, so it could be worse.

laizzez-faire postmodernism.......2000-06-06

John Barth is not a doctrinaire postmodernist. He does not reject the label of 'postmodernist writer', but he is not interested in following the doctrine to logical end. That would apparently take the fun out of the funhouse.

This book is a series of essays, meditations, short stories and jokes that examine the creative process as ontogeny. Barth is funny and melancholy at the same time. He is skeptical, but also to some degree hopeful, about the possibility of writing anything that could be useful to someone else.

His enthusiastic and hilarious references made me want to read or re-read many classic pieces of literature including Allen Ginsberg's "Howl", Ovid's "Metamorphoses" and the Iliad and "1001 Arabian Nights". And he made me believe that I could get a lot more out of them, if I would just question a few more of my presumptions.

Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman
Average customer rating:

A Stellar Buy!

Andy Kaufman Revealed

Great, but sad too

Well-written biography of a peculiar man

Andy Kaufman a "Stand Up Guy"

Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman
Bill Zehme
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0385333722
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Amazon.com

Bill Zehme's biography of comic actor/performance artist Andy Kaufman (subject of the feature film Man in the Moon) is a meticulously researched, eminently readable, and very strange book--this last being perhaps no surprise given its subject. Written over a six-year period, Lost in the Funhouse is crammed with details gleaned from interviews with the actor's family, friends, teachers, coworkers, and unwitting participants in Kaufman's pranks. In particular, the book provides great insight into Kaufman's early life in Great Neck, NY, his relationship with transcendental meditation, and his first forays into nightclubs in the early '70s. Zehme, author of The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin', weaves together multiple narratives from varying perspectives, including passages in which the author appears to have entered his subject's brain. Zehme did have access to unpublished letters and manuscripts (which fans would certainly like to see published on their own one day), but the only person who could legitimately verify the accuracy of these passages is no longer with us.

At its best, the book approaches that apex of artful celebrity bi-fiction, Nick Tosches's Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams. The transitions from one perspective to the next are a bit jarring at first, but once the reader gives in to Zehmes's collage of multiple personalities, one is considerably closer to understanding the book's subject. Kaufman was nothing if not a collection of various intense personalities: the young boy continually mourning his grandfather's death; the likable and naive Foreign Man; the talentless and irascible lounge singer Tony Clifton; the bliss-seeking student of TM; the devoted and loving son who never had anything to do with his own child; and world champion of inter-gender wrestling. Lost in the Funhouse is the one Kaufman tome that will please neophytes as well as those with their own Andy Kaufman Web sites. --Mike McGonigal

Book Description

From Bill Zehme, renowned journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin', comes this masterful biography of the late comic genius Andy Kaufman.

Based on six years of research, Andy's own unpublished, never-before-seen writings, and hundreds of interviews with family members, friends, and colleagues, Lost in the Funhouse takes us through the maze of Kaufman's mind to see, firsthand, the fanciful landscape that was his life.

Andy Kaufman was often a mystery even to his closest friends. Remote, aloof, impossible to know, his internal world was a kaleidoscope of characters fighting for time on the outside. He was as much Andy Kaufman as he was Foreign Man (tenk you veddy much), who became the lovably dithering Latka on the hit TV series Taxi. He was a contradiction, a paradox on every level, an artist in every sense of the word.

In Lost in the Funhouse, Bill Zehme sorts through a life of misinformation put forth by a master of deception to uncover the man behind the legend. Magically entertaining, it is a singular biography matched only by its singular subject.

Customer Reviews:

A Stellar Buy!.......2007-09-06

For all Kaufman lovers and those not familiar with the entertainment genius this book is a must have. Zehme does a stellar job of rummaging through countless interviews and inside information to dig for the truth of an extremely complex man. It is highly recommended that you read both "Lost in the Funhouse" as well as "Andy Kaufman Revealed" by best friend Bob Zmuda. I recommend reading this book first. There is much information in this book that is uncovered in the Zmuda book. However, the same goes for this book compared to the Zmuda book. Zehme spends an equal amount of time on Kuafman's personal and professional life. The author does such a wonderful job of opening Andy's world to the reader that, by the end of the book, you feel an undeniable connection to the late, great genius. Thus, the book saddens the reader when Andy meets his supposed demise.
A great book on all levels and a definite must have for any Kaufman lover or new reader without previous knowledge of the great "song and dance man". FIVE STARS!

Andy Kaufman Revealed.......2006-03-20

I was first introduced to the comic stylings of Andy Kaufman when I was eight years old; I turned on the t.v. and there he was being voted off Saturday Night Live. Kaufman intrigued me, and my interest in his work was further heightened with the release of Man on the Moon a few years later. That being said, I started reading Lost in the Funhouse as a way to get information for a research paper I was writing on Kaufman, but Bill Zehme's book entertained me so much that I read the entire thing. Writing about the performance style of Andy Kaufman can't possibly be an easy thing to do, but Zehme does so with grace and clarity, not sparing any tidbit of information that led to Kaufman's career. The best thing about Lost in the Funhouse is that Zehme has been able to capture pure Kaufman-esque moments from his early childhood. The way Zehme presents the material is like Kaufman wrote it himself, and it is by far the best information I've gotten on Andy Kaufman to date. Zehme's book is a must-read for any fan, as well as those who detested Kaufman, because it shows Kaufman as brashly as he could have ever hoped.

Great, but sad too.......2005-10-30

Zehme does a magnificent job prtraying the life and attitude of Andy though Andy's biography. In my opinion Andy was an amazing artist who revolutionized entertainment. He was truly an avant-garde and eccentric individual. Ahhh, I'll try to keep this a reveiw and not a glorification of his life!!! He was amazing and Zehme does an amazing job with the story of Andy. I reccomend this book for Kaufman fans or anyone interested in comedy, absurdity, or creativity. Just be prepared for the ending-keep some tissues next to your bed while reading the final chapters.

Well-written biography of a peculiar man.......2005-09-05

Accomplished journalist Bill Zehme tackles a difficult subject when he decides to write about the private life of Andy Kaufman. Kaufman is so conflicted that his private persona cannot be wrapped up into a tidy package, which makes it impossible to reduce him to a chapter-sized description.

There are lots of contradictory opinions of the way that Kaufman viewed the world, and viewed himself. Rather than picking a majority opinion and going with it, Zehme has given us all of those fragmentary glimpses of his life, and we are left to draw the conclusion that Kaufman himself didn't really understand who he was.

Anyone who has ever laughed at any of Kaufman's spectacular performances will enjoy this book, which does describe many of Kaufman's bits in a way that allows the reader to appreciate their humor. This is also a look into the entertainment industry from the perspective of an outsider; Kaufman was a peculiar bird in Hollywood, as he could entertain audiences, but couldn't mesh with the political machine that assigns roles to tinseltown's denizens.

This is a good, solid biography of an interesting subject, and is worth the time it takes to read.

Andy Kaufman a "Stand Up Guy".......2004-04-20

What a great comedian and "thespian" A man of many faces moods and contrasts. I never will forget his "Saturday Night Live" debut. Great book I highly recommend.

Lost In The Funhouse. Fiction For Print, Tape, Live Voice.

Average customer rating:

Lost In The Funhouse. Fiction For Print, Tape, Live Voice.
John Barth
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HZ8ZL4

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Lost in the Funhouse

Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000CRDX2I

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LOST IN THE FUNHOUSE

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0553140590

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Lost in the Funhouse
John Barth
Manufacturer: The Universal Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0448002396

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Lost in the Funhouse
John Barth
Manufacturer: UNSPECIFIED VENDOR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TXDQ5E

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Lost in the Funhouse
John Barth
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0553120883

Average customer rating:

Lost in the Funhouse
John Barth
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GQOSC4

Average customer rating:

Lost in the funhouse
John Barth
Manufacturer: BANTAM BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TXDM2Q

Customer Reviews:

Up to chapter 3 and finding it useless.......2005-01-11

I have just finished Chapter 3 of this book and am near livid. The author has a confusing and abstract way of writing that is infuriating for those of us living in the practical world. The discussion regarding the intangibles of requirements and interfaces is a quagmire of confusing definitions. So far I have pulled nothing of use from these chapters and am more confused than when I started reading.

I am hopeful this all gets sorted out in later chapters because right now, this book is proving to be fairly useless at teaching this software engineer how to properly gather and formulate a requirements document.

If you are into theoretical rhetoric, it's a good choice.

Requirements and Specifications that People Read!.......2004-10-05

Writing requirements as a product manager has always been a black art to me. It's not impossible but it normally involves a lot of fudging and reading it always make me feel that there's something missing. I often end up putting specifications inside the requirements document. How do I make it complete without ending up writing the specifications itself?

Kovitz's Practical Software Requirements provides a clear and concise guide to writing requirements by looking at the problem of developing software. By examining how we frame a problem and its domains, the book explains how the reader can extract elements of the requirements and specifications documents and present them in a concise manner.

Throughout the book, he proposes how its content can be written and provides clear examples. His approach is direct and concise, and he teaches the reader how to write without any hint of legalese that permeate traditional corporate requirements documents. His examples are practical and he addresses common mistakes that writers make.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and it has been an invaluable tool in helping me write better requirements and specifications at work.

A Terrific Book.......2002-03-03

This is a great book for anyone whose job includes:
* Business Analysis (for software)
* Application Programming
* Technical Writing

The book is about techniques for describing a problem to be solved by a piece of software without describing the design of software components. In other words, providing the information that the software designer needs at the correct level of detail, without trying to specify a software design.

Designing software involves joining informal, real-world problems to the formal world of computers. In the real world problems are messy, vague, and unbounded. Unfortunately, computers only solve problems that are well-defined, unambiguous and well-bounded. Requirements writing is the art of reducing a messy-real world problem to a neat, well-defined, unambiguous description which can be used to drive development of a computerized solution.

This is one of the first books to effectively bridge that gap. I say "effectively", because it is certainly not the first try--every software methodology has techniques for capturing requirements. However, the methodologies hopelessly intertwine requirements gathering with system interface specification and even system design. This inevitably results in requirements being given short-shrift.

Many of the techniques this book teaches are equally applicable to creating documentation for existing software. Every technical writer should learn to create models of the problem their software solves and then explain software functions using only the terms defined within the model.

I highly recommend this book. However, I do know some people who did not like it. If you find it disappointing, I suggest that you try practicing with one or two techniques, then give it another read. The ideas are often more subtle than they appear at first glance. Expect that you may need months to really absorb its advice.

It all starts with requirements..........2001-08-29

This is a well written book that will help you write better documents. In addition to defining: what are Requirements; who should read them; and how to write them, this book gives some suggestions on what should happen next (i.e., the _Miracle_Occurs_Here_ box that is inserted after Requirements and before Coding). I would recommend this book to anyone involved in the software development process. Especially those struggling to get to CMM level 2.

great insights plus all the regular stuff.......2001-08-01

this tells you all you need to know about requirements.

indeed, it tells a lot more than that because it explains things not just state them.

it kills some urban legends and myths about requirements that everyone should know but most people do not. but then most people do not know what they don't know. scare your phb, impress your colleagues with your wisdom after reading this book.

if you work with requirements, software, systems engineering, and especially systems architecture you need to read this book. even if you have read others and or think you know all about requirements you can still learn things that you didn't know or why what you thought was true actually is.

this book would work symbiotically with the art of systems architecture by rechtin and maier. read them both.

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