DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES, A: MY STORY

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Story.......2005-05-28

I have the audio cassette of A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes, and it is beautiful. I've listened to it several times in my car. I don't tire of it because it is a human story. Annette Funicello suceeded on her own -- her father was an auto mechanic and her mother stayed at home. This is an inspiration to children and even adults.

Fresh, lively writing and colorful anecdotes .......2005-05-06

Surprisingly absorbing and lively recollections from Annette Funicello, one-time Mouseketeer and Disney darling who was the only teen-mouse to graduate to the big screen via "Babes In Toyland" and the "Beach Party" and "Merlin Jones" comedies. Annette comes clean about being the only Mouseketeer kept on contract by Walt Disney after MMC ran its course, and she contemplates why that was and how her co-stars struggled without Disney's guidance. She is very upfront, but also a little indifferent to her own good fortune, embarrassed and innately shy about a career that just fell into her lap. She says she never aspired to fame, but got it regardless. The book continues its interesting narrative even after Annette marries and retires, cleaning the house the day she heard Walt Disney passed, and eventually realizing her marriage was out of gas. Fate dealt Annette (and all her fans) a bitter hand when she was diagnosed with MS, which she still continues to fight, but her inspiring conclusion to the book gives all of us hope.

Relatively engaging, but missing a lot.......2002-10-12

As a fan of the "pop" movies and music of the 1960's, I've had a long term interest in the author. So I opened up this book not just curious, but perhaps somewhat already knowlegable about Annette, particularly her "post-Mickey Mouse club" career and life.

And perhaps that's why I give this book at best 3 stars.

Annette and Patricia Romanowski (perhaps the names should be the other way around, one gets the sense reading this -- given much of the vocabularily used and the quality of the writing -- that Romanowski, not Funicello wrote most of it; nothing against Annette, but I have a hard time believing a woman with just a high school education writes this well) really cherry-pick way you learn about.

Fine, I understand that's the nature of celebrity "autobiography," but this one goes too far. It over-focuses heavily on certain stories (her adolescent relationship with Paul Anka, making it out to be a lot more than it probably was) and completely ignores others.

As example, some of the messy "politics" that went on in the cast of the original Mickey Mouse club -- everything is warm and fuzzy in Annette's version -- remain unmentioned.

The book also glosses over Annettes entry into the American International Beach Party movies. In the book, Annette implies Walt Disney simply offered her a script one day for a film named "Beach Party." Well, the story isn't quite that simple:

Annette's entry in the series came partly because she and Walt Disney knew she desperately needed a change in career direction. By early 1963, Annette was 20 and had clearly grown out of her "kiddy" positioning as a Mouseketeer. Walt did his best, but could only find so many internal opportunities for a "grown up"" Annette. She'd appeared in a handful of live action movies for Disney, and still made occasional appearances on his Sunday TV show, but this wasn't leading to any starring role opportunities outside of his company. Also, a pop singing career that started in 1959 and produced a handful of hits had slowed down (by early 1963, Annette hadn't charted in almost 3 years). As a result, when AIP approached Walt, looking for an affordable, beautiful brand-name leading lady who could sing for their new, trendy "surfing" movie, he immediately saw an opportunity to fix his "what-do-I-do-with-Annette" problem. With his blessing (Annette was still under contract to Disney,) a deal with AIP was quickly finalized.

But you'll never hear about any of that in this book.

Also, Annette repeats an infamous "urban legend" about the Beach Party series.

Since she was still under contract with Disney while appearing in these movies, Annnete claims Walt Disney insisted in negotiations with AIP that she never be involved in any "suggestive" sequences. Specifically, she says Walt insisted she could not be filmed wearing anything that "showed her navel." Annette goes on to state that through the course of 6 Beach Party movies, she never wore anything that showed her navel "out of respect" for Mr. Disney.

Well, irrespective of what Walt supposedly requested/desired, Annette apparently forgot about the bathing suits she wore during early scenes in both Muscle Beach Party and Bikini Beach: in the former, a white supposedly "tummy-covering" two piece, and the latter an honest to goodness blue and white bikini. Both of these at times clearly left her navel 100% uncovered and readily viewable to anyone who isn't asleep (the "navel appearance" is brief and somewhat subtle in Muscle but obvious and extensive in Bikini, particularly in the scenes where Annette first gets involved with Avalon's "Potato Bug" character). As far as navels go, Annette's is nice, but hardly anything to get all hot and bothered over (particularly in the context of the distraction produced by all the other undulating, bikinied females floating around in those scenes). Frankly, one is really left wondering what all the fuss was about.

The book also completely ignores Annette's post Beach Party career at American International Pictures, an intriguing period that had a lot to do with her "retiring" from acting when she did.

Botttom line: one ends up respecting the author - she is indeed is the class act and lady you always presumed - but frustrated, knowing there's a lot more to her story.

I ACTUALLY WANT THE MOVIE ON TAPE OR DVD.......2002-01-30

This is the very touching autobiography of Annette Funicello. It is acurate because she is in it and so is Frankie Avalon and some other people played themselves, too. Linda Lavin does a good job playing her mom. It is very well acted and detailed.

One Of The Best Books I Have Ever Read.......1998-12-31

Since I've been a fan of Annette ever since day one on the Mickey Mouse Club, how can I not rate it as number one. She's the best.

This Voice in My Heart: A Genocide Survivor's Story of Escape, Faith, and Forgiveness

Average customer rating:

MUST READ
Reflection
Reviewed by Carianne Carleo-Evangelist
Inspring Story
A Tale of Hope and Forgiveness

This Voice in My Heart: A Genocide Survivor's Story of Escape, Faith, and Forgiveness
Gilbert Tuhabonye , and Gary Brozek
Manufacturer: Amistad
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Africa | History | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Sports Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
The Diary of Immaculee
An Ordinary Man : An Autobiography
Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak
Surviving the Slaughter: The Ordeal of a Rwandan Refugee in Zaire (Women in Africa and the Diaspora)

ASIN: 0060817518
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Book Description

In the wake of the successful film Hotel Rwanda, a personal and inspiring story of a young boyâ€™s survival of genocide.

Customer Reviews:

MUST READ.......2007-08-15

I truly enjoyed this book.
It meant a lot to me because I was able to see Gilbert speak at the Oklahoma City Marathon.
He is an inspiration!

Reflection.......2007-08-10

Pause a bit in your busy life and read this amazing book. The writing style is unique. The message of hope is clear. Genocide on a large scale is a subject we don't understand here in America. Gilbert's story will enlighten you, force you to count your blessings, and make you ponder.

The story of early explorations of Africa by David Livingstone is a helpful introduction to this continent. Gilbert's description of his country is very modern - his ordeal began only fourteen years ago. It provides a whole new way of thinking about how Africans lived and now live.

I am grateful to my friend in Pa. who shared a copy (signed by Gilbert) of the book with me. It's an unforgettable story about a place in Africa (Burundi) I had never heard of; about running competitions and how qualified runners in developing countries can acquire training, and about a terrible tragedy. Gilbert, a gifted runner, being the lone survivor to give the account.Gilbert details his life, his education, his experience in international running competitions, and his present life in Austin, Texas.

Best wishes, Gilbert, for success in the 2008 Olympics. May your story reach every nation. May genocide in Africa and everywhere else in our world be banned. May God continue to bless you and your efforts to build of bridge of understanding and love between nations.

Reviewed by Carianne Carleo-Evangelist.......2007-01-26

This Voice in My Heart by Gilbert Tuhabonye (Amistad--May 2006) is a heart wrenching account of what one young man, Mr. Tuhabonye, who, at the time, went by his birth name of Tuhabonyemana--Child of God--went through at a time of extreme political upheaval in his homeland of Burundi. This book is a must-read for those interested in history as well as those who want to know more about what can drive a young man to overcome and not only survive, but make a name for himself.

Early on in his story, Mr. Tuhabonye writes, "If you were to read the history of Burundi in a schoolbook, it would tell a story very different from the story of my early years. You would read words like war-torn, genocide, impoverished and sanctions. Despite all the violence and unrest that has plagued the country since it first achieved independence in 1962, for me, growing up on its southern hillsides and deep valleys, Burundi was truly a paradise." I imagine this was placed where it was to set the contrast in motion in the reader's mind--that what we get on the news--especially the Western News--is not necessarily what people are experiencing, however it had a different effect to me. Burundi, whether painted in a positive or negative light, hadn't made much of an impact on me. I don't recall spending more than a few moments glossing over the country in history and geography classes so this insider's look told me more than I could ever have expected to know. And though he wrote it as an adult, we got the point of view of a young child peering out at the world from the safety of his campus and trying to make sense of a world gone seemingly mad. An idea that most people born and raised in the relative safety of the USA cannot even begin to imagine.

The author also focuses on the little things, which serve as a reminder that material things are not necessary in order to remember times in our lives. If you fix something that's broken there's a chance that you'll lose the story of why it was broken in the first place. And what's more important? The story of the homeland to pass on to future generations or a perfect smile? A smile can always be addressed but a story once gone is lost forever. Mr. Tuhabonye's work with this story is key to making sure the story of the Burundi genocide is not lost. A reminder to the West that we must remember if we're going to avoid repeating history.

The story's pace kept the reader engaged in the story--we learned some details of the country's history while at the same time learned the small details of the life of a normal teenage boy--a life seriously interrupted by a snowballing series of events in October 1993.

From his recollections of his early days, how he longed to follow his older siblings in both their chores and going to school to the day when his life changed in seemingly an instant, Mr. Tuhabonye covered it all with a voice that seemed more as if he was talking to a few friends rather than such a large audience. It all started on a normal day: a young boy worrying about exams and thinking about a race--never realizing the next race he'd be facing was one to save his own life--to prove he was a true survivor.

I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be in a room where your classmates and teachers were dying around me. Dying at the hands of people I'd lived along side of. I cannot imagine having the foresight to use a classmate's bone to free myself, but Mr. Tuhabonye showed us that he has what is needed to succeed.

That drive will take him far, whether it's to Beijing in 2008 or to the next location where he speaks of the atrocities he faced, but it will help him to succeed in whatever path he pursues. He's already shown what he's made of.

Inspring Story.......2007-01-24

This is a very nice and quick read. First, it deals with Barundi and the killing of Tutsi's there, which is lesser known than what happened in Rwanda. Second, Gilbert tells his story in a very self effacing and humble manner. He does not describe himself in any sort of falsely heroic way, but neither as a victim. It is a heartfelt testimony to his village life in Barundi, his love of running and the life he is rebuilding her as an Asylee. Welcome to Texas Gilbert. We're proud to have you!

A Tale of Hope and Forgiveness.......2006-11-10

If you want to read a story about a person who has experienced such great tragedy but has used the experience to love and forgive and to help end the cycle of hate and educate us to this effect, then this book is for you. The book alternates through stories of school boy life in Burundi, running, and genocide. I am a runner in Austin Texas who hears great things about Gilbert Tuhabonye (now a running coach in Austin), but this is not a running book. This is a book about a man's dream to do well in school in order to get a U.S. college track scholarship. Despite being a victim of unthinkable horror he succeeds in doing so. But his greatest success is his ability to teach forgiveness and the book is a vehicle for doing so. The book is an easy read of a worthwhile tale.

A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam

Average customer rating:

Sad, sometimes funny, and should be required reading...
A compelling collection of Vietnam memories
Stunning Oral history= a must read
There's a special place in Heaven...
Good Times, Bad Times

A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam
Keith Walker
Manufacturer: Presidio Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Home Before Morning: The Story of an Army Nurse in Vietnam
Women at War: The Story of Fifty Military Nurses Who Served in Vietnam (Studies in Health, Illness, and Caregiving)
A World of Hurt: Between Innocence & Arrogance in Vietnam
Shrapnel in the Heart: Letters and Remembrances from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Ruff's War: A Navy Nurse on the Frontline in Iraq

ASIN: 089141617X
Release Date: 1997-02-05

Amazon.com

A decade after America pulled out of Vietnam, the seeds of the often heart- wrenching oral history, A Piece of My Heart, were sown when writer and filmmaker Keith Walker met a woman who had been an emergency room nurse in Cu Chi and Da Nang. She and 25 others recount the time they spent "in country" as part of 15,000 American women who volunteered or served as nurses and in the military. After working on too many mutilated young men, one nurse tells of wanting to ask her mother to "check around and see if she could find one whole eighteen-year- old." Like male veterans, many returned with post-traumatic stress disorder. They found it hard to shake the numbness that made a war zone bearable or to settle into a life minus manic highs and lows. "The one thing Nam did for me was that I felt like I could walk on water," says a nurse, a conviction that made later jobs seem worthless or impossibly bland.

Book Description

Records the memories of a war in the words of those women courageous enough to walk into hell. --San Francisco Chronicle

Customer Reviews:

Sad, sometimes funny, and should be required reading..........2006-08-19

I read this every once in a while to gain perspective and to make sure I hear the stories of these women. To make sure I'm aware of, and to acknowledge their sacrifices. They touched so many lives then, and are still making a difference in other ways now. I think this should be required reading for every woman.

A compelling collection of Vietnam memories.......2005-08-21

"A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam," by Keith Walker, is a powerful addition to the large body of writings about the Vietnam War. Walker's technique for compiling this book was to interview the featured women and turn the transcripts of the interviews into chapters. One chapter is drawn from a dual interview of two of the women, and another chapter consists of a letter written by a woman whom Walker did not get to interview. The book is full of black-and-white photographs that further document the women's service in Vietnam. Also noteworthy is the stirring foreword by entertainer Martha Raye, who briefly discusses her own experiences in Vietnam.

Most of the women featured were Army nurses, but the book also includes women who served as WACs, Red Cross personnel, a civilian flight attendant, a USO worker, and more. There are some significant recurring themes that connect a number of chapters: the experience of being under hostile fire; men, women, sex, and dating in the war zone; encounters with the Vietnamese people; fun and recreation in Vietnam; challenges the women faced in doing their jobs in a war zone; and personal and psychological problems some of the women faced after returning home from Vietnam. Also, two of the women discuss possible Agent Orange-connected health problems faced by children they had after serving.

There are some extremely graphic and disturbing accounts by some of the nurses as they recall the horrific injuries suffered by their patients, as well as their own struggles to deliver compassionate care in the combat zone environment. There are many other noteworthy memories, some heartbreaking, some funny. Army nurse Pat Johnson describes painting the barracks "red-and-white striped with pink polka dots." Entertainer Bobbi Jo Pettit recalls touring Vietnam as part of an all-girl band called "The Pretty Kittens." Navy nurse Maureen Walsh delivers a vivid account of an enemy rocket attack at Da Nang.

The voices of these women strike many tones: feisty, introspective, proud, caring. I was especially moved by the memories of post-war reunions and experiences at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I consider this book to be an absolutely essential complement to the many fine works, both fiction and nonfiction, written by male Vietnam veterans. Recommended as a companion text: Wallace Terry's "Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans," which is similar in both format and impact to this book.

Stunning Oral history= a must read.......2005-06-04

Written in 1985 when many of the wounds of Vietnam still bled fresh, Keith Walker interviewed 26 women who served in country in a variety of capacities. The result of this ambitious and courageous project is a heartbreaking, captivating and ultimately transcendent oral history.

The stories here filled with an evolution that mirrors the changes of perception that accompanied the war. This is not only a history of women in Vietnam (a history all too frequently too overlooked)but also a history of America as well. Each woman, in her own way experiences the journey from ambition to horror to disillusionment to healing. Many of the women interviewed (as of 1985)are still works very much in progress- as our Nation is as well.

This oral history depicts not only depicts the immediate horrors and consequences of combat but most importantly the post combat experience as well along with the living conditions and political environment as seen in the first person.

Later adapted (by Shirley Lauro) into a powerful dramatic event, A PIECE OF MY HEART makes for a must read for anyone interested in either Vietnam history specifically or American history in general.

A classic.

There's a special place in Heaven..........2003-03-16

... for all of the women who served in Vietnam. Read this book, plus the late Lynda Van Devanter's Home Before Morning and you'll see why.

While Lynda's book is a hauntingly graphic record of the triumphs and tragedies that the ANC nurses and Army surgeons experienced in Nam, A Piece Of My Heart gives the reader a very broad perspective of the contributions of women in many other areas.

The foreword to the book was written by the wonderful Martha Raye, whose unflinching commitment to the men and women who served in Nam led to her being a two-time Purple Heart recipient. That even an entertainer could be wounded twice in the line of duty speaks volumes about the risk level In Country.

Equally, Civilian Flight Attendant Micki Voisard almost met her end when her airliner almost collided with a B-52 that was maintaining radio silence during an airstrike.

Yet even though the Red Cross Donut Dollies, such as Penni Evans and "Sam" Bokina Christie and WACs such as Doris Allen all have compelling stories to relate, it is the experiences of the nurses that really stay with you, long after you have put the book down.

For most of her post-Nam life, former ANC nurse and author Lynda Van Devanter (Home Before Morning - available through Amazon.com) was haunted by the memory of a young soldier who had no face, and who eventually had to be left to die because of the extent of his injuries.

When you read the piece by Anne Simon Auger (91st Evac. - Chu Lai) you realize that injuries of that magnitude were not as uncommon as you might hope and pray. Anne also described a young soldier whose face had been shot away, leaving him blind and in her words, "a vegetable".

While my own view is that people in such terrible physical condition should be given enough morphine to shut down their breathing, or in the absence of that, on the battlefield, a mercy round from an M-16, I fully accept that however you have to deal with such shocking injuries, it will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Let us not forget that while the cowardly Stalinist flag burners were calling the returning troops "baby killers", thousands of true blue American women were risking their own lives to support the largely teenaged US soldiers in a war that increasingly made no sense to the people who were being asked to fight it.

These women were Vets. These women were heroes. These women were angels.

We must constantly seek ways to honour them. Their sacrifice must never be forgotten.

Good Times, Bad Times.......2002-04-27

These stories are so heart-wrenching I had to take a break while reading simply to keep from falling to pieces. These women are so amazing and strong - they're inspiring. I Loved this book and GREATLY recommend the play with the same title by Shirely Lauro that was based off of these stories. It's so unbelievable and so real it makes you feel for those 6 women more than you'd ever imagine!

Tales from the Heart: True Stories from My Childhood

Average customer rating:

Tales from the Heart: True Stories from My Childhood
Maryse Conde , and Richard Philcox
Manufacturer: Soho Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Authors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Crossing the Mangrove
Segu
The Story of the Cannibal Woman: A Novel
Black Shack Alley
Conversations with Maryse Conde

ASIN: 1569473471

Amazon.com

With the clarity of Caribbean sunshine and no trace of nostalgia, novelist Maryse Condé recalls her youth in Guadeloupe and in Paris. As a retired civil servant and a schoolteacher, Condé's father and his much younger wife were entitled to regular paid vacations in the City of Light; as a child making her first trip in 1946, young Maryse was upset to see white waiters condescending to her well-educated parents, "as much French as they are." It was her first taste of the colonial contradictions that would increasingly trouble this intelligent, rebellious girl, born on a Mardi Gras afternoon to the rowdy beat of gwoka drums, an audible manifestation of the low-class island culture her parents disdained. Condé's 17 impressionistic autobiographical sketches cast a pointed glance over the racial hierarchy of Guadeloupe, but it's not a bitter book. Her parents were proud to be French but also proud to be examples of black achievement; they raised their daughter to excel, and she did, though perhaps not as they would have preferred. Condé is the first to appreciate the irony of discovering "the real Caribbean" as a student in a Parisian lycée, where she was encouraged by a communist teacher to give her class "a presentation of a book from your island." However you reach a sharper understanding of your origins and your place in the world, the important thing is the journey--a journey her memoir delineates in crisp, lucid language and a wealth of evocative physical and social detail. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

"Honest, exquisitely measured . . . inspiring in its reminder of the human spirit's capacity to endure."-The New York Times Book Review

"[An] astute study of family and place."-Washington Post Book World

In this collection of autobiographical essays, Maryse Conde vividly evokes the relationships and events that gave her childhood meaning: discovering her parents' feelings of alienation; her first crush; a falling out with her best friend; the death of her beloved grandmother; her first encounter with racism.

These gemlike vignettes capture the spirit of Conde's fiction: haunting, powerful, poignant, and leavened with a streak of humor.

Maryse Conde's previous work includes the novels Windward Heights and Desirada, both available from Soho Press.

My Heart Lies South, Young People's Edition: The Story of My Mexican Marriage (Young Adult)

Average customer rating:

Reminiscent of Matamoros... and childhood memories
Her heart lies south of the border
That fortress, the Family

My Heart Lies South, Young People's Edition: The Story of My Mexican Marriage (Young Adult)
Elizabeth Borton De Trevino
Manufacturer: Bethlehem Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Shadow Of The Bear
Black as Night: A Fairy Tale Retold
They Loved to Laugh (Young Adult Bookshelf)
The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith
The Bronze Bow

ASIN: 1883937515

Customer Reviews:

Reminiscent of Matamoros... and childhood memories.......2007-09-19

This wonderfully authentic depiction of Mexican life and culture was a true joy to read! It took me right back to my childhood.

Her heart lies south of the border.......2004-11-26

It would be hard to resist a person who asks, "Shall I sing you a song about love?", and so it's not difficult to see why Elizabeth Borton de Trevino fell for her husband. Their unusual courtship and often hilarious marriage is chronicled in "My Heart Lies South: The Story of my Mexican Marriage," a story of clashing cultures and hysterical family.

She first met her husband Luis in a hotel lobby, while on a writing assignment. After courting her with love songs in a taxi, Elizabeth Borton ended up going home with him to meet his rambuctious family and adoring parents, who approve of the young American "mees" as Luis's future wife. Suddenly Borton found herself living in Mexico -- but with a lot to learn.

At first, Elizabeth struggles to deal with the cultural barriers and how she is being snubbed by the neighbors. But soon she adjusts to her new life, and runs into an ultra-religious cook, troubles with the legality of her marriage, a playboy in-law who falls madly in love with a very proper girl, and finding out how much fun it is to be pregnant in Mexico.

Surprisingly, "My Heart Lies South" is not just an autobiography about Borton de Trevino's "Mexican marriage." It's also a portrait of 1930s Mexico, which was very different from anywhere in the United States -- a place solidly entrenched in old traditions. It wasn't backward. They just did not see any reason to change things like the "Tia" aunts who care for a whole family.

Borton's brisk writing goes pretty quickly, telling stories of young Romeo-and-Juliet lovers, authentic Mexican food and getting drunk in front of her husband's clients. She's funny and self-deprecating, not to mention unafraid of telling the world when she committed some social sin. It's almost like a sitcom, except it was all real.

Perhaps the most endearing thing she shows us is Luis's family -- a sprawling, warm bunch of people who immediately take her under their wings. Particularly likable is Luis's mother Mamacita, and her playboy brother-in-law Roberto. But Borton de Trevino brings everyone to life, right down to the eccentric cooks and kindly judges.

"My Heart Lies South: The Story of My Mexican Marriage" is a thoroughly charming look back in time, where an American woman clashes with Mexican traditions. The results are funny and heartwarming.

That fortress, the Family.......2003-02-06

This book is an autobiography of an American woman who came to Mexico on what she thought was going to be a brief assignment and ended marrying with a Mexican and staying in Mexico for the rest of her happy life. But the book is much more than this. It describes the clash between the very different cultures of Mexico and the USA which result, almost always, in hilarious situations.

Almost everything described happens in Monterrey, Mexico where she lived with her husband and eventually with her children, but as she mentions in the book, the extended family is extremely important in Mexico and she got to love and respect her "Mamacita" and "Papacito" (mother and father-in-law) as much, or maybe even more, than her own parents. "To Mamacita and Papacito I dedicate this book in loving memory."

The Treviño Borton family is, in my humble opinion, "every family of mankind, the archetypal family about whom all mankind is dreaming." (Quoting from a review of Finnegans Wake). As such, anyone may appreciate this book, but... for Regiomontanos (people from Monterrey) it means much more: it describes the inner workings of the social fabric in the city, it brings to life the infinite subtlety of their ways, it gives a microscopic historical view of the 1930's that you can hardly find anywhere else, it creates a deep longing for a beautiful past.

I, like Borton, married with Monterrey. Her husband was Luis Treviño. My wife is Olivia Treviño and through Borton I finally understood why "the Family" is of such overwhelming importance for my wife.

The interest that this book generated in me was so great that I decided to journey through Elizabeth's world... 70 years later.

I have built a web site where you can see how her house, her Mamacitas house, and many other places she mentions in the book look TODAY... 70 YEARS LATER. ...

Book Description

To her millions of fans around the world she is beautiful, blond, and talented. A multifaceted performer whose music strikes a chord of truth. A loving wife and mother whose traditional values and tremendous faith touch the heart. But in September 1984 fate placed Barbara Mandrell and two of her children on a Tennessee highway, where a car crossed two lanes of traffic to hit her car head-on...and Barbara Mandrell and her story book life were changed forever.

Here, for the first time, the spirited star who made her professional debut at age eleven who performed with country legends such as Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash, and who was chosen Entertainer of the Year two years running, shares her memories of the accident and her long, painful journey back. This is a chronicle of her remarkable rise to fame, a tribute to the extraordinary family who protected and sustained her. But most of all this is Barbara's own triumphant story of hard-won survival.

Get To The Heart

Customer Reviews:

Bad and at some points offending.......2005-01-10

Not to be recommended! Written poorly and of redundant content. Even though Barbara Mandrell might be a great performer and a nice person, in this book she comes across as an idiot.

A difficult read but well worth it.......2004-09-30

Let me say straight away that the reason I found this book a difficult read was simply because of the nature of the story. Half the book is about Barbara's life prior to the accident that almost killed her (and did kill somebody else unrelated and hitherto unknown to the family) and half is about her recovery from it. The recovery is sometimes a very difficult read and it may be for that reason that the book is not presented chronologically. Instead, chapters on the recovery alternate with chapters on the earlier years, so you could read about Barbara's life chronologically by reading alternate chapters.

Barbara's life was (and remains) in total contrast to so many celebrity lives. She was married to the same man throughout her career and was devoted to her family and her Christianity. No drugs, no extra-marital affairs, no hint of any kind of scandal. So although the early part of her life is of interest to her fans, of which I am one, the wider public is likely to be mainly interested in the accident and Barbara's recovery from it.

It seemed to me at the time (and subsequent events confirm it) that although Barbara made a full physical recovery - a miracle in itself - the mental scars never healed. She was less enthusiastic about her work than she had been. Perhaps this lack of enthusiasm explains why so little of her music from her peak years has ever been released on CD.

This book was in the American bestseller listings soon after publication. With Barbara's retirement from the music business, it seems that few people are interested in reading about her life any more (except her fans, who are likely to have a copy already) - this is a pity, because it's one of the more interesting country music biographies despite being a difficult read.

Ms. Mandrell got to my heart!!!.......2002-10-03

Wow. Buy this book!!! This book was impossible to put down once I started reading it. This woman has more guts and courage than anyone could imagine. It's so sad that her career never really recovered after the horrible car accident she was in. Ironically the accident happened on September 11, 1984.

Ms. Mandrell got to my heart!!!.......2002-10-03

She Really "Gets To My Heart"!!!.......2002-07-30

This is a fantastic book! I couldn't put it down. In fact, I have read it more than once. In this book, Barbara Mandrell tells the story of her life in her own words. Barbara takes you on a journey of her life from her early childhood through her famous adult life. You experience every emotion when reading this book. There are cute/funny moments as well as sad moments and everything in between. It is a great insight on the life of Barbara Mandrell straight from her own heart. There are also some great pictures of Barbara and her family and friends. Barbara and her family are extraordinary. They are all extremely talented, sweet, and beautiful people. I highly recommend this book to everyone whether you are a big fan or not.

My Heart, My Country: The Story of Dorothea Mackellar (Uqp Nonfiction)

Average customer rating:

My Heart, My Country: The Story of Dorothea Mackellar (Uqp Nonfiction)
Adrienne Howley
Manufacturer: Univ of Queensland Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Australian | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

My Heart Will Go On: An Unspeakable Crime And A Terrible Disease Claimed The Lives Of Joy's Five Children : But That's Not The End Of The Story

Average customer rating:

My Heart Will Go On

My Heart Will Go On: An Unspeakable Crime And A Terrible Disease Claimed The Lives Of Joy's Five Children : But That's Not The End Of The Story
Joy Swift
Manufacturer: Pacific Press Publishing Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

They're All Dead Aren't They? A Grieving Mother's Journey Toward Hope
Goodbye forever?: A mother's search for hope
Goodbyes Are Not Forever (Lifetimes Ser)

ASIN: 0816320691

Customer Reviews:

My Heart Will Go On.......2007-01-12

Excellent book. She definitely is a spiritual superstar. I first heard her interview on 3ABN and was so impressed that I wanted to read her books. She emailed me personally to which I am very indebted and admire
her courage and perseverance. All of her footnotes at the end of each chapter I typed and printed out and when I have despondent days and want to feel sorry for myself I read her advice and get uplifted by her comments. I hope to meet her someday and shake her hand. She lives her Christianity and I am appreciative of her book.

My Heart Will Cross This Ocean: My Story, My Son, Amadou

Average customer rating:

interesting
41 Shots
A Motherýs Story
A Modern Griot's Story
The tender truth that everyone should know

My Heart Will Cross This Ocean: My Story, My Son, Amadou
Kadiatou Diallo , and Craig Wolff
Manufacturer: One World/Ballantine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Women Across Cultures: A Global Perspective
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition

ASIN: 0345456017
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Book Description

Descended from West African kings and healers, raised in the turbulence of Guinea in the 1960s, Kadiatou Diallo was married off at the age of thirteen and bore her first child when she was sixteen. Twenty-three years later, that child–a gentle, innocent young man named Amadou Diallo–was gunned down without cause on the streets of New York City. Now Kadi Diallo tells the astonishing, inspiring story of her life, her loss, and the defiant strength she has always found within.

Customer Reviews:

interesting.......2004-07-13

An interesting story of a mother, her history, her life, her struggles and success. Being a daughter, a wife, a mother, a provider. I enjoyed the book. I find though that the book was more about her and less about Amadou. SO if your intent is to read about Amadou there is not too much. I recommend it though. GOd Bless her and her family. She is an inspiration to the African (muslim) woman and others too. I feel her pain as I am also a mother.

41 Shots.......2004-04-20

A lot of folks like the Bruce Springsteen song "41 shots" but have no idea what it is about. It is about Amadou Diallo, a young man from Guinea who was shot that many times (long after he was "down") by NYPD when he went for his wallet to provide identification to them. They say they thought he was going for a weapon.
This book is heartbreaking and heartwarming, written by his mother with sentiments only a mother could feel and only Ms. Diallo could express. She was recently interviewed on Pacifica radio and I was impressed with her articulate and thoughtful responses to the questions asked her after the settlement she had recieved from the City of NY.
Amadou was not a gangbanger or punk. He was a hardworking, thoughtful and intelligent man with a tightly knit family who loved him and wanted him to succeed in the "Land of Oz" like so many others, like my own forefathers who came from Europe. I wonder if this "murder by cop" would have occurred if he were caucasian.

I'm hoping that those 41 shots will again be heard around the world in the voice of his mother. Shame (again) on the NYPD.

A Motherýs Story.......2003-09-18

MY HEART WILL CROSS THIS OCEAN is Kadiatou Diallo's story. In her memoir, she rejects the label of herself as the bereaved mother of her slain son, Amadou Diallo and defines herself as a woman of courage who triumphs over adversity. She shares her life and history in vibrant, lyrical detail. As I read her
words, I felt like she spoke them to me and I was lulled into a comfortable trance by what felt like her soothing Guinean dialect.

Ms. Diallo shares her humble beginnings as a child in Guinea, Africa and gives a picture of her family and the political climate of that region at the time. By telling her story, she tells Amadou's story. Despite the rich cultural text and vivid detail of her youth and growth into womanhood, I read with
baited breath because I knew eventually the story would arrive at February 3, 1999. The day that her courage and strength would be thoroughly tested.

MY HEART WILL CROSS THIS OCEAN is a mother's story, it is poignant and filled with cultural details. It movingly chronicles the life of Kadiatou Diallo, a woman who should not be pitied, but heralded for her courage and honesty in this portrayal.

Reviewed by Diane Marbury (HonestD)
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

A Modern Griot's Story.......2003-08-17

When Ms. Diallo's parents and family where pleased to receive the visit of the griot in their house, and his (the griot's) recounting of Fulah history lifted the hearts of the everyone in the compound and beyond. Little did she realize that, she would be doing same through print. A very interesting tale of personal conflicts of modern African women of being true to tradition, religion and still in step with the modern world. At the same time that you want to give something up you do not want to do that.

The tender truth that everyone should know.......2003-07-24

Anyone who knows the story of Amadou Diallo's fate at the hands of the NYC Police, does not know the story until you read this book. In the days and weeks following Amadou's death, the media frenzy revealed very little about Amadou's life and family short of the presumptive image of an African immigrant struggling to earn a living with little education and few family ties. Nothing could be further from the truth. This beautifully written account of Kadiatou's own story and her relationship to her son Amadou, reveals more of his character than any news report ever did. To understand Amadou, you must understand Kadiatou. Her story, and his, humbles the reader. The words are prose, the images are stunning; it is a visual read. Even if you know very little of the tragedy that occurred in 1999, this is a must read.

Average customer rating:

One of the Best

The Story of My Heart: My Autobiography
Richard Jefferies
Manufacturer: Green Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

One of the Best.......2007-10-03

I had read Jefferies' nature writing and loved it. But this is one of the best books about an inner life ever written. He makes some leaps that no one else has, and I've read a lot.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books