Books

In Dublin's Fair City (Molly Murphy Mysteries)

Average customer rating:

An Irish mystery at sea
Molly goes home and grows up
A Little Forced....
Alterior Motives Deluxe Irish Edition
Molly Returns to Ireland

In Dublin's Fair City (Molly Murphy Mysteries)
Rhys Bowen
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Women Sleuths | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Mystery & Thriller Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Murder In Chinatown
Oh Danny Boy (A Molly Murphy Mystery)
Her Royal Spyness
Evanly Bodies (Constable Evans Mysteries)
In Like Flynn: A Molly Murphy Series (A Molly Murphy Mystery)

ASIN: 0312328192
Release Date: 2007-03-06

Book Description

Molly Murphy, Rhys Bowens plucky P.I. in 1903 New York, sails back to her native Ireland on a case searching for the sister of an Irish-American impresario. She was too sick to travel and was left behind when the family took a famine ship to New York fifty years ago, and now the man wants to settle his fortune on her. But before the ship reaches Ireland, her maid is found murdered and a famous Irish actress goes missing. Molly is shocked to discover a cache of rifles in the actresss luggage, and even more shocked to come upon her own brother trying to collect the bags in Dublinnow mixed up in the freedom movement, in which Molly herself becomes unwillingly embroiled. And someone else seems to be on the trail of the missing womansomeone who wants to make sure Molly never finds her....

Customer Reviews:

An Irish mystery at sea.......2007-05-30

IN DUBLIN'S FAIR CITY is the latest book in Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy mystery series. The book's heroine, a private investigator, is an Irish immigrant living in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. She is an independent and clever young woman with a secret --- and a knack for solving mysteries. Because of her reputation as a successful "lady detective," she is sought out by Tommy Burke.

Burke is an Irish immigrant who, decades earlier, survived passage on a famine ship and arrived in the United States with nothing. Now a self-described "self-made man" with lots of money but no children, Burke recently learned from his mother --- on her deathbed ---that he may have a sister back in Ireland. Mary Ann was left behind because she was too sick to make the voyage to America. When Molly accepts Burke's assignment to return to her native land and search for Mary Ann, the story --- and Molly's adventure --- begins.

Shortly after Molly boards the Majestic ocean liner and settles in her second-class cabin, a steward delivers a note from the beautiful Irish-American Broadway actress, Oona Sheehan, who is a friend of Burke's. In the note Oona invites Molly to her first-class cabin, where she has "a matter to discuss."

To safeguard her privacy during the voyage, Oona asks Molly to trade places with her, and she gives Molly a check for $100 for her trouble. In exchange, Molly agrees not to leave Oona's cabin, except in rare instances, and only when disguised as the actress. Molly, Oona and the maid, Rose, are the only ones in on the deception.

The ruse appears to work, but after several days at sea, Molly grows tired of being cooped up in Oona's cabin. The night before the ship docks, Molly learns about a costume ball, which she decides to attend disguised as Marie Antoinette. After returning to the first-class cabin, Molly discovers Rose's body. Molly summons the ship's authorities, who become skeptical when she explains why she is occupying Oona's cabin, especially after they determine that the actress is not aboard the ship. To prove her innocence, Molly relies on her wits and detection skills.

Rose's death and the actress's mysterious disappearance are only the beginning of Molly's troubles. Ashore in Ireland, her search for Mary Ann Burke turns up one dead end after another. Complicating matters, Molly keeps bumping into men from the ship and is sure one of them means her harm.

Then there's the matter of Oona's luggage, which Molly has been instructed to safeguard until it is picked up. After Molly accidentally opens one of the cases, she discovers a hidden cache of weapons that she assumes are destined for the freedom fighters. Even more shocking is the appearance of Molly's brother, Liam, who comes to collect the baggage and then flees after Molly calls out to him.

Despite disappointing setbacks, and more encounters from the Irish underground, Molly continues her search for Mary Ann, but the secret she thought was buried when she fled Ireland continues to haunt her. As she becomes entangled with the freedom fighters, Molly is called upon to make a decision that could jeopardize her life, as well as the lives of her loved ones.

The engaging character of Molly Murphy, the turn-of-the-20th-century setting and descriptions, and the cameo appearances of some famous Irishmen --- including James Joyce and Oscar Wilde --- make IN DUBLIN'S FAIR CITY an entertaining read.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

Molly goes home and grows up.......2007-04-16

In Dublin's Fair City by Rhys Bowen is the most recent book in the Molly Murphy mystery series. As often happens within a long-running series, Bowen removes Molly from her familiar environs to create new crises and advance character development. This works very well with Molly Murphy who returns home to Ireland to investigate a long-lost sister of a wealthy Irish-American theater producer. Molly needs the opportunity to get out of New York for awhile and reevaluate her feelings for her off-and-on paramour Daniel Sullivan. So she jumps at the opportunity to return to her homeland, and instead finds herself in the middle of a missing actress, a murdered maid, and the Irish movement for independence. Bowen juggles the multiple stories remarkably well and manages to ties them all together in an almost completely believable way. I love Molly's foibles and her refusal to be treated as second class. She realizes that she's not much of a detective but never gives up. She's one of the most realistic, truly human characters in cozy mysteries today. This was a fantastic read, one of those books that's hard to put down, but when I was done and preparing the review a few holes in the plausibility started showing. So it's one of those books to read and enjoy, and don't spend a lot of time thinking about later. But don't miss it, Molly Murphy (and Rhys Bowen) are truly a joy to read.

A Little Forced...........2007-04-16

is how I would describe this addition to the series. Molly is as delightful as ever, but the "mystery" was a bit lacking and certain things were just too much of a coincidence to be believable. Add that to the fact the story just slams to a halt, leaving too many loose ends.

Alterior Motives Deluxe Irish Edition.......2007-03-26

This is a natural progression of events...for the heroine to return to Ireland. You will enjoy all the period correct, walk with Molly in so many different situations, and get a bit of a history lesson on the way. It applies to today's patriots and independence fighters. Truly a great read-so Daniel?

Molly Returns to Ireland.......2007-03-22

When Molly ran away from Ireland with a price on her head, she figured she could never go back. But now she's been offered just that chance. Theatrical producer Tommy Burke wants to hire Molly to return to Ireland and find his long lost sister, left behind 50 years ago when the family fled the potato famine. Since Daniel is driving her crazy and she needs the money, she decides to risk it. Surely she can slip in and out again without being noticed.

Molly really should have known that would never work. When she boards the ship, she gets an offer to switch places with famous actress Oona Sheehan. She can hardly turn down extra cash and a chance to travel first class. But then she finds a body and Oona disappears before they can switch back. Now she's the chief suspect in the murder. Can she clear her name and find the missing woman without being connect to the previous warrant for her arrest?

I've really come to care for Molly and look forward to each new entry in the series, but this one was a disappointment. Molly is her normal entertaining self, and I didn't miss her New York friends as much as I thought I would.

The trouble came with the plot. It starts way too slowly and then gets lost in the historic story going on around Molly. The ending, while logical, is abrupt and not satisfying.

What saves the book is the historical saga. I love a novel that can bring another place and time to life, and this book does. The mystery is really just an excuse to get Molly into the historical plot, and anyone who cares for her will want to see how that sub-plot ends.

As a mystery, I give this book 3 stars, but as a historical novel, I give it 5. If you aren't already familiar with Molly, start with the earlier books before picking this one up.

Average customer rating:

The Fair Labor Standards Act

Manufacturer: BNA Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Law | Subjects | Books

Labor & Employment | Business | Law | Subjects | Books

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

The Fair Labor Standards Act 2005 Cumulative Supplement

ASIN: 157018108X

Book Description

More than 60 years after its enactment, the Fair Labor Standards Act—with its labyrinth of requirements—continues to frustrate even the most experienced labor and employment law attorneys. This complex and largely unexplored area of the law is presented in a single, balanced treatise that will become your reference of first resort as you advise clients, analyze fact patterns, and litigate cases under the FLSA.

The Fair Labor Standards Act goes beyond descriptions of FLSA coverage and exemptions to help you determine why and how you should proceed on a particular course for your clients. You get:

point-by-point evaluations of each FLSA exemption

meticulous citations and footnotes—with decisions broken out by circuit

proven steps and strategies for dealing with enforcement, remedies, and litigation

special considerations for determining compensable hours, minimum wages, and overtime pay

discussions concerning Department of Labor (DOL) administration, state and local government coverage, child-labor issues, record-keeping, and more

The Fair Labor Standards Act offers practical insights on real-world questions about litigation, remedies, and more.

New York World's Fair, The 1964-1965 (NY) (Images of America)
Average customer rating:

Reminiscent of a unique American event

A Great Primer To A Great Event!

I wish I could have gone!

New York World's Fair, The 1964-1965 (NY) (Images of America)
Bill Cotter , and Bill Young
Manufacturer: Arcadia Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
New York | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Mid-Atlantic | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The New York World's Fair, 1939/1940: in 155 Photographs by Richard Wurts and Others

The 1964 World's Fair

The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart's Masterpiece

Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-and-Dime

New York's 19391940 World's Fair (NY) (Postcard History Series)

ASIN: 0738536067

Book Description

The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair was the largest international exhibition ever built in the United States. More than one hundred fifty pavilions and exhibits spread over six hundred forty-six acres helped the fair live up to its reputation as "the Billion-Dollar Fair." With the cold war in full swing, the fair offered visitors a refreshingly positive view of the future, mirroring the official theme: Peace through Understanding. Guests could travel back in time through a display of full-sized dinosaurs, or look into a future where underwater hotels and flying cars were commonplace. They could enjoy Walt Disney's popular shows, or study actual spacecraft flown in orbit. More than fifty-one million guests visited the fair before it closed forever in 1965. The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair captures the history of this event through vintage photographs, published here for the first time.

Customer Reviews:

Reminiscent of a unique American event.......2007-01-18

Provides a comprehensive walk down memory lane for this unique American event, the likes of which we will probably never see again. As we were about to experience a technology revolution, all of the depictions of the future offered up by the Fair provided so much hope and optimism for the future. Very complete visual account of the Fair with some text. I wish the pictures were larger with some color images as well (although the cost would increase). Perhaps a little more text about the Fair would have been better. Overall, a very good account of the '64 Worlds Fair which will no doubt bring back some good memories of a very different time.

A Great Primer To A Great Event!.......2005-08-14

You couldn't pick two finer experts on the 1964 New York World's Fair to put together this photo essay overview of this too-neglected event. Bill Young is the creator of the magnificent website devoted to the Fair, www.nywf64.com, where you will find all sorts of fascinating information about the Fair, while Bill Cotter has assembled the best collection of amateur Fair photos over the years. This book spotlights some of those photos and offers a great look at this event that I wish I had been alive to have gone too! Excellent job, my friends.

I wish I could have gone!.......2004-10-21

This book does an excellent job of describing the glitz, excitement and joyous excess that was known as the 1964 World's Fair. With great pictures and great writing this book elegantly handles the challenge of taking you on a whirlwind tour of the fair. May favorite part of the book is how it manages to weave facts about the fair, facts about the time period and unique insider information into the tapestry of the book.

In other words, I really enjoyed the book. It doesn't matter whether you were alive in 1964 or not, by the end of the book you'll be longing for a time when the future held so much promise. At the very least, you'll want a waffle.

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right

Average customer rating:

Tula's review
Physician, heal thyself
Hell is.....
Terrific read
Ad Hominem attacks only

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
AL FRANKEN
Manufacturer: Highbridge Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Political | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Literature & Fiction | Books on CD | Formats | Books

Unabridged | Literature & Fiction | Books on CD | Formats | Books

Humor | Books on CD | Formats | Books

General | Books on CD | Formats | Books

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

Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot
Stupid White Men . . . And Other Sorry Excuses For The State Of The Nation!
Still More George W. Bushisms: Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America (The Book) Teacher's Edition: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction
Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America

ASIN: 1565117972

Amazon.com

Having previously dissected the factual inaccuracies of a single bellicose talk show host in Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot, Al Franken takes his fight to a larger foe: President George W. Bush, the Bush Administration, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, and scores of other conservatives whom, he says, are playing loose with the facts. It's a lot of ground to cover, as evidenced by the 43 chapters in Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, but the results are often entertaining and insightful. Franken occupies a unique place in the modern political dialogue as perhaps the media's only comedy writer and performer who is also a Harvard fellow as well as a liberal political commentator. This unique and vaguely lonely position lends a charming quixotic quality to adventures such as a tense encounter with the Fox News staff at the National Press Club, a challenge to fisticuffs with National Review Editor Rich Lowry, and an oddly sweet admissions visit to ultra-conservative Bob Jones University (with a young research assistant posing as his son when Franken's real-life son refuses to participate in the charade). Less useful are comic book dramatizations of "Supply Side Jesus" and a fictitious Vietnam War story featuring the numerous righties who, Franken intimates, improperly avoided service. And Franken's criticisms of conservative talk show hosts Sean Hannity, O'Reilly, and columnist Coulter, while admirable in their attention to detail, fail to shed much new light on people who have built careers on broad arguments and relentless self-aggrandizement. But Franken is at his best, and most compellingly readable, when he backs off the wackiness and the personal grudges and writes about more personal matters such as the political circus surrounding the memorial service of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. But even on these more serious topics, Franken's wit is still present and, in fact, grows sharper. In a time when much political discourse is composed of rage and shouting, it's refreshing that Al Franken is able to shout in a witty manner. --John Moe

Book Description

This witty, scrupulously researched and expertly delivered audio production accomplishes what few nonfiction audio books manage to do-it realizes the full potential of the format. Even those who have already read Franken's book should take the time to listen to this superb audio adaptation, which is enhanced by Franken's impeccable sense of comic timing, eerily precise impersonations and inclusion of source materials. In the most compelling section, for example, Franken juxtaposes two revealing clips to illustrate his view that the late Senator Paul Wellstone's memorial was "cynically distorted for partisan political advantage" not by the Democrats, but by the Republicans. The first clip is from Rush Limbaugh's radio show, where he proclaims in a heavy, lugubrious voice, "The Democrats wrenched Wellstone's soul right out of the grave, assumed it for themselves and then used it for their own blatant, selfish political ambitions.... Show me where the grief was!" Franken follows this with an excerpt from the memorial-which will bring tears to the eyes of any listener, partisan or non-in which David McLaughlin pays tribute to his younger brother, Will, who was Wellstone's driver, bodyguard, adviser and "the one who kept Paul going." By turns sad, funny and serious (but always satirical), this audio book has all the entertainment value of fiction (and even a one-act play called The Waitress and The Lawyer based on one of President Bush's radio addresses), but the issues Franken raises will stay with listeners long after their laughter has died down.

Download Description

"Al Franken, ""one of our savviest satirists"" (People), takes on the issues, the politicians, and the pundits in one of the most anticipated books of the year. For the first time since his own classic Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations, Al Franken trains his subversive wit directly on the contemporary political scene. Now, the ""master of political humor"" (Washington Times) destroys the myth of liberal bias in the media, and exposes how the Right shamelessly tries to deceive the rest of us. No one is spared as Al uses the Right's own words against them. Not the Bush administration and their rhetorical hypocrisy. Not Ann Coulter and her specious screeds. Not the new generation of talk-radio hosts, and not Bill O'Reilly, Roger Ailes, and the entire Fox network. This is the book Al Franken fans have been waiting for (and his foes have been dreading). Timely, provocative, unfailingly honest, and always funny, Lies is sure to become the most talked about book of political humor in 2003 and beyond."

Customer Reviews:

Tula's review .......2007-04-30

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
By: Al Franken

Although I am not an avid viewer of the ¡§Colbert Report¡¨ or the ¡§Daily Show,¡¨ I do enjoy watching those shows whenever I get the chance. They are both shows directed at a liberal audience and the ¡§Colbert Report¡¨ actually satirizes the ¡§Bill O¡¦Reilly¡¨ show on the Fox News Network. When I heard about Al Franken¡¦s book, I was naturally interested because I assumed it was a book that attended to the same audience as ¡§Colbert Report.¡¨ I discovered the fascinating history behind the popularity of Al Franken¡¦s book when selecting this book. Fox News filed suit against Al Franken as the news network feared that, because of the phrase in the book¡¦s title ¡§A Fair and Balanced¡K,¡¨ readers would be mislead and believe that Fox News endorsed Franken¡¦s book (Fox News uses ¡§A Fair and Balanced¡¨ to describe their news coverage). The book actually satires Fox News and their various reporters³ Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, and Bill O¡¦Reilly being some of Fox News¡¦s signature reporters. Fox News¡¦s lawsuit was soon thrown out and the book was all over the news. The book¡¦s newfound publicity soared as Al Franken¡¦s book made it to number one on Amazon¡¦s list. I, like many others, wanted to see for myself what all the buzz was about with Al Franken¡¦s book and decided to read it.
Franken¡¦s main focus in his book is to substantiate the claims he makes in his title: to unravel the ¡§lies¡¨ and expose the ¡§lying liars who tell them¡¨. Franken mainly examines Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Bill O¡¦Reilly, Fox News, and the Bush Administration. Franken contends that the Fox News Channel consistently misrepresents and exaggerates facts and statistics as a means of bolstering the conservative agenda through the media. The book places a heavy emphasis on accurately using statistics and facts so much so that there was actually a group study project led by Al Franken at Harvard, Franken¡¦s alma mater (Franken refers to this study in the book, calling it ¡§How to Research my Book?¡¨ In this student, the group was to ensure that Al Franken¡¦s book was factual and statistically accurate to the utmost degree). He wanted this book to be 100% accurate with its use of statistical data. By doing this, Franken would be able to write a book without any statistical errors while accusing conservative commentators of conducting unethical research and, in many cases, making up facts.
Al Franken begins by rebutting the idea that the media is liberal (he uses facts to attack that claim). He then proceeds to unravel the truth behind Ann Coulter (a well-known authored-conservative commentator who makes many appearances on various news shows) and Fox News commentators Sean Hannity and Bill O¡¦Reilly. Franken calls Coulter a ¡§nutcase¡¨ (which is also the name of a chapter in his book) and attacks Coulter in a chapter in his book called ¡§Lie with Footnotes¡¨. In this chapter, Franken exposes how Ann Coulter uses footnotes to lie, having many pages to support his sources on the matter. He then shifted his focus to Fox News and its signature commentators in Bill O¡¦Reilly and Sean Hannity. Bill O¡¦Reilly, according to Franken, lied about awards for a show he was on and refused to go on to apologize for it (Franken writes about how O¡¦Reilly is a ¡§bully¡¨ on his show The O¡¦Reilly Factor). Franken consistently uses O¡¦Reilly¡¦s own words against him in his critique of O¡¦Reilly which really adds to the satiric tone of the book (very humorous). Franken accuses Hannity from ¡§The Hannity and Colmes Show¡¨ for many of the same things he accused Coulter and O¡¦Reilly. He wrote about how Hannity consistently distorts statistical data to substantiate his views and support his conservative agenda.
Franken shifts his focus onto the Bush administration where he examines the foul play and dirty tricks the Bush campaign employed during the primaries, particularly on McCain. He explains how the foul play was instrumental in Bush¡¦s success. Franken then examines how Bush¡¦s tax cut was portrayed in the mainstream media, particularly Fox News. Frank reveals how, through Fox News, the Bush administration was using several methods on selling the idea of a tax cut. Franken satirizes this point as well, using cartoons to illustrate how the Bush administration skewed statistics in order to bolster their credibility.
Al Franken¡¦s Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them is a very entertaining book and the sarcastic and satiric tone throughout the book makes it an easy read as well. This book definitely targets liberals and perhaps moderates who are on the fence, curious about the featured commentators revealed in this book. This book is definitely not aimed at conservatives, in particular followers of Sean Hannity and the other commentators discussed in the book (perhaps they can read the book just to understand the other side if anything). However, those who are annoyed with right-wing media will surely enjoy learning about the methods that the right-wing media employs to bolster their agenda while getting a good laugh as well. It was an entertaining and informative book.

Physician, heal thyself.......2007-03-28

The people Al Franken refers to with the title of his book-- "Lies and the lying liars who tell them" are, of course, Republicans. If anything, this work brings out more clearly than any example I can think of, that ideologues are completely blind to their own bias. The highlight of the book was for Al to ask his secretary to lie for him to set up a visit for him and his son to visit the Christian Bob Jones University. He then took his prospective college-age son on a campus tour where father and son lied to the admissions office, lied to student guides and lied to faculty members. The purpose of this jaunt was "to have fun at their expense," "We were going to go on a comedy adventure." Franken was "Excited about all the comic possibilities."

Egad. If even the otherwise sharp-as-a-whip Franken doesn't realize the shattering irony of his stupid prank, what more proof do we need that ideology blinds even the brightest of us? That being the case, there go all the rejoinders from the media that the fact that 90% of their reporters are liberals has no bearing whatever on their neutral presentation of the news. Yeah. Right.

Hell is............2007-03-05

having to read Franken's poorly constructed and pitifully paced attempt at writing. Stuart Smalley is alive and well. Unfortunately, Al's alter-ego is in fact his true self. Glad I didn't pay any of my hard earned cash on this one.

Terrific read.......2007-03-04

This book should be a required reading in political science and/or American history for all high school students. Whether an individual is a conversative or a liberal is irrelevant, this book focuses on one thing and one thing only - truthiness.

Ad Hominem attacks only.......2007-03-01

The best expample of what this book is all about is his criticism of Ann Coulter (who I think needs to be criticized). She refers to one of her books in an interview and says that the book has lots of footnotes. Al Franken points out that there are no footnotes in the book. Sure enough, hes' right...there are no footnotes....they're actually endnotes. She misspoke......so he calls her a liar! And, of course, that makes everything that she says and writes a lie! Very childish and I would suspect very damaging to his own political party.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, Madness, and the Fair that Changed America

Average customer rating:

Surprisingly dry account
great book
A Terrific Read!
Dark but Excellent
Exceptionally written non-fiction

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, Madness, and the Fair that Changed America
Erik Larson
Manufacturer: RH Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Serial Killers | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Biographies & Memoirs | Books on CD | Formats | Books

United States | History | Books on CD | Formats | Books

General | Books on CD | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
Thunderstruck
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

ASIN: 0739323598
Release Date: 2005-05-03

Amazon.com

Author Erik Larson imbues the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with such drama that readers may find themselves checking the book's categorization to be sure that The Devil in the White City is not, in fact, a highly imaginative novel. Larson tells the stories of two men: Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair's construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor. Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison. The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims. Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing. --John Moe

Book Description

Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.

The Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. In this book the smoke, romance, and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive as never before.

Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.

To find out more about this book, go to http://www.DevilInTheWhiteCity.com.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

In The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson, author of Isaac's Storm, tells the spellbinding true story of two men, an architect and a serial killer, whose fates were linked by the greatest fair in American history: the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, nicknamed "The White City."

Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America's rush toward the twentieth century.

The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair's brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country's most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C.

The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his "World's Fair Hotel" just west of the fairgrounds -- a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium.

Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.

The Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. In this book, the smoke, romance and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive as never before.

Erik Larson's gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.

"Engrossing... exceedingly well documented... utterly fascinating."
   CHICAGO TRIBUNE

"A dynamic, enveloping book.... Relentlessly fuses history and entertainment to give this nonfiction book the dramtic effect of a novel.... It doesn't hurt that this truth is stranger than fiction."
   THE NEW YORK TIMES

"So good, you find yourself asking how you could not know this already."
   ESQUIRE

"Another successful exploration of American history.... Larson skillfully balances the grisly details with the far-reaching implications of the World's Fair."
   USA TODAY

"As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find."
   SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"Paints a dazzling picture of the Gilded Age and prefigure the American century to come."
   ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

"A wonderfully unexpected book... Larson is a historian... with a novelist's soul."
   CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly dry account.......2007-06-17

If one has an interest in architecture then this book is recommended. Personally, I found the account of the development of the Chicago World's Fair rather boring. I guess I am not a big fan of architecture. I do highly recommend Ken Follet's "The Pillars of the Earth", but that is a historical fiction novel about the building of a Cathedral. Normally architecture is a subject that you just have to be fascinated by in the first place to enjoy reading about.

If one has an interest in psychopaths, then I do not give this book a high recommendation, for his account of a serial killer lurking in Chicago at the time of the fair is also rather dry. I just could not get into Larson's matter of fact style. For the most part the account switches chapters between the fair and the killer. He has woven an inferior account of what perhaps in more skilled hands would be much more fascinating.

When Larson did try to create suspense in his account, it failed. He foreshadows events constantly and not very effectively. The best example of this in the novel is his buildup to the murder of the mayor of Chicago.

There is little connection between the two tales beyond time and place. I give it 3 stars because overall the subject matter is interesting enough to warrant a read. If for nothing else to cause one to ponder over the great changes that have occurred in the world over the last 100 years. The setting of the world's fair and it's cutting edge late 19th century technology accomplishes that, but overall the account is not presented very well, and quite frankly I am baffled by its' popularity.The Pillars of the Earth

great book.......2007-06-13

This is a great book!! Written well and very thoughful. I just couldn't put it down!! I learned lots about lots and had fun doing it!

A Terrific Read!.......2007-06-11

Larson's work is the literary equivalent of eating fresh salmon. It tastes great and it's actually good for you. This book would stand on it's own as a terrific thriller - but you get the added benefit of learning a lot about early 20th century architecture, and a facinating historical overview of the World's Fair. There's nothing better than a book that is a real page turner, yet fills you with knowledge.

Dark but Excellent.......2007-06-11

This is a must read book if you want to know what went on behind the scenes of the 1st World's Fair held in Chicago. There were men and women who never gave up on a dream and held out in the face of many obstacles, but there was also a psychopath who was totally twisted. An excellent book, but don't read it at night if you are prone to nightmares.

Exceptionally written non-fiction.......2007-06-08

In this non-fiction serial murder mystery Erik Larson (author of Isaac's Storm) describes the events leading to the World's Fair in Chicago in the 1800's. In parallel to the Fair he describes the macabre activities of one of the earliest serial murderer's. Chapter for chapter he interchanges between the Fair development and the expansion of the serial murderer in a way that keeps you interested in their development. The ultimate is the pursuit of the serial killer and the strong determination of one investigator to bring the serial killer to justice. Exceptional search techniques in the pre-1900 era. An interesting, recommended read.

The Blood of Government: Race, Empire, the United States, and the Philippines

Average customer rating:

The Blood of Government: Race, Empire, the United States, and the Philippines
Paul A. Kramer
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Philippines | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Southeast Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Discrimination & Racism | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Haunted by Empire: Geographies of Intimacy in North American History (American Encounters/Global Interactions)
Colonial Pathologies: American Tropical Medicine, Race, and Hygiene in the Philippines
Race over Empire: Racism and U.S. Imperialism, 1865-1900
The New Empire: An Interpretation of American Expansion, 1860-1898 (Cornell Paperbacks)
Irresistible Empire: Americas Advance through Twentieth-Century Europe

ASIN: 0807856533

Book Description

In 1899 the United States, having announced its arrival as a world power during the Spanish-Cuban-American War, inaugurated a brutal war of imperial conquest against the Philippine Republic. Over the next five decades, U.S. imperialists justified their colonial empire by crafting novel racial ideologies adapted to new realities of collaboration and anticolonial resistance. In this pathbreaking, transnational study, Paul Kramer reveals how racial politics served U.S. empire, and how empire-building in turn transformed ideas of race and nation in both the United States and the Philippines.

Kramer argues that Philippine-American colonial history was characterized by struggles over sovereignty and recognition. In the wake of a racial-exterminist war, U.S. colonialists, in dialogue with Filipino elites, divided the Philippine population into "civilized" Christians and "savage" animists and Muslims. The former were subjected to a calibrated colonialism that gradually extended them self-government as they demonstrated their "capacities." The latter were governed first by Americans, then by Christian Filipinos who had proven themselves worthy of shouldering the "white man's burden." Ultimately, however, this racial vision of imperial nation-building collided with U.S. nativist efforts to insulate the United States from its colonies, even at the cost of Philippine independence. Kramer provides an innovative account of the global transformations of race and the centrality of empire to twentieth-century U.S. and Philippine histories.

Healthy, Wealthy, & Fair: Health Care and the Good Society
Average customer rating:

Access To Healthcare Should Not Be A Freemarket Perk

Healthy, Wealthy, & Fair: Health Care and the Good Society

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Social Services & Welfare | Poverty | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Public Policy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Health Law | Family & Health Law | Law | Subjects | Books
Health Policy | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books
Public Health | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books
Health Law | Family & Health Law | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Health Policy | Administration & Medicine Economics | Medical | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

One Nation, Uninsured: Why the U.S. Has No National Health Insurance

Your Money or Your Life: Strong Medicine for America's Health Care System

Health Security for All: Dreams of Universal Health Care in America

Uninsured in America: Life and Death in the Land of Opportunity

Policy Challenges In Modern Health Care

ASIN: 0195170660

Book Description

America may be one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but its citizens rank near the bottom in health status. Americans have lower life expectancy, more infant mortalities and higher adolescent death rates than most other advanced industrial nations--and even some developing countries. Though Americans are famous for tolerating great inequality in wealth, the gross inequities in the health system are less well recognized. In Healthy, Wealthy and Fair, a distinguished group of health policy experts chart the stark disparities in health and wealth in the United States. The authors explain how the inequities arise, why they persist, and what makes them worse. Growing income inequality, high poverty rates, and inadequate health care coverage: all three trends help account for the U.S.'s health troubles. The corrosive effects of market ideology and government stalemate, the contributors argue, have also proved a powerful obstacle to effective and more egalitarian solutions. A clarion call for a populist uprising to end the stalemate over health reform, Healthy, Wealthy, and Fair outlines concrete policy proposals for reform--tapping bold new ideas as well as incremental changes to existing programs. This important work will be indispensable to all those who care about our people's health, inequality, and American democracy.

Customer Reviews:

Access To Healthcare Should Not Be A Freemarket Perk.......2005-06-18

Along with many Americans I frimly believe in freemarkets providing goods and services to the American people. America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world because of our adherence to the freemarket system. However, our citizens rank near the bottom in health status. Americans have lower life expectancy, more health-related morbidity and higher adolescent death rates than most other advanced nations in the world and even some developing countries.

With the exception of a few of our high technology medical advances that will benefit a very small percentage of the population, the overall condition of our preventive and maintenance healthcare and its delivery is in terrible condition. To function in the freemarket and be productive each person needs the best overall health possible. To obtain healthcare and good health in general must not be a fruit of that individual's success in the freemarket system. For our system to function properly, be fair, be wise, be compassionate and, in fact, to not be evil, healtcare must be a right for every citizen and must not be dependent upon a person's ability or even willingness to pay money. After a decent level of good healthcare is provided to each citizen, then, and only then, can that person swim in the freemarket ocean where he/she will sink or swim based on their ability, their intelligence and their willingness to expend effort. To have a fair chance at success which will benefit both the individual and all of society, each person needs to be provided with the availability and ease of access to both preventive healthcare and basic healthcare delivery.

The World's Columbian Exposition: The Chicago World's Fair of 1893

Average customer rating:

Chicago Colombian Exposition
very interesting

The World's Columbian Exposition: The Chicago World's Fair of 1893
Norman Bolotin , and Christine Laing
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Study & Teaching | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

19th Century | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Technical | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Art Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

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

The Chicago World's Fair of 1893: A Photographic Record (Dover Architectural Series)
EXPO - Magic of the White City DVD
White City Recollections: The Illustrated 1893 Diary of a Trip to the World's Columbian Exposition
Celebrating the New World: Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893 (The American Ways Series)
Chicago at the Turn of the Century in Photographs: 122 Historic Views from the Collections of the Chicago Historical Society

ASIN: 025207081X

Book Description

This exceptional chronicle takes readers on a visual tour of the glittering "white city" that emerged along the swampy south shore of Lake Michigan as a symbol of Chicago's rebirth and pride twenty-two years after the Great Fire.

The World's Columbian Exposition, which commemorated the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage to America, was held from April to October in 1893. The monumental event welcomed twenty-eight million visitors, covered six hundred acres of land, boasted dozens of architectural wonders, and was home to some sixty-five thousand exhibits from all over the world. From far and wide, people came to experience the splendors of the fair, to witness the magic sparkle of electric lights or ride the world's first Ferris wheel, known as the Eiffel Tower of Chicago.

Norman Bolotin and Christine Laing have assembled a dazzling photographic history of the fair. Here are panoramic views of the concourse--replete with waterways and gondolas, the amazing moving sidewalk, masterful landscaping and horticultural splendorsÐ-and reproductions of ads, flyers, souvenirs, and keepsakes. Here too are the grand structures erected solely for the fair, from the golden doorway of the Transportation Building to the aquariums and ponds of the Fisheries Building, as well as details such as menu prices, the cost to rent a Kodak camera, and injury and arrest reports from the Columbian Guard.

This unique volume tells the story of the World's Columbian Exposition from its conception and construction to the scientific, architectural, and cultural legacies it left behind, inviting readers to imagine what it would have been like to spend a week at the fair.

Customer Reviews:

Chicago Colombian Exposition.......2007-05-12

A thorough history, interestingly written and beautifully illustrated. A good follow-up to "Devil in the White City".

very interesting.......2005-06-22

I found this book quite fascinating. I have been reading Erik Larson's wonderful "The Devil in the White City" but since that comes with virtually no illustrations, I bought this book primarily for the photographs, of which it has a great many and which go a long way to conveying just how huge this fair was (there were 735,000+ visitors on the day that had the highest attendance rate).

It also fills in information Larson's book lacks about the exhibits themselves, the individual state and country buildings and the Midway as well as statistics on how much food was served every day and how many bathrooms were available plus it shows pictures of the moving sidewalk that took visitors who arrived by boat to the fair itself; the Xerxes telescope; many displays and decorations made out of corn and oranges; the foreigners who were part of the Midway attractions; the Wooded Island; the first automated paint sprayer (with which a crew of three was able to paint the interior of the entire Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building in only six weeks); a lifesize statue of a wooly mammoth, then thought to have been the largest animal to have ever walked the earth; and several pictures of the Ferris Wheel under construction. It also has a table showing what attractions were available and how much they cost and one indicating which architect designed which building (something Larson's readers will appreciate).

The only real problem I had with the book (and the reason for four stars instead of five) is that it's printed on regular paper stock and not on glossy paper so the photographs are somewhat blurry and grainy and not as crisp as they would have been had the publisher used different paper. Also the book provides a copy of the map of the fairgrounds given by Montgomery Ward to it's customers but this map is too small plus it's printed so that part of it lies in the book's center crease. I think it would have been better if the publisher had had a map drawn and used that or had found one that provided more information. There is a three dimensional map of the Exposition available on the Web -- it would have been nice if something like that had been included as well since it's impossible to get a comprehensive, birdseye view of the Fair (nevermind one in relation to Chicago and the surrounding community) from just the photographs. There is also a bibliography and a somewhat incomplete index. I don't know how this book compares to other pictorial books on the Exposition but it was fine for what I needed and had lots of bits of interesting trivia besides.

World of Fairs: The Century-of-Progress Expositions

Average customer rating:

World Fairs as Seen Through a Marxist Lens
I loved this book.

World of Fairs: The Century-of-Progress Expositions
Robert W. Rydell
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic History | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

General & Reference | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Technology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

All the World's a Fair: Visions of Empire at American International Expositions, 1876-1916
Fair America: World's Fairs in the United States
World's Fairs and the End of Progress: An Insider's View
World's Fairs
The New York World's Fair, 1939/1940: in 155 Photographs by Richard Wurts and Others

ASIN: 0226732371

Book Description

In the depths of the Great Depression, when America's future seemed bleak, nearly one hundred million people visited expositions celebrating the "century of progress." These fairs fired the national imagination and served as cultural icons on which Americans fixed their hopes for prosperity and power.

World of Fairs continues Robert W. Rydell's unique cultural history--begun in his acclaimed All the World's a Fair--this time focusing on the interwar exhibitions. He shows how the ideas of a few--particularly artists, architects, and scientists--were broadcast to millions, proclaiming the arrival of modern America--a new empire of abundance build on old foundations of inequality.

Rydell revisits several fairs, highlighting the 1926 Philadelphia Sesquicentennial, the 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition, the 1933-34 Chicago Century of Progress Exposition, the 1935-36 San Diego California Pacific Exposition, the 1936 Dallas Texas Centennial Exposition, the 1937 Cleveland Great Lakes and International Exposition, the 1939-40 San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition, the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, and the 1958 Brussels Universal Exposition.

Customer Reviews:

World Fairs as Seen Through a Marxist Lens.......2004-09-21

If you want to know what the Worlds' Fairs would look like to a Marxist, then this is the book for you. The basic idea of Marxism is that Capitalism is an unsustainable system of "consumption" that relies on exploitation and imperialism to feed itself. The thesis of this book is that the Fairs were tools of the Bourgeois to enjoin the masses to become fully engaged in the imperialistic feeding frenzy that was Capitalism from 1850-1950. The meaning of the fairs is as broad an issue as the meaning of Capitalism and western civilization - you can't find the meaning of the fairs by looking only at the fairs themselves. Such an analysis naturally depends heavily on the context the author brings to the task - and Rydell's context is Marxism.

I loved this book........1999-02-02

Rydell posits that the world's fairs that occurred from the late 19th century until the mid-twentieth century were designed to promote corporate and government agendas of imperialism, and to inaugurate the populace into a culture of unchecked consumerism. After reading this book, I'm convinced.

Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastards: The Life of a Wartime Celebrity

Average customer rating:

A Woman Navigating Multiple, Simultaneous Boundary Lines
Great Bio, not so Great Historical over view

Doctor Mom Chung of the Fair-Haired Bastards: The Life of a Wartime Celebrity
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Biographies | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Empire of Care: Nursing and Migration in Filipino American History (American Encounters/Global Interactions)
The Qualities of a Citizen: Women, Immigration, and Citizenship, 1870-1965
Betty Friedan and the Making of "The Feminine Mystique": The American Left, the Cold War, and Modern Feminism
Converting the West: A Biography of Narcissa Whitman (Oklahoma Western Biographies)
Five Faces of Exile: The Nation and Filipino American Intellectuals (Asian America)

ASIN: 0520245288

Book Description

During World War II, Mom Chung's was the place to be in San Francisco. Soldiers, movie stars, and politicians gathered at her home to socialize, to show their dedication to the Allied cause, and to express their affection for Dr. Margaret Chung (1889-1959). The first known American-born Chinese female physician, Chung established one of the first Western medical clinics in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1920s. She also became a prominent celebrity and behind-the-scenes political broker during World War II. Chung gained national fame when she began "adopting" thousands of soldiers, sailors, and flyboys, including Ronald Reagan, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, and Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr. A pioneer in both professional and political realms, Chung experimented in her personal life as well. She adopted masculine dress and had romantic relationships with other women, such as writer Elsa Gidlow and entertainer Sophie Tucker.
This is the first biography to explore Margaret Chung's remarkable and complex life. It brings alive the bohemian and queer social milieus of Hollywood and San Francisco as well as the wartime celebrity community Chung cultivated. Her life affords a rare glimpse into the possibilities of traversing racial, gender, and sexual boundaries of American society from the late Victorian era through the early Cold War period.

Customer Reviews:

A Woman Navigating Multiple, Simultaneous Boundary Lines.......2006-01-12

Dr. Wu astounds us by producing a work of biography that does something very rare in this age of standardized academic prose, she has produced an addictively readable volume. To tell the truth, even though I have lived in San Francisco for 25 years, I had never even heard of Mom Chung, but I guess if I lived here during World War II I would have been reading about her exploits every day.

One record after another, she smashed, despite the obvious disapproval of both the Chinese and white communities here. And then there's the gender thing. She adopted, as Dr. Yu shows us, a comically asexual pose, which made it humorous for hundreds of white men and women to call her "Mom," which would have implied that she had had sex when to look at her, and to survey her lack of marriage license, she had none. There's the secret!

The "fair-haired bastards" of the title were the war heroes, at first the pilots, then those who served in the Navy, then a bunch of "Kiwis" who Chung recognized for their work in the field supporting our men overseas. She attracted celebrities to her wherever she went, sort of like our own JT LeRoy in the present day. When she started out, she walked timidly, and it took a cunning and open-hearted woman like the poet Elsa Gidlow to see underneath the brim of her cloche and discover the Lesbian within. Gidlow's memoirs, from which Dr. Wu draws the story, reveal that Gidlow became Chung's patient pretty much to get that old countertransference going. And after a difficult operation, in which Gidlow nearly died, Chung finally admitted that she loved her.

Later on came an intense attachment to the "last of the red hot Mamas," Sophie Tucker. Chung destroyed Tucker's letters, but Tucker carefully preserved all of Chung's little love notes and tokens--thank Goodness, for otherwise we might never have guessed the lengths to which homophobia and sexual fear drove the love affair of these two celebrities deep underground. In a way it was a perfect pose. Chung nearly built Tucker her own shrine within her lavish apartment, so that whenever Tucker decided to visit San Francisco she would be pampered like a goddess. In one letter she hopes that Tucker wears a special nightgown, and "think of me as that nightgown," getting upclose and personal with the famous Tucker body. Sophie Tucker was then coasting on a formidable heterosexual reputation, having been married and divorced thrice by the time she got involved with Mom Chung. I read a whole biography of this notorious entertainer, and the name of Mom Chung never even made it to the index.

Thank the Lord for brave historians like Tzu-Chun Wu who no longer shy away from the uncomfortable truths about their subjects. How I wish that the bruited movie of Chung's life (starring Barbara Stanwyck in Chinese makeup) had really been made, in the long ago days of Mom Chung's celebrity!

Great Bio, not so Great Historical over view.......2005-11-25

Having had to read this book for a history class I wasn't sure about whether or not I would enjoy it. But once I got an understanding of whom Mom Chung was and her importance I really wanted to read the book. I'm glad I did because Chung's story is inspirational, being the first Chinese American Female Doctor. Also Chung was a lesbian (though not 100% proved one can infer this from the evidence.) At the beginning I was inspired by Chung's strength and guts, her breaking through barriers and fighting to be successful and true to herself.(Also managing to continue fighting after several rejections.) Though by the end of her life it seems as though she lost her spunk and drive and settles into the status quo image.

The author does a great job of explaining Chung's life and actually makes the ready feel her triumphs and loses. So from a biographical point of view this is a 5 star book. From the historical point of view it's not as good. She wanted to"...provide insight into the historical transformation of American norms regarding race, gender and sexuality over the course of her lifetime..." This might have to do with Chung being such a larger than life character it is easy to get lost in her and miss the general trends and changes that happened in her lifetime.

With that being said read the book!!!

Books:

Books