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Too Close to the Sun: The Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton

Average customer rating:

Snapshot of the unique society of British East Africa
"Too Close to the Sun"- Denys Finch Hatton
Magnificient biography
Five Star Review
A Memorable, Forgettable Character

Too Close to the Sun: The Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton
Sara Wheeler
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1400060699
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Book Description

Denys Finch Hatton was adored by women and idolized by men. A champion of Africa, legendary for his good looks, his charm, and his prowess as a soldier, lover, and hunter, Finch Hatton inspired Karen Blixen to write the unforgettable stories in Out of Africa. Now esteemed British biographer Sara Wheeler tells the truth about this extraordinarily charismatic adventurer.

Born to an old aristocratic family that had gambled away most of its fortune, Finch Hatton grew up in a world of effortless elegance and boundless power. Tall and graceful, with the soul of a poet and an athlete’s relaxed masculinity, he became a hero without trying at Eton and Oxford. In 1910, searching for novelty and danger, Finch Hatton arrived in British East Africa and fell in love–with a continent, with a landscape, with a way of life that was about to change forever.

Wheeler brilliantly conjures the mystical beauty of Kenya at a time when teeming herds of wild animals roamed unmolested across pristine savannah. No one was more deeply attuned to this beauty than Finch Hatton–and no one more bitterly mourned its passing when the outbreak of World War I engulfed the region in a protracted, bloody guerrilla conflict. Finch Hatton was serving as a captain in the Allied forces when he met Karen Blixen in Nairobi and embarked on one of the great love affairs of the twentieth century.

With delicacy and grace, Wheeler teases out truth from fiction in the liaison that Blixen herself immortalized in Out of Africa. Intellectual equals, bound by their love for the continent and their inimitable sense of style, Finch Hatton and Blixen were genuine pioneers in a land that was quickly being transformed by violence, greed, and bigotry.
Ever restless, Finch Hatton wandered into a career as a big-game hunter and became an expert bush pilot; his passion that led to his affair with the notoriously unconventional aviatrix Beryl Markham. But Markham was no more able to hold him than Blixen had been. Mesmerized all his life by the allure of freedom and danger, Finch Hatton was, writes Wheeler, “the open road made flesh.”

In painting a portrait of an irresistible man, Sara Wheeler has beautifully captured the heady glamour of the vanished paradise of colonial East Africa. In Too Close to the Sun she has crafted a book that is as ravishing as its subject.

Customer Reviews:

Snapshot of the unique society of British East Africa.......2007-06-08

Ever since I saw the movie "Out of Africa" I have been captivated with the lives of Karen Blixen, Beryl Markham and Denys Finch Hatton. "Too Close to the Sun" focuses on the unique life of Denys and tries to explain how and why he lived his life according to his own rules.
The book also describes the history of British East Africa or Kenya as we now know it.
This biography was a facinating read and hard to put down!!!

"Too Close to the Sun"- Denys Finch Hatton.......2007-06-02

This account reads like a novel. All the facts are backed up adequately. I would rate it highly for telling the love story and presenting the exotic background of Africa with this man acting out his life's dream.

Magnificient biography.......2007-05-26

Wonderful book. I felt this was the real man, and this biography the fullest expression of his world.

Five Star Review.......2007-05-19

Book arrived promptly in great condition .. I would definitely order from this vendor again. Rosemary

A Memorable, Forgettable Character.......2007-05-15

If you know of Denys Finch Hatton, you probably know of him as the flyer in _Out of Africa_, whether in the memoir by Karen Blixen (under the pen name Isak Dinesen) or in the movie as played by Robert Redford. His long and troubled love affair with Blixen and her commemoration of him in her writing are now just about all there is to Hatton, but that was not what those around him would have thought. He was a legend in his own time, idolized by men and adored by women, as unforgettable a personality as anyone around him had ever met. The new biography of Hatton, _Too Close to the Sun: The Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton_ (Random House) by Sara Wheeler, contains many reminiscences of those whom Hatton had impressed. "As for charm, I suspect Denys invented it," wrote aviatrix Beryl Markham, who also wrote of her lover in the memoir _West with the Night_. "The man with about the most impressive personality I have ever known," wrote Bertie, Lord Cranworth, who had fought alongside him. Yet as Wheeler admits, "the real Denys" is unknowable. He did not leave a diary, and there are only a few dozen letters existent. It is clear that except for making himself into a legend, his accomplishments were minimal. Since he died in 1931, no one now alive has adult memories of him. He is thus perhaps a thin subject for a full biography, but Wheeler has summarized both the life and the social forces of its time, to make a portrait of a man who charmed himself into history as effortlessly and successfully as he did everything else he tried.

He was schooled at Eton, which remained in his memory as his happiest years. He was admired there for his good looks, ability at sports, and his wit. At Oxford, he excelled in sports, and didn't care much about academics, leaving with a fourth-class degree and no particular enthusiasm for a career. In 1911 he headed for British East Africa, now Kenya. He had to do something, and he invested in land, in shops, in cattle, and in mining, with little effect. He served in the African arena of WWI, but a friend remembered that he "made no secret of the fact that warfare bored him to distraction." It was only after the war that he discovered the vocation of big game hunter (and guide to would-be big game hunters) that was perfect for him. He was just the fellow to kill two lions with successive bullets from a double-barreled rifle. He eventually worried about the toll that such killing was taking on the area's ecology, and long before his countrymen came around, he was talking about the importance of conservation. He took up photography and advocated that visitors come shooting with the goal of bringing back as trophies photographs rather than mounted heads. He had many satisfied customers, none more important than the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VIII), who didn't like anyone much, but liked Hatton. The Prince bet him that he couldn't affix the king's head to the bottom of a rhinoceros, but the fearless Hatton managed it, putting postage stamps on each buttock of a sleeping rhino. He had the Prince's admiration, and he also had the Prince's ear and understanding as he advocated for photography of game and against the useless shooting of it from motorcars.

On another safari, he was asked by American tycoon Frederic B. Patterson how it was that he came to the career of guide. "Oh, it just happened, if you know what I mean," came the reply. He was exactly right; striving for accomplishment was not in him. When he encouraged Karen Blixen to resume painting for relaxation, she wrote, "He has a great talent himself but cannot be bothered to do anything about it." He also could not do anything about relationships with women, of whom Blixen was merely the most important and enduring. Book and film have made her part in his story well-known, but he did leave her when she was emotionally and financially at her neediest. And then, never having accomplished much besides being well liked and admired by almost everyone, and loved by many, in 1931 he was killed in a plane crash, sealing the legend forever, and preventing any resolution of the many enigmas he personified. He might be a minor figure, but he is a fascinating one, and for all his limitations, and the sparseness of documentation of his own reflections, Wheeler has given as good a portrait as he is likely to get. No one knew him well during his lifetime, and not even Wheeler's careful attention explains him satisfactorily, but he is worth knowing even just a little, as all around him would have said.

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Wonderful, Hilarious, Can't put it down!
Too Close to the Falls
What a great read!
wow
Irresistible

Too Close to the Falls
Catherine Gildiner
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 014200040X

Book Description

Welcome to the childhood of Catherine McClure Gildiner. It is the mid-1950s in Lewiston, New York, a sleepy town near Niagara Falls. Divorce is unheard of, mothers wear high heels to the beauty salon, and television has only just arrived.

At the tender age of four, Cathy accompanies Roy, the deliveryman at her father's pharmacy, on his routes. She shares some of their memorable deliveries-sleeping pills to Marilyn Monroe (in town filming Niagara), sedatives to Mad Bear, a violent Tuscarora chief, and fungus cream to Warty, the gentle operator of the town dump. As she reaches her teenage years,

Cathy's irrepressible spirit spurs her from dangerous sled rides that take her "too close to the Falls" to tipsy dances with the town priest.

"Anyone who appreciates a good story, well told, will find it in Too Close to the Falls." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

"Gildiner beautifully portrays her outrageous youth through the innocent, yet sometimes frighteningly worldly eyes of a child." (The Quill & Quire)

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful, Hilarious, Can't put it down!.......2007-05-05

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and my only complaint is that it ended too soon. I am hoping that there will be a sequel. This is an unconventional memoir, a very unusual childhood and just so funny and also deeply moving, I couldn't put it down! Everyone I know who has read it loves it. This book will take you through every emotion. If you hate to cook, know a gifted child or were one yourself, had a Catholic school education, this book will be particularly amusing. Worth the read and make sure to pass it along to a friend or two!

Too Close to the Falls.......2007-03-09

I just loved this book. I don't have any idea how she was able to write this book through the eyes of a child. I live very close to Niagara Falls and could readily relate to all of the places in this book. Highly recommend this, you won't be sorry!

What a great read!.......2007-01-22

When I first heard about this book, I was really looking forward to reading it as I grew up in Lewiston in the 60's. I knew some of the people she mentions in the book as well as went to the same schools. Ms. Gildner's writting captures the delightful nature of Lewiston and I could actually visualize the places she was describing. Her atypical mother sounded a bit like mine with the Bridge club and a housekeeper. Despite the emotional connection to the setting of the book, I throughly enjoyed the story of the author's life and was sad to finnish the book. It is not often that I laugh out loud when I am reading a book, but this one had me laughing so hard at times that I was falling out of my chair.

wow.......2007-01-14

This book should be on the required reading list for every high school student. The minute I began reading I quickly fell into the world of Catherine McClure and I was sad that I finished it.

Irresistible.......2005-09-26

There may be something to the idea that interesting geography creates interesting lives. Young Catherine Gildiner certainly "hit the ground running" in her nascent life. A photograph preceding one of the chapters shows a precocious, Shirley Temple-ish girl in a cowboy outfit, a girl who was consuming life voraciously from the start.

The setting is the early 1950's in Lewiston, New York, near the Niagara escarpment. The upheavals of the 60's are yet to come, but Cathy's fearlessness draws her toward the spirit of change that is beginning to coalesce. Her best friend is a black deliveryman, Roy, who treats her as an equal as they drive about, dispensing pharmacy drugs from her father's business. Cathy glimpses both the upper crust of Lewiston and the outcasts: the drunken misery of the Indians in the area, and a local parallel to the "Hunchback of Notre Dame" named Warty. She meets the local abortionist, and delivers drugs to Marilyn Monroe--in town for the filming of the movie "Niagara". This book has it all. There is peril, courage, friendship, social consciousness... but overriding everything is a tremendous sense of nostalgia. There is so much vividness to Gildiner's memoir that you feel as if you lived it yourself, reading it. It would make a great movie, if Hollywood still made wholesome human-interest stories. Read this book, and for a short while, you'll be transported to a different time and place, to live and breathe it as young Catherine Gildiner did.

Average customer rating:

Everyday Love Issues
Groundbreaking Material
Romance with Real Life Issues
Pulls At Your Heartstrings!
A fine character study

Too Close to Touch
Georgia Beers
Manufacturer: Bold Strokes Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1933110473

Customer Reviews:

Everyday Love Issues.......2007-05-10

A woman falls in love with her boss, a high-powered executive whose fear of commitment has previously kept her from truly loving anyone.

Groundbreaking Material.......2007-04-05

One reason this book succeeds is that the protagonists are so unique. Gretchen Kaiser, a successful executive in her forties, has not resolved her childhood issue that her father refused to acknowledge even her most basic need for recognition. As a result she is driven to ever higher levels of achievement while a loving relationship eludes her. Seemingly incapable of giving or receiving love, she routinely engages in casual sex with an endless string of women.

Kylie O'Brien is intelligent and compassionate. She is an attractive woman of thirty-seven who lives alone and has been celibate since the end of her last relationship over a year ago. She enjoys the company of her loving family and is prepared to continue her life alone if the right person doesn't come into her life.

When the two women meet and feel an immediate and intense attraction to each other, they struggle to deny it, then to avoid acting on it. But tragedy and necessity draw them closer together, until their personal issues can no longer be ignored. As the story unfolds, it becomes a heart-warming tale of the journey of two women toward personal growth. This book is sure to be remembered as a "first" in lesbian literature.

Romance with Real Life Issues.......2007-04-01

Kylie O'Brien is the proverbial wholesome girl next door. If any reader doesn't have a crush on her after fifty pages, I'd be surprised. She is sharp, sweet, sexy, and pure. Kylie's new boss, Gretchen Kaiser, is a human dynamo---a high powered executive who takes no corporate prisoners.

The chemistry between the two protagonists is complicated. The result is a fascinating look not just at the underlying makeup of the characters themselves, but also at many of the problems we all must face in a romantic relationship. I think Georgia Beers successfully expresses more insight into her characters with each book. In this one, she does an excellent job of dealing with the difficult issues of trust and intimacy, weaving them seamlessly into a captivating romance.

Another plus for this book is that the women are in no way stereotypical. If you're weary, as I am, of characters that fit the same old worn out descriptions in book after book, you'll like this one. These women are mature, realistic people, and they have a realistic outlook. It's a refreshing change from the old formula. Way to go, Ms. Beers.

Pulls At Your Heartstrings!.......2006-10-30

Georgia Beers has writen another romantic book that pulls at your heartstrings! I loved Too Close to Touch. This book was a very easy and pure pleasure read! This book brings a lot to the table. How far can a person in power push that ethical envelope even if love and happiness for both parties is on the line? The characters in this book are very real and believable. Gretchen Kaiser is a workaholic that runs a very tight ship. She expects and demands hardwork from all of her employees. She expects them to do more than just pull their own weight. Love is not part of Gretchen's business plan. Enter Kylie O'Brien, a hard-working, knowledgeable, dependable, and genuinely friendly assistant. Not mention that she is beautiful! Kylie, in time finds that love may be hard to achieve especially if it is her boss that she "wants". Gretchen has her own issues to deal with before she can really "Live Life". Will these two wonderful women be able to find the love that each one of them deserves in eachother or will ethics and don't forget jealous friends keep them apart? This book has it all: humor, love, lust, family, friendship, and sex! We can't forget the sex...
Beers has created a truly romantic and sexy book that will defiantly stay in my collection to read again. It is well worth the read. Enjoy!
To Ms. Beers, thank you for sharing your writing talent with the rest of us. I look forward to reading your next book.

A fine character study.......2006-09-15

Too Close To Touch is about a woman who has dedicated her life to trying to please "Daddy" and lost herself in the process. In becoming successful in her career, she has bottled up her emotions until she doesn't have any, except anger. Others have summarized the story, so I won't repeat that. Instead, let me tell you why you might want to read it.

Beers has created a pleasant romance that follows the traditional pattern - women meet, women conflict, women see if they can work it out. What makes this book interesting is the development of the character of Gretchen. Anyone who has ever tried to please a difficult success driven parent can relate to how she is handling her life. The question in the book is whether or not she can finally overcome that need to find fulfillment in her own life that her father never had. It isn't an easy struggle and that's what makes the book appealing. There are no simple solutions for Gretchen. She fights her emotions in a very real way and makes mistakes along the way that hurt Kylie. There are times when the way that Gretchen expresses these new emotions seem unacceptable until you realize what a struggle she is going through and the role that each experience is playing in the process. Often Gretchen is reacting in the only way she knows how. There are times when Kylie just can't deal with this woman, even though she realizes she loves her. Beers doesn't tie the story up neatly at the end either. She leaves some questions open, which is appropriate for her character. Gretchen herself becomes an open question looking for a lot of answers. This is a very satisfying and thought provoking book to read.

Too Close to Call: The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election

Average customer rating:

not a bad work of fiction
A good read, if a bit biased
One More Tired Election Book....Another Gore Whine...
Overgrown New Yorker Article, Lucid About The Election
READ 'EM ALL AND LEARN HOW G.W. BUSH IS NOT REALLY OUR PRES.

Too Close to Call: The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election
Jeffrey Toobin
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375507086
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Book Description

From the best-selling author of A Vast Conspiracy and The Run of His Life comes Too Close to Call--the definitive story of the Bush-Gore presidential recount. A political and legal analyst of unparalleled journalistic skill, Jeffrey Toobin is the ideal writer to distill the events of the thirty-six anxiety-filled days that culminated in one of the most stunning Supreme Court decisions in history.

Packed with news-making disclosures and written with the drive of a legal thriller, Too Close to Call takes us inside James Baker's private jet, through the locked gates to Al Gore's mansion, behind the covered-up windows of Katherine Harris's office, and even into the secret conference room of the United States Supreme Court. As the scene shifts from Washington to Austin and into the remote corners of the enduringly strange Sunshine State, Toobin's book will transform what you thought you knew about the most extraordinary political drama in American history.

The Florida recount unfolded in a kaleidoscopic maze of bizarre concepts (chads, pregnant and otherwise), unfamiliar people in critically important positions (the Florida Supreme Court), and familiar people in surprising new places (the Miami relatives of Elián González, in a previously undisclosed role in this melodrama). With the rich characterization that is his trademark, Toobin portrays the prominent strategists who masterminded the campaigns--the Daleys and the Roves--and also the lesser-known but influential players who pulled the strings, as well as the judges and justices whose decisions determined the final outcome. Toobin gives both camps a treatment they have not yet received--remarkably evenhanded, nonpartisan, and entirely new.

The post-election period posed a challenge to even the most zealous news junkie: how to keep up with what was happening and sort out the important from the trivial. Jeffrey Toobin has now done this--and then some. With clarity, insight, humor, and a deep understanding of the law, he deconstructs the events, the players, and the often Byzantine intricacies of our judicial system. A remarkable account of one of the most significant periods in our country's history, Too Close to Call is endlessly surprising, frequently poignant, and wholly addictive.

Download Description

The bestselling author of The Run of His Life and A Vast Conspiracy turns his incomparable journalistic insight to the biggest news event of 2000 and distills the complex Bush-Gore postelection drama into a definitive and completely engrossing narrative.

Customer Reviews:

not a bad work of fiction.......2006-03-25

too bad that such an important subject was handled in such a biased way. even worse is that the facts were either only particaly used or twisted to fit the point mr. toobin was trying to make at the time. everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. this book should classified as fiction and not non-fiction.

A good read, if a bit biased.......2005-03-18

Jeff Toobin is a good writer - I enjoyed reading this book, just as I enjoyed his other book on the O.J. Simpson trial.

"Too Close To Call" is very Gore-centric, however, perhaps because Toobin himself is a Democrat and has made no secret of the fact that he thinks Al Gore should have won the 2000 election. But his bias doesn't distract too much from the interesting tidbits he provides about the campaigns, both before and after election day.

I do recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the historic 2000 election fight, but be aware that Toobin is far from an impartial commentator.

The liberal bias is made somewhat less annoying by the fact that Bush ran away with Florida in 2004, winning the state easily.

One More Tired Election Book....Another Gore Whine..........2005-03-08

I've never cared for Jeffrey Toobin's commentary on CNN. (I did recommend - in place of this book - Jeff Greenfield's, "One Order of Crow"). His obvious bias detract from a man who is articulate and handsome enough to attract attention.

This is another 'the Republicans stole the election' tome - and a wasted one at that. I wish to make a few points to those who have argued (like Toobin's book) that the election was somehow 'stolen' or people were 'disenfranchised.'

1. Gore did not lose the election because he lost Florida; he lost it because he failed to carry his home state of Tennessee (Jeff Greenfield is one of the few to honestly point this out).

2. The butterfly ballot DID confuse people. However, it was approved by a DEMOCRAT named Theresa LePore and published in the papers the Sunday before the election. How this is the Republicans' fault is beyond my ability to comprehend.

3. Judge Sauls is a registered DEMOCRAT - and even Sauls saw the insanity in allowing selective recounts in only Democratic counties. Had Gore applied to a statewide recount as opposed to an obvious vote search recount, people would have taken it much better.

4. Katherine Harris was unquestionably in Bush's corner. But there is no evidence Harris did anything with the votes except certify them which was her job. That was even delayed by several days - so what's the problem?

5. The Supreme Court did NOT give Bush the election by a 5-4 count; they ruled SEVEN TO TWO that selective recounts violated the equal protection clause of the constitution. The 5-4 vote concerned the REMEDY NOT the violation of the law.

6. Why does nobody mention that Bush had NOTHING to do with the make-up of the Supreme Court? Gore had voted to confirm Scalia, Kennedy, and Souter, and his boss appointed Ginsburg and Breyer. Gore had also voted against Thomas. It seems that Gore had more personal involvement with the Court than Bush could have ever dreamed. Yes, Bush's father appointed two of them - but unless you wish to argue that Bush 41 knew his son would need the Supreme Court to be President years later, that is irrelevant.

Toobin's book was slightly entertaining, so I give it three stars. But Greenfield's takes you there in as unbiased a manner possible.

Overgrown New Yorker Article, Lucid About The Election.......2004-06-01

Written by probably America's most well-known media legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin takes on the Floridian debacle of 2000 in his short book "Too Close to Call."

What it lacks in legal heft it makes up with journalistic breeze, with Toobin writing in the same lucid tone that he takes in the New Yorker, describing set pieces between Bush and Gore staffers not quite equally, but close enough. Perhaps Toobin is biased in his conclusions that Gore was jobbed, and this is where he may have wanted to shed some light on his own political views, ahem -- Democrat -- and this would clearly have strengthened his case. But after all is said and done, the guy lays enough foundation to support his theory that the Republicans were too ruthless and Al Gore was too spineless.

"Too Close to Call" never describes evidence of out-and-out fraud, but presents the conclusion that it sure would have been nice if the great State of Florida would have taken the time and just truly recounted all the votes, and points out matter-of-factly that in this scenario, Gore most likely would have won. Whether or not you're a Democrat or Republican, the idea that democracy itself was circumvented in this case is extremely troubling, and that's the pitch-perfect note Toobin leaves the reader with.

Surpisingly from a "legal" analyst, this book lacks strong legal analysis, or any legal background at all. There's hardly any references to appropriate statutes, case background, etc., that would really be advantageous for the discerning academic reader who wants to read something more substantive than an overgrown New Yorker article.

But as a huge fan of the New Yorker, such an article draws no real complaints here.

READ 'EM ALL AND LEARN HOW G.W. BUSH IS NOT REALLY OUR PRES........2004-03-25

Read all the election 2000 recount books and thus learn how G.W. Bush is not really our authentic president, rather an "illegal" or "alien" resident of the White House.

Toobin, as usual, is a great writer who tackles great subjects like the election 2000 re-count -- which the USSC on a five to four vote halted the re-count -- thus committing a non-violent coupe of the presidentcy and thus our country.

Book Description

Jim Talley and Bobbie Reed outline simple yet effective methods of building quality relationships while curtailing premature intimacy in this plain-spoken and experience-tested manual. A study guide at the end of the book features discussion questions and creative assignments for each chapter.

Previous edition: 0840730454

Customer Reviews:

Too Close Too Soon: Avoiding the Heartache of Premature Intimacy.......2005-10-10

This is an awesome tool for anyone considering a relationship with a member of the opposite sex! It allows the reader to think about "all" aspects of a relationship before jumping in.

Excellent Guide.......2005-02-25

I really cannot recommend this book enough, it is a great guide for dating relationships. It seems that too often when you examine your romantic relationships, you meet a person and start dating. However, there isn't a firm foundation of friendship to build that relationship on.

This book actually gives you practical advice for building that friendship. I strongly recommend making three copies of the "Agreement for Genuine Friendship". One copy for the girl, one copy for the guy, and the pastor/spiritual advisor may with to keep one on file (if not, you can frame it or something). The Talley-Graph of how the two of you spend time together (alone, group, phone/internet) is another thing that I would suggest you make a copy of and use.

The authors also take into account the ocassional mess up and how you can deal with that (limiting time alone together). Also, you have to be able to have an open dialog. If you can't talk about it, just limiting the time isn't going to help.

Major biblical principles are clearly marked in the text, with the Scripture and where you can find it in the Bible. You don't have to flip someplace to see where the author is citing, nor do you have to flip though your Bible to see what verse the author is talking about, it's all right there.

I definitely think that this book is well worth the money you spend on it!

Excellent marriage guide.......2002-09-19

This book is fantastic. My husband and I had both come out of a number of "too close" relationships before we met and we needed some guidance when we started dating. We each had our own copy of the book and followed it to the letter. It was extremely difficult, but it was the best thing we could have done for our relationship. It was because we followed the book to the letter that we are married and still together 8 years later. The book outlines a program that requires a lot of self-discipline which leads to a bonding between the couple. By following the guidelines in the book we were able to avoid too much physical contact and were able to really get to know one another mentally and emotionally.

I highly recommend this to couples who are just beginning to date and want some help building a strong foundation on which to build their relationship.

Recommended for ones with relationship problems.......2001-08-05

"Too Close Too Soon" teaches one some of the most common failures in a relationship. As the title implies, many go too fast at the beginning of a relationship.

My summary: In ANY CLOSE relationship, one becomes vulnerable. Yet, trust *must* become before vulnerability, It takes time to build up trust. Therefore, one must be slow and patient at the beginning.

I did NOT agree with EVERYTHING that Dr. Talley tried into his reader's minds . However, I have benefited greatly from his book. I recommend it to anyone who has trouble keeping a date. You may see yourself in some of his chapters.

Very Good Book.......2001-07-01

I read this book when it came out in 1990 and I often refer back to it. It is one of my favorites. While the authors try to provide a time line for time spent together prior to marriage or while dating, many will find it impossible to follow. But the key isn't to follow the time line, but use the book as a guideline. That's the key. They hit the nail on the head when they carefully and cautiously warn men and women that too much time will get you into much trouble. The other helpful piece of wisdom in the book is the relationship growth patterns and differences between men and women. I appreciate these authors and thier fine contribution to my Christian library.

Average customer rating:

A Comedic Book Not to Be Taken Too Seriously
Tim Allen -- Don't Stand Too Close To A Naked Man
pretty good
Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man
Good But Not Like His Show

Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man
Tim Allen
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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I'm Not Really Here
Everything and a Kite
Tim Allen: Live On Stage - Collector's Edition
Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined
Couplehood

ASIN: 0786889020

Customer Reviews:

A Comedic Book Not to Be Taken Too Seriously.......2006-02-13

Tim Allen gives some insight into his own life while treating the reader like just another guy working on the car and telling stories. It's not a serious work, and Tim Allen isn't promoting the degradation of women. He's simply telling jokes that many men in our society can relate to, and I had a lot of fun reading this.

Tim Allen -- Don't Stand Too Close To A Naked Man.......2006-01-25

This book was about the funniest book that I have ever read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that is looking for a laugh and just has a general curiosity about what made Tim Allen the man he is today, a must read.

pretty good.......2005-11-21

i read this a while ago and can't remember much about it other than it was easy reading and it wasn't dull. Tim has a life and perspective worth checkin out. i recommend this book.

Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man.......2005-08-16

This book was very funny. I really enjoyed reading it.

Good But Not Like His Show.......2005-06-28

I liked this book. I thought it was pretty funny at times. His humor was different than in his show. In the book he was more crude. In addition to being funny, he also provides some personal insight into how he really is.

Average customer rating:

Dramatic....
IT'S DEFINTELY TOO CLOSE
The Title Should Have Been "Way Too Much Drama"
TOO MUCH DRAMA
Mo Drama

Too Close For Comfort
La Jill Hunt
Manufacturer: Urban Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Another Sad Love Song
Shoulda Woulda Coulda
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ASIN: 1893196666

Customer Reviews:

Dramatic...........2007-05-17

If you're looking for a dramatic novel... with more mess than a little bit, I highly recommend this book. The characters are crazy and they get into crazy situations... If you've read one of La Jill Hunt's novels before, then I'm sure you'll LOVE this one!

IT'S DEFINTELY TOO CLOSE.......2007-05-15

Too close for comfort is a book that everyone can relate too. i hate when family turn against you for someone that's not even in your family just to hurt you. Jealousy is a vicious thing as Paige found out with her cousin Celeste and her own Aunt.

YaYa us a self centered tempermental diva that needs to get a clue and stay out of her brother's love life. she based her feelings on Paige by what some one who ray Charles could see was jealous and out to hurt her which just shines the light on how petty some women can be.

The only thing i would change about this novel is the title but other than that it's a page turner and will not dissapoint!

This is my first la Jill Hunt novel i've read and i must say that i am impressed and i was glad when Paige gave Celeste what she'd been needing. The men in this book are typical and the women as well. i love the friendships that Monya, T and YaYa all have and they're working towards a goal and not depending on someone else to do it for them. i can't wait to see what trhe sequel i know that's coming has in store.

The Title Should Have Been "Way Too Much Drama".......2007-04-25

The book was pretty good, definately drama filled and a fast read. I think I'm starting to tire of all the damn drama from this flooded market of urban writers. LaJill did a good job and the book is definately a page turner. I was disappointed that Celeste & Kasey didn't get what was coming to them and I would be forced to read yet another drama filled sequel to see what happens to them along with Lucille and Marlon. Quincy's childish behavior and attitude towards Paige made me want to slap him & scream "Man Up!" What was up with the ending? Was that Lincoln or Franklin at the shop with the "Baby Mama Drama?" And what happened to Lincoln's character, was it necessary to make him a tired, trifling brother in the end? I'm going to need a little 'drama free' vacation before I can again appreciate this much craziness!

TOO MUCH DRAMA.......2007-04-23

APOOO Rating-4.5

LaJill Hunt definitely delivers a page-turner with Too Close for Comfort. Quianna Westbrooke and her brother, Quincy Westbrooke, are the main characters in a DRAMA-filled saga. There is drama with family, baby daddies' family, friends, and lovers.

Quincy is dating Paige Michaels. He thinks he has found the one. That is until she allows her past to interfere in their romance. She gets caught up with her baby daddy, his mom, and his new wife. Someone close to Paige goes through great troubles to try to pull them apart.

Then we have Quianna, also known as YaYa, who is dependent on Quincy to pull her out of any and every jam. He decides to help her live out her dream of owning her own shop, a nail salon, by allowing her to have the space next to one of his four barbershops, Q-maters. This only allows YaYa to be deeper into his business...personal business that is.

I read the book in ONE sitting. I could not help but continue to turn the pages to see what would happen. I would have definitely given this book a 5 had it not been for the oversight of the main character's name. I see that I now need to go back and read "Shoulda Woulda Coulda", which is the prequel. Definitely recommend this book.

Donnica Copeland
APOOO BookClub

Mo Drama.......2007-04-17

I have read all of La Jill Hunt's book thus far. This one was filled with drama just like the others. I loved meeting the new characters.

Too Close to the Sun: The Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton

Average customer rating:

Too Close to the Sun: The Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton
Sara Wheeler
Manufacturer: Not Avail
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0224063804

Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort

Average customer rating:

Excellent Analysis, if a little overwrought
Such difficult truths
Necessary Reading in Today's America
Obviously necessary.
Idiotic, Marxist sectarian crap

Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort
Chip Berlet , and Matthew N. Lyons
Manufacturer: The Guilford Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Eyes Right!: Challenging the Right Wing Backlash
Roads to Dominion: Right-Wing Movements and Political Power in the United States
Mobilizing Resentment: CONSERVATIVE RESURGENCE FROM THE JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY TO THE PROMISE KEEPERS
American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America
Not by Politics Alone: The Enduring Influence of the Christian Right

ASIN: 1572305622

Book Description

Right-wing militias and other antigovernment organizations have received heightened public attention since the Oklahoma City bombing. While such groups are often portrayed as marginal extremists, the values they espouse have influenced mainstream politics and culture far more than most Americans realize. This important volume offers an in-depth look at the historical roots and current landscape of right-wing populism in the United States. Illuminated is the potent combination of anti-elitist rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and ethnic scapegoating that has fueled many political movements from the colonial period to the present day. The book examines the Jacksonians, the Ku Klux Klan, and a host of Cold War nationalist cliques, and relates them to the evolution of contemporary electoral campaigns of Patrick Buchanan, the militancy of the Posse Comitatus and the Christian Identity movement, and an array of millennial sects. Combining vivid description and incisive analysis, Berlet and Lyons show how large numbers of disaffected Americans have embraced right-wing populism in a misguided attempt to challenge power relationships in U.S. society. Highlighted are the dangers these groups pose for the future of our political system and the hope of progressive social change.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Analysis, if a little overwrought.......2006-08-04

Anti-intellectualism has always driven the right-wing of American politics. Coupled with "Nativism", racism, and a whole host of chauvinistic "-isms", the right-wing has always been a dangerously regressive movement that threatens to undo the work of the founders and destroy the Constitution.

Read this book - and know America's internal enemies.

Such difficult truths.......2005-06-15

'If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear' - Orwell.

Defensive and reactionary negative reviews of this book do not take away from the very relevant and necessary content of it. The fact that it hits a little close to home for some actually validates it, as the a authors argue (and rightly so) that dangerous right-wing populism doesn't just exist in so-called extremist neo-fascist groups such as the KKK (the KKK can hardly be considered a threat to anything anymore, mind you) and skinheads, but also in the back yards of suburban North America. It is now the American norm. Extremism as a mainstream ideology.

Read this book.

Necessary Reading in Today's America.......2004-11-06

A balanced historical account of a skein of American political thought that the authors argue persuasively is far more mainstream than most observers would want to believe.

It's interesting to read down some of the other contributions in the "Reader Reviews" and see how defensive some of the responses are. The reason this type of reaction is surprising is that there is nothing accusatory or inflammatory in this book's rhetoric and it is exhaustively and accurately researched. Demagogues of the left like the "populist" Andrew Jackson (here debunked as a genocidal Indian fighter and tool of private banking interests) and Louisiana's Depression era Kingfish Huey Long share page space with more recent anti-government bogies of the modern American right like David Duke and Pat Buchanan, and the co-opting of themes sounded by Right Wing populists like (Democrat) George Wallace by modern Republican presidents like Richard Nixon is honestly depicted.

What this book does not do is paint all people on the Republican side of the ledger as extremists. But when its chronology reaches contemporary times, it does recognize that the Republican Party has become a haven for or at least a tolerant silent partner in many of the ideas -- hatred of government, immigrant-bashing, the elevation of business interests at the expense of individual liberties, apocalyptic Christianity that seeks to impose a religious ideal on secular American society -- that have fueled anti-democratic Right Wing populist movements since the 1830s. Not to recognize this would be less than honest, since the whole point of this book is to demonstrate the continuity of Right-Wing Populism as an organizing principle of American political discourse.

A sober, exhaustive and excellent piece of work for readers on BOTH SIDES of the political fence. If left-wingers can read "The Closing of the American Mind" as a challenge to their assumptions, those of the right should consider doing the same with this fine piece of work.

Obviously necessary........2003-01-07

This is a sober, well-reasoned book that deserves a good look. One need only to glance at all the one-star reviews below to see how necessary it is. Scary folks.

Idiotic, Marxist sectarian crap.......2002-02-15

Chip Berlet thinks that anyone who isn't a left-liberal Democrat is part of the Ku Klux Klan. He spends some time attacking actual subversive groups - like the KKK, Aryan Nations, etc. - but he spends just as much time attacking the Republican Party and culturally conservative groups whose agendas have absolutely nothing to do with racism or subversion of the government. I appreciate the attacks on the KKK, but Chip's forays into attacks on the "religious right" just show he's paranoid.

Too Close for Comfort: Exploring the Risks of Intimacy

Average customer rating:

Eye Opener
Approve Of Yourself
Worth Every Penny
Best self help book I've ever read
A factual and completely realistic explanation of Intimacy.

Too Close for Comfort: Exploring the Risks of Intimacy
Geraldine K. Piorkowski
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Fear of Intimacy
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ASIN: 0738205826

Customer Reviews:

Eye Opener.......2007-04-05

This book brought home a lot of points and opened my eyes to some of my issues. I would recommend this book to everyone! It is well written, not psych talk, good for the layman.

Approve Of Yourself.......2002-07-04

As I experience something with others, which I recognize as a result of my having read such wonderful books, like this one, as something specific to teach the public, I am compelled to write these reviews.

Years ago, when I read this book, I learned, that people who make snide remarks, innuendoes, racist remarks, sexist remarks, or any other negative statement, are really frightened, insecure, and desperate to force their interlocutor to not notice what they are fighting, from within themeselves.

As I endlessly grow, I can't help from giggle on the inside, whenever I talk to, or visit with someone who has known me my entire life, who also fears any one of these: Exposure; Loss of Control: Lossing Autonomy; An Attack; Disappointment; Betrayal; Guilt; Rejection; or Abandonment.

I'm not giggling at that person. I'm thanking all the authors, including Dr. Piorkowski, and I am thanking myself, for having been my guide while I have faced everyone of my past demons, so that I am free to be fully in the present moment, making conscious choices of what I am, and I am not willing to allow in my life.

We all teach others how to treat us. It's very important that we look closely at ourselves, from the resesses of our soul, to love the parts of ourselves that don't feel loved.

Because we we face the impact of our past, upon our lives today, things become tremendously better.

For all those who are not getting what you want, in your interactions with others, here is a list of questions for you to consider:

1. How many topics do you discuss, and how central are they to
you?

2. What is the strongest longing that you have had, in intimacy?

3. What were some of your defense strategies, as a child, in
response to people getting close to what mattered most to
you? Are these strategies now hurting you?

4. How has your fear of exposure, and fear of losing control
made you feel both ashamed of yourself, and self-doubting?

5. Do you expect others to disappoint and betray you? Are you
ready for a "see! There you go again?"

6. Why are you so insecure about the love you do get?

7. Why is conflict so difficult for you to deal with?

8. When you talk to your interlocutor, in person, are you fully
in the moment, looking one another in the eyes, naturally?

9. If your spouse/lover gave you what you claimed to really
want, what would that be; and who would you have to be, to
appreciate this?

10. Are you running away from yourself?

This wonderful book captures so many life situations, and relates so deeply with challenges that we have in our aspirations to be happy, loved, and safe.

Having read this book, and having written so many notes in the margins, I am free to look back on my life, and see that this book truly has brought me closer to people who I welcome in my life, people who foster my growth, who have no agenda for me.

Read this because you deserve to love, and be loved.

Worth Every Penny.......2001-07-29

You hit the search button and up comes the list.... yes, some books are cheaper, but what do you want to save money or your relationship(s)? I teach counseling and have read many books on relationships. As many readers know you can waste a lot of time and/or money on vague, pop-psych, poorly-written self-help books. This isn't one of them. Mrs. Piorkowski has written a readable, practical text that will prove a genuine help to many suffering from relationship/intimacy problems. Highly Recommended!

Best self help book I've ever read.......2000-03-09

This book is thoroughly written for the analytically minded, yet clearly written for the average person.

Dr Piorkowski uses a step by step approach to explain, in clear english, the root causes of problems with intimacy and how they manifest themselves in everyday life. She describes how people react to relationship issues in their past and how their natural defense mechnisms cause them to react the way they do in relationships.

Most importantly she explains the effects that problems with intimacy have on people and the others in their lives. It continues to offer solutions and clearly explain the options people have to explore their intimacy issues.

This book can be read like a text book, but also for a quick introduction to the subject, the last three chapters can be read. They are excellant summaries of the cause of intimacy problems, solutions and the foundation for a healthy relationship.

The best self help book I've ever read

A factual and completely realistic explanation of Intimacy........2000-01-08

Ms. Piorkowsky and co-author are truly geniuses. This book has to be read slowly in order to absorb the full effect, but the end result is a totally beautiful account of Intimacy, with all of it's warts, imperfections, and purity. I congratulate the author(s)for remaining true to task and offering a factual, reality based assessment of this most personal state. I am amazed at the genuine insight into the human psyche revealed in this book. The pages speak to everyone, everywhere, and in such a manner that nothing is lost. I suspect most of the information is stuff we already know, yet this book brings that information to the conscious mind, revealing our innermost thoughts and feelings. Absolutely superb!

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