Ella's Dad

Not enough substance.

Revisado: 01-25-24

I should start by saying I listened to the audio book. I feel like the actual printed book might be a completely different experience. I am ONLY giving my opinion of the audio book.

I am a huge fan of Leslie Jones! I bumped her book to the top of my queue because I love a good audio book for my daily commute. Unfortunately, I struggled to complete this one. In the book she discusses her partnership with Lenny, a man that helps her organize her stage material. I think this could have been a better book with his collaboration!

It was over 16 hours of f*ck this and f*ck that, and f*ck that f*cking motherf*cker! I didn't feel like I was listening to a coherent book. It felt like I was listening to someone on a psychologist's couch, who rambled endlessly about unresolved emotional scars and distain for people who have shown her disrespect. I personally have A.D.D.. I suspect Leslie might have a touch of it also, because everything felt a bit random and unorganized.

A lot of the time I couldn't understand why she was angry, or even who made her angry. For example, she went on at length about how Hollywood didn't want her to be Leslie Jones. Isn't Hollywood made up of actors who are paid to 'act' like someone else? I was left with the perception that Leslie is carrying the weight of a tough life, and her instinct is to interpret every miscommunication as a personal attack.

I would still love to see her perform live, but this book just wasn't for me. She spent almost an hour of the book discussing her hemroids, she repeatedly indicated her willingness to commit violence, and once, during her time at SNL, she contacted a gangster she knows to," f*ck someone up", which included the possibility of murder. Thank God, he was feeling the Christmas spirit at the time. Sadly, what the book lacked was laughs. I gave the book two stars. I'm a little worried that she'll come find me just to f*ck me up.

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Entertaining

Revisado: 10-12-21

I came way with more respect for Seth's parents. But seriously, Seth has an entertaining story to tell, and he told it well.

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Fascinating

Revisado: 07-22-20

There are many books about President Trump. This book seems to explain why Donald Trump is Donald Trump. At first I thought Mary Trump might just be looking to cash in on her name, but as I progressed through the book, I found her to be very credible. In all the years I've known of Donald Trump, Ive never seen any action that would contradict Mary's assessment.

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Mike tells his story with very, very blunt detail.

Revisado: 06-13-20

I was captivated by this book. It's very crude and made me cringe at times, but seems to reflect well on it's complicated subject, Mike Tyson.

I only wish Mike could have read it himself. The performance was good, but it could have been so much more personal.

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Not what I expected.

Revisado: 09-27-18

I saw Darrell Hammond had written a book, thought about how much I enjoyed watching him on SNL, and bought this audiobook without ever reading a review. I really just expected a collection of funny stories. I was shocked to learn more about the man and the struggles he faced with his inner demons. I bought the book thinking it would put me in a good mood to start each day, but more often than not, it left me feeling sad. Despite that, each morning I couldn't wait to start listening again. He does a great job mixing some warm fuzzies into his prickly life story.

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A bit dull.

Revisado: 07-26-18

This book is packed with information. At times it seemed like overkill. Like early on when the author drones on about asthma, or the meticulous detail given about people not named Teddy Roosevelt.

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Great book!

Revisado: 05-30-18

Audiobooks make my time behind a steering wheel something to enjoy. This book ranked among my favorites for it's gripping story, while read with an easy voice. For rare finds like this book, I pray for traffic jams.

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Short yet enjoyable.

Revisado: 05-01-18

If you want a short account of C A Arthur's presidency, this meets every expection.

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Political opinion without substance.

Revisado: 04-27-18

I bought this believing it was a history book, but quickly realized this is only a political opinion piece. Even when measuring the book as an opinion, it fell short of it's intended purpose. The author lacks subjectivity and shows a clear conservative, Republican bias. If a potential reader believes Ronald Reagan was all good and Barack Obama is the spawn of Satan, then you will probably enjoy this book.

The author expects a reader to accept two important themes. After close inspection of each, major flaws become obvious. The author's entire premise for the book melts away like ice cream in hot sunlight.

First, he asks us to believe that our government's success or failure rides predominately on the President. He actually states, "American's have to believe that the most destructive element of government is not the Congress, or even the laws that are passed, but the illegal expansion of executive power in the last 150 years". This is absolutely absurd! I don't have the space here to list all of the catastrophic laws that have been passed by Congress. Possibly even worse than Congress is our Judicial system, where Justices are appointed for life. 'Citizens Untied', a Supreme Court decision, has all but legalized bribery through dark-money campaign contributions. Where unlimited, untraceable money flows, greed and corruption grow. Corporations and new age robber barons are currently pulling the strings of our broken government (both parties!). Our entire system rests on a 3 legged stool. It is a detriment to us all if this author succeeds in convincing voters that two of the legs are unimportant and should be completely ignored.

The second flaw of the book rides on the author's attempt to measure past presidents based solely on how well each adhered to a strict interpretation of the Constitution. The Constitution is one of the greatest documents ever created, and we should always question new and existing laws with the Constitution in mind. However, the Constitution, it's amendments, and the process for adding amendments are not without flaws themselves. Although brilliant, the authors could not foresee the world we have today. The founding fathers themselves could not agree on the Constitution's meaning and limitations. After the Constitution was signed, it took 80 years and a Civil War to conclude that black people were in fact people. This alone serves as proof that the Constitution and it's amendments can conflict with self evident truths. It is correct to use the Constitution as our guiding principal, but foolish to strictly bind ourselves to the writings of men who had less understanding of science than today's 6th grader.

It seems that the author's personal bias tainted his work. Again, he is attempting to measure all presidents based on a strict Constitutional interpretation. As one that tried to save her, he touts Thomas Jefferson. I believe he has a major man-crush on President Jefferson. Although he mentions the Louisiana Purchase toward the end of the book, he completely fails to mention it while lavishing praise on Jefferson. Although the Louisiana Purchase was a great event in US history, it was NOT constitutional for President Jefferson to use the Executive Branch to negotiate a massive land deal with France. When using the method created by the author, for the purpose of judging Presidents, the Louisiana Purchase alone should not only have plucked Jefferson off the good list, it should have put him at the very top of the bad list.

Another example of the author's bias reflects in his glowing words on President Reagan. I am not asserting whether Reagan was a good president or a bad president. I am only pointing out that if Mr Reagan were judged by the same ridiculous standard as the 9 Presidents shunned in this book, he too would have occupied a spot on the bad list. Under President Reagan, the Executive Branch acted against the will of Congress, sold weapons to Iran, and used the proceeds to fund the Contras in Nicaragua. I'd challenge the author to show where in the Constitution that power is granted to a President.


This book took on a big task, which was to convince us to evaluate presidents in a different way. It failed! First, it failed to show why this was even necessary, and second it created results that were flawed and pointless.


David

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I have a new found respect for President Grant.

Revisado: 01-10-18

History is cluttered with leaders that chose to persue personal gain and power, and as a result, lost sight of moral character. It's easy to admire a man that achieved much, yet was never corrupted by his successes. He was not driven by ego. As a man, he was honest, humble, and kind to the very end.

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