AMF

History laced with a charming Liverpool accent

Revisado: 01-29-20

Simply fantastic book. I like the honing down on one year in their lives. Good idea. (I bought their Anthology book, but it is way too big and cumbersome and weighty to actually read! The only way you can actually read it is sitting uncomfortably at a desk.) Anyway, this book basically gives the history of them moving from pop to rock. What I learned: All four were extremely intelligent and -- of course -- musical geniuses, too. I did not know things like: The LPs put out in Britain and US had different lineups. I learned that George Martin really did play a huge role in their experimentation in the studio, and that he knew geniuses when he saw them, and let them run. I totally get that the Beatles were tired of touring. Screaming fans, being manhandled in Manila, holed up in hotel rooms due to security, etc. I learned that Paul was the workhorse of the group: on time, ready to work, but yet completely open to different music styles. I had no idea that the song "Got To Get You Into My Life" was about LSD, though, after Paul tried it! The book is not worshipful, either, as many are. It researches the events that happened in that one year to those four people. Those songs you know by heart: There is delight, pain, change, insecurity, pride, frustration and talent behind them. You will love listening to this book. And one other thing: I am absolutely delighted when Simon Vance reads a quote from one of the four. He can put on the Liverpool accent just perfectly. I smile every time.

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Journalism handled with sensitivity

Revisado: 12-19-19

Yes, these two were hot on the trail of a good story, but the two reporters also understood the sensitivity of this issue all around. Admitting to being a victim isn't easy at all, especially for powerful women in the movie-making business. Kantor and Twohey understood this, and pushed them JUST the right amount to get the story out. As is true of most good journalism, there is fear and foreboding the day, the hour, the minute before a major story is published, but almost immediately, there is an explosion of response. When the truth is aired, all parties (except the guilty one) breathe easier. I admire the two women immensely for telling the story of a sexual predator who degraded and assaulted women without thought, but I also give my kudos to the New York Times for allowing them latitude in reporting, and for giving them the time and resources to go after the story. As a lifelong journalist, I know of the constant push for copy to fill the website and the print product. This book gives the back story for how to be a journalist. Yes, it's full of details of this horrid story, but more than that, it's a textbook for investigative reporting. Thank you for your work, Jodi and Megan.

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Some insight into Julie Andrews

Revisado: 12-19-19

The back stories of her time in Hollywood were fascinating enough for me to google around about each film as she spoke of them. Of course I knew "Mary Poppins" and "Sound of Music" but I had forgotten some of her others, and enjoyed learning that her career was much deeper and broader than those two. Since Julie Andrews is clearly a good and decent person, you won't find much deep-dish gossip here, but that only makes me admire her more. She cared about her movies and never was stricken with a case of narcissism like so many other stars. She was patient and kind during all the technicalities required of her in "Poppins." I admire her role in that movie even more now. I would have liked to hear her go a bit deeper into her emotions; there was too much recounting of the flying back and forth to this place and the next. The logistical details of a busy movie star can actually be a bit tedious, I have learned. We needed to hear more about how Julie FELT. Still, I overall loved this book and my interest never waned. She is a treasure and worth every minute of this listen.

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Just fascinating

Revisado: 12-18-19

I listened with rapt fascination at the real story of the Comanches and the white folks who kept pushing them out of the way. This book treats the subject fairly, giving the reality of both sides. Both sides were brutal. The Comanches were fighting to retain their lives and way of life. The white man pioneers were developing the land in their own way; they absolutely thought they had the right. Before this book, I did not understand the talents of the Comanches, who were maybe the best warriors and horse riders ever in the history of North America, and maybe the world. Other Native Americans were more agrarian and "situated." On the open plains of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, the horse-riding Comanches ruled. The kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker makes for a fascinating story, not just about Native American history, but in human psychology. We also learn the back stories of Kit Carson, Geronimo and, of course, Quanah Parker. You will not soon forget this book. I loved it, even with the heartache it brought. Side note: The narrator was just perfection. I agree with so many folks who post reviews: If the narrator is bad, this can ruin a wonderful book. Audible, please make sure each narrator is worthy of any book. David Drummond is indeed worthy.

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Guaranteed to bring book-listening Glory Days

Revisado: 02-19-18

And there it was, Bruce Springsteen's voice! Thank god he read his own story; I simply cannot imagine some paid voice reading it. Within the first chapter, I thought to myself: "Well, I knew Springsteen had to be smart, but this guy is sort of a genius." Extremely talented writers have no more writing chops than he does. What a memory he has! He can remember climbing a tree as a kid (in exact detail), the design of the bars and concert halls (I liked when he played behind the bar once, and was enjoying the bartender's ass all night), the bar his father drank at, and the secretaries in his mother's office. Made me absolutely jealous that I can't remember that kind of detail about my own childhood. Anyway, I learned not only a lot about the Springsteen songs that I mostly know by heart (since about 1976), but I also learned about how the rock'n'roll business works. Some record producers deserve truckloads of sh** for the way the musicians were treated. But what drive Springsteen had. How many practically penniless days he had. He simply did not stop until his dreams were realized. I admire this man endlessly. BUY THIS BOOK. I won't leave this review to be 100 percent fawning, though. One thing: He glossed over the many, many women he slept with. I totally get that he wasn't going to give their names, of course. But perhaps a bit more realism about what he might have done to the women he laid down with. I bet he left many a woman a bit sad and more jaded. Some women can, of course, but it's still mostly rare to find a woman who truly sleeps around with no emotional baggage. Evidently, he was with so many that he had to create songs that had a composite woman in them. Every woman he slept with had her own individual thoughts and dreams. A bit more from him, realizing that, would have been nice. That said, this book is one of the best autobiographies I have ever read.

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Today's headlines ripped straight from this story

Revisado: 09-17-17

Absolutely stupendous book, hitting the mark on all counts: plot, background understanding, and intellect. Dallas in the early 1960s somehow was remarkably arch conservative, even reactionary. Now that I have learned the back story, the assassination takes on a whole new light. This book tells history as it was a story, which is the best kind of history lesson. You learn personalities of the players and vivid detail. One small caveat: I felt as if Oswald's story, in the days leading up to the assassination, was somehow dropped out of the story-telling. Would have liked to read more on that. But small concern in an overall outstanding book. More than ever, learning history helps us understand today.

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Read this, and be forever changed and enlightened

Revisado: 09-17-17

Thank God for Jane Mayer, who went through even personal abuse to get this story told. I had no idea how much big money influences politics. Yes, it probably always has, but what is happening today is mind-boggling in its power over politics. This is a prime example of how studious journalism can help us understand what is really going on. Only old-fashioned ethics can help us now. Will that ever reign in America again? I leave this question unanswered. Maybe our great-grandchildren will have the opportunity to still read Jane Mayer's book, and will shake their heads in wonder over how polluted politics got back then. I can only hope. One point about the narration: The narrator sometimes showed, through her voice, her disgust with the Kochs or other unethical power broker. I would have preferred an all-neutral voice. The content was enough on its own to bring out the disgust.

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Heart-breaking story, full of lessons for us

Revisado: 09-17-17

It's so sad to learn that Rosemary Kennedy was a perfectly healthy baby in the womb, but that a nurse, while waiting for the doctor, forced Rose Kennedy to not give birth, thereby robbing the baby of oxygen. We learn this in the very first chapter. From there, we listen to all the details of how this powerful family dealt with a special needs child -- sometimes responding appropriately, but many times not. I learned that lobotomies were done while the patient was awake, which make me sick to my stomach. The book is well-written and narrated, and gave me lots of insight into the care of the mentally handicapped. It was also fascinating to learn a short history of the Special Olympics, spearheaded by Eunice Kennedy, in honor of her sister.

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Exacting detail in a poignant story

Revisado: 09-17-17

Alan Cumming remembers such vivid detail of his life; I am jealous of him for that. He tells a heart-wrenching story of his abuse at the hands of his father, and of the extremely liberating process he went through to let his father go out of his life, both physically and mentally. He did so in a manner that could be textbook on how to go through the process psychologically and come out healthy and, yes, happy. But it's not all psychology. The plots of this book will keep you riveted, including the story of his grandfather, a war hero who clearly suffered the hell of combat. Last point: I absolutely love Cumming's Scottish lilt, as he reads his book. Seeing him on "The Good Wife," it is startling at first to hear his native accent. (Only now do I realize how well he copied our American accents on "Wife.") Anyway, his accent is utterly charming. Godspeed, Alan Cumming. Thanks for sharing your pain, joy and wisdom.

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Aw, come on!

Revisado: 07-10-17

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I was delighted to learn about how the Senate and political campaigns really work, and just plain giggled to hear that Franken has to stop himself from cracking jokes. (Hence, Franken's "Aw, come on!" response to his staff when they tell him to cool it. I can just see these scenes in my mind's eye.) He also gives some background to his SNL days, which of course I ate up, too. He fully admits his imperfections, which, I think, makes a person stronger, not weaker. Too little of that going on these days. Al, whatever you do, keep talking to us! via books or whatever. You make this country greater.

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