Contemporary Polish Posters in Full Color

Book Description

This superb collection includes 46 full-color examples from the brilliant school of Polish graphic design, selected from the world's first museum (near Warsaw) dedicated to poster art. Vivid, striking colors and unusual themes— including theater, sports, circuses, films, concerts — all show cosmopolitan influences, free imagination.

Customer Reviews:

A collection of award-winning Polish art.......2004-06-18

In Poland, posters evolved as an art form in a way completely different from that in the United States. Before the fall of Communism, they were generally not used as commercial advertisements, but to express nonpolitical cultural and nationalist themes. The posters in this collection are from the period 1961 - 1977, when political repression was still very high. They are all award-winning pieces and in looking at them, it is easy to see why they won honors. The colors and organization are very pleasant to look at; they are compact without being cluttered. Many have circus themes, which was a source of national pride.
Posters are an art form that deserves the amount of attention given to other forms. In this book you will see some of the best examples of posters and when you look at them, keep in mind that they were created in an atmosphere of extreme political restrictions.

Book Description

The 1950s were the golden years of haute couture, captured by iconic images of glamorous models wearing dramatic clothes. Yet the real women who wore these clothes adapted them to suit their own tastes, altered them to extend their life, and often could not bear to part with them long after the dresses had outlived their use. This gorgeously illustrated book demonstrates why so many of these designs are still in existence and why we are fascinated by them fifty years later.

Couture and Commerce investigates how and why postwar couture fashion was important in its own day. The Paris couture houses survived due to the enthusiasm of the North American fashion press and commercial buyers. Alexandra Palmer traces the European haute couture trade with North America by following actual surviving couture dresses from the design house sketch, through the model used in New York fashion shows and as a template for copies and knock-offs, and finally to the consumer.

Couture and Commerce is a remarkable mixture of accessible text, color photographs of the original garments, design house sketches and photographs, retailers' advertisements, and society page images. Weaving together analysis of the clothes and interviews with those who traded, sold, and wore couture, Alexandra Palmer vividly recreates the 1950s fashion world.

Gunsmith Cats: Bonnie & Clyde
Average customer rating:

Collection #1 of Kenichi Sonoda's Chicago crime series

If you loved the anime...

If you enjoyed the DVD, buy the manga!

Bullets, Bombs, and Bombshells!

Great Action Manga

Gunsmith Cats: Bonnie & Clyde
Kenichi Sonoda
Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Dark Horse | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Gunsmith Cats: Return of Gray

Gunsmith Cats: Misfire

Gunsmith Cats: Bad Trip

Gunsmith Cats: Misty's Run

Gunsmith Cats: Mister V

ASIN: 1569712158

Book Description

Meet Rally and Minnie-May -- The Gunsmith Cats -- two of the most fun-loving, well-armed, bounty-hunting women in Chicago! Whether they're chasing bail jumpers or fending off the mob, you can bet on a healthy supply of guns, bombs, car chases, and more guns! In this 176-page trade paperback -- collecting issues 1 through 6 of the series -- the pair run afoul of Bonnie and Clyde, a couple of hired guns working mob jobs in the Windy City. With their business interests running on opposite sides of the law, it's no surprise that the net result is gunfire and mayhem!

Customer Reviews:

Collection #1 of Kenichi Sonoda's Chicago crime series.......2007-05-30

Flipping through the first collection of Gunsmith Cats it becomes very obvious that Sonoda has three main obsessions; guns, cars and hot girls. He lavishes detail on all three of his subjects with glorious detail. Guns are highly detailed: including angles on spent shell casings and notes about the types of weapons used. Cars are drawn in loving detail and Sonoda loves showcasing his cars in action. Then there are the lovely ladies. Sonoda's character design is definitely old school (he worked on the original "Bubblegum Crisis" and "Gall Force") but his character design is appealing and he doesn't hold back on showing his ladies is various stages of undress.

But what about the story? The framing plot involving the deadly brother and sister duo of Bonnie and Clyde Dorman reminds me of 80's action movie madness. It's a simple tale of revenge with Bonnie coming across like a complete nut job and Clyde the dedicated brother. The ending is a bit of an anticlimax, but it acts as a warm-up for the following confrontation with Gray.

There's plenty to love here though. The initial story "Feeding Trouble" introducing our girls and Bonnie captures the feel of the series right off the bat (even if the girls obsessions are over the top). Rally's pursuit of Clyde and the smash up in the alleyway are classic. I also love Bonnie's various weapons and the look on her face when she's taking out her enemies (nut job!). The one shot stories are good too, but Gunsmith Cats seems to work better with the story arcs revolving around one villain or plot.

One thing is obvious from the beginning, Sonoda can draw action. He frames it well, and its pretty easy to follow what's happening, who's shooting at who and how a car ends up upside down wedged between two walls. He only gets better at this creating some of the best shootouts and car chases I've ever seen in manga form.

For me Gunsmith Cats is like a fun popcorn movie. It's a great read between brainier material, and it never lets you down. "Bonnie and Clyde" was the first episode. It's good stuff, but it was going to get better. Overall a solid beginning to a great series.

*** A Note ***
If you've seen the anime one shot "Riding Bean" you may notice that a woman named Rally appears in it. She loves guns and helps Bean out when things get rough. Interestingly enough Bonnie looks a lot like that version of Rally. I always wondered if Sonada was unable to use that design because of rights issues, so he turned his original Rally into Bonnie and then had a new Rally take over (with Minnie May of course). In any case we get Rally vs. Rally in this first book. Weird, eh?

If you loved the anime..........2004-06-15

then you'll love the manga. Rally, with her love of guns, and Minnie-May, with her love of bombs, are the most dangerous bounty hunters in the Windy City. In this first volume they run into Bonnie and Clyde, a sister-brother team of hired guns, the most dangerous killers working for the mob in Chicago. A couple of one chapter stories plus a interview with Kenichi Sonoda at the start makes for interesting 'extras' in this volume.
Because of the blood and some scenes in a brothel this is not for kids. Cool guns, cool cars and cool cats. Gunsmith Cats, of course!

If you enjoyed the DVD, buy the manga!.......2003-01-24

While the animation pays more attention than your typical anime to the details of guns, cars, weaponry, and Chicago, the manga does even moreso. The creator's earlier creation, Riding Bean, shows up later in the series. Some of the action scenes are over the top and there're more nudity and sexual situations in the comic. However, this only further distinguishes Gunsmitch Cats from other anime and manga. If you've only seen the DVD, you've barely seen Gunsmith Cats!

Bullets, Bombs, and Bombshells!.......2002-08-26

This book makes no effort to hide what it is - a no holds barred male fantasty hodgepodge of guns, girls and grenades.

Gunsmith Cats is the story of Rally Vincent (a teenage gun wizard) and her trusty nymphomaniac sidekick Minnie May Hopkins.
Together they work as bounty hunters on the streets of downtown Chicago, running into some rather nasty customers from time to time.

Despite the kinky and mature subject matter, this is quite an excellent book on multiple levels. First, the sheer artistic talent of Kenichi Sonoda is a sight to behold. Whether he's showing you a Shelby GT or a Baretta 9mm, the detail is all there, down to the very last lugnut or safety catch!

Also, the narratives of each episode are quite clever. Sonoda could have easily let the series turn into mindless, violent shoot-em-ups. But what is presented in this book are finely crafted stories, each with their own twist and crafty resolution.

The earlier Gunsmith Cats books (there are 9 total) are better than the last 3, but even those are excellent in their own right.

I highly recommend this manga for anyone even remotely interested in it!!

Great Action Manga.......2001-08-11

This is the first volume of the manga series. At the time of this writing, there are only two issues left of the manga to be published, and that will be it unless Kenichi Sonoda decides to write more.

Rally Vincent and Minnie-May Hopkins are bounty hunters in Chicago plus they own a gun shop. Rally is the gun and car expert while May knows how to make explosives. There is also Becky who can dig up any information that might be needed to get a job done.

This volume deals with basic development of the main characters and later, Bonnie becomes the focus as she tries to get revenge for the injuries she blames Rally for. Compared to later volumes, this one is more graphic than the others, and I would consider this R-rated material.

There is much information in the series about cars and guns. I'm not an expert on either, but based on what I read in the letter columns in the individual issues, it seems to be very accurate. None of the letters are published in these volumes.

My Big Fat Queer Life: The Best of Michael Thomas Ford
Average customer rating:

Superb

My Big Fat Queer Life: The Best of Michael Thomas Ford
Michael Thomas Ford
Manufacturer: Alyson Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

It's Not Mean If It's True

That's Mr. Faggot to You : Further Trials from My Queer Life

The Little Book of Neuroses: Ongoing Trials From My Queer Life

Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me and Other Trials from My Queer Life

Last Summer

ASIN: 1555835740

Book Description

The publication of Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me in 1998 launched a fresh, vital voice in comedy. Publishers Weekly has called Michael Thomas Ford a "cranky, bemused, and extremely funny." Lambda Book Report has described Ford as "genially misanthropic," and Southern Voice has named him "our freshest, most fearless satirist." Ford's series of My Queer Life books ( Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me, That's Mister Faggot to You, It's Not Mean If It's True, and The Little Book of Neuroses) have racked up four Lambda Literary Award nominations, with two back-to-back wins, and appeared on bestseller lists from New York to Dallas to Sacramento. Now the best of his writing has been collected along with five new, brilliantly funny essays to create the essential My Queer Life -compendium.

Raves for Michael Thomas Ford's My Queer Life:

"Ford is a delightfully inventive wit."-Publishers Weekly

"He truly entertains by being meaningfully hilarious."-Booklist

"One of the funniest books I've read this year."-Kelly Justice, Carrytown Books-Richmond, VA; Book Sense 76 Pick

"A fresh voice, unafraid to tackle any subject and tickle, if not outright hit, below the belt."-Rain Taxi

Michael Thomas Ford is the author of more than fifty books in a variety of genres, including biographies and young-adult fiction. His books in the My Queer Life series have been national bestsellers and earned him two Lambda Literary Awards. He lives in San Francisco.

Customer Reviews:

Superb.......2003-11-15

MTF is a wonderful, entertaining, gifted writer. Like I am with Sade albums, I am with MTF books---i'll buy on the day its released!

Screenwriters' Masterclass: Screenwriters Talk About Their Greatest Movies
Average customer rating:

A strongly recommended addition to professional and film school screenwriting and film production reference collections

A strongly recommended addition to professional and film school screenwriting and film production reference collections

Screenwriters' Masterclass: Screenwriters Talk About Their Greatest Movies

Manufacturer: Newmarket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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The Mind of the Modern Moviemaker: Twenty Conversations with the New Generation of Filmmakers

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Backstory 4: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1970s and 1980s (Backstory)

Rewriting Secrets for Screenwriters: Seven Strategies to Improve and Sell Your Work

ASIN: 1557046921

Book Description

An extraordinary collection of interviews with 21 of the leading screenwriters of our day for aspiring screenwriters, film students, and enthusiasts alike.

Journalist and film industry insider Kevin Conroy Scott presents an invaluable screenwriting masterclass featuring extensive, never-before-published interviews with acclaimed screenwriters ranging from Hollywood pros to top writers in the US and European independent scenes.

Each interview guides the reader through the entire creation process: how the writer handled the painstaking process of creating a three-dimensional world out of their imagination, what worked and what didn't in the finished film—and why, collaborating with directors and actors, and the revision process.

Screenwriters' Masterclass features interviews with:
Ted Tally (The Silence of the Lambs)
Lisa Chodolenko (High Art)
Carlos Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien)
Chris Weitz (About a Boy)
Michael Haneke (Code Unknown)
Wes Anderson (Rushmore)
Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream)
Patrick McGrath (Spider)
Alex Garland (28 Days Later…)
Michael Tolkin (The New Age)
Scott Frank (Out of Sight)
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor (Election)
Lukas Moodysson (Together)
Paul Laverty (Sweet Sixteen)
Fernando Leon de Aranoa (Los Lunes al Sol)
David O. Russell (Three Kings)
Francois Ozon (Under the Sand)
Robert Wade and Neal Purvis (Die Another Day)
Guillermo Arriaga (Amores Perros)

Customer Reviews:

A strongly recommended addition to professional and film school screenwriting and film production reference collections.......2006-05-07

Ably compiled and edited by Kevin Conroy Scott, Screenwriters' Masterclass: Screenwriters Talk About Their Greatest Movies is an exclusive compendium interviews, commentaries and writings from professional screenwriters about their most famous film projects. Included are interviews with Ted Tally, Carlos Cuaron, Darren Aronofsky, Jim Taylor, David Russel and a great many more. Screenwriters' Masterclass offers an in-depth and "behind the scenes" look into the world of professional screenwriters, as well as a fun and informative background into the making of so many amazing and well known films. Screenwriters' Masterclass is a very strongly recommended addition to professional and film school screenwriting and film production reference collections.

A strongly recommended addition to professional and film school screenwriting and film production reference collections.......2006-05-07

Average customer rating:

Screenwriters' Masterclass

Manufacturer: Faber and Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

Screenwriters' Masterclass
Scott Kevin Conroy
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K70TTK

No Surrender No Retreat: A Babylon 5 RPG Supplement (Babylon 5 (Mongoose Publishing))
Average customer rating:

A very good book!

No Surrender No Retreat: A Babylon 5 RPG Supplement (Babylon 5 (Mongoose Publishing))
S. Kalvar
Manufacturer: Mongoose Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Role Playing & Fantasy | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Babylon 5 | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Babylon 5: The Minbari Federation Fact Book

ASIN: 1904854117

Book Description

The Babylon 5 RPG continues with this, the latest season guide for the roleplaying game based on the hit television series. No Surrender, No Retreat is a thorough guide to the explosive fourth series, and features an extensive episode guide common to all Babylon 5 roleplaying game season guides. Packed with information which will allow games masters to fully explore the fourth season with their players, this book also provides details of the new personnel and equipment players can meet and obtain, ensuring that this book is an invaluable resource for games masters, players and all fans of Babylon 5 alike.

Customer Reviews:

A very good book!.......2005-09-24

I found this book to be an excellent read of the Babylon 5 Season 4 overview. Each of the seasons episodes is discussed and extra info about various people and organizations in the B5 universe is detailed. I found it to be helpful and an enjoyable read that added new details and facts to my knowledge on the B5 universe.

Book Description

Second Edition, Expanded to Include Fresh Insights and Practical Tools For New and Experienced Managers

No book has captured the trials and traumas of the transition from star performer to competent manager better than Linda Hill's classic Becoming a Manager. In tracing and analyzing the experiences of nineteen new managers, Hill reveals the profound complexity and difficulty of the process of developing into a manager. In their own distinct voices, these managers describe how they reframed their understanding of their roles and responsibilities and how they coped with the stresses and emotions of the transformation-in essence, how they were able to take on new identities. Now, in a substantially expanded second edition, the author offers concrete advice on the crucial issues of dealing effectively with organizational politics and developing and leading diverse teams in times of change, as well as on how managers can prepare themselves to lead over the course of their careers. In a new epilogue, she explores what organizations can do to help managers in their journey to lead and learn.

Customer Reviews:

Good - Only for sales and Financial Managers .......2006-11-20

The book is well written but lacks in breadth of manager case studies. So much of the book is written toward financial institution managers that it has little applicability to managerial positions in manufacturing, engineering, or other disciplines that don't involve motivating people to meet their sales quotas.

Insightful Book.......2006-06-28

I found this book insightful and validating. I transitioned from being a healthcare professional to a manager of a clinic. Despite the difference in practice areas between this book and my own career (sales vs. healthcare), I still found the findings in the book to be important. Whether you're transitioning to manager from a position of top performer in terms of money or in terms of some other measure of achievement (such as quality of patient care or number of new innovations, for example), the lessons of this book still apply. I highly recommend this book to new managers and to THEIR managers.

A must-read for managers (new or old).......2005-01-02

I highly recommend this to anyone involved in "management", particularly where you have to lead people.

The value of this book -- to me -- was not that it revealed anything new (most managers would instinctively know what the issues are when working with a team). What it did for me was to give me assurance that the trials and tribulations that I've gone through (some of which are daily occurances) are normal. That told me that I AM NOT ALONE! -- for management is a lonely business.

This book took me sometime to finish (440 over pages) but a very readable book. Not overly academic. I particularly liked the section on "Is Management Really for Me?".

An absolute must read!.......2003-08-12

Anyone interested in management or professional development should read this book. I can't tell you how many times I wondered why steller sales people made such terrible managers. Other valuable topics such as working with your peers, managing your Manager and Leadership are also addressed.

Even if you are already a Manager, this book is definately and eye opener.

Very helpful indeed!.......2003-03-06

It's simply a must read for anyone considering to pursue a career in management. Learn from others experience!

Becoming a Manager: How New Managers Master the Challenges of Leadership

Average customer rating:

Becoming a Manager: How New Managers Master the Challenges of Leadership
Linda Hill
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIYM4S

Amazon.com

Cantankerous and secretive, Neil Young has banished authors from his inner sanctum--until now. In Shakey, Jimmy McDonough distills more than 300 interviews (including guarded yet revealing interrogations of Young himself) into the definitive biography: the skyrocket success, willful disasters, health horrors and triumphs, stunning comebacks, and highly colorful scuffles with equally impossible characters like Stephen Stills, David Crosby, and the incompetent yet brilliant musicians of Crazy Horse. Young is not quite the noble soul some thought--he's an astounding control freak. But he is never less than fascinating. "As ruthless as I may seem to be," Young tells McDonough, "you gotta do what ya gotta do. Just like a f-----' vampire. Heh heh heh." --Tim Appelo

Book Description

"You can't go along from people to people, place to place, creating, changing, without hurting a lot of people. How can you do that? Can you think of an answer? I think I'm going a good job--even though it's painful sometimes."

Neil Young is one of rock and roll's most important, influential and enigmatic figures, an intensely reticent artist who has granted no writer access to his inner sanctum--until now. In Shakey, Jimmy McDonough tells the whole story of Young's incredible life and career: from his childhood in Canada to his cofounding of the pioneering folk-rock group Buffalo Springfield; to the bleary conglomeration of Crazy Horse and simultaneous monstrous success of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; to the depraved depths of Tonight's the Night and the strange changes of the Geffen years; to Young's unprecedented nineties "comeback" with Ragged Glory and Harvest Moon.

McDonough spent six years doggedly pursuing rock's most elusive quarry, talking to more than three hundred of Young's associates (many of whom spoke freely for the first time), as well as sitting down with Young in person for more than fifty hours of interviews. This long-awaited, unprecedented story of a rock and roll legend is filled with never-before-published words directly from the artist himself:

-on heroin: "I didn't see any reason to try it. I never shot up anything... I guess after I wrote a couple songs about it, then people who might've offered it...didn't."

-on abruptly firing Crazy Horse to record with Pearl Jam: "That happens over and over again through my whole fuckin' life with all these bands. That's the reason I'm still here. Because as painful as it is to change--and as ruthless as I may seem to be in what I have to do to keep going--you gotta do what ya gotta do. Just like a fuckin' vampire. Heh heh heh."

-on himself: "Look around me-I'm a fuckin' capitalist businessman! I've got all this shit. I'm a good businessman, right?"

By his own admission, Young has left behind "a lotta destruction....a big wake" in achieving his dreams, and for the first time he addresses that subject in painful details. Shakey-titled after one of Young's' many aliases, Bernard Shakey-is not only a detailed chronicle of the rock era told through the life of one very idiosyncratic, uncompromising artist, but a compelling human story as well: that of a loner for whom music was the only outlet, a driven yet tortured figure who learned to control epilepsy via "mind over matter." It's also about an oddly passionate model-train mogul who, inspired by his own son's struggle with cerebral palsy, became a major activist in the quest to help others with that condition. The story is uniquely told in McDonough's interwoven voices--those of biographer, critic, historian, obsessive fan--and by the ever cantankerous Young himself, who puts his biographer through some unforgettable paces while answering the perennial question Is it better to burn out than to fade away?

Customer Reviews:

Superb read..........2007-08-22

I'm a 40-something former Canadian... Neil Young was part of my growing up, but a not a big part... colleague at work loaned my SHAKEY, and the obsession began... This is a fascinating read. Full of interesting historical anecdotes of the time. Neil's parents are very interesting aspects of media history in Canada (http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-74-1728-11881-11/that_was_then/people/scott_young). I learned more about the man that I probably ever wanted to know. But I listen to his music now more that ever. Tonight's the night...

Great bio, a bit too opinionated on the music.......2007-08-12

How could a Neil Young biography NOT be long and rambling and occasionally overblown? "Shakey" is all these things, but I don't see why anyone who knows anything about the man and his music would be surprised at that.

McDonough's research is exhaustive and he interviewed an impressive cast of people in and out of Young's life since his childhood, so the length is justified and perhaps even necessary. There is a lot to be learned about his pre-fame years in Canada and Los Angeles, about how he handled his celebrity once it arrived, and especially about how he arrived at the trademark, edgy and deliberately raggedy sound that defines his best work. Along the way, we also get at least a glimpse at curiosities like his fondness for cars and model trains, the motifs behind his stylistic changes over the years, and even what he might have been thinking with all those wonderfully awful 1980s albums. McDonough frequently breaks up the narrative with pages-long transcripts of his interviews with Young. These are sometimes unnecessarily long, but they are probably the clearest look any of us will ever get at the reclusive star.

McDonough also at least tries to offer some insight into what all those songs mean. The trouble with this is that he often strays from interpretation into expounding on his own opinions of the songs. More often than not, those opinions amount to little more than "the albums that didn't sell are a lot better than the ones you bought, and they're all no good compared to the unreleased recordings that I've heard and you less serious fans haven't." Okay, Jimmy, we get it. You don't like "Harvest." No need to beat the point into the ground every few pages.

As long as you can get past his fan-snob attitude about most of Young's released albums, though, it is a great look at a very enigmatic but important figure. Well done, for the most part.

Vampire Blues.......2007-07-23

Not "perfect" (sure thing, rambling; sloppy prose at times; rushed notice given to Broken Arrow sessions) but, given the topic, some slick Mark Bego bio would have been unforgivable. How does an author "write" about an artist whose lyrics and music are so ineffable and intuitive, anyway? The best thing going on here are the QUOTES, and there's lots. Mcdonough got EVERYONE to talk - except (of course) Pegi Young and ("heh heh") Stephen Stills. Nevertheless, this IS the book revealing the crepuscular world of Crazy Horse - so, there.

Three cheers for Neil... and a small Huzzah for McDonough.......2007-04-23

Don't get me wrong... those four stars are up there for a reason, and Neil's "very innaresting" life does not a book make on its own without the obsessively detailed research that went into "Shakey". I think that for the most part, McDonough writes a thoroughly entertaining, extremely informative tome on the life of one of the greatest creative minds of a generation. If he could have done so and witheld a little bit of the fanboy aspect of his writing style, this biography could have been improved. But it's all too appropriate that the book itself occasionally meanders or changes direction abruptly; in that aspect, it reflects the subject matter quite well.

Whether you love, hate, or are indifferent toward "Shakey" in its quality as a biography, it remains the definitive book on Neil Young. For those of us like me, who have our own obsessions with Neil as an artist, "Shakey" represents the very best opportunity we've received to get to know the historical motivations, environmental influences, and ongoing inspirations that help make Neil as vibrant an artist as he is. I greatly enjoyed learning more about Neil's upbringing in Canada and his early musical endeavors.

Even more enthralling was the in-depth background information on the circumstances surrounding the creation of each piece of music. Before reading "Shakey", my own perception of Neil's music was based purely on what I heard coming through my speakers and headphones; the added context provided by McDonough's book adds another angle when re-listening to Neil's albums. And despite the complaints of a few attention-challenged readers, I didn't find the length of "Shakey" to be bloated, or the end result poorly edited. The story of a life as fascinating as Neil Young's, spanning five decades, deserves the attention McDonough has given to each facet of the man's life along with each era of his creative output.

As has been noted by other (and possibly better) reviewers than I, there are two aspects of "Shakey" that I felt were neither beneficial to the story nor serving any purpose beyond McDonough's own need to editorialize rather than report the facts. First and foremost in this regard is McDonough's favoritism toward certain chapters in Neil's life, and the ensuing recordings that resulted. Hey Jimmy: read your own book! Many of us would agree that "Tonight's the Night" is a terrific album, but it doesn't need to be presented in a competitive sense, held up against "Harvest" (or even "Trans") to somehow prove its merit. The anecdotal story of McDonough at age 15, obsessively arguing with fellow record store customers about why they should purchase one Young record over another, shows that the author's feelings (and maturity level) didn't change much over the years between then and the writing of "Shakey" in his adulthood.

Second: would "Shakey" have been a better book had it been written by someone who was less personally affected by its subject matter? It's hard to say. Writing a biography about a living subject must be a difficult task under the best of circumstances; doing it about a man whose life has been based on morphing between personas is somewhat horrifying. But in any case, inserting one's self into the subject's life and devoting more than a small chunk of the final work to this process felt more self-serving than of genuine interest to the reader.

But none of this prevents "Shakey" from being a great read, start to finish. I found I especially enjoyed the index, of all things; when I have a sudden question about a particular song or performance, it's very nice to flip to the back of "Shakey" and pull up all the details I'd want, more often than not. In any case, no self-respecting Neil Young fan should go without delving into this biography and form his or her own opinions. Much like Neil's recorded work, you probably won't like all of it, might love some of it, and might be entirely turned off by other aspects. But in any case, you'll respect the work that went into it, and at the end of the day, it's a really enjoyable read of a story that's not quite finished. I imagine that sometime in the next 20 years or so, McDonough will need to update an addendum to "Shakey". After all, Neil's not fading away just yet, so perhaps there's a burn out yet to come.

Great read, even if flawed...........2007-01-22

The first half of this book is very well written and captivating. It's good all the way until you start getting into NY's Geffen years. Then it starts to break down some. The problem is that the author interjects his personal dealings with NY far too greatly into the biography. He even goes to the point to suggest that he had some effect on the course NY took in his music. Essentially, this would have been a better book had McDonought been able to get over himself.

Furthermore, it's blatently obvious that the author hates Stephen Stills, though he never informs us why. He goes well out of his way to insult and deride Stills. For example, he was quick to point out that (supposedly) Stills came to the studio with nothing for the making of the second CSNY album, American Dream and that Stills wanted a majority of the songs on the album to be his. That's fine, but the author fails to give credit where it's due. Stills wrote most of the better material on the album.

Even so, with these failings, the book is a must for any Neil Young fanatic.

Average customer rating:

Shakey-Neil Youngs Biography
Jimmy Mcdonough
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGYIIA

Average customer rating:

Shakey: Neil Young's Biography.
JIMMY MCDONOGH
Manufacturer: See notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RQRXAC

Book Description

Leading experts address questions of public and private roles in assessing, managing, and mitigating major risks to public health and safety in light of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. "This volume provides important insights from the nation's leading experts on how we, as a community and nation, should be rethinking disaster assessment, prevention, and mitigation. Policymakers, legislators, business leaders, and scholars: this is a must-read."--Jon Huntsman, Jr., Governor of Utah "An indispensable resource for all who seek to learn from the unprecedented devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. I commend the authors for recording the valuable lessons learned. Their work will assuredly help our communities be better prepared for the next catastrophe."--James Lee Witt, former Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency "An enormously important volume that comes at just the right time. In the wake of Katrina, new thinking is urgently needed on how to manage catastrophic risk most effectively--especially regarding prevention and recovery. This precious volume offers insights on both fronts, with contributions from many of the nation's leading authorities on risk and disaster. It is a must-read for scholars and policymakers alike."--David A. Moss, Harvard Business School Hurricane Katrina not only devastated a large area of the nation's Gulf coast, it also raised fundamental questions about ways the nation can, and should, deal with the inevitable problems of economic risk and social responsibility. This volume gathers leading experts to examine lessons that Hurricane Katrina teaches us about better assessing, perceiving, and managing risks from future disasters. The 20 contributors to this volume address questions of public and private roles in assessing, managing, and dealing with risk in American society and suggest strategies for moving ahead in rebuilding the Gulf coast. Contributors: Matthew Adler, Vicki Bier, Baruch Fischhoff, Kenneth R. Foster, Robert Giegengack, Peter Gosselin, Scott E. Harrington, Carolyn Kousky, Robert Meyer, Harvey G. Ryland, Brian L. Strom, Kathleen Tierney, Michael J. Trebilcock, Detlof von Winterfeldt, Jonathan Walters, Richard J. Zeckhauser. Ronald J. Daniels is Provost and Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania. He has published widely, including Rethinking the Welfare State: The Prospects for Government by Voucher (with Michael Trebilcock) and The Security of Freedom: Essays on Canada's Anti-Terrorism Bill (coedited with Patrick Macklem and Kent Roach). Donald F. Kettl, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania, has written or edited System under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics, The Global Public Management Revolution, The Politics of the Administrative Process (with James W. Fesler), The Transformation of Governance: Public Administration for the 21st Century, among many other books. Howard Kunreuther is Professor and Codirector of the Risk Management and Decision Processes Center at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. His has written or coedited a number of books, including Catastrophe Modeling: A New Approach to Managing Risk (with Patricia Grossi) and Wharton on Making Decisions (with Stephen Hoch). Amy Gutmann is the eighth President of the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Why Deliberative Democracy? (with Dennis Thompson), Identity in Democracy, Democratic Education, Democracy and Disagreement (with Dennis Thompson), and Color Conscious (with K. Anthony Appiah). Her reviews have appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Times Literary Supplement, Washington Post, and other general publications.

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