Understanding Hospitality Accounting I

Average customer rating:

Okay... but not great

Retired Prof. of Accounting

Straight forward & comprehensive text for accounting sucess!

Understanding Hospitality Accounting I

Understanding Hospitality Accounting I
Raymond Cote
Manufacturer: Educational Inst of the Amer Hotel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Accounting | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Hospitality, Travel & Tourism | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Accounting | Accounting & Finance | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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Understanding Hospitality Accounting II

Hospitality Industry Financial Accounting

ASIN: 0866121544

Customer Reviews:

Okay... but not great.......2003-02-18

This book is very straight forward, but one thing it lacks is examples. Being that I myself am a visual learner, it would help in learning the accounting process if there were more examples to go on and practice. I'm not totally satisfied with this book. Do I recommend this book? Sure, if you're a CPA and understand the text.

Retired Prof. of Accounting.......2002-03-02

I taught accounting for 12 years at leading hospitality college in the United States. During that time I used and reviewed many hospitality accounting texts. Once I discovered Unserstanding Hospitality Accounting I by Raymond Cote, my problems were solved and I continued to use it because it sets the standard as the authoritative source of up-to-date hospitality accounting methods and terminology.

Straight forward & comprehensive text for accounting sucess!.......2001-09-03

I continue to purchase his revised editions because I use them in my day-to-day management duties and find it to be an essential part of providing meaningful descriptions concerning business organizations, financial statements, accounting records, and the statement of cash flows.

This is a five star book and I highly recommend it for students, teachers, and professionals.

Understanding Hospitality Accounting I.......2000-05-18

This book is the first in a series composed of 2 volumes: Understanding Hospitality Accounting I and Understanding Hospitality Accounting II. This text, published by Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Motel Association, is good for people were the users of accounting information and were not bookkeepers or accountants in the hospitality industry. It presents the accounting concepts and procedures which lay the foundation for understanding the processing of hospitality financial data and its flow in the accounting cycle for the untimate production of financial statements in easy way. There are also problems, review questions, and review quizzes to help readers understand and apply the concepts presented in each chapter.One of the most helpful parts for me is the Supplementary Material: Sample Chart of Accounts.

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Understanding Hospitality Accounting I

Understanding Hospitality Accounting II
Raymond Cote
Manufacturer: Amer Hotel & Motel Assn
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0866120637

Customer Reviews:

Understanding Hospitality Accounting I.......2001-08-31

Several years ago, I used Professor Cote's Understanding Hospitality Accounting I text in college. Today, I am a director of food and beverage operations for a large casino corporation in Vegas. His text is by far the easiest to understand yet he does a comprehensive job in presenting hospitality accounting. He is the only author that I have read who can take the most complex topic and state it in user-friendly, understandable terms. Understanding Hospitality Accounting I is state-of-the-art and is the only text to provide meaningful computerized general ledger accounting in a real-world environment.
I continue to purchase his revised editions because I use them in my day-to-day management duties and find it to be the only text that provides meaningful descriptions of business organizations, financial statements, accounting records, and the best chapter on the statement of cash flows.
This is a five star book and I highly recommend it for students, teachers, and professionals.

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Understanding Hospitality Accounting II

Manufacturer: Educational Institute of the American Hotel Motel Assoc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0866120386

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Best Advice Ever

Brewing a Creative Culture
The Staff of Dillanos Coffee Roasters
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Workplace | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Brewing a Hot Brand

The Success Principles(TM): How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

ASIN: 142083309X

Book Description

If you walk through the front doors of Dillanos Specialty Coffee Roasters you will undoubtedly witness something not traditionally seen in most business settings. In fact, it would seem nothing short of outrageous. It's not the presence of charismatic leaders, although you will soon witness their presence. Rather, at any given moment, a delivery driver, a receptionist or salesperson would appear, acting as though they are the chief executive officer. They could be found straightening furniture in the lobby, picking up a misplaced paper coffee cup and tossing it in a trash can, or stepping over to the entry table to skillfully fan national magazines with Dillanos features. Management does it, minimum wage employees do it. Everybody does it. This personal ownership behavior is not rewarded with special monetary compensations, and there is no point system or other special award for such actions. Nor will you find a special monitoring system that watches if employees are living up to their job descriptions. Every business leader wonders at some point if they have the ability to motivate their employees to have an overwhelming personal pride and a sense of belonging in their company. They try to imagine a place where every staff member has a special family-like connection and share a set of common values. Brewing A Creative Culture will help small- to medium-sized business owners in any industry stop wondering. The key to creating a seamless team as passionate about their company's culture and profitable growth is blocked out into twelve inspiring formulas to blend outrageous fun with high accountability. Some readers will find the formulas familiar. But they'll be driven to action based on the book's unique approach of sharing Dillanos' story told directly by members of the staff. Whether viewpoints from the CEO and president, or delivery driver and warehouse manager, a delicate hand was used in rewriting their chapters. The idea for this book came from one of Dillanos; members of the sales department, not the CEO. What a perfect start to a project brimming with heart and soul. The twelve formulas for success are within every business leader's grasp. Each chapter gives exact examples during everyday life at Dillanos, and the reasons for applying each formula to meet company goals. By the time the reader reaches the conclusion of Brewing A Creative Culture, they are ready to grade how their company measures up to these solid motivational basics. Readers are armed with the inspiration and formulas to turn disenfranchised employees into unbelievably enthusiastic team members.

Customer Reviews:

Best Advice Ever.......2005-03-04

This book was really helpful. I would recommend it to any small business owner. I love the concept of a book about improving your company culture written by the staff members of a successful company.A quick, easy and usable read!

Product Description

The biennial IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation provides a forum for scientists, engineers and managers to exchange information about planned and on-going programs and missions, and present new ideas, covering small satellite mission objectives as well as technology and management aspects for dedicated earth observation satellites. This volume presents selected contributions of the 5th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation, April 4 - 8, 2005, organized by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), Paris, France, and hosted by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, Germany.

Book Description

Wood Chemistry, Fundamentals and Applications, Second Edition, examines the basic principles of wood chemistry and its potential applications to pulping and papermaking, wood and wood waste utilization, pulping by-products for production of chemicals and energy, and biomass conversion.

Book Description

The term Biochemical Evolution is used to describe the evolution of the biochemical processes and components of living organisms, such as the structure and function of biologically important molecules, metabolic pathways, subcellular structures, and cells. Although a relatively new subject, this field of research has already received great interest from both academia and industry because the principles and theory behind biochemical evolution have enormous potential in the creation and development of new biologically active compounds, drugs, and treatments for disease. However, almost every book that discusses evolution has ignored the role that biochemical evolution plays, and so in his new book, Athel Cornish-Bowden attempts to fill the knowledge gap for students, professional scientists and all interested individuals. In The Pursuit of Perfection the author explains how the biochemical processes that occur in living cells, long thought to be evidence of intelligent design rather than evolution, can now be understood as the result of natural selection. For example, the initial impression that metabolic pathways consist of an almost haphazard collection of reactions that happen to do the job turns out to be quite false. When detailed studies are made to see how the actual organization of a process compares with other ways of achieving the same result, the one found in living organisms is found to be the best possible, or at least very close to it. The style, content and organisation of the book are intended to make the book accessible, interesting, and fun to read for both scientists, students, and scientifically-minded individuals.

Customer Reviews:

Difficult but rewarding.......2005-02-12

One imagines that in the great expanse of time from the formation of the earth until before the first fossils appeared (something like a couple of billion years) a veritable riot of biochemistry took place as proto-cellular life searched for the most efficient and economic chemistry to run its replicators. And as these replicators gathered other molecules to form amino acids and proteins, helped along by molecules serving as maidservant-like enzymes, their biochemical reactions became more and more efficient until self-sustaining cells featuring "organizational invariance" were well established.

Cornish-Bowden calls this process "the pursuit of perfection." He asks the question, are metabolic pathways and the enzymes employed in living systems optimized, or is it the case that the evolutionary mechanism hit here and there on something that worked, and stayed with it? In other words, are the ways that living cells use chemistry to run their systems Panglossian? Is the chemical world inside the cell, in general, the best of all possible ways it could be?

Cornish-Bowden, who is director of research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Marseilles, France, argues that such is indeed the case. (See his direct statement on page 14.) His technique, relying to some extent upon the work of Spanish biochemist Enrique Melendez-Hevia (to whom this book is dedicated) is to postulate mathematically what an optimal metabolism might be and then to compare that to how the cell actually operates. Cornish-Bowden points out that optimal metabolism in the cell is not necessarily the most efficient in the lab since the reactions within the cell are constrained by a complex environment that includes hundreds of other reactions taking place at the same time.

Part of Cornish-Bowden's purpose is to demonstrate that, although enormously complex, biochemistry is not so complex as to require design by a supernatural being. Indeed, he argues that biochemistry is the direct result of how matter and energy work, and that some calculations of how "unlikely" it is that amino acid sequences used by living systems could arise by chance, are exaggerated. I think it would have been good if Cornish-Bowden had also emphasized that chance really has nothing to do with it, since many creationist and intelligent designer types still think evolution is postulated to proceed by chance. It does not. The majority view among scientists that I have read (and Cornish-Bowden is certainly among them) is that the biochemistry of life, however complex, is a direct result of the nature of matter and energy as they react in certain environments. The exact manifestations of the evolutionary process are contingent (the word that Stephen Jay Gould preferred) on the unraveling through time and space.

Another of Cornish-Bowden's purposes here is to present his ideas to a more general readership than biochemistry usually receives. He takes care to make the text as readable and accessible to the general reader as possible. In this, however, I think he is up against some nearly insurmountable difficulties. The problem is that, however carefully the author presents complex arguments involving technical matters using specialized terminology, that author, however talented, will not reach a general readership because the reader will not have the time or the inclination to STUDY the arguments. And, alas, many of Cornish-Bowden's arguments are highly technical and require study to fully appreciate.

Furthermore it is almost impossible for a working scientist to write for a general readership within his area of expertise without being aware that other scientists in his field are looking over his shoulder. Consequently, the scientist is careful to make the many qualifications necessary and to cite the exceptions--in other words, to be rigorous. And rigor in science requires dotting i's and crossing t's in a manner that will often appear as Greek to the nonspecialist.

For myself (your typical, limited, non-specialist) I took his detailed explanations at face value. I turned the pages when the argument got too specialized, and ultimately I concerned myself with his conclusions.

Here are some interesting ideas that I gleaned along the way, ideas that make this book definitely worthwhile:

Most important perhaps is the idea that advances in understanding biochemical evolution are leading the way toward a more powerful understanding of how evolution works. For example, it is the study of DNA, augmenting the sketchy fossil record, that has fixed modern human origins in Africa between fifty and a hundred thousand years ago.

Another interesting idea that Cornish-Bowden emphasizes is that "the sort of perfect correlation [between prediction and result] that would delight a physicist should arouse suspicion in a biologist." (p. 146) In order words, biology is a bit messy and inexact in comparison to physics, and should a one-to-one correlation arise, it might be the case that the correlation is a tautology or a mathematical artifact.

I also liked his very intriguing description of cancer as a "parasitic species that lives out its entire evolutionary history from speciation to extinction during a fraction of the lifespan of its host." (p. 150)

Important too is the distinction that Cornish-Bowden insists upon between "complicated" and "complex." Noting the property (from complexity theory) of "emergence," he explains that a "system is complicated if it contains many components...," but to be "a system needs...in some sense to be more than the sum of its parts." (p. 130)

Finally, I liked the way he explained how bacteria find food, a kind of movement he calls "a biased random walk." In essence the bacteria moves onward if things are getting better, but when things are getting worse "it stops quickly and tumbles," thereby randomly changing direction. (p. 50)

The Pursuit Of Perfection: Aspects Of Biochemical Evolution

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The Pursuit Of Perfection: Aspects Of Biochemical Evolution
Athel Cornish-Bowden
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKSB1G

Amazon.com

The story of settlement house pioneer Jane Addams's early life traces a trajectory that has become almost a feminist cliché. The frustrated Victorian spinster, plagued by mysterious physical ailments, finds a socially useful outlet for her intelligence and energy and her illnesses vanish--she becomes the picture of health and contentment. Familiar though it is in outline, the particulars of Addams's personal history are fascinating, especially as related in veteran biographer Gioia Diliberto's engaging, accessible style. Young Jane comes to life as a powerful personality notable for her "cool intellect." As a schoolgirl she was already convinced that "her life would not be ordinary." The author does a subtle job of assessing the psychological roots of Addams's empathy with the poor and commitment to social justice without scanting the integrity of her ethical convictions. And Diliberto's familiarity with contemporary scholarship shows in her lucid summary of the trends in religious and philanthropic beliefs that led Addams to found Hull-House in 1889 to help poor people better themselves; yet she wears her learning lightly in a lively text. The main narrative closes in 1899, with Hull-House thriving and 39-year-old Jane happily involved in a relationship with Mary Rozet Smith that endured until Smith's death in 1934. (Addams survived her by only a year.) This is a model of popular, undogmatic feminist biography. --Wendy Smith

Book Description

The first biography in twenty-six years of Jane Addams -- founder of the Hull-House settlement and winner of the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize -- written with access to hundreds of new family documents. "Today, Jane Addams is widely recognized as an extraordinary figure in our nation's history, one of a roster of great Americans -- Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. among them -- who made lasting contributions to social justice. But as with the lives of many iconographic figures, the legend often obscures the real story." Frequently recognized as one of the most influential women of the century -- and considered a heroine by nurses and social workers around the globe -- Jane Addams had to struggle long and hard to earn her place in history. Born in 1860 on the eve of the Civil War, she lived during pivotal times when women were only beginning to create new roles for themselves (ironically building on the Victorian ideal of women as ministering angels). Focusing on her metamorphosis from a frail, small-town girl into a woman who inspired hundreds of others to join her movement to serve the poor, A Useful Woman delves into the mysterious ailments and other troubles young Jane faced. Examining for the first time Jane's physical and mental health and the effect of her father's remarriage after her mother's death, biographer Gioia Diliberto directly links Addams's proneness to depression to her inability to conform to the mores of her time. Also, for the first time, she examines in detail Addams's two marriage-like relationships with women. With hundreds of previously unavailable documents at her disposal, Diliberto has written a fascinating study of one of the most intriguing and important women in history, concentrating on her difficult formative years with compelling -- and groundbreaking -- results.

Customer Reviews:

Great social history.......2004-04-17

A Useful Woman provides not only an outstanding biography of Jane Addams but gives wonderful insights into the role of women and the impact of the women's college movement in the 19th century. Diliberto does an excellent job of explaining the options open to women and how a well-educated woman like Jane had few outlets. The women Jane became involved with, both friends and sponsors, were fascinating as well, and I found myself wanting to know more about this important period in women's history.

author out of mind.......2001-08-24

The liberal feminine look on Jane Addams rings false to me. Jane Addams was from a much different time. She was from the victorian era. She was from the liberal protestant part of the culture. The hints of this writer reflect the narrow view of the few of today's citizens. But in the end, make no mistake, Jane Addams was a very proper person from her time. She was of course not sexually active outside of marriage. She was not sexually attracted to women. The problem with facts is that they do not change.

About A Woman Who Wanted to Make the World Better.......2001-03-11

Womens' lives are often filled with many tasks, and to become an international social reformer is very difficult to include. This is the story of one woman who wanted a life that was different from the traditional woman of her age. And the interesting part of the story is that she did become an internationally known social reformer. And she did win a Nobel Peace Prize. In our age of supporting choices for women, this book is not only about a 'useful' woman, it is also a very useful story.

A well-written biography.......2000-10-31

It bothers me to hear A USEFUL WOMAN described as a "feminist biography" just because the subject bucked the gender norms of her Victorian times. This book is about a social force and conscience, Jane Addams, whose intelligence, spirituality, generosity and, yes, unmarried status drove her to found Hull-House, a "settlement" in Chicago that served as both haven and learning center for the indigent, with a particular emphasis on aiding women and children. Addams, a frail woman suffering from lifelong ailments including depression, rose above her infirmities to enact social change and awareness during a time when many of the poor were seen as morally bankrupt individuals and not the victims of a socially unjust system.

The book is well-written and accessible, and suffers only rarely from too much trivial detail. Diliberto provides remarkable insight into this remarkable woman. If you are at all interested in social causes and the people behind them, read this biography. It is truly inspiring to read of how one woman changed the course of many lives.

What a Biography Should Be.......2000-07-07

Although a lover of biographies, even I was surprised when I couldn't put this book down. Diliberto has written a compelling and thoughtful study of Jane Addams, but managed to interweave her character analysis seamlessly into the social issues of the age. From women's rights to labor issues, Chicago corruption to pacificism, the author glides easily from social issue to personal insight. Jane emerges as a real individual, not an "angel", but someone to be greatly admired.

A Useful Woman The Early Life of Jane Adams

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A Useful Woman The Early Life of Jane Adams
Addams Jane
Manufacturer: Lisa Drew / Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UEX8OQ

Useful Woman: The Early Life of Jane Addams.

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Useful Woman: The Early Life of Jane Addams.
GIOIA DILBERTO
Manufacturer: See notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RQRKGE

A Useful Woman - the Early Life of Jane Addams

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A Useful Woman - the Early Life of Jane Addams
Gioia Diliberto
Manufacturer: Scribner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O5X454

Customer Reviews:

A book that a Southerner will love.......2004-07-27

This small book should be must reading for those, both Northerners and Southerners, who want to know why we Southerners think like we do. Dr. Bolsterli's book about growing up in the 30's and 40's in the Arkansas Delta is wonderful. In writing about race, food, violence, the Confederacy, family, etc., she hits a lot of targets. At the risk of being trite, you will indeed laugh and cry. I suggest to better experience the book that it be read while eating a bowl of pot likker with some cornbread crumbled up in it. Buttermilk might also be helpful

Southern Childhood.......2001-07-11

Very much like my childhood, sans the farm. A wonderfully written memoir that would make an excellent gift to anyone who grew up in the South before integration. The phrase "common" was something I learned as a child - to be "common" was to bring shame or disgrace to one's self and family. "Don't do that, Rachel," my friend's mother said "it's common." No other explanation was needed.

The carefree childhood days of Bolsterli's (and my own) South are gone now, having long been replaced by asphalt, industry, and the complexities that seem to be a necessary part of modernization. Bolsterli tells of daring feats with neighbor children, of playing without the constant adult supervision that is a must for today's child. I well remember long afternoons spent in our neighborhood, without anyone worried about my whereabouts, let alone my safety. Then there is the dark time, a murder in the family, with the polite perceptions and differing accounts - it's all there and Bolsterli tells it so well.

A good book to read at least once more.

Authentically Moving.......2001-01-13

As I child, I passed by the author's childhood home many times when visiting my friends the Rices in nearby Watson, Arkansas. There were always brief comments about the stately Southern home at the end of the long drive and the important, cultured family that had lived there for generations. So, when I first read BORN IN THE DELTA, immediately after it was published, my reaction was partly personal.

It is a beautifully crafted portrait of unique aspects of the Southern culture that still persists in the Mississippi Delta region. Each chapter tells a readable, retell-able story about everyday topics that range from the manners we taught our children, to Southern cooking at home. From the meaningfulness to children of a lively backyard pond, to the way proud Southern families artfully coped with the financial stresses of a volatile agricultural economy. And each chapter is more colorful, more rich with imagery, more authentic than the one before.

Berstoli's book is also informed by her deep knowledge of language and sociology. Her years in the University of Arkansas' English department provided a platform for continued research into Southern communication styles and social conventions. She has localized this book to a very small sub-region (focused in and around Desha County in Southeast Arkansas), which allows for observations that are much more precise than the popular, overgeneralized Southern stereotypes.

If I taught a class in American History, I would certainly include BORN IN THE DELTA as a text.

Book Description

While the Vietnam War is deeply ingrained in a generation of Americans, its history is often one-sided - flavored with blame, corrupt generals and politicians, drugs, and the Viet Cong. What is rarely heard is the compelling story of ordinary people who struggled amidst chaos and upheaval. "Autumn Cloud" is that story. Born at the beginning of World War II, Jackie Bong Wright stands at the center of the modern Indochinese drama. "Autumn Cloud" follows Ms. Wright as she moves from girlhood on a Cambodian rubber plantation to school in Paris, marries a leading political dissident who is later murdered, escapes to America in 1975 with her children, and makes a new life here with a new American husband.

Customer Reviews:

An amazing woman..........2006-05-31

This is a must read for anyone interested in Vietnam, and/or the era of the Vietnam War. The book follows the author's life- but in doing so offers an excelent portrait of Vietnamese History. The author is a strong and amazing woman, who continues today to advocate for Vietnamese Victims of human trafficking and sexual/labor exploitation within the highest circles of the US government.

Autumn Cloud: A Vietnames-American Saga.......2003-10-07

Many books and numerous studies have been written about the war in Vietnam, by protagonists,government officials, journalists, scholars and others. But none can compare with the unique perspective and deep humanity of Jackie Bong-Wright. Hers is the moving story of a courageous woman, daughter, sister, wife, mother who lived through the prelude, the war and its aftermath. As the young wife of the most prominent representative of the democratic opposition to the last South Vienamese government - assassinated by the Viet Cong - she came to know all the principal figures involved in this tragic war.
Her insightful reflections on the Vietnamese people, their history and culture are extremely helpful for those of us in the West to better understand and appreciate the Vietnamese people. Despite the numerous obstacles she had to face in her last-minute flight from Saigon with her three small children, Jackie Bong-Wright never lost her detrmination to survive, to overcome, to prevail. Aided in no small measure by her deep faith.
This book is a tribute to the human spirit, to human solidarity, to courage in the face of despair. It is also beautifully written and leaves one with a sentiment of hope, hope in a world torn by the tragedy of violence, terrorism and war. Hope that the world is also made up of persons such as Jackie Bong-Wright who writes: "Life swirls around us - love, hate, joy, suffering, unity, division, failure, success. Each person has to go through them all." And that is precisely Jackie Bong- Wright's unique and compassionate story.
Frank and Alma Tonini, Rapallo (Italy)

For the wives of Viet Nam veterans.......2003-06-19

This book helped me understand the history of Viet Nam and what led to the American intervention. This book was also historical, as well as personal and I enjoyed learning about the author's family and how they coped during their many trials. She and her people have all been through very difficult times. I now have more respect and understanding for the South Vietnamese people and those who relocated to the United States. A big "Thank you" to the author for contributing to my greater understanding.

I enjoyed this book a great deal as it has helped me to piece together bits and pieces of information from the television news and the newspapers that I saw and read during the war. Being only a teenager at the time the war occurred, this same information looks different now that I am an adult. Also, though I read the paper and watched the news, after reading Autumn Cloud, I realize I did not have the South Vietnames perspetive about the war.

My ex-husband served in Viet Nam from 1969-1970 when we were newly married - I was 18 years old and this book has helped me understand several things he told me when he came back from the war. I would recommend this book to all wives of Viet Nam veteran's.

The Beauty of the Human Spirit.......2003-02-19

My daughter gave me a copy of "Autumn Cloud" for Christmas 2002. What a wonderful present it was. I was much moved, crying and laughing, as I made my way through the story of Jackie Bong-Wright's life. We are justifiably horrified by 9/11, and yet many Vietnamese, including the author, braved similar clamities over their lifetimes with resiliance and determination. Despite the havoc and danger, a beautiful spirituality shines through the pages of this personal saga. I agree with the author's analysis of the great tragedy and the cautionary tale that marked and marred the lives of all in Viet Nam and most in the US.

A refugee's personal story.......2002-02-01

Autumn Cloud is a valuable addition to the small but significant body of personal stories by Vietnamese refugees who have resettled in the United States. The author's early life was privileged with French schooling in Vietnam, a university education in France, and marriage to an intelligent and sensitive man with a bright future in both academia and politics. Her life was shattered when her husband was assassinated as he was about to be appointed prime minister. After the fall of South Vietnam in 1975 she and her three small children were forced to leave their homeland, and they resettled as refugees in the U.S. There she established herself as a community activist helping other refugees, eventually happily remarried, and with her husband represented the U.S. in diplomatic posts abroad.

This is a very readable book. Particularly memorable for me were the descriptions of the author's early life in Vietnam and how the war affected members of her family in different ways. She effectively portrays the trauma and depression of being a refugee and the difficulties in adjusting to life in a new culture, something that not all Americans fully understand. I recommend it highly.

Book Description

Edward Everett Tanner III, under his pseudonyms of Patrick Dennis and Virginia Rowans, was the author of sixteen novels - most of them bestsellers - including the classics Little Me and Genius.But, despite the success of his other works, he is by best known and best remembered for his most indelible creation - Auntie Mame. Born and raised in the affluent suburbs of Chicago, Tanner moved to New York City after World War II and embarked upon a writing career.His first two books were published with a whimper - attracting few reviews and fewer sales - and his third book was rejected by nineteen publishers before being accepted at a relatively small house.But Auntie Mame became a phenomena spending two years on the bestseller lists, adapting into a successful play, movie, and later a musical.As a result of this and later successes, Tanner made millions and became the toast of a certain bohemian segment of Manhattan arts society. He also spent every cent he ever made.Torn between his wife and family and his own awakening realization of his homosexuality, he separated from his wife and moved to Mexico. By the early 70's, his writing career over, he embarked upon a new career - as a butler to some of the wealthiest families in America. Based on extensive interviews with co-workers, friends, and relatives, Uncle Mame is a revealing, appealing portrait of a great American character.Easily the counterpart of such revered wits as P. G. Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh, Dennis is not only the man who brought camp to the American mainstream but he also lived a life as wild, poignant, madcap, and intriguing as any of his own books.

Customer Reviews:

Unusual story, well written.......2005-05-18

Kudos to the author for tackling a very difficult subject and bringing him beautifully to life.

I read this book because I always wanted an Auntie Mame, and wanted to know about the life of the man who conceived her. His life and wit was every bit as colorful as his best known creation.

Edward Tanner's life was full of contradictions. He was a success who's father always considered him a failure. He was a gay man who loved having a family, including wife and children. He was a success who was afraid of the day he would become old hat, and saw that day arrive.

I was mostly interested in how he lost all his millions (he spent lavishly until it was gone), and went on to become a successful butler. I was especially fascinated by his brief stint as a butler to the Kroc family.

The best parts of this book are the inclusion of letters to his children and friends.

Poignant at times, but otherwise hilarious!!!.......2004-04-23

What a life!! Mr. Edward Everett Tanner (a.k.a. "Pat"...Patrick Dennis...Virginia Rowans) did EVERYthing, wasn't afraid of ANYthing. From the experiences of his deep and lifelong commitment to friends, to wife and children, sprang all of the side-splitting laughter he has left us---"Auntie Mame", though definitely his chef-d'ouvre, is nonetheless only a small part of the body of his extensive work.

Too bad it took him the better part of his life to come out to himself---maybe it would have made a difference in his literary output, since so much of his comedy was tied to then-clandestine camp. But who knows or cares? Any man who can find humor even in the penury of his last years is a creative genius on any level.

You'll laugh often, and out loud, and get some great lines for cocktail conversation!!

Glad I followed my own judgement!.......2004-04-23

I was in a quandry about which book on Patrick Dennis I would buy and after reading a few of the rather scathing reviews of this one I almost passed it. Glad I changed my mind! If you are the kind of person who is in love with the witty language displayed by the likes of Dennis, I can certainly see why the prose style of this straightforward non-fiction book might be off putting. However, I found it a clean read, fair minded, extremely well researched and, as someone who didn't know much about the era or the author, I appreciated the fact that some things were explained to me. I wasn't born yet and can't have been expected to gain this knowledge through cultural osmosis. I wasn't writhing with glee over the charming language, I was absorbed by the information in the book. One reviewer on this site went into a tizzy because the author actually had the temerity to explain the culture of "camp", as if all of us live in an urban atmosphere and can expect to be surrounded by witty drag goddesses. Some of us just don't live in that world and appreciate contextualization of the subculture that helps to explain the eccentric Dennis. I was touched in particular by some of the details of Dennis's life, such as his night time encounter with a German soldier who stole his cigarettes but left him otherwise unharmed and richer for a map back to his own troops. That kind of story is gold. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Interesting life, poorly written........2003-07-15

I was interested in this book after recently enjoying "Little Me" and I was especially curious about how that book was created and the "cast". I was especially interested in whatever-happened-to Jeri Archer, who portrayed Belle Poitrine in such a delightful way.

Unfortunately, the author simply quotes the photographer's (Cris Alexander) extremely spiteful comments about her, without any balancing commentary. An incident detailed in the book describes the source of the enmity: halfway through the shoot, Jeri Archer demanded double her promised fee to continue, creating bad blood and ill-feeling. Although she later expressed regret at her hardball tactics, the photographer Alexander is merciless in denigrating her in this book. A casual reader would gather that she was a mere prostitute pulled off the street for the project, when in fact she was an actress who had appeared in plays and vaudeville burlesques, worked as a model for both high fashion and Good Housekeeping, and did voiceover work for commercials.
In "Uncle Mame" Alexander crassly describes how many sex acts she would have to perform to earn the same amount as for "Little Me", insinuates strongly that she was a prostitute, calling her an "operator".

It strikes me as extremely unfair on several counts: most importantly,her portrayal of Belle Poitrine contributed immeasurably to the book's success; she played the role extremely well, and humorously; and as the endnote of "Little Me" attests, over half the costumes and jewelry used in the shoots were her own.

I only wish that the photographer's comments were balanced with some overview of her career and her contribution to "Little Me"- her expressions had me in stitches 42 years later, and I think it saddening that she is so denigrated in this book . She portrayed a gold -digger and acted like one- so what? Hollywood actresses do it all the time.

The final sloppy insult: in the endnotes to "Uncle Mame" it says that Jeri Archer died of cancer "ca. 1970" Circa? We're not talking about ancient history here, just lazy research and smears upon the person who helped make "Little Me" such a classic. She deserves better , I think.

Other than this, I found it very poorly written, chronologically incoherent at times, and the author is given to undignified,subjective declarations( "it was fabulous!") and tiresome attempts to explain "camp" humor.

Stranger than Fiction.......2002-09-03

This is an excellent biography of someone who was larger in life than his most famous creation. If you wrote it as a novel, no one would ever believe it, especially the denouement. The writing is droll and wise. This is well worth reading by anyone who loves farce or the theatre.

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Uncle Mame: The Life of Patrick Dennis
Eric Myers
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQIM5Q

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