The Baglady Papers
Alexandra Penney
Reviewers of Penney’s book panned it , calling her “entitled”, “rich” and “whiny”. Clearly, none of them bothered to read more than the dust jacket…if that. Penney lost her life savings which she had scrimped and pinched through years of hard, exhausting work. She talks about the sickening shock of going from something to nothing in a moment.
Last Thursday at around 5 p.m., I had just checked on a rising cheese soufflé in my oven when my best friend called.
“Heard Madoff’s been arrested,” she said. “I hope it’s a rumor. Doesn’t he handle most of your money?”
Indeed, he did. More than a decade ago, when I was in my late 40s, I handed over my life savings to...
My Fair Lazy
Jen Lancaster
Not Lancaster’s best memoir to date, but still a hoot. Her realization that she was becoming a moron, wits dulled by reality tv, inspired her to try to improve her mind a la Eliza Doolittle. Lancaster chronicles her attempts at reading literature, going to plays, trying new foods and listening to opera. There are, of course, her usual slip-ups, hilarious stories and lots of swearing. Not sure I’d want to hang out with her, but her books are a fun read
American Shaolin
Matt Polly
Chinese kung-fu is one of the most glorious examples of obsessive-compulsive behavior in the history of human culture.
There is a certain type of person who needs something to hang onto, make their own and Focus On (yes, with caps). For some reason, martial arts (and religion) seem to draw these folks to them. Polly is a kind of uber-obsessive in that he actually moved to China to study kung-fu at the Shoalin temple. Like anything portrayed in Hollywood movies it is both completely different and yet exactly as portrayed. Polly’s outsider exuberance and overwhelming desire to fit in is at times rather sad and pathetic. Yet I can’t help admire him for giving his all and truly immersing himself in his quest for knowledge. He ...
Jesus Freaks – A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge
Don Lattin
Touching on its early history, leaders of the movement and testimony of ex- and current members, Lattin presents a creepy portrait of the Children of God cult, otherwise known as The Family. The book loosely follows the life of David Berg, the charismatic and manipulative leader, and his chosen disciple, Ricky Rodriguez. Lattin tells the story of the rise of the cult, the death of Berg and Rodriguez’s murder of Sue Kauten in an attempt to find and kill his own abusive mother and save his sister. I’m surprised Hollywood hasn’t made a movie yet – or have they?
The Urban Hermit
Sam Macdonald
Sam Macdonald was a fat, broke failure. His social life consisted of sitting on a bar-stool all night. His apartment, he noted, was the “brownest” place he had ever lived. Mustering the reserves of a truly desperate man, he decided to go on a starvation diet to loose weight and save money. Breakfast – 2 hard-boiled eggs, lunch – cooked lentils and salt, dinner, – lentils and a white-bread and tuna sandwich. It was horrible, but Macdonald stuck it out. While he clearly warns that no one should ever eat like this or follow in his path, it did work for him. He lost nearly half his body weight, paid off his debts and saved...
This Family of Mine
Victoria Gotti
Victoria Gotti, daughter of mafia boss John Gotti, writes a surprisingly articulate and interesting tell-all about her life in relation to the mafia. She chronicles her father’s early life and his various successes and failures. Some of Gotti’s claims of innocence for her father and brother should be taken with a grain (block) of salt. On the whole, however, Gotti gives a clear and honest look at what a trying and hard life it can be having family who are “made men.” She tells of endless prison visits, her failing health, stress, desires for children, her writing career and the benefits and problems associated with a last name like Gotti....