At Any Cost: How Al Gore Tried to Steal the Election Review

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At Any Cost: How Al Gore Tried to Steal the Election ReviewI agree with the reviewer from Melbourne and know many people who where going to vote for Bush but didn't only because of the fiasco in the media announcing Al Gore as the winner and that polls were closed.And how about all of the Military votes, many which would have gone to Bush whch were thrown out!A perfect example of Democratic Misbehavior.At Any Cost: How Al Gore Tried to Steal the Election Overview

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The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town Review

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The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town ReviewThe phrase "Grisham book" and word "important" aren't often found in the same sentence, but John Grisham's 2006 non-fiction book, "The Innocent Man", allows me to state that Grisham has now written the most important book of his mega-successful career, and one of the most important I've read by any author.
The book recounts two murders in the small town of Ada, Oklahoma. Both victims are young women. In both cases, the local and state police investigating the case are stumped. But with a toxic blend of extremely circumstantial "evidence", shocking crime scene photos, junk science, inexpert experts, jailhouse snitches and critical "dream confessions" induced by near-torture tactics, the police pin the murders on four young men of the area, two per murder.
The "innocent man" of the title is 30-something ne'er-do-well Ron Williamson, a schoolboy baseball star whose dreams of playing in Yankee Stadium dissolve in the low minors in a mix of arm injuries, booze and the onset of mental illness. By the time of the murder that consumes most of Grisham's tale, Williamson has washed up back home in Ada, and deservedly earned a reputation as a loudmouth loose cannon of sorts. Still his worst crime is passing a $300 phony check.
Skipping forward quickly, Williamson becomes the focus of the police's investigation and ultimately finds himself on death row in an Oklahoma criminal justice system whose aim seems to be to continuously reduce the amount of respect shown to death row inmates until it reaches zero. Shrewd detectives that they are, the police "know" that there's a second killer because of a misspelled warning message written in catsup at the scene, "dont chase us or ealse." Enter suspect two, single father Dennis Fritz, whose main crime is to be a friend of Williamson.
I'll stop here regarding the "plot", even though this is a news story and you could look it up. While novelistic in format, "The Innocent Man" reads more like a newspaper report, or like a lawyer dispassionately recounting the facts of a case. (Well after awhile not so dispassionately, as the injustices against the accused and then convicted men pile up.) The issues raised by the case and brought to light by Grisham cover the gamut of criminal justice - abuse of police power, single-minded focus on particular suspects and deliberate ignorance of others, near-torture-induced confessions, prosecutorial arrogance, lack of resources provided to defendants, mishandling of evidence, coercion of expert witnesses, use of junk science to dazzle a jury, the general and mistaken belief by the community that the police only arrest guilty parties, and most compellingly in Williamson's case, the inability of the criminal justice system to recognize and deal humanely with mentally ill prisoners.
My wife read the almost 450-page paperback version in one day. She then bugged me to read it for several days until I interrupted my second attempt at Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer: A Novel and dove in. Even while sick, I finished it in a day-and-a-half. After his disappointing novella "Bleachers", I'd pretty much written off Grisham (never have considered him much better an airplane read in the first place), but I'm deeply grateful to him to recognizing the power of this story and bringing to the attention of so many people with this fine book. I also salute him for sticking to the non-fiction format, resisting the novelist's urge to fictionalize the story and embellish it with tie-ins to the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11 and the like. "The Innocent Man" may not stand up as literature to recently-deceased Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song, but it's still a great book--the best true-crime story I've read with the most important messages about America's criminal justice system and its generally unrecognized threat to innocent men and women everywhere (and especially in Ada, OK where the DA that prosecuted the cases is still in office).
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Since Then: How I Survived Everything and Lived to Tell About it Review

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Since Then: How I Survived Everything and Lived to Tell About it ReviewIn Aspen Colorado a few years ago at xmas, I came across a poster advertising a concert given by CPR featuring David Crosby. CPR? CSN+/-Y, yes, but...Pevar and Raymond? Hmmm. MUST be sold out. Box office lady: tickets are available. Hmm, doesn't that mean this will suck? "No, its because it's the 23rd and most folks don't show up in Aspen till the 26th, and this concert was a last minute booking, it should be a real treat." I buy two tickets.
Night of the show, sold out, killer crowd, my date bailed due to a dinner party, i gave the other ticket to someone on the street (proves I had no idea what was in store, bc if I had I would have been calling friends all over town), went inside, worried, what will Mr. Crosby's voice sound like these days. Didn't he almost die about ten times over the past years, and who are these guys he's playing with?
1st thing, Pevar is playing with the warm up band, and he's just amazing even though I don't know its him till intermisson. Then the show. David emerges...a white haired sage from a medieval movie, his buddha's "Hello" as he walks onto stage just somehow instantly heartwarming. There's a big drum set, a bass player, a young keyboardist. Great energy in the room. Then, an explosion of pure voices in the high altitude air, jazzy, complex, rich music, David's voice faltering every once in a while due to the altitude (8,000 feet), but lent a clarity in the upper registers that I've never heard before. The drummer is killer. The bass player solid & perfect. Pevar, spectacular. And the keyboardist is James Raymond, Crosby's son (!?) -- and there is a palpable loving energy between them. Song after amazing song, one of the nicest musical nights of my life. All a suprise.
That evening was a gateway for me into the world of Neil Young's solo work, the many CPR recordings, a few more CPR concerts, a benefit concert with Crosby/Nash/Raymond/Pevar in Solvang, and all the non-hit CSN/Y stuff I'd never really listened to. But ever since then, I've been wondering: how did David have a son by a different last name and what is their relationship beyond their wondeful musical collaboration? How did he find Pevar? Who is Pevar? How did drummer Stevie Stanislau find them? What is up with Neil Young? What complex and amazing story was playing out on that stage that made it so magical? Was it magical, or was I just imagining it?
Well, for me, this book is a continuation of the gift I received that evening. It explains the remarkable story of David's recent years picking up around the Jan. 1994 Northridge earthquake. Like Crosby's music, the life is complex, authentic, maddening, hilarious, uplifting, and unimaginable -- which is why you have to read the book. So many great moments and stories. So interesting to watch this man evolve and wear his life's mantle as a messenger/sentinel with such humor/wit/grace through triumph and tragedy alike. So wonderful to get to know all the incredible people in his life. I loved it!
Ps: The story about how, recently reuintied, James plays David a tape of a song he composed to accompany some lyrics David tossed to him about Jim Morrison...David goes to Jame's house and they listen to the tape in James' beat up pick up truck b/c his house stereo isn't as good while his wife watches them, heart in throat, from inside the house, and David is blown away and realizing his son is a very gifted man who he really wants to work with alot more. Well, that was one of the sweetest things I've ever read.Since Then: How I Survived Everything and Lived to Tell About it Overview

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Soccer Dad: A Father, a Son, and a Magic Season Review

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Soccer Dad: A Father, a Son, and a Magic Season ReviewMy husband and I could relate to this book on many levels. Our children are much younger than his son but, as this author retells stories of his boy growing up in soccer and his passion for the sport, we could have inserted ourselves into the pages of this book. Wetherell's casual style of writing was enjoyable, although at times it seemed a bit wordy and off topic (a few small tangents I could have done without). Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I chuckled out loud more than a few times and even shed a tear when I could relate so personally. Wetherell draws you into his family and into himself in such a way that any sports parent could relate.Soccer Dad: A Father, a Son, and a Magic Season Overview

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The Blood of Lambs: A Former Terrorist's Memoir of Death and Redemption Review

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The Blood of Lambs: A Former Terrorist's Memoir of Death and Redemption Review"The Blood of Lambs" is a gut-wrenching autobiography by former terrorist Kamal Saleem (not his real name). With the assistance of Lynn Vincent, the memoir of this former terrorist's road from horrific existence to redemption is graphically laid out for the reader, offering understanding into how a terrorist is manufactured by an aggressive culture. A review on the cover calls this a riveting read, and it certainly is! Saleem recounts his experiences from the tender age of FOUR YEARS OLD that led to his becoming a feared Islamic warrior. Now, his calling is to courageously defend America and awaken the people of the land he loves to awareness of the terrorist threat with which he used to be affiliated. This is an engrossing and shocking read that is bound to change the reader's perspective on our world.
This is an emotional, engrossing and educational read.The Blood of Lambs: A Former Terrorist's Memoir of Death and Redemption Overview

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How to Write a Damn Good Mystery: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide from Inspiration to Finished Manuscript Review

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How to Write a Damn Good Mystery: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide from Inspiration to Finished Manuscript ReviewDespite its drawbacks, How to _Write a Damn Good Mystery: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide from Inspiration to Finished Manuscript_ is the best book I have yet read on writing a mystery. For a step-by-step guide to mystery writing, I found it more flexible, more readable and less stuffy than _The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery_. _How to Write a Damn Good Mystery_ offers excellent guidance for character creation, but I would recommend _Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors_ by Brandilyn Collins, which goes into character creation in greater depth, as supplemental reading.
I highly recommend _How to Write a Damn Good Mystery : A Practical Step-by-Step Guide from Inspiration to Finished Manuscript_ with two caveats:
1. The author often offers his opinion as fact.
2. The book sometimes reads like an advertisement for the author's other how-to-write-fiction books.
Jim Frey mentions his other how-to-write-fiction books about twenty times during the course of this 267 page book. At an average of one plug every thirteen pages, that doesn't sound too bad. But, Frey tends to begin chapters by talking about his other books, which quickly becomes repetitious and grated on my nerves because I thought it unnecessary: Don't tell me what you said in another book, just tell me again in this book. I can only recall one place where he mentioned a fiction book he wrote. This may be because all the mystery novels he has written are now out of print.
Jim Frey uses his ten years of teaching experience to justify some of his opinions, which he presents as facts. Jim's mystery novels are all out of print and he appears to be making a living putting on writing workshops and writing how-to-write-fiction books. This makes me a little wary due to the old truism, "Those who can do; those who can't teach."
One of Frey's opinions, presented as a fact, is that you must have a plan before you begin writing fiction. Read interviews of your favorite writers and you will notice that they all have different writing habits and approach their work in different ways. For instance in one interview, Elmore Leonard said: "I have no idea where it's going. I have no idea how it will end. I just start it. Sometimes, Chapter 1 will become Chapter 2 or 3; one time it became Chapter 10. I don't plot the whole book out. I'd rather not know what's going to happen myself." Dean Koontz, in _Writing Bestselling Fiction_, also suggests that beginning writers start with an outline, but admits that is not the way he writes. Elmore Leonard and Dean Koontz are best-selling authors, whose books are still in print. They and many other authors I have read recognize that the creative process can be different for each writer. It drove me nuts every time that Jim Frey presented his experience a fact or as the only way to perform a particular writing task.
Frey also offered examples that showed how his method fits in with those presented by other authors. One I can think of is what he calls a "mini-scene" which Swain and Bickman call a sequel. I gravitate toward the practical and examples and Frey offers the ultimate example by walking you step-by-step through creating the characters and plot in write-along mystery, Murder in Montana. He also goes into how to actually write a scene and revise it through the final draft. This example is great and I wish he spent more time "where the rubber meets the road," with the actual writing process.
_How to Write a Damn Good Mystery_ is easy to read, and offers good sound advice (if you take the author's opinions as just that) presented in logical, step-by-step approach. Here's what I took away from Frey's book in the order he recommends:
1. Start with creating the murderer using concepts from Lajos Egri's _The Art of Dramatic Writing_: creating the physiology, sociology, and psychology of the character and giving the character a ruling passion.
2. Creation of the murder and what Frey calls the "plot behind the plot": the plot line of the murder from the murderer's perspective. Write a journal in the voice of the character [I find this very practical as this type of writing is very close to fiction writing].
3. Create the detective, then 2-3 false suspects, and the other characters who will people the novel. Create journals in the voice of each of these characters.
4. Create what Frey calls a stepsheet, which is a plot outline for the entire novel that also shows what happened outside the scenes to appear in the book.
5. Speed write a first draft, writing important dialogue, but summarizing action in all-caps [the way action is summarized in a screenplay]. The idea is to get through the first draft in a few days.
6. Polished prose is actually prose that has been rewritten many times: rewrite the story 15-20 times, then polish the prose, bettering bits of it hear and there 30-40 times more.
7. Learn how to write good prose by typing 2-3 pages a day, verbatim, from a novel of a highly accomplished author. Then try to write a page in the same style.
I found a lot to like in this book. I will be reading it again, but I'll skip over the parts that grate, and concentrate on the golden nuggets. On a scale of one to ten, I'd give _How to Write a Damn Good Mystery : A Practical Step-by-Step Guide from Inspiration to Finished Manuscript_ a solid eight.How to Write a Damn Good Mystery: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide from Inspiration to Finished Manuscript Overview

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A Treasury of Miracles for Women: True Stories of God's Presence Today Review

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A Treasury of Miracles for Women: True Stories of God's Presence Today Review***** Once again, Ms. Kingsbury does what she does best, move our hearts with stories that bring a smile to your face while you wipe tears from your eyes. Throughout this small collection of true stories, time and again, you are inspired with true accounts of people whose faith has sustained them and who encounter what can only be termed miraculous. Most often, the simple faith of a child is what stands out as the key ingredient. However, people of all ages experience these miracles, and once you read about them, you will begin to look for the same in your own life. *****
Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.A Treasury of Miracles for Women: True Stories of God's Presence Today Overview

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Delivered from Evil: True Stories of Ordinary People Who Faced Monstrous Mass Killers and Survived Review

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Delivered from Evil: True Stories of Ordinary People Who Faced Monstrous Mass Killers and Survived ReviewYour life can change in an instant. Life is fragile. Be productive. Make your life meaningful. Make your family proud. Life must go on. It has to. My dad was 12 years old the morning of September, 6 1949, when his world would be forever altered. Life as he knew it was over. As he hid in an upstairs closet, his father, mother and grandmother were brutally slaughtered along with 10 other victims. Thirteen dead, many wounded, with repercussions still felt today, 61 years later. The story of my dad, like the stories of all of the survivors in this book, is that life must go on. Will it ever be the same, will the pre-violence innocence ever be restored? What is the legacy passed onto the children of these survivors? Was it a deep dark family secret that held shame and created a legacy of fear? How does life go on after unthinkable tragedy.
Ron Franscell captured the essence of each of the survivors' voices in this unique and well researched homage to the spirit of human resilience. I can attest to the accuracy of my dad's story because I watched the level of detail that Ron absorbed for his story alone. My dad had crammed 60 years of history into a suitcase that held newspaper clippings from the darkest days of his life. My dad saved clippings about his own unthinkable tragedy, but he also would save stories about other killings over the decades. He felt the pain of the survivors each time another event unfolded in the news. He would call his kids and say, "did you hear about....., are you ok? Be safe."
My dad wanted his story told, not for the public recognition, but for educational purposes. He wanted people to know that survivors are among us and life does go on beyond the tragedy. His life was a testament to a life lived with purpose and conviction. Ron Franscell gained my father's trust after many months of being phone buddies. My dad would call Ron when oh yet another mass shooting would take place. Ron and my dad became friends.
There are 10 survivor stories in this book. Each one horrific and mind bending. The thread that runs through each of them is that these people survived and even thrived in the face of the most unimaginable tragedies and horror. Life does go on. It must. Sadly, for my dad, he did not live to see this book published. Ron and my dad never met in person. The week Ron came out to interview my dad on what was the 60th anniversary of the murders, turned out instead to be the day we buried my dad. He had a massive stroke as Ron was driving cross country to meet him. He and Ron were going to visit the site on Sept 6, 2009. Instead, Ron attended my dad's funeral and comforted my family in our loss and confusion. But life does go on. It has to.Delivered from Evil: True Stories of Ordinary People Who Faced Monstrous Mass Killers and Survived Overview

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Portrait of a Monster: Joran van der Sloot, a Murder in Peru, and the Natalee Holloway Mystery Review

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Portrait of a Monster: Joran van der Sloot, a Murder in Peru, and the Natalee Holloway Mystery ReviewFor those like me who developed a strong case of Natalee fatigue, a new book will cure you. After years of wall-to-wall press coverage of a case obviously going nowhere, I became immune to the story. Anytime a "new lead" came up, I turned off the TV, knowing the clue was phony. While I sympathized with the Twittys and Holloways, I just got to the point that I no longer wanted to hear about the case.
But I recently read Portrait of a Monster and it changed my mind. The authors, both long-time true crime authors, are masterful in their portrayal of the two crimes attributed to Joran Van der Sloot: the disappearance of Natalee Holloway and the murder of Stephany Flores. Armed with court documents, police reports, interviews with many of those involved in the case, and photographs of the crime scenes, the authors vividly recreate the two crimes.
Holloway vanished in Aruba in 2005 while on a trip with her high school senior class. The last person known to have seen her alive was Van der Sloot. While he was never charged with kidnapping or murdering her, he changed his story dozens of times. Finally, he fled Aruba for the Netherlands, Thailand, and finally, Peru.
It was there at the casinos that he met Flores, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. When Van der Sloot realized that Flores had several thousand dollars on her, he lured her to his hotel room. Three days after he checked out, she was found dead--beaten, strangled, and smothered.
Portrait of a Monster is the definitive account of these cases. While Joran Van der Sloot awaits trial in Peru, the families of Natalee Holloway and Stephany Flores still grieve.
I recommend this book to all true crime fanatics.Portrait of a Monster: Joran van der Sloot, a Murder in Peru, and the Natalee Holloway Mystery Overview

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Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon (Crown Journeys) Review

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Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon (Crown Journeys) ReviewLet me start by saying that I didn't pick this book up 'cause I'm a huge Chuck P fan. I liked the film of his book Fight Club, but the only novel of his I've read is Choke, and I found it to be muddled and rather weak. However, I did live in Portland for four years in the early '90s, when I was going to college there, so this seemed like a cool book to check out. Palahniuk's vibe is clearly aimed at the 15-50 quirkster/hipster demographic, and he hits on all cylinders with his portrait of the city nicknamed "Little Beirut" by Ronald Reagan and George Bush the Elder.
The book is broken up into twelve chapters. "Talk the Talk" presents the key bits of PDX slang you'll need to sound like a local (most of which were unknown to me). "Quests" lists fourteen different "adventures" or things to do in and around the city. Samples include visiting the famous self-cleaning house, or spending an afternoon in eviction court. "Chow" is on food, of course, and is probably the most disappointing chapter. "Haunts" lists sixteen places to commune with ghosts and spirits in places like haunted hotels and bathrooms. "Souvenirs" is a throwaway two-page chapter listing five offbeat places to buy stuff. "Unholy Relics" is a list of nine offbeat museums, like the Vacuum Cleaner Museum.
"Getting Off" is the longest chapter, and as one might guess, it's all about the city's sex scene, from strip bars to swinger clubs. Notable is the annual "I-Tit-A-Rod" race, in which the goal is to visit as many strip clubs in twelve hours as possible (no one has come close to making all fifty). A more genteel chapter follows this, highlighting the city's more interesting gardens and parks. "Getting Around" is a relatively tame hodgepodge of transportation related sights, including a decommissioned nuclear submarine. "Animal Acts" is almost entirely about the Portland Zoo, with small sections about the feral cats of Portland Stadium, and a few pug-related items. "The Shanghai Tunnels" is about Portland's legendary tunnel system and the
variety of tours one can take through them.
Palahniuk moved to Portland after graduating high school in 1981, and separating each chapter are "postcards" of his time in the city. These are brief stories and escapades that chart a chronological course of his becoming more and more involved in Portland. Particularly hilarious are his tales of the annual "Santa Rampage" (imagine several hundred Santas battling riot police), and an end of the millennium party at the old Baghdad Theater. As a whole, the book is not one likely to be endorsed by the Portland Visitors Bureau, which is kind of the whole point of it. Like any city, Portland's civic leaders would like to present a shiny, happy facade of bland progress. Fortunately, we now have Palahniuk's valuable unsugarcoated portrait, one which only someone who truly loves the city could have penned.Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon (Crown Journeys) Overview

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How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners (Revised & Updated Edition) Review

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How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners (Revised & Updated Edition) Review"How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend" is an excellent reference book for the first time dog owner and trainer. As well as the normal chapters on how to choose, socialise, feed, groom and train a puppy, the Monks cover topics as varied as how to read a puppy's pedigree, how to massage your dog, and how your dog's living environment will impact upon his training needs.
Unlike many training manuals, the Monks of New Skete strike a nice balance between "dominance" based training methods and formal training. The Monks stress the importance of earning your dog's trust and respect and the importance of being a strong pack leader for your dog; they also recognise the need for formal training, and spend several chapters explaining how this is best accomplished. Most training books are heavily biased towards one or other method, so it is nice to read a book which realises that both are ingredients in successful dog training.
The training methods discussed are fairly traditional, with the Monks either luring or gently moulding the dog into shape, then praising. However they also advocate classically conditioning a positive reinforcer (keys jingling), which can then be used at strategic times to help a dog relax; and they do discuss and recommend clicker methods for "sensitive" dogs.
Contrary to some reviews posted below, the Monks of New Skete do in fact advocate using plenty of positive reinforcement in their training. Confusion on this issue probably stems from the fact that the Monks do not advocate constantly using food treats while training. However, food treats are not the only positive reinforcement method available to a trainer. As the Monks point out "Food treats are an extremely effective motivator to help dogs learn...however, they are not meant to replace sincere verbal and physical praise." The Monks advocate that puppies are regularly praised, petted and played with during training. Punishment only ever comes after a dog has been shown an exercise multiple times and fully understands what is required of it, and far from being harsh or abusive, is normally limited to stern eye contact or a verbal growl. Scruff shakes and chin cuffs are reserved for the worst transgressions. The Monks take care to emphasise that any punishment used should be immediate, fair and consistent.
There are certainly gaps in this book. The "Problem Solving" section is rudimentary at best (for example, the section on interdog aggression only recommends limiting the dog's opportunity to mark territory, desexing him and muzzling him!). Readers with a problem dog would be well advised to get some more indepth resources regarding their dog's particular problem. The obedience exercises covered are quite limited, covering only the sit, down, stay, heel and recall. Owners wishing to teach their dogs more advanced exercises will need to seek additional resources. It is also disappointing that the Monks only discuss one method of teaching each exercise. With the plethora of options available today to teach even something as simple as a sit - for example, shaping, luring, capturing - it is a pity the Monks did not discuss several options for training each behaviour.
Despite such flaws, "How to be your Dog's Best Friend" is one of the three training books I generally recommend to new dog owners (the other two are "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell and "The Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson). These three books complement each other very well. "The Other End of the Leash" is a great primer on canine-human communication, whereas "The Culture Clash" is an excellent manual on operant conditioning-based positive training. "How to Be your Dog's Best Friend" both fills in important gaps left by the other two books, and puts the case for kind and fair "traditional" style training.How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners (Revised & Updated Edition) Overview

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My Life, Deleted: A Memoir Review

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My Life, Deleted: A Memoir ReviewI decided to write this review after reading the only one so far--which the reader submitted and didn't even read the book! I am amazed that Amazon would even accept it, so much reference to "Dr. Phil" I think it was written by a staff member. Like this "reviewer," I saw this man's appearance on Dr. Phil and didn't hear the whole story so got the book to fill me in. Unlike the 1st reviewer, I did indeed read the book.

Scott Bolzan, an entrepreneur and former NFL football player, slipped and fell one day in the bathroom in his office building and his life would never be the same. He lost his memory of everything that happened in his lifetime and apparently, will never get it back.
It was an enjoyable read, I finished it in a little less than two days, but some ends are left "loose." A story like this can't have a happy ending, but I think the book should have been published after he and his ever-loving wife Joan renewed their wedding vows. They didn't do it as planned since Scott had his accident and Joan wanted to make sure he really wanted to remarry her, and they postponed it as he was just getting to know her again. Happily, they do fall in love again so it would have been wonderful to repeat their vows since Scott can't remember any of it the first time around. I can only hope they do it sometime in the near future. Also, I got the Kindle edition because I wanted to read it right away and was disappointed there were no pictures. I caught a glimpse of him on "Dr. Phil," but Scott's family was described with such colorful detail it would have been nice to see them so I could picture them in my mind when reading about them. I feel like they were "deleted" as well!
I felt a sort of kinship with Scott as I recently quit my job working as a flight attendant for medical reasons of my own, and I know what it feels like to suddenly have no income. I also was based in Phoenix, where the family lives, so I recognized some of the landmarks mentioned.
He is very courageous. Reading about his predicament caused me to mention to my husband that I hoped he would fall in love with me again if this ever happened to us. This truly is the magic of the book, his wife and family standing by him even though their beloved husband and father is truly a "different person."
My Life, Deleted: A Memoir Overview

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