Our Life on the Run: A Story of Running 50 Marathons in 50 States--A Family Quest Review

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Our Life on the Run: A Story of Running 50 Marathons in 50 States--A Family Quest ReviewAs a devoted recreational runner and multiple marathoner, I presumed I would enjoy this book from the perspective of a likeminded athlete. The nicest surprise, however, was how much heart the author displayed while telling his interesting story of becoming a 50-state marathon finisher.
His devotion to his family, his patriotism and his drive are evidenced on every page and likely to inspire even non-runners to take on new challenges and set & achieve new goals. Keesler's writing style is simple and direct and his anecdotes are told with a forthright warmth and good nature that make a reader feel as if he's the nice fellow next door.
This is a little book that sneaks up on you in surprising ways and leaves you with a good feeling about fatherhood and fellowship. My only regret is that there is no resource guide for all the various racing events and tourist attractions mentioned throughout...perhaps that can be added in a future edition.Our Life on the Run: A Story of Running 50 Marathons in 50 States--A Family Quest Overview

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Notes on a Life Review

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Notes on a Life ReviewConsider the problem of the wife who has a successful husband and has for decades put him and their family first, and her own aspirations second. It's not a novel problem, but is instead too common to be of much interest: let's just count on the woman to take care of herself and her family and her career as best she can. The situation might, however, be particularly interesting if the family moves in the highest of Hollywood circles, with many family members involved in moviemaking, and with the wife herself a successful filmmaker, artist, and memoirist. In the beginning of _Notes on a Life_ (Nan A. Talese), Eleanor Coppola says, "I am an observer at heart," and this is manifestly true, but she is also a reporter, whether in her movie _Hearts of Darkness_ which is a documentary about the making of _Apocalypse Now_ by her husband Francis Ford Coppola, or in her previous book which was a memoir of the making of that film, or in her other films about her children's films. As fits a memoir from a devoted and dutiful wife and mother, this is a book mostly about her family and about how she has cared for them. It may have all happened in extraordinary circles, but it is delightful to read this candid memoir and realize that for all the working trips to exotic locales, and the house in Napa Valley, and hobnobbing with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Eleanor Coppola's marriage and family are a lot like anyone else's. They come with problems, and she works on them, and gets things done, and she quite clearly loves what she and they have managed to accomplish.
An idea follows her all through the decades covered in the diary entries here: "I have an ongoing internal war, a conflict between wanting to be a good wife and mother and also to draw, paint, design, write and shoot videos. I focus on the family and imagine there will be time for my interests, but there rarely is." She does manage to make time for herself, but it isn't easy, and there were times she was deeply depressed. Her book often reflects on how she managed to solve the problem in her own ways, knowing that the problem was never completely solved any more than her children's (or husband's) problems were completely out of her thoughts. She has had to be an itinerant mom at Easter times: "I hid eggs in the hotel room in Trieste during _Godfather II_, in the tropical foliage at our house in Manila during _Apocalypse Now_, in the city park in Tulsa during _The Outsiders_, and in the apartment in NYC during _Cotton Club_." As she looks for her place in all this, it might be that she could come off as a whining overprivileged yuppie, but she maintains an amused tone and is constantly self deprecating. She is happiest when her family is all around her, and Frances seems to be the same way. She always has doubts about how well she is taking care of all of them, but she does love the job. When her daughter Sofia was working on Sofia's movie _Lost in Translation_, Eleanor went to see her in Japan: "As we hugged I could feel her thin arms and shoulders. I was glad I'd brought her a Tupperware container of chocolate chip cookies." There are paths not taken, and she is imaginative enough to wonder about them, but has little reason to regret where her eventual path has taken her.
_Notes_ is indeed excerpts from Coppola's notebook, arranged by general themes, with flashbacks through the decades to an old entry as a memory is triggered. Much of it is sweet, and some is deeply sad. A lot is funny; for a scene in _Dracula_, we are introduced to an unusual assistant on the film who is helping in a scene with Tom Waits: "The bug wrangler was standing nearby. He had several additional tins of maggots and beetles. He occasionally prodded the contents of Tom's plate to make sure they were all moving." There are lots of stars wandering through her life, of course. Note, for instance, Brando, whom she met on the set of _The Godfather_: "It was the first time I really understood what charisma was ... I felt as if I were standing in a special beam of light and he found me utterly fascinating." Through all the book, though, are notes of a creative woman taking (usually) the conventional marital role: "Over the years I stopped whatever it was I was doing to go on location with Francis and the children. I sincerely tried to be a good wife and mother to my family. For a variety of reasons, I haven't created a body of notable work in my life when many around me have, and I haven't yet made peace with that truth." I'd venture to guess that even if she had more exhibits, more documentaries, and more books to her name, she'd still have the artist's hunger to do more. There is also the mom's worry that she wasn't doing more for her children, a worry she is letting go of now that they are not children. Worries aside, "long consistent body of work" aside, _Notes_ is a beautifully written record of a life lived well, with the right priorities of convention assumed and convention shunned.
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Prison Stories Review

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Prison Stories ReviewSince I am Seth's mother, you may think that I would be biased towards his work, and I guess that I am. It's been difficult the last ten years watching Seth as he struggled each and every day with being locked up. Reading his novel, Prison Stories, was very difficult from me since I know that he is living the stories he is depicting in his book. All that I can say is that this book is as accurate a look at what prisons today are really like as one is likely to get. He certainly tells the stories of prison life exactly as he is living them. His writing style is hard hitting and direct. His language is accurate and correctly reflects what he hears day in and day out. Seth has always told me that the overriding difficuly that he has always had in prison is the mindboggling boredom that being locked up in a cage has on a vibrant mind. If you want to read about today's federal prisons as they truly are, read Seth's book. One can almost feel his frustration at being in a situation that does not foster intellectual endeavors. Life in prison is a daily dose of just surviving. A prisoner doesn't have to wonder where his next awful meal is coming from or where he will lay his head down, but he does have to wonder how he will be able to get through another day and keep his sanity. I encourage you to read this book. If you are the parent of a teen who is flirting with the danger of a criminal activity, give it to him or her to read. I promise you that after reading this novel, he or she will not want to be a part of what Seth and the other prisoners live daily. It's a great eye-opener!! Good work, Seth!! I'm proud of you.Prison Stories Overview

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POPCORN POPPIN ON THE APRICOT TREE Review

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POPCORN POPPIN ON THE APRICOT TREE ReviewThis is a great book with amazing characters. Written so you can understand and sympathize with Annie Peters and her siblings. I was not brought up Catholic but I can still relate to the characters which I find to be the mark of a great writer. I can't wait for the next book Faith Ann!POPCORN POPPIN ON THE APRICOT TREE Overview

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As I Am, A True Story of Adaptation to Physical Disability Review

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As I Am, A True Story of Adaptation to Physical Disability ReviewA few times in a lifetime, we come upon a person or a story that impacts us so deeply our entire field of awareness is altered. It may open our eyes to a whole new world we'd never considered before, compel us to study a new philosophy, or possibly give us a new hero to place above all previous heroes. A time such as this came to me when Garret Lee Frey entered my life in a most unexpected way. I met him between the covers of As I Am, a most touching book and his first effort at sharing his story and his incredible life.
At the time I met Garret, he was a "nearly five year old boy." A child filled with wonderment, Garret reveled in all his god-given senses and was driven to explore the "the world around him." He loved the April breeze on his cheeks, the nature presented to him by the row of evergreens that filled his back yard with the sweet aroma of pine.
Garret had no premonition of the approaching moment in time in which life, as he knew and understood it, would come to an end . . . "I do not remember the day I was born and I do not remember the day that I died. I only remember my life `As I Am.'"
It was April 24, 1987. Garret jumped for joy into his father's arms when he showed up at the babysitter's home to pick him up. In the driveway, sat his father's shiny motorcycle. His dad had previously taken him and his older brother for short rides in the neighborhood, always paying careful heed to the helmet laws and rules for cycle safety, but this would be the longest ride Garret had ever taken before. A full mile from the babysitter's home to his own with a promised stop for bubble gum on the way. Seated safely, helmet in place, Garret was ready for the ride of his life. But, the mysteries of fate were at hand.
Garret had forgotten his trusty yellow scarf, his favorite security blanket, that special thing in the life of a four year old. Understanding, his father went back to retrieve the scarf and tied it securely around Garret's neck, tucking the tied ends inside his jacket. An extra measure of warmth on a breezy April day. Soon, Garret was reveling in the wind on his face, planning his out-of-doors play on the arrival home, and anticipating the sweet, spicy taste of his favorite bubble gum. As his curious mind was taken in by the joys of life around him, he vowed to live each day to its fullest. Then, fate entered in. Garret was about to experience a course change he could never have imagined.
In that miniscule flash of time, the beginnings of Garret's story were written. The destiny of his life's journey would also become the journey of those closest to him, dedicated parents, family, and one most special friend. Over the years, many other lives walked parts of this journey with Garret. Precedents were set, and barriers broken down that will affect generations to come, especially in education. Now, through a magnificent effort on the part of Garret and that one special friend, Dr. Karen Pirnot, we all have been invited to walk a while by his side.
For me, an attempt to guide the reader's perceptions with a typical written review critiquing my own journey with Garret and Dr. Pirnot would fall far short. It would sadly lack the power which lies between the pages of As I Am. Only Garret can tell his story.
Yet, after my own walk with Garret and Dr. Pirnot, I can offer this insight . . . Anyone who loves beauty, the power and glory of Nature working with the power of mind and Spirit, will be moved. Anyone who admires courage, determination, and the perseverance of the wind itself, will be touched. Anyone who has wandered on the edge of peril and despair will be given hope. Anyone who has already fallen over the cliff will be lifted up. Anyone who lacks a real hero in their life will find one in Garret Lee Frey.
Susan Haley, Author,Editor
RAINY DAY PEOPLE
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As I Am, A True Story of Adaptation to Physical Disability Overview

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