Here's the Story

ISBN: 9780061490149

Written by: Maureen McCormick

Reviewed by: 24girl

Stars:(5)

“Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.” Oh how this line has plagued Maureen McCormick for years. Inside this book Maureen shares her life in shocking detail. To outsiders she was perfect. Cute, smart and stylish with the talent to match. To outsiders she was Marcia Brady. But few people were privy to the real person with real fears who spent a lot of time literally hiding in closets to escape her demons.

From her humble beginnings as the voice of the Chatty Cathy Doll to her impressive win on Celebrity Fit Club, Maureen’s life is chronicled with nothing held back. “Haunted by the perfection of her television alter ego, Maureen landed on the dark side, caught up in a fast-paced, drug-fueled, star-studded Hollywood existence that ultimately led to the biggest battle of her life.”

I’m amazed at how open Maureen was in this book. As she learned later in life, being open and sharing was the solution to bringing her the peace she never had growing up and even into adulthood. Her story of triumph over the demons that tore her live apart for so many years is encouraging in so many different ways. I highly recommend reading this book especially if you were a Marcia Brady fan or even just casually knowing the character as I did.

Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead

ISBN: 9780061253775

Written by: Saralee Rosenberg

Reviewed by: 24girl

Stars:(3)

I'm sure there are a few people out there that have had experiences with a neighbor who makes you want to put a note in their mailbox that says, "Dear neighbor, drop dead." This is exactly what Mindy Sherman did to her horribly mean neighbor Beth Diamond.

Mindy is an average overweight wife and mom of three who juggles work, carpooling the kids and the stress of just barely managing not to drown in debt while ducking and dodging mean comments from Beth. Beth and her husband seemingly have it all; new cars, a huge immaculate house and two perfect kids. But all is not as it seems... Beth's marriage is about to fall apart at the seams and she has no real friends to turn to. Suddenly she's apologizing for treating Mindy bad in the past and looking for a shoulder to cry on.

Meanwhile Mindy's own family drama is escalating and they've just learned that Mindy's stepson is coming for a visit which eventually turns into a permanent stay. With everything flipping upside down around her, Mindy channels Oprah and Dr. Phil to help make everything right again.

Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead is a funny madcap look into the life of a soccer-mom. Just when you think things might be looking up for Mindy, Beth and their families another bad thing happens and you can't help but laugh. I enjoyed reading this book but the ending was just too "storybook" for me to rate it higher. It’s a quick two/three day read that I do recommend reading if you have the chance.

The Making of The Lords of Flatbush

ISBN: 978-0-9779131-5-2

Written by: Stephen Verona

Reviewed by: EmilioCorsetti

Stars:(2)

The film The Lords of Flatbush is noteworthy on a few accounts. It represents one of the first independent films to achieve a level of success. It was also the first film for two of its stars: Sylvester Stallone and Henry Winkler. So an inside look by the film's writer/director at how all this came to be is a story worth telling. The resulting book succeeds on some levels but disappoints on others.

The story told here by author Stephen Verona reads very much like a first draft. It is unfocused, disjointed, rambling, and comes off more than a bit acrimonious. Despite these flaws, there is some merit to what he has to say. The author would have been better suited had he taken the time to organize his thoughts and expand on them rather than throw together something that reads more like a series of unrelated blog postings.

Students of film will find glimpses of lessons learned, as in don't make the same mistakes that Stephen Verona makes. The author starts by talking about his background and growing up in Brooklyn and how the film is mostly autobiographical. He takes the reader from original idea to completed film, albeit via a circuitous route in which the reader is introduced to every individual the author has ever met in the past thirty years.

The book is filled with interesting insights about how films get made from the financing to the wheeling and dealing with agents, studio heads, and others. At the same time, the book is filled with unrelated stories that add nothing such as the description of the author's home in France and his Rolls Royce. Stephen Verona was a pioneer in music videos. He is someone with obvious creative skills. But he comes across as someone who has become obsessed with his perceived injustices related to royalties and subsidiary rights to his film. Had he spent as much time working on other projects as he has on studio audits and finger pointing he might have more feature films to his credit.

The stories related to the cast and the firing of Richard Gere make for interesting reading. I especially liked the story of how an in-prov by Richard Gere and Sylvester Stallone made it into the final picture. The book could have used more of those stories. Instead we go off on tangents with Clive Davis and other big names that the author drops like a second rate actor at a high school reunion.

Toward the end of the thin book (154 pages), an ulterior motive for writing the book reveals itself. In addition to an insiders look at an independent film and the actors that went on to bigger and better things, the book serves as a kind of proposal for a hoped for stage musical. It's a little like Sylvester Stalone making six Rocky movies. It intimates at desperation.

A review of a book like this would not be complete without having seen the film referenced in the book. As a companion piece to the book, the two complement each other well. The insights gleamed from the book made up for the lack of story in the film. It was interesting to watch Sylvester Stallone. You can see glimpses of Rocky. I was also impressed by Susan Blakely, who played the part of the new girl in town. Okay, I was infactuated. She stood out like a single flower poking up through a baren landscape. I was curious what she has done since this movie and was pleased to see that she has worked steadily, though in low profile fims.

If you're interested in the film or want to learn more about the less glitzy side of Hollywood, you will find this book of interest. Stephen Verona is obviously someone who has a lot of stories to tell. Consider this book an outline for a future memoir.

Knucklehead

ISBN: 067001138X

Written by: Jon Scieszka

Reviewed by: wilsonknut

Stars:(4)

Jon Scieszka's semi-graphic novel/memoir about growing up with five brothers reminded me of reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer when I was a kid. There's lots of action and adventure to grab a young boy's attention- wrestling, peeing on electric heaters, breaking stuff and then blaming it on someone else, telling jokes, making mortars out of M80 firecrackers, etc. It's just good boisterous fun. I grew up around farms, and so we always dared each other to pee on electric fences, which is its own special kind of fun.

It's not fully a graphic novel/memoir. He includes pictures of the family and various pieces of old-comic-style art to correspond with the text, but the memoir is largely text-based. The chapters are very short and each one focuses on a specific situation or memory. As the title states, these are "mostly true events." I question the group puking incident in the station wagon, but I imagine this is the story the way the boys told it to their friends. The book is good fun and a quick nostalgic read, for me anyway. Good times, good times.

The Wild Sight

ISBN: 9781402213946

Written by: Loucinda McGary

Reviewed by: mish

Stars:(4)

After the death of her mother, Rylie Powell travels to Ireland in search of the man listed as her father on her birth certificate, Dermot O'Shea. Instead of Dermot, she first finds Donovan O'Shea... Dermot's son. Donovan returned to Ireland from America, where he fled to escape the “visions” he has experienced since he was a child and to help his sick father. The attraction between Rylie and Donovan is immediate. How could that be if they are brother and sister? Is this a forbidden love? Was Dermot O'Shea really her father? She must follow the clues to find the truth.

Coming back to Ireland has triggered Donovan's visions again and when a body is found in the fens along with old artifacts his “sight” starts to reveal a mystery. Rylie and Donovan work to uncover old secrets and a mystery that will lead them into danger and back to the fens...where it all began.

The Wild Sight is romantic mystery/suspense with a paranormal edge that builds throughout the story and culminates at the end with an unexpected twist. I didn't think I would like it much when I first read the storyline, but I was hoovered! This book sucked me in. Both Rylie and Donovan were likable characters and the romance between them started quickly and didn't let go. The paranormal aspect was not overpowering, but enough to keep me interested and wanting to know what direction it would take. There were a couple of moments near the end that I thought were a bit of a stretch but nothing to ruin the story for me.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a little mystery with their romance especially with a light paranormal touch. This book is the author's first published novel though she is not new to writing. A great debut effort from an author who is sure to have readers waiting eagerly for her next book.

Confessions of a Working Girl

ISBN: 978-1402214646

Written by: Miss S

Reviewed by: fec139

Stars:(4)

This is not to be confused with the movie "Working Girl" with Melanie Griffin. This "working girl" is a euphemism for the world's oldest profession. The book is a rather lighthearted memoir of a first year working in a high-class brothel. It all started when Miss S was studying art in college, and needed money to pay the bills. She answers an ad for a higher-paying job than other student employment-- at a brothel.

She relates funny stories about clients and the other working girls. This is not a sordid book about prostitutes who walk the streets, but rather a portrait of a woman who services higher-priced clients in a "respectable" house of ill repute. This book fits in with a modern atmosphere of recent news stories about politicians and call-girl scandals.

The book is not innocent, however. Miss S goes into detail about certain "techniques", and makes no bones about the fact that this is still the sex industry, and not for the faint-hearted. But I found "Confessions of a Working Girl" to be well-written and totally engaging. A very enjoyable read!

Marcelo in the Real World

ISBN: 978-0545054744

Written by: Francisco Stork

Reviewed by: kanellio

Stars:(5)

Marcelo Sandoval is an autistic seventeen year old young man with the specific autistic trait of Asperger’s Syndrome which makes it hard for him to communicate and handle social situations. He attends a special education school called Paterson which is for students with varied disorders. At Paterson, Marcelo has been somewhat protected and his special trait of hearing music that no one else can hear is dealt with by specialists. There they study his “music” and what it can mean and represent. His love of animals, especially horses, is satisfied as he is allowed to work in the stables at school.

Also at Paterson, and as he grows up, his mother and sister instill in Marcelo the secure environment where he is accepted for who he is and there is no judgment. The story gives those not familiar with Asperger Syndrome a realistic look at some of the characteristics that one must be aware of when living with someone with the syndrome. For instance, Marcelo doesn’t understand sarcasm like other AS people. In my experience with AS students, I had to learn that they also don’t respond to facial expressions such as disapproval or smiling. Unfortunately, Marcelo’s father thinks he should experience more of the real life world. His dad, Arturo, is a well known lawyer and wants Marcelo to experience situations that everyone deals with so he sets Marcelo up with a job in the mail room for the summer prior to his senior year.

This work experience is obviously life changing for Marcelo. He meets Jasmine, a lovely girl, and Wendell, the company partner’s son, when he goes to the job. Here Marcelo is not sheltered and is opened to dealing with feelings such as anger, trust, jealousy, joy, failure, and longing. While working with some files, Marcelo also finds a picture of a girl with half a face and for some reason connects with the real world because of it. He begins to learn what it means for things to be unfair and how people suffer and what he can do about it. He also finds that the music he always hears which keeps him balanced begins to fade as life complicates things with all these other emotions including possibly falling in love. How this summer will change Marcelo’s life is a question answered perhaps when you read the whole book.

MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD is a wonderful, quick read and one I think everyone should read so as to get a realistic picture of autistic, Asperger people. Currently, 1 out of 150 babies born will have some kind of autism. Marcelo gets an education on life in this book as will the people who read the book.

Submitted by Karen Haney originally to Amazon Vine, October, 2008