Pensions, Politics, and the Elderly: Historic Social Movements and Their Lessons for Our Aging Society

Book Description

A Cuban woman who moved to New Orleans in the 1850s and eloped with her American lover, Loreta Janeta Velazquez fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy as the cross-dressing Harry T. Buford. As Buford, she single-handedly organized an Arkansas regiment; participated in the historic battles of Bull Run, Balls Bluff, Fort Donelson, and Shiloh; romanced men and women; and eventually decided that spying as a woman better suited her Confederate cause than fighting as a man. In the North, she posed as a double agent and worked to traffic information, drugs, and counterfeit bills to support the Confederate cause. She was even hired by the Yankee secret service to find "the woman . . . traveling and figuring as a Confederate agent"-Velazquez herself.

Originally published in 1876 as The Woman in Battle, this Civil War narrative offers Velazquez's seemingly impossible autobiographical account, as well as a new critical introduction and glossary by Jesse Alemán. Scholars are divided between those who read the book as a generally honest autobiography and those who read it as mostly fiction. According to Alemán's critical introduction, the book also reads as pulp fiction, spy memoir, seduction narrative, travel literature, and historical account, while it mirrors the literary conventions of other first-person female accounts of cross-dressing published in the United States during wartime, dating back to the Revolutionary War. Whatever the facts are, this is an authentic Civil War narrative, Alemán concludes, that recounts how war disrupts normal gender roles, redefines national borders, and challenges the definition of identity.

Customer Reviews:

The BEST!.......2007-05-20

This book is TOTALLY AWESOME! It shows us just how brave Velazques was when fighting in the Aerican Civil War. I admit it was hard to read, but worth all the words I had to look up! If you haven't read it yet, you're missing out on the best historical narrative by far!

The Woman in Battle The Civil War Narrative of Loreta Janeta Velazques, Cuban Woman and Confederate Soldier

Average customer rating:

The Woman in Battle The Civil War Narrative of Loreta Janeta Velazques, Cuban Woman and Confederate Soldier
Loreta Janeta Velazquez
Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORWJEO

The Woman in Battle: The Civil War Narrative of Loreta Janeta Velazquez, Cuban Woman and Confederate Soldier (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography)

Average customer rating:

The Woman in Battle: The Civil War Narrative of Loreta Janeta Velazquez, Cuban Woman and Confederate Soldier (Wisconsin Studies in Autobiography)
Loreta Janeta Velazquez
Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000ORWJM6

Book Description

In this book based on new interviews, some of country music's greatest stars share personal moments of redemption, inspiration, and heartache related to the music that shaped their lives. Brenda Lee explains how her childhood singing gift raised her entire family out of dire poverty, and Pat Boone speaks about the spiritual influence of his father-in-law, Red Foley. Barbara Pittman talks about her childhood friendship with Elvis Presley, while Little Jimmy Dickens divulges how Hank Williams came to write a song for him and why he never recorded it. Mickey Gilley talks about gladly living in, then gladly escaping, the shadow of his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis, and Hank Thompson reveals how his background in electrical engineering helped revolutionize country music. More stories from Glen Campbell, Don Williams, Johnny Legend, Chris Hillman, and many others explain the inspiration and effect of country music in their lives.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Journalism.......2005-03-18

This book of short bios reads like a newspaper, and I say that as a compliment. The writing is easy-to-digest and prsents facts without a lot of editorializing. What's more like all respectable reporters, Mr. Burke has the good sense to stay out of the way of his subjects' point of view.

These are character portraits for today's generation, those of us who've come to rely on USA Today's "McStory" format of concise data, "I'm busy; gimme the facts." I enjoyed the sampler of such diverse talents whose impact spans history, gender, and stylistic approaches.

It's rather doubtful, if wishful thinking, but a Volume Two would certainly be worth my time and interest. Mr. Burke, howsabout another go featuring new performers? Your readers are waiting.

A Brilliant, Inside Look.......2004-09-09

Ken Burke has been a writer and reviewer of music since 1984 for many publications, including my 'OUTER SHELL'. With his first book, he presents the lives of country/rock-a-billy/Rock artists with first-hand interviews. It is a brilliant inside-look into their lives, and extremely well written. It also provides new revelations into the rise of such artists as The Jordanaires, The Oak Ridge Boys, Mickey Gilley, Jerry Lee Lewis; and others.
No matter what type of music you are into, this book provides a fascinating read into the doings of past musical history and its
'doings' of its time. >>> A fun and informative read.

Fun read with things I didn't know.......2004-08-27

I always had a fondness for Pat Boone and his clan, so I picked up this book with his picture on the cover. Inside was so much more. Interesting stories from a wide variety of characters from Glen Campbell (who has a reminiscence about "country food" that is hilariously sick) to Dr. Demento (who has a gentle fondness for "real people's music") plus stories of wild men like Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Legend. AND wilder women.... Fascinating and enjoyable. An unexpected treat!

Book Description

In Never Retire, Dan Benson helps you answer the question, "How do I make the money last- while making the most of the rest of my life?" Dan goes beyond the traditional view of retirement. He puts you on the road to a financially free "New Retirement." Gone are the days of dependence on children, charity, or Social Security. After reading Never Retire, your future will seem brighter as you discover fresh, creative ways to become financially secure while staying young at heart, strong of body, and keen of mind.

Book Description

A major reappraisal of the life of legendary entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr., Gonna Do Great Things is at once an intimate portrait and an exuberant celebration of a wholly American icon. Through his multifaceted talent and personality, Sammy became one of the most magnetic and contentious figures in modern entertainment history. His outstanding talents as a dancer, singer, actor, impressionist, and comedian, combined with his close association with megastars and his interracial marriage, made him a celebrity in the truest sense.

Born in Harlem in 1925, Sammy debuted onstage with Will Mastin's vaudeville troupe when he was only three years old. He was an instant hit, and his talent propelled him into one of the most luminous entertainment careers of his generation. No one could please a crowd like Sammy, whose overwhelming energy and infectious humor exhilarated audiences for sixty years. However, Sammy's life was not without hardship, and his high-spirited attitude often masked a fragile ego. From an impoverished, broken home, he lacked even a single day of formal education, and the rigors of his blossoming show business career denied him the traditional pleasures of childhood. Racism constantly affected his life, particularly when he joined the army in 1943. Because he refused to acknowledge any race-related restrictions, his very existence became a political statement. An active member of the Civil Rights movement and America's first African-American superstar, Sammy paved the way for other black entertainers.

As a charter member of the Rat Pack, Sammy spent the 1950s and 1960s basking in an image of "cool" and endearing himself to the public. But by the 1970s he was relying on cocaine and alcohol, flirting with Satanism, indulging in scandalous sexual behavior, and becoming the punchline of jokes on Saturday Night Live. Though his fans still adored him, his performances suffered. A four-pack-a-day smoker, Sammy succumbed to cancer when he was sixty-four, shortly after celebrating six decades in the spotlight.

Renowned biographer of Hollywood giants Jimmy Stewart, Burt Lancaster, and Gregory Peck, Gary Fishgall brings an actor's and director's understanding of the entertainment industry to Sammy's complicated existence. Meticulously researched and filled with insights gathered from interviews with those who knew Sammy best, Gonna Do Great Things reveals the fascinating and controversial life of this beloved entertainer.

Customer Reviews:

Life..Expectations vs. unRealistic Avenues.......2006-12-31

I personally have not read any other book written around the life of Sammy Davis Jr. I was interested after all this time, for I heard so much surrounding such a well known and honored Entertainer. Reading this story at times I found to be tedious and boring, too many descriptors of movies, the theatre and surroundings in the environment of which Sammy Davis Jr. lived. The best part of this story in the last few chapters which captures the essence of ones personal life, unfortunately it surrounds the deterioration of a magnificient man. The story is well written and leads you to believe that the author has researched and thoroughly done his homework. I must say that I am very surprised at the lifestyle that Sammy Davis Jr lead and I feel for his loved ones, because this story of how he was and how he treated his family, his wives, is really terrible and they had to see and want something deeply to have stayed involved and connected to Sammy Davis Jr. I guess also that you have to understand the drugs and addiction and need for stardom to really understand how Altovise, May, his children and his close friends really dealt with him. Truthfully by the count of what this author has documented the only ones who truly benefitted from Sammy Davis Jr. legacy is the World who wanted to be entertained. Those who went to the theatre, to Vegas shows. His wives were just pawns and lived their lives through his status (never getting much from him) and his children, well I am surprised they refer to him as daddy, 'cause it seems as if he was just Sammy in their lives. Truthfully this book is really a very sad story of a man that was... did he really every love his family, it seems as if his only love was the Stage. I think that the author could have written less and got the point across....maybe his aim was to also get you to read the Autobiography, but it also seems like the author capture the essence of all the other material that has been written on this entertainer. I rated it a 3 for interest only, and there were probably 4 good chapters in this book. Authors writing ability I give him 2 thumbs up for research and documentation, footnotes etc... Content and interest to the avid reader, less descriptors and explanation of other characters. I felt at some points in the book that it was more about Frank Sinatra and others then Sammy Davis Jr.

i didnt want it to end.......2005-04-30

i was a fan before i m a bigger fan now. excellent pacing beautifully written and really tells the story of a truly remarkable man i very easliy could have read this in one sitting but i savored every page. highly recommended

"Sammy was the "only' of a kind.".......2004-09-18

This is the only biography I've read about Sammy Davis Jr.I am retired and though born about 10 years after him,it seems to me he was around forever.This biography jives exactly with how I saw his career over the years.The one great enlightenment I got from this book was the personal details;which obviously were new to me,and I suppose would be to anyone who reads it.Every page presented something new and in a very readible style.
Davis did so much and interacted with so many people over so long a period that the author had a huge task to cover it all in such a short biography;I feel what he has done is a supurb job to say the least.
The author makes you feel like you are traveling right along side as Davis pursues his life and career;what more can one ask for in a biogrphy?
If you enjoyed Sammy,you'll surely enjoy this book.

*** 1/2 - Even if you read the other new Sammy bio.......2004-04-01

. . .you'll enjoy this one as well. I wasn't sure I could take another Sammy Davis, Jr. biography so soon after Will Haygood's recent (and excellent) biography, but the brisk pacing and clear writing drew me in. Fishgall sticks to the major events in Sammy's life and doesn't go overboard with the historical background, but a clear picture of the man and his time emerges. I felt an inordinate amount of attention was paid to Sammy's later years and television appearances, but I appreciated learning more about his children and his third marriage. If you can only read one, read "In Black and White." If you're still interested, read Sammy's own books, and include this strong, fair biography.

Engrossing portrait of a complicated man.......2004-01-19

Gonna Do Great Things: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr. by Gary Fishgall is a well-written, engrossing portrait of a very complicated and conflicted man. Toward the end of his career, Davis had become almost a caricature of his former self and had descended into drug and alcohol addiction. Fishgall takes us from Davis' beginnings in Harlem to his career in vaudeville to his days as a member of the famous Rat Pack. You get the sense from reading this book that Davis had a lifetime desire, almost an obsession to belong, to be accepted and to fit in but it seems as if he was always just on the fringes of everything, just a little removed. Davis became a big star but there was always something missing, something that eluded him. While Davis appeared to the public to be having the time of his life with his Rat Pack buddies, behind closed doors he seemed to be a sad, unhappy man. Fishgall seems to capture the essence of the man as well as the legendary performer. This book is a serious, well-written, well-researched look at a showbiz legend and is defintely not a celebrity hatchet job.

Book Description

Muskoka, the University of Western Ontario, Ottawa, New York, Colombia, Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Peru, Cuba, Israel, Belgium, South Africa, Australia –the place-names tell the story of an amazing career. Then there are the people involved –Trudeau, Clark, and Chrétien, Kissinger, Castro, Rabin, Walesa, Havel, Mandela and dozens of others. Not to mention the moments of high drama: when young Jim Bartleman becomes Ottawa’s security expert on terrorism during the FLQ crisis in 1970; or when he leads the movement to bring countries like Poland and Ukraine into NATO and the West.

But this is also a light-hearted look at what our diplomats actually do and is full of funny stories: so watch young Jim attend a drunken party with Trudeau; compete with Mother Teresa for Bangladesh babies; or sweep his Belgian bride off her feet to the altar. Bartleman also writes candidly about falling prey to depression, and about his concern, as a native Canadian, to see aboriginal peoples well treated. In summary, a richly varied career, as the only Canadian diplomat to serve on all six continents, well told by a remarkable character.

***
On Six Continents is a Douglas Gibson Book.

From the Hardcover edition.

On Six Continents: Life in Canada's Foreign Service 1966-2002

Average customer rating:

Interesting story, not much info

On Six Continents: Life in Canada's Foreign Service 1966-2002
James K. Bartleman
Manufacturer: Douglas Gibson Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Political | Leaders & Notable People | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Native People (Canada) | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Canadian | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Prairie Provinces | Regional Canada | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Ontario | Regional Canada | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Interesting story, not much info.......2005-03-06

This book is strictly a biography, which is not what I was looking for. I was hoping to learn about Canada's Foreign Service department and about the work of foreign service employees. The book is written at high school level, and never goes into depth on any topic. It's a good book for Mr. Bartleman to give to his children, and for people who want a great story to read in an evening or two.

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