All Consuming : mandys

The Bone Woman is an incredibly well-written and poignant book written by the forensic anthropologist Clea Koff. The author talks about her work on mass graves in Rwanda, Bosnia and Kosovo as part of UN International Criminal Tribunal investigations. It is hard to describe this book – I felt like I have undertaken a very long and exhausting journey. Ms Koff described her surroundings so well I feel as if I actually visited hot, leafy forests in Rwanda and cold, grey landscapes in the Balkans. There were times when I had to put this book down and simply process the information that I was reading. There is something about the human condition whereby we find it hard to imagine mass murder; we find it hard to comprehend the mechanics of taking the life of hundreds of people in one event; we find it hard to imagine that these were once people, to put a human face to the atrocity. In her book, Clea Koff does this for us – she paints a picture whereby the reader is finally able to comprehend and understand.

Why I recommend "Season of Blood: A Rwandan Journey"

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:33:30 GMT

Season of Blood: A Rwandan Journey

by Fergal Keane

I’ve read several disparaging remarks about Fergal Keane, the author, and his works as a journalist and presenter. People have called him arrogant and narcissistic but I beg to differ. Keane’s account of travelling through a country ungoing genocide and war; his visits to a UN refugee camp in Tanzania and their journey through Burundi to get to government-held areas in the South of Rwanada is written with honesty, sensitivity and insight. Far from “narcissistic”, Keane asks questions of everyone around him and gives a fair amount of insight into the lives of the RPF soldier, Frank Ndore, who escorts them for much of their journey and the Ugandan drivers who risk everything to take them on their journeys. He also asks a fair amount of questions of Interahamwe and government soldiers, giving us a glimpse of their reasoning and the ways in which the evil was perpetuated.

This is the fourth book Ihave read on Rwanda and I have a fifth lined up already. I would start with Left To Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza or An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina but I would definitely say this is an important book to read.

A review of "The Godfather (Widescreen Edition)" (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Sun, 18 May 2008 14:26:37 GMT

The Godfather (Widescreen Edition)

by Francis Ford Coppola

In retrospect, I cannot believe that it has taken me 35 years to see this brilliant film. I’m glad I waited until it came onto DVD though, as the quality was awesome.

This film hasn’t aged one day and the production was superb. In fact, if I didn’t recognise the very young faces of Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall then I might have mistaken it for just another episode of Sopranos.

The Godfather is the quintessential mafia story and some might say that all that came afterwards was just mimicry. In my mind, it takes a masterpiece like this to inspire the great works that follow and can you blame anyone for taking inspiration from a film like The Godfather?

Major Awards
Academy Awards 1973
Best Actor – Marlon Brando
Best Picture
Best Screenplay
Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role – James Caan, Robert Duvall & Al Pacino; Best Director – Francis Ford Coppola.
BAFTA Awards 1973
Award for Film Music – Nino Rota
Nominated: Best Actor – Marlon Brando; Best Supporting Actor – Robert Duvall; Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles – Al Pacino.
Golden Globe Awards
Best Director (Motion Picture) – Francis Ford Coppola
Best Motion Picture (Drama)
Best Motion Picture Actor (Drama) – Marlon Brando
Best Original Score – Nino Rota
Best Screenplay – Francis Ford Coppola & Mario Puzo
Nominated: Best Motion Picture Actor (Drama) – Al Pacino; Best Supporting Actor (Motion Picture) – James Caan.
Grammy Awards 1973
Best Original Score – Nino Rota

And finally… Al Pacino as Michael Corleone:

Wasn’t he lovely?

A review of "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier"

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Sat, 17 May 2008 11:06:33 GMT

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

by Ishmael Beah

It’s take me a long time to write a review on this book. It is not an easy book to write a review on. I’ll start from the end result then and move backwards.

I think this is a very important bok and I honestly believe everyone should read it. I finished it a couple of months ago and I imagine that barely a day has gone by without my thinking about it. Ishmael Beah and his horrific story are never far from my mind, but at at the same time I know that he escaped and now tours the world giving hope and guidance to others.

This book has been torn apart by reporters claiming the book to be inaccurate in terms of time frame and events. Other reviewers have criticised Beah’s style of writing and emotional involvement in the story. I am not going to defend the author, I’m not going to say that it is okay if only most of the facts are correct and I’m not going to dwell on the fact that he is a human being and not a professional writer.

What I do take away from this book was that this young man was drafted into the war in Sierra Leone as a child soldier. I don’t care if he was 13 or 15 when it happened and I don’t care if he was a child soldier for two years or six months. The point is that he was pumped full of drugs by adults and he both witnessed the violent deaths of many young friends and personally killed several children and men.

The book left me with a desire to learn much more about Sierra Leone and I now know much more about the war in the region than I did initially. To me that meas that the book fulfilled it’s purpose. Read it.

Why I recommend "House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe"

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:18:22 GMT

House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe

by Christina Lamb

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is riveting and nearly impossible to put down. I would highly recommend it.

House of Stone is written by Christina Lamb, an English journalist. In the opening passages I wasn’t too sure if I trusted this author yet as I thought she was exaggerating (this is the scene where she describes a city’s main market as reduced to rubble). I then turned the page to see a photograph depicting the rubble and it was there that my hesitation and disbelief dissolved.

The author takes the life story of two very different Zimbabweans and she chronicles this against the backdrop of the major political events of the past 45 years. She also interweaves the history of Zimbabwe dating back over a hundred years, to when the country was first colonised. The protagonists are a white educated male born into a wealthy farming family and a poor black female with only a primary education who hailed from an underprivileged rural background.

The book is incredibly informative and yet it is never laborious or dry. This is a book that took me through a range of emotions from shock and horror to disbelief and sadness. I thought I had very strong beliefs about Zimbabwe before |I read this book. I thought I had a very politically left position on matters there and I was convinced Mugabe was an evil man and that gross human rights violations were taking place. The truth is that I had no idea and that my mind could not have even conceived how bad things really are there. The point is not to discuss my politics but that knowledge is power and I would urge everyone to read this book so that they too can get an idea of what is going on in Zimbabwe and once armed with the truth, they can act accordingly.

Masterful Atwood at her best (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 11:06:42 GMT

Edible Woman

by Margaret Atwood

I’ve been reading Margaret Atwood for 15 years now, and I have been so moved by so many of her books (Cat’s Eye, Handmaid’s Tale & Surfacing, to name a few). I’m pleased to say that this book has not disappointed in any way. It is absolutely masterful, almost erotic in places, full of symbolism and intent. It’s classic Atwood and has me wanting to haul out all of my older books and re-read them. (And I don’t often re-read books). It is amazing to see how much her writing has changed as she has grown older, but it is equally astonishing that I’m well into my 30’s now and her books still have the same hold on me, no matter in which stage of her life she was writing them.

This is an important author, as much now as she was in the 70’s. Read all of her books.

First class success (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 10:51:34 GMT

Catch Me a Killer: Serial Murders: A Profiler's True Story

by Micki Pistorius

An absolutely phenomenal account of serial killers in South Africa. Pistorius is considered one of the best profilers in the world, by the best profilers in the world. She has worked with and learned from the most talented profilers at the FBI, and is perhaps single-handedly responsible for the numerous records South Africa has broken in the solving of serial crimes and the speedy apprehension of serial killers. I own another one of her books and a second one is doing the rounds in my books club, and so I hope to eventually read each and every one of her books.

A story about "Smacked"

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 06:05:12 GMT

Smacked

by Melinda Ferguson

The true and harrowing tale of a Johannesburg junkie. Strangely enough, I’d rather seek her out at a meeting and listen to her share than read the end of the story. I made a once of exception to the rule that I must finish the books I begin. I really was happy to skim through the last third of the book. Despite saying this, I really do recommend you run out and read this book now. Especially if you don’t have the benefit of meeting Melinda. The thing is, she goes to rock bottom in the cruelest and most addicted kind of way and knowing she is a massively successful Johannesburg-based writer today is so inspirational.

A review of "Companero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara"

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 09:50:18 GMT

Companero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara

by Jorge G. Castaneda

I’ve mentioned before my difficulty regarding biographies. By definition, a biography is going to introduce the bias and opinions of the author, and reflect any limitations in that author’s research.

This book is phenomenal and chronicles Che’s entire life from a priviledged birth to his world famous execution. It is well researched and it is evident that the author spent years researching and writing this book. He has personally spoken to some of the most central figures in Che’s life and as such, this text is valuable simply because that chance may never be seized again by any other biographer.

It was only after I finished the book and began to look up sources on the Internet that I discovered a potential flaw in this biography.

The flaw centres on the author’s portrayal of Che as slightly hapless and naive, supported by his constant representation of Che as a “Christlike figure” who was betrayed by his closest aides. Many sources, even those supposedly in support of Che Guevara, will acknowledge that Che was extremely intelligent, calculating and often ruthless in his execution of his ideals. An example can be seen here: Guevara exhibited great courage, skill in combat, and ruthlessness and soon became one of Castro’s ablest and most trusted aides. Guevara took responsibility for the execution of informers, insubordinates, deserters and spies in the revolutionary army. He personally executed Eutimio Guerra, a suspected Batista informant, with a single shot from his .32 (7.65 mm) pistol. The remainder of this article appears to be extremely fair and even reverent with regard to Che’s life story.

The author portrays Che as an absolute victim in the Bolivian expedition and in the circumstances leading up to his death. Even in his own Bolivian diary, Che acknowledged the mounting setbacks and failures but he did not present as an innocent victim.

I guess the facts speak for themselves, but knowing of Che’s intelligence and ruthlessness doesn’t detract from his beliefs or accomplishments and so it wasn’t altogether necessary for the author to try coat his image in cotton wool. The one thing the text does do though, is neglect the fragile chess game that Che engaged in during his fight for survival in both the Congo and in Bolivia. He strategised and executed plan upon plan to survive, even though it is evident he made mistakes, relied upon mistaken assumptions, was “betrayed” by desperate and defeated cadres and was quite frankly abandoned by Castro.

Nevertheless, I absolutely recommend this book, but recommend too that it be supplemented with a healthy dose of independent research.

A review of "The World's Greatest True Crime"

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Sun, 14 May 2006 07:22:09 GMT

The World's Greatest True Crime

by Editor Colin Wilson

This is a book that is not so much written by an author, but is edited in several sections by several men.

It starts off with mobsters and the mafia;
moves through gin crime and other crimes in 18th and 19th Century;
has a section on the Wild West and why bandits weren’t all that likeable after all;
moves through the slew of hoaxes and frauds that emerged in the late 19th century and through the 20th century , with fake biographies, false gurus and outright liars; and
it end with the royal and political scandals of the last century.

It’s important to note that this is not a well written book, but it is well researched. It is also quite outdated, being written in 1993 and not sufficiently updated even though my edition was published in 2001. This is significant in the light of the various films that have been released on these stories in the past 13 years (the authors refer to popular media depictions) including the Aviator, the capture of Biggs, the death of both the Krays and the death of John Profumo. (Okay, I mentioned the last to see if you’re concentrating – he only died March this year and this couldn’t possibly feature in the book :0))

But it’s a great compendium of facts and trivia ad I’m really glad I read it. It’s made me quite keen to go on to other biographies and autobiographies now and that makes me happy.

A story about "Scar Tissue"

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 11:18:48 GMT

Scar Tissue

by Anthony Kiedis

I’ve made a decision to read other people’s reviews of biographies and autobiographies in future, even all non-fiction really. It is grating to hear someone get opinionated about something they know nothing about and autobiographies can often be gratuitous attempts to resurrect dying careers.

Yes, yes, I’m still smarting from James “Britney’s Biographer” Blandfords attempts to chronicle a goddess and pretend he even knew what Doc Martens and Chelsea boots were.

Moving on.

The point is, had I actually adopted this credo before picking up Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis, I’d have seen all the warnings. Reading comments such as “un-put-downable”, “found myself at 2am still reading it” and “couldn’t stop reading it” may just have given me an idea that this was a book to avoid. At all costs.

Tongue-in-cheek aside, this book is awesome and hopefully I’ll finish it in a day or so. The suspense in racing to the end, which is obviously the present, is almost killing me. I say almost, because I can’t die until I’ve finished this book.

A review of "PJ Harvey: Siren Rising"

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 06:26:47 GMT

PJ Harvey: Siren Rising

by James R. Blandford

It is quite hard to distinguish between my love for P J Harvey and this biography of her. First, I need to acknowledge what other readers said about the book. Other people have said that Blandford shows no insight whatsoever, that he has simply done an (admirable) literature survey and summarised 17 years of interviews with and articles on Polly. Admirable, yes. Worth a published biography, maybe not. I’d be more inclined to set up a website, perhaps an information resource for fans.
I honestly have doubts as to whether Blandford has ever met Harvey, or whether he ever listened to any of her music. (I try not to be influenced by the fact that he first wrote a biography of Britney Spears). Given his frankly obscure comments on some of Polly’s music, as well as that of her contemporaries, I honestly have doubts as to whether he has in fact bought an “alternative” album in his life. And if he has met her and he has listened to her genre of music his entire life, why is it not showing in his writing?
One small point of contention: He waxes lyrical about the Glastonbury set where Polly used a staff to beat out the rhythm to “Goodnight”. I was there, it wasn’t only one song. She did it during “To Bring You My Love”. My intention is not to “pull rank” or anything of the sort. However, if you’re going to mention something in four different places in your book, get your facts right. Better yet, try not to depend so heavily on other people’s reviews if you weren’t there to experience it first-hand yourself.

Am I glad I purchased the book? Yes. It is a nicely packaged reference manual of all her songs, collaborations, interviews and bootlegs. Am I enthusiastically awaiting the “authorised” biography whereby I may just learn a sliver of information about this intenseley private and brilliant woman? Of course.

Gangs - Tony Thompson (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (mandys) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 10:00:17 GMT

Gangs

by Tony Thompson

This book is absolutely phenomenal. It reads like the Sunday papers, but you won’t put these papers down until you’ve finished. In Gangs, Thompson takes the reader through a fascinating journey of Britain’s underworld. There are chapters on armed robbery, human trafficking, kidnapping, drugs syndicates, money laundering, gun running and more. The most incredible thing is that this is investigative journalism at it’s best. It’s not some toff sitting behind his desk and speculating. Thompson actually goes in there and meets these people, he goes into prisons and travels to Jamaica, he chats to men who are proud and men who are frightened for their lives, but mostly, he just listens… as is evident by the stories he relays.

If you’ve ever watched (and enjoyed) Trainspotting, Snatch or Layer Cake, I recommend you read this book. It’s as close to the real thing you’re going to get.