Pilgrim's Wilderness : A True Story Of Faith And Madness On The Alaska Frontier
by Tom Kizzia

One day in the winter of 2002, a family showed up in a town called McCarthy which was an isolated area in Alaska. The father calling himself Papa Pilgrim had his wife and fifteen children with him. To the residents, they thought that the family were pious, very religious, and industrious. At first, they were welcomed. But then when they bulldozed a road illegally through the mountains, the family was at war with the National Park Service. 
This is a very disturbing story about a man who had a dark side and used it against his family. Many parts are difficult to read. Some sections of the book, though, can be quite dry and boring when the author writes about the politics of the area and goes into long chapters about the government, the land, the infighting.
I wouldn't call the book riveting, a masterpiece, eloquent as other reviewers have. It does keep your interest for the most part.

Etched In Sand : A True Story Of Five Siblings Who Survived An Unspeakable Childhood On Long Island
by Regina Calcaterra

Regina Calcaterra along with her four siblings had a horrific childhood. They spent most of it in either foster homes or on the streets living in abandoned houses. When there were no abodes available, they slept in the car. Their mother was an alcoholic who would disappear for weeks and sometimes months and the children had to fend for themselves. When she would return, they dreaded it. If she was in a bad mood, the beatings were heinous. They learned to rely on one another to survive.
The reason I decided to put my review on this particular blog had nothing to do with the subject matter. I have never read anything before like what these siblings went through and it's certainly an eye-opener. Much of what is written in this book is repetitive, though.
What I want to point out is that the true author of this book is not Regina Calcaterra. She used a ghostwriter named Kristine Gasbarre and in the Acknowledgements, Calcaterra gives her credit for writing her thoughts and memories exactly how she would have done it. Calcaterra calls her a co-writer so then Gasbarre's name should be on the front cover. If you doubt this, check out Gasbarre's book, "How to Love an American Man" and read the excerpt on the Barnes & Noble website. The style is IDENTICAL to Etched in Sand and this is why it was so readable.

Mary And Lou And Rhoda And Ted : And All The Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show A Classic
by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

In 1970, writer-producers James L. Brooks and Allan Burns came up with an idea for a show about a divorced woman who had a career. The executives at CBS were not buying it. Time thought it would be a disaster and would never last. The Mary Tyler Moore Show proved everybody wrong. It became a classic that changed many lives and inspired so many women.
If you're a die-hard fan of this show (you can watch the first three seasons for free on www.Hulu.com), this is the book for you. You learn about the scripts, the women who wrote the sketches, the characters, the actors who all bonded very quickly with one another, the very creative minds of Brooks and Burns.
The first part of the book is very funny; the middle not so much; and the end, not at all. Some parts become repetitious with filler that is not needed. Every nuance and aspect of the show is written here. I couldn't wait to finish and I almost stopped reading it altogether but plowed on.
There's a great bit of interesting trivia here and much of the information is quite interesting. But I think the appeal is really for anybody who watched every episode and made an impact on them.

The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir Of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, And The Power Of Family
by Josh Hanagarne

At the age of four, Josh Hanagarne started twitching and was not conscious of it. His parents certainly were, though. As he got older, the tics increased and manifested themselves in all different, annoying ways. Josh tried everything to help deal with these symptoms but nothing really worked. It wasn't until he took up weight lifting that he was able to somewhat push the tics into a corner for longer periods of time.
The first two thirds of the book is pretty interesting. Josh writes about his parents, his childhood growing up Mormon. finally getting a diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome and learning what to do about it, becoming a librarian at the Salt Lake City Public Library. When it came to his keen interest in strength training, the book came to a screeching halt. It's very boring and the worst part is when Josh meets up with a bizaare former Air Force Tech Sargeant who served in Iraq. This guy helps him overcome the tics but the conversation between them is ridiculous and hard to comprehend. At times, Josh doesn't know what this guy is talking about. (Trust me; you won't either.) Obviously, the book needed filler but this last part is a real turn-off.
Josh's writing is pretty good and funny especially when he talks about the eccentrics who come to the library.
The book is okay but not great.

The Black Russian 
by Vladimir Alexandrov

Frederick Bruce Thomas was born in 1872 to former slaves. His parents were able to acquire land and became quite prosperous farmers in Mississippi. They did well for several years until they were fleeced by a rich white man who tried to steal their property. The family lost everything and were forced to leave for Memphis where they ran a boardinghouse. After the murder of Frederick's father by a mentally unstable lodger, Frederick decided to get out of the South and worked as a waiter and a valet in Chicago and Brooklyn. Eventually he would go to London and France where Blacks were treated much better than in the United States. By the time 1899 rolled around, Frederick was in Russia. He would stay in Moscow for the next twenty years. Frederick gave himself a Russian name (Fyodor Fyodorovich Tomas), married twice, had several children, and become a Russian citizen. He made his living and a fortune by owning variety theaters and restaurants. The Bolshevik Revolution wiped him clean and he escaped with his family (barely) to Constantinople in 1919. Frederick started from scratch and became rich again by having nightclubs that played jazz (a new kind of music) in Turkey.
Sound like an interesting story? I thought so. The first part of the book was really interesting and absorbing. By the middle, it started to sag and I was hard-pressed to continue reading. The last 90 pages were excruciating. There's not a whole lot of information on Frederick Bruce Thomas (no writings, no papers) so much of what is written here is conjecture. Thomas constantly reinvented himself and exaggerated events that may not have even happened. It's certainly admirable that he was able to create this wonderful life for himself. His work ethic came from his parents. Since there is not much about him, the book has plenty of chapters on the history of Russia and Turkey and this filler can become interminable. You don't really get a sense of who Frederick Bruce Thomas really was because the writing is just not that engaging.

My Mother's Wars
by Lillian Faderman

Mary (the name she is given in America) came to the United States, in 1914, at the age of seventeen from Latvia. She was sponsored by her sister and brother-in-law and lived with them for a while. Mary's goal is to be a dancer but that is not practical so she works in the New York Garment District with squalid conditions and measly pay. Bored with her life at home, she goes dancing every night with a friend from work. Her brother-in-law is scandalized by her behavior and kicks her out.
When Mary is thirty-five and still barely making ends meet, she falls in love with a man who is ten years younger than her. Marriage is what she wants but that will never happen (he's got a girl in every port). While her romance is going on, Mary frets about the rest of her family still in Latvia where the storm troopers and Hitler are moving towards. She wants to get them out but doesn't have the amount of money that is needed to do that monumental task. 
Lillian Faderman (the name should actually be spelled as Federman) wrote her mother's story because Mary was illiterate in both reading and writing English. It's a quick read (three days for me) and interesting enough but they style is not very good and she just replicates what her mother told her even though, apparently, Lillian did historical research. 
The most annoying thing about the book is the extensive, over-the-top use of similes. I almost quit reading early on because of them but decided to grin and bear it and finish to the end.
 

Where The Peacocks Sing : A Palace, A Prince, And The Search For Home
by Alison Singh Gee

Alison Gee (a Chinese-American) was an entertainment writer for AsiaWeek living in Hong Kong. She meets Ajay Singh, a journalist from India and they fall in love. Her lifestyle is hectic running all over the place, dealing with deadlines, going to parties, never relaxing. They travel to India so that Alison can meet his family. It turns out that Ajay grew up in a palace but it has deteriorated. Virtually no plumbing, plaster falling off, peacocks screeching (they're actually singing), not the most friendly relatives makes the stay very uncomfortable. They plan to get married but Alison has to come to terms with this new culture and figure out how she can possibly fit in.
This book has had many positive reviews with people saying that the writing is gorgeous, an absolute delight, wonderful, riveting read, etc. I disagree. Alison writes like a reporter and throws in way too many similes. There's really not much substance here; it's mostly fluff. Alison seems quite naive and shallow. Some of the stuff that she writes about India is interesting such as the Taj Mahal and the village Mokimpur and its inhabitants. I sloughed through and was happy when I finished.
This is the kind of book to take on a vacation; it's a light read that can be passed around to others.

ANTONIA And Her Daughters : Secrets, Love, Friendship and Family In Tuscany
by Marlena de Blasi

Marlena de Blasi has written four previous books on living and cooking in Italy. She and her husband, Fernando, have recently moved and their new place is being renovated. It's too noisy to write amongst all of the contractors so Marlena decides that she needs solitude and ends up living in a small one-room house in the woods of western Tuscany. It's in this environment that she meets Antonia who at eighty-two is still beautiful, vibrant, and forceful. The two of them clash, at first, and then become friends. Antonia is the matriarch of four generations of gorgeous, blue-eyed women who each have their own story to tell. But it is Antonia who has hidden secrets that the family doesn't know about and over time, she reveals them to Marlena.
Having read four of de Blasi's previous works on Tuscany, I eagerly jumped on this book. Her writing is always lush with descriptions of the countryside, the people, the culture. When she talks about food and cooking, you just salivate (recipes are always included). Antonia and Her Daughters includes this stuff but the bulk of the book is about Antonia. It was a disappointment and doesn't come close to her others. The story drags on and many times, I almost quit reading but I continued as I wanted to see what happened and how the book would end. Much of what is written is repetitious concerning Tuscany, the food, etc., so there's much padding (filler).
I'm sure that many people would enjoy reading this book especially if they're a fan of de Blasi's and Tuscany.