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Too Close to the Sun

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biographies and Memoirs
by: Curtis Roosevelt

October 27, 2008
Public glimpses inside the White House (especially from family members) are rare, so when Curtis Roosevelt produced this fine volume, "Too Close to the Sun", it allowed readers not to get just a few snippets of casual observations but a dozen years of day-to-day remembrances. Unusual as it is for a grandchild of a president to inhabit the White House, Roosevelt did just that as he lived on and off with his famous grandparents from the time of FDR's first inauguration until the death of our thirty-second president twelve years later. In "Too Close to the Sun", the author reveals not only his memories of that time but also the often internecine relationships that went with all of the Roosevelts. It's a book worth every page.

Curtis ... Read More:

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Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biographies and Memoirs
by: David McCullough

June 01, 2001
This was the first David McCullough book I ever read, a gift from a favorite aunt who knew and was fond of some descendents of TR's mother's family, the Bullochs. Though I was not yet a fan of non-fiction, this book changed my tastes. It's as readable as good fiction, with the added satisfaction of being a true story. David McCullough has a real gift for getting inside the lives of his subjects and making them human, and though he certainly chose a complex and interesting character in TR, this book is also largely about American social history and Roosevelt family history.

The physical challenges TR overcame and the personal losses he survived would have destroyed a lesser man, but by sheer strength of character he managed to transform ... Read More:

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INNOCENT MAN

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biographies and Memoirs
by: JOHN GRISHAM

2007
Non fiction book about Ron Williamson, who was wrongly convicted of murdering a young woman in the 80s. The book also includes the stories of Dennis Fritz, implicated in the same murder, and a couple other people who faced similar charges while being innocent. Ron narrowly escaped the death penalty. This is a gripping story for anyone interested in the death penalty etc. Ron is an unlikely hero with severe psychological, drinking and drug issues. However his story and what happened to him is so unbelievable that you have to read it to believe it. This book really makes you think about the justice system and how people with a certain degree of authority and a personal agenda can destroy the lives of so many for no valid reason.

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If Not Now, When?: Duty and Sacrifice in America's Time of Need

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biographies and Memoirs
by: Colonel Jack Jacobs (retired), Douglas Century

October 07, 2008
A great book telling it like it was and still is today. I was in the USN during this same time as a Navy Pilot on the USS Ranger. I met the Col. at a MOH book signing and watch him on IMUS in the morning. I hope he writes another book. john manstrom, ga.

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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biographies and Memoirs
by: David Sedaris

December 16, 2004
I don't like to read reviews and descriptions of a book prior to reading it because so very often they give away too much and spoil the book for me. This book was given to me as a gift and I just assumed it was fiction. I kept waiting for some sort of story to evolve, a plot, a direction. Took me many a chapter to even realize this was non-fiction and basically a collection of anecdotes. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the book more if I had realized that at the onset.

Anyway, I thought it was a fairly weird grouping of stories. What a bizarre family! While mildly humorous I thought it was mostly weird and quirky (and sad) rather than funny.

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1984 (Signet Classics)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biographies and Memoirs
by: George Orwell

1999-10
While the 1984 has come and gone, George Orwell's masterpiece of the same title is still a classic.
In this dark alternate reality, oppressive super-governments control the world. Eurasia consists of mainland Europe and Russia. Eastasia is made up of china and southeastern Asian states. Finally, Oceania consists of the Americas, Australia, Southern Africa, and the British Isles. These governments are almost identical in their policies and philosophies, but are constantly shifting alliances and enemies with one another. Although it is available, there's never enough food or good housing for the average citizen. Socialist oligarchies control every aspect of life, and are coming closer to complete control of thought by the day.
What really makes ... Read More:

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Legacy of Secrecy: The Long Shadow of the JFK Assassination

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biographies and Memoirs
by: Lamar Waldron, Thom Hartmann

November 10, 2008
OOOOPPPPPPS! Another typo, page 296, bottom paragraph: "...Cyrus Vance had his men began the process of...." Proofreading again.

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Abraham Lincoln: Great American Historians on Our Sixteenth President

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biographies and Memoirs
by: Brian Lamb, Susan Swain, C-SPAN

October 27, 2008
A wonderful purchase for anyone with even a faint interest in Abraham Lincoln and his impact on America.

In this book, many notable scholars lend their thoughts and insights in a conversational style to various aspects of the Lincoln story. A reader will be delayed neither by scholarly jargon nor intrusive footnotes. Instead, that person is presented with the easy opportunity to be exposed to a wide breadth of the scholarship directly touching upon Mr. Lincoln. And afterwards, if interest is excited, he or she can go find and read one or more of the books written by these able past contributors to C-SPAN.

C-SPAN is a national treasure and this timely history book is a monument to that cable-industry company's talented staff and its work over the years in ... Read More:

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The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love Survival and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biographies and Memoirs
by: Shreve Stockton

December 02, 2008
Shreve - I loved your book. I couldn't stop reading and as someone else said when I got to the last chapter I yearned for a dozen more. I couldn't get enough. I wanted to know every detail of your lives and Eli and Chloe and Mike too. I know that I would not be up to raising a coyote but I am in complete awe of what you are doing and am grateful that I can experience it vicariously. Shreve you are so unusual I just scratch my head and say"Who are you and where did you come from." I think you were sent here to teach us all something. I am awed by few but you knock my socks off. You are everything, afraid and fearless at the same time. Open and a mystery at the same time. Thank you so much for sharing your life and Charlie with us. The first thing I do in the morning is go ... Read More:

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Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Biographies and Memoirs
by: Tim Russert

May 23, 2006
My husband handed me this book at a local bookstore. He had simply picked it up and opened it to a random page and read one of the short stories. I read it and proceeded to cry. After paging through it I knew that I had to buy this book. One for myself and another as a Christmas gift for my dad. I am going to write a card that lists just a few of the reasons that my father is the best there is.

I definitely recommend this book. Buy a couple! They make excellent gifts!