Waukegan Public Library - biography

Have You Heard About... My Mother Was Nuts

Fran J — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 06:34:12 +0000

… Laverne DeFazio from TV’s Laverne & Shirley? In the new biography, My Mother Was Nuts by Penny Marshall, you get a quirky look at Penny Marshall as she struggled to grow up in what she considered a very crazy, yet normal family. As in a lot of celebrity biographies, you hear about the dysfunctional family life, the drugs and the famous people. In Penny’s case, it totally shaped who she became in later life — a great actress and producer and a fantastic director.

Touring Europe with singer Art Garfunkel on the back of a motorcycle. Married to actor/director Rob Reiner (her second marriage) during the run of the great TV show Laverne & Shirley. All of the things that went on with Cindy Williams her co-star and the other cast members. Penny Marshall talks about her older brother, director Garry Marshall, and his influence on her career, doing drugs with John Belushi, and getting to know actress Carrie Fisher and how they’ve stayed friends for a long, long time. Tom Hanks tells of how he got his big break in two of Penny’s biggest blockbuster hits – Big and A League of Their Own. Whoopi Goldberg, Mark Wahlberg and Robert de Niro tell of their funny experiences of working with Penny. A lot of behind the scenes craziness, how she survived lung cancer and a brain tumor, and how she managed to come out in one piece is a miracle.

This book was a fascinating and fast read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Reviewed by Terry (staff)

Have You Heard About... The Garner Files

Fran J — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 06:06:01 +0000

… Maverick or The Rockford Files? Actor James Garner, with Jon Winokur, wrote The Garner Files, the long awaited biography on everyone’s favorite actor.

The book starts out a little slowly with his early childhood, but with this understanding, you come to appreciate all that Jim has been through and how it has shaped his views on life. His time in Korea, where he finally got most of his education, how he got into show business and how he managed to make acting look easy are important aspects of his life. His friendships with other actors are also part of what makes him and this biography so unique.

When I started this book, it felt like I was listening to him talk to just me. I could actually hear the tone of his voice. He talks about what he went through on The Rockford Files TV show, doing almost all of his own stunts and the pain he was in constantly. He is a car nut, and getting to make the movie Grand Prix was the thrill of a lifetime. His golf outings with famous friends are hilarious. His strange friendship with Steve McQueen and the making of the movie The Great Escape are fascinating. Each chapter is special, and you feel like you really get to know Jim the person as opposed to Jim, just another actor. I read this book quickly as it’s very hard to put down.

Reviewed by Terry (staff)

Have You Heard About... The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb

Fran J — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:02:10 +0000

…Vinnie Bump? In Melanie Benjamin’s The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb you’ll find out how the amazing Mercy Lavinia ‘Vinnie’ Warren Bump came to knock the Civil War off the front pages of the newspaper. This tiny, 2 ft. 8 in., dynamo had a huge personality and knew what she wanted out of life in a time when women were expected to marry and have children.

While telling of some of the problems that little people face, Vinnie tells her story with humor and compassion. She tells of how she first met the famous P.T Barnum and how their friendship grew and always inspired her. Her marriage to Charles Stratton, better known as General Tom Thumb, is very interesting, as is her loving relationship with her diminutive sister Minnie and what happened after she died.

You’ll need huge blocks of time to read this fascinating story as it’s very hard to put down.

Reviewed by Terry (staff)

Have You Heard About... My Lucky Life

Fran J — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:29:27 +0000

… acclaimed actor Dick Van Dyke? You can read all about him in his new memoir, My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business. Simply and to the point, Dick Van Dyke writes like he talks. Yes, he was incredibly lucky to be in the right place at the right time for his career, but he did have several personal problems, like alcoholism and an addiction to cigarettes, that this biography deals with in a straightforward way.

The insightful information on his TV/movie roles and how he felt about his co-stars was very interesting. He talks about how he met his idols Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton. He mentions several of his famous friends – not in a gossipy way, but matter-of-factly, which I really enjoyed reading about.

This was a wonderful memoir by a truly American Icon.

Reviewed by Terry (staff)

Have You Heard About... Escape from the Land of Snows

Fran J — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:42:43 +0000

… the hardships endured by the Dalai Llama and Tibet? Being a big fan of the Dalai Lama, when I saw Escape from the Land of Snows, by Stephan Talty, on the new book shelf, it didn’t take long to snatch it and head for the self-check machines.

I had read Freedom in Exile, The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama just after it had been published in 1990 and found it too to be a gripping read. The new book read like a thriller with plenty of suspense and a chance to cheer for the ultimate underdog. This is all about the March 17, 1959, Tibet uprising against the People’s Liberation Army of Communist China and the Dalai Lama’s ultimate decision to make a harrowing escape over the Himalayas to India. It is also about the events and atrocities leading up to that decision after months of China’s slow but deliberate takeover of the Tibetan people’s liberties, religion, and culture. Today, the Tibet Government in exile remains in Dharamsala, India, but many Tibetan people have never given up on the hope of their God King returning one day despite everything China has done to make the indigenous people feel like outsiders in their own country.

Reviewed by Richard (staff)