Bindi

Sheer honesty

Reviewed: 11-03-24

I really enjoyed listing Whoopi Goldberg talk about her life growing up in New York with her single mother and brother. Her mom really sounds like she was a wise woman, wise beyond most mothers I’ve ever heard stories about, and this is what really shaped Whoopi into who she is today. I learned so much in this book, how Whoopi got the name “Whoopi”, how she went to all different types of plays, movies, ballets, etc., and had the acting bug since she was a child.
I liked the sheer honesty of Whoopi, talking about her vulnerability, her drug abuse, her “imposter syndrome” she felt early in. I’ve always enjoyed Whoopi in anything she did but now, I feel I know so much more about her and what shaped her life and decisions.

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Delightful listen

Reviewed: 10-29-24

I really enjoyed listening to Henry Winkler read his own autobiography. He is such a nice guy and I have heard time and time again that he really is as nice as he appears.
Henry shares his experiences as a child in school, unable to read or comprehend geometry and always getting bad grades. His parents would punish him to try to get him to do better. Sadly, dyslexia didn’t have a name/diagnosis back then. (I wonder how he narrated this audiobook?)
He talks about he he moved from New York to California with just $1,000 in his pocket. He was unaware when couch surfing of the body language/regular language around him hinting is was time to leave!
I just really, really enjoyed learning who Henry Winkler really is. I think it would be an honor to meet him. He must be someone whom is a wonderful friend to have.
Thx Mr Winkler for such an entertaining listen!

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Interesting background of the Howard Family

Reviewed: 10-15-24

I had no idea all of the Howard family were actors/actresses. It was really interesting to hear how Ron and Clint’s father taught them how to act out their roles on set and to understand their roles as children. I had no idea the boy in Gentle Ben was Ron Howard’s brother! Wonder why my dad never brought that up when I was a child? I am several years younger than the Howard boys but feel like I grew up with Ron watching him and Andy Griffith and then Happy Days. I was not familiar with Clint as his brother but had watched Gentle Ben! I had no idea all that went into this very talented family. I give kudos to the parents keeping the boys level headed and not allowing fame to go to their heads. Sad that Clint went down a bad road for a long stretch but happy he straightened his life out. I think it’s really neat Ron met his wife in High School and is still happily married to her. That says a whole lot for his upbringing.

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Indigo trade was something I knew nothing about

Reviewed: 07-03-24

Historical fiction, Eliza, a young girl who has to take over running the running of the family plantation in South Carolina as her father is sent back to Antigua. Her father has mortgaged out all their properties to the hilt and Eliza Lucas is trying at the age of 16, to make the plantation profitable by growing and producing indigo in the 1700's. She asks her father to send someone who has knowledge of the plant and how to process the plant to help her out. Some of the slaves on the plantation also hold knowledge on how to make indigo as well. The crops grow, they fail, they grow and she has high hopes of getting a good indigo from the crop but what happens when she leaves for a ball with her mother and sister?
Very interesting story, one I was unfamiliar with. I learned a lot from this book. The epilogue was interesting as well. I recommend listening to or reading this book

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I enjoy period pieces, this did not disappoint

Reviewed: 06-22-24

I really enjoyed this story of two women of different classes whom came together in 1835 England, working together in a kitchen. One, Eliza, actually the daughter of the "homeowner", the other is the hired help, Ann. Eliza loved poetry and wanted to continue writing and having her poetry published. She was told that she wasn't going to succeed and should instead try to write a cookery book. Eliza and her mom had to give up their expensive home and for reasons I won't mention and run a boarding home. Eliza is cooking for the guests and hires Anna to assist in the kitchen. The two of them work with fresh veggies, fruits and spices all while writing down measurements, times, etc. so as to make their recipes easy to read and duplicate again. Cookery books of the day didn't have measurements nor good instructions.

This book had some really good plot lines which I didn't expect. Well written, I didn't want it to end. A few areas of sexual content so not for the younger crowd.

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Found out I knew nothing about Daniel Boone

Reviewed: 06-14-24

Listening to this book I realized I didn’t really know a thing about Daniel Boone, a name I’ve heard all my life like almost every US Citizen. How many of us really know who he was or what he did in his lifetime?

Boone sounds like he really enjoyed being mostly alone in the wilderness, out hunting for long stretches of time. He loved his wife and children so I have to wonder why he was gone just as much as he was? His wife certainly was a very forgiving or understanding wife to be on her own with all the children they had out In territory that had yet to really be safe. They lost at least one if not more children to Indian raids.

Parts of the books certainly seemed a bit boring but I just kept listening. On the whole, it was a good history lesson. It isn’t a book just for anyone as it is more of a historical book. This is the reason I rated it 4 stars. The reader was okay, did get on my nerves just a bit so also a 4. If you know nothing about the Boone family, this has a lot of interesting information.

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Wonderful story of the resilience of women

Reviewed: 05-27-24

Based in the 1800’s England when people were sent to Australia when they got arrested for just abt any infraction. This book is based on 3 different women who are being shipped off to Australia, a 4 month voyage on a filthy ship, lacking good food and which also has men that will harass and rape the women inmates if they can.
Evangeline was working as a Tudor in a home and caught the eye of the youngest son of the home. He got her pregnant, he gave her his grandmother’s Ruby ring and his embroidered handkerchief before leaving on a trip. He didn’t know she was pregnant. Meanwhile, her boss went through her room, found the ring and accused her of stealing the ring from the family of the house. Evangeline ends up on the ship to Australia.
Hazel, a 16 year old, has a mother who is a midwife who doesn’t care for her like she does her own customers. Her mom has her go out and steal constantly. Hazel has learned to be a midwife by helping her mom. Hazel got caught stealing a silver spoon, she ends up on the ship to Australia.

Olive, I can’t recall exactly her background as to how but seems she may have been in a brothel, I’m not sure? But Olive also end up on the ship to Australia and these three women become friends on the ship and through the book.

I highly recommend this book!

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No sugar coating the Holocaust

Reviewed: 05-23-24

This is the second book by this author that I have listened to and have really been immersed in both books. I finished both in just 3 nights.

This book is based in Riga, Latvia in the early 1940’s as well as the US, 1970’s. It flips back and forth between generations telling the story of how the Jews in Riga eventually were put in a ghetto after losing their homes, their belongings, their husbands, businesses, etc. All the while flipping forward to a granddaughter who just lost her mother trying to figure out why her deceased mother and grandmother didn’t have a good relationship. Why she wasn’t raised Jewish and what her background really was?
As a reader/listener, I had no idea that Latvia had the invasion it did by both Germany and the Soviet Union. I had no idea the atrocities that occurred there in Riga and other areas in Latvia and that so many Jews lost their lives there. This book is based on true facts, historical events that actually happened. The author does not sugar coat the events happening in this book and if you are a compassionate person, your heart will truly be broken knowing these events really happened to real people. The Holocaust did happen, it was one of the most heartbreaking and inhuman events in our history and those who survived are almost all passed now. People will soon forget this as “history.” It should never be forgotten. It’s still happening and it should never be repeated anywhere again. Although a tearful book, it’s true and a very good listen. I highly recommend this book. I’d not recommend it to anyone who can’t handle the events that happened in the Holocaust until they are of age to do so.

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1 person found this helpful

One of my biggest fears would be stranded at sea

Reviewed: 05-18-24

I loved this book! It was well written and well read via Audible. Set in WWll in the early 1940’s England, families are enduring nightly air raids taking their families into air raid shelters sometimes till dawn. They are cramped, scary, dark, damp, cold and sometimes they fall in due to the bombs and those in the shelter die anyway. The government offers to send some of the UK children away to Canada and Australia to be hosted by families to keep them safe till the war ends. There are limited numbers of children who can go. Would you as a parent keep your children and take the chances they remain safe or ship them off? The ship is supposed to be in a convoy which protects the ship from any enemy fire. Unfortunately, one ship carrying children does get torpedoed and sunk. Not everyone survived. A life boat goes missing, will it be found? This is a story of the people at home as well as those in that boat and how everything happened.

Highly recommend this book. No sex, no foul language that I recall, just a really good book that keeps you wanting to listen.

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The shear determination of this couple

Reviewed: 04-23-24

Ellen and William Craft, two slaves make a daring escape from the south right in broad daylight among white folks! Ellen is the daughter of her white master and appeared white to most people. She saw herself as black because she was a slave. She dressed herself in men's clothing and she and her husband, William took a train boats, etc. by posing as a wealthy man and his slave. They traveled 1,000 miles without being caught.

Incredible, true story. Well written and nicely read on Amazon Audible.

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