Elizabeth Goodman

Cat Power: A Good Woman

by Elizabeth Goodman
Book NineteenReview:

"Chan Marshall does not want you to read this book." When a book starts off like that, you have to force yourself to push forward to find out what could be so bad that a person is against you reading their story. Who is Cat Power? or Chan Marshall? This is one of those books that you want to put down many times, but are afraid you may miss out on some important message and are reluctant to abandon.

Having seen Cat Power in concert a few times, I felt compelled to getting to know her beyond the music. She has been a controversial character from the get go, whether it be her stage presence or addictions, she is dramatic in every sense of the word. After reading this book, I am still not sure it matters where she came from, because I do not have any idea where she is going. Besides indie music lovers, no one I know even knows or cares about her. It is sad to say, but I do not think she will ever become the star she has the potential to be. Her cult like following is all she really has going for her.

I just recently saw her open for The Pretenders and there were probably a dozen people in the audience who knew of her and cared that she was on stage. She really has a powerful voice, a great band behind her and a spooky stage presence that makes her worth seeing as an opener or main act. This book takes you behind the scenes and into the tormented, psychotic life of one young girl. A must read for music fans alike.

Goodman, the editor-at-large at Blender, interviews her family and friends such as Thurston Moore, Nick Cave, Dave Grohl, Jack White, Bill Callahan, Vincent Gallo, Karl Lagerfeld and Wong Kar-Wai, trying to paint the real Chan Marshall. Although, this is not an ordinary biography,Goodman really tries her hardest lure you in to the private life of an indie singer. The New York Times, Alan Light said it best:

It is very much to Goodman's credit that Cat Power: A Good Woman sustains interest, especially since Marshall refused to participate. Goodman thoroughly explores the central drama of Marshall's life: the "career-long argument Chan has with herself…about whether or not she wants to be up there singing in the first place"…Goodman makes a decent case—to this skeptical reader, anyway—for Cat Power's musical significance.

Lyrics to "Good Woman", which appears on the album You Are Free:

I want to be a good woman

And I want, for you to be a good man.
This is why I will be leaving
And this is why, I can’t see you no more.
I will miss your heart so tender
And I will love
This love forever

I don’t want be a bad woman
And I can’t stand to see you be a bad man
I will miss your heart so tender
And I will love
This love forever
And this is why I am leaving
And this is why I can’t see you no more
This is why I am lying when I say
That I don’t love you no more

Cause I want to be a good woman
And I want for you to be a good man

Rimbaud: The Double Life of a Rebel by Edmund White

“A lucid, literate introduction to the poet's short but turbulent life. . . . The latest gem in the publisher's already glittering series.” –Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“. . . a lean, incisive biographical-critical book by one of our outstanding literary commentators.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“One of the best products of the currently booming brief-biography genre.” –Booklist

“A solid, factual account. . . [a] superb, informative book.” –Library Journal

I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee

I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee

by Charles J. Shields

Review:

This book is a great companion to explore while reading the most widely read novel in American literature, To Kill a Mockingbird. Although Lee lives a mysterious and private life, Shields still manages to piece together hundreds of interviews with Lee's classmates, friends, and neighbors. Shields is the author of several nonfiction books for young readers and this book would be perfect for any middle or high school student. He is also the author of The New York Times best seller, Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, which I highly recommend for mature readers.

Inspiring Stories

*According to Amazon, here are two of the most popular worldwide bestseller biographies and autobiographies.

Escape

by Carolyn Jessop and Laura Palmer

Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope

by Don & Susie Van Ryn, Newell,Colleen & Whitney Cerak, and Mark Tabb

Lindbergh

Lindbergh

by A. Scott Berg

"FOR MORE THAN A DAY THE WORLD HELD ITS BREATH . . .

and then the small plane was sighted over Ireland..."

Review:

This is by far one of the best biographies I have read in a long time. It was amazing to hear the story of Lindbergh's solo flight from New York to Paris and the tragedy during the horrendous days in 1932 when their 20-month-old son was kidnapped and killed. I was shocked to find out his wife, the talented writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, was so strong and supportive in a time when he was criticized as a Nazi or a traitor and anti-Semite. Lindbergh took us all on a trip around the world whether we wanted to or not and at a time when flight was a fairly new experience. I really enjoyed hearing about New Jersey and Long Island and how significant these places were in the development of Lindbergh's life. Overall, I cannot do justice to the depth of this piece, but would definitely recommend it to any history or biography lover.

Check out this really cool website. Enjoy!
www.charleslindbergh.com/

What books mean to me or my life with Joseph Conrad.

The Several Lives of Joseph Conrad

by John Stape

*I haven't read anything by Conrad since collage, so when I came across this review a flood of memories came crashing down on me. I think I hated Conrad, yet grew to love him by the end of my college career. In my lifetime, I have loaned out many a book and borrowed even more, but for some reason whenever I see a copy of Conrad's Heart of Darkness, I miss the dogeared highlighted copy that I never retrieved back from a high school/college friend, Lisa. Funny enough, I lent her the book and a thin booklet that explained the book in detail, but can not recall if she returned the books or if they are still somewhere in space. It is the only memory I connect with Conrad, which is sad, due to the fact that he is one of the greatest writers of 20th- century literature. It is funny how books play such a strange role in our lives and it amuses me when someone says that they never have time to read. If you want/love/need to read, you will always find the time.