Playground (4)

Playground: A Childhood Lost Inside The Playboy Mansion By: Jennifer Saginor Read: March 18, 2015 The story starts with the author is 6, her parents have divorced and she is with her father. Dad is a doctor in Beverly Hills, know as Dr Feelgood. He is good friends with Hugh Hefner and spends a great deal of time at the Playboy Mansion where he has his own room. While dad is playing backgammon with Hef, Jennifer is free to run around, feel monkeys, play in the pool, order room service and play video games. She thinks it is the ideal life. However she is also exposed to naked women, couples having sex, rampant drug use. But perhaps worst of all is her fathers attitude toward women in general and his great anger at his ex-wife. She and her younger sister spend their young years playing at the Mansion but are sworn to secrecy not to tell their mother. She eventually finds out and the parents enter into a bitter custody battle which is shocking in their anger toward each other and their utter disregard for their children. The kids become just a prize to claim in the battle. Eventually when she is about 13 Jennifer moves in with her father, she does this after an argument with her mother. This sets off a chain of events that will forever impact her life. With her father out partying all the time she is left alone at home. No parents, separated from her sister, her sadness lead to an out of control life, lots of drugs, out all night partying lovers... all this before she can legally drive a car. As time goes on Dad becomes more and more out of control. Vicky a 19 year heroin addict who had ties to a Columbian drug lord. As Dad descends into heroin addition he becomes more and more paranoid collecting guns, security and generally scarring the hell out of her daughter who feels trapped. Unable to return to her mother who tells her 'you should have thought about that when you moved out' and a father that gives his 17 year old a loaded hand guns with instructions to sleep with it. There really is no conclusion to the book, the author is now in her 40's and talks about how she is estranged from her mother and sister and the lasting scars her childhood left on her life. She does this in a matter of fact way rather than trying to generate sympathy. An interesting book but deeply disturbing that parents could be this reckless with their children.

Dirty Sexy Politics (3)

Dirty Sexy Politics By: Meghan McCain Read: March 15, 2015 Meghan is the daughter of Senator John McCain of AZ, who ran for President in 2008. Meghan had just graduated from college and joined the campaign. She was not an official staff member, but blogged about the campaign instead, which was still a new idea at the time, especially for the Republicans. The book is less about politics and more about what Megan went through emotionally on the campaign. Dealing with the handlers, denied access, constantly being told she was making mistakes that would cost them the campaign. In the beginning of the book she talks about how the Republican party has changed from a party of hands off government and personal freedom to a tool of the far Right. Too concerned about gay marriage and image than about the real issues. This of course is a big turn off for the younger generation which Meghan represents. This echos a sentiment I have long held. I voted in my first Presidential election in 1984 and had always thought of myself as a Republican. In the past several elections they have continuously disappointed me in their choice of candidates and the issues they promote. I increasingly have nothing in common with their platform. Overall it was an interesting book and a worthwhile read. It is a different take on how politics impacts the families of the candidates.

Crime Partners (2)

Crime Partners By: Donald Goines Read 3/11/15 Donald Goines was a Black writer born in Detroit. His novels are all gritty stories of life on the street, drugs, pimps, guns, murder. This book is no exception, follows 2 stickup men as they try to make the big score. Along the way they hook up with a man named Kenyatta who is trying to clean up the streets by killing off drug dealers and racist cops. They are not dedicated to the cause, but like the money involved. Also loosely follows two cops that are trying to solve the murders. Like most of his books this is a quick read, but enjoyable. His style reminds me of Elmore Leonard, lots of street slang, and it is more about the characters than the end result of the story. This was actually the first of four Kenyatta novels. Turns out Goines wrote more books that I realized in his short life. Goines personal life seems to rival his novels, and he was murdered at age 37). Going to try to find some more of his books, although they seem to be hard to comes across.

Getting My Pretty Back (--)

Getting My Pretty Back By: Molly Ringwald Not finished Fresh off finishing Maureen McCormick's book I picked up Molly Ringwald's book which I have had since last summer when I received it from Paper Back Swap. The book had looked interesting, written when she turned 40, and reflecting on a teen star entering middle age. What it turned out to be was fashion and lifestyle advice for the 40 something woman who is trying to regain vitality in her life. I read about 50 pages (which was quick because there are LOTS of drawings, pictures and quotes). Deciding I really didn't need a cheese fondue recipe or advice on the types of jeans to buy or how to tie a scarf I gave up on this book. Life is too short, and I have SO many books to read. Beside I already get GQ which seems to have good style advice aimed more at me.

Here's the Story (1)

Here's the Story By: Maureen McCormick Read: March 8, 2015 I read an article about Maureen McCormick who played Marcia Brady on TV. Picked up the book through PaperBack Swap It was a quick read and a fairly interesting story. After the TV show ended when she was about 18, she got heavily into drugs which seemed to rule her life for many years, and seemed to have costed her a number of opportunities in her career. She stumbled along and eventually during one of the Brady reunion shows she got some help which began her long road of recovery. Through a co-star in the show she was introduced to a church which became influential in her recovery by providing the support structure she did not otherwise have in her life. Here she met her husband, but their life was filled with turmoil. While clean Maureen was prone to paralysing self-doubt which would lead to bursts of anger usually directed at her husband, who evidently is a Saint. Seems he stayed by her through this turmoil when most people would have thrown in the towel and walked away. In time she was diagnosed with depression and was treated for it and for the first time in her life she felt better. She still had lots to face in her life, but she had renewed direction. She repaired relationships with her mother and became a happier person. The last portion of the book mainly concerns her family, which was always somewhat disjointed. Her oldest brother was always very successful. She has another brother with intellectual handicap, the other brother spent his whole life drifting, doing drugs and getting in and out of trouble, and in his late 40's was still largely being supported by his parents. As the parents age and the mother is diagnosed with cancer the parents move in with this son. He became very controlling and had undue influence over his parents much to the dismay of the rest of the family. An interesting read, overall a very sad story. It is nice that she is doing better now, but you can't help but feel loss for all the years that she was mired in anger and depression.

Flameout: The Rise and Fall of Burger Chef

Flameout: The Rise and Fall of Burger Chef by: by John P. McDonald Read: November 2014 I sorta remember Burger Chef from my young childhood. I remember poking around on the Internet a few years ago reading about the chain, but the spot on Mad Men really rekindled by interest in it. Found this book on the history of the chain, and I bought a Amazon Fire in the fall, and this book was available to read for free! It follows the story from the founders, who were basically engineers who had made various equipment for the restaurant industry. The Burger Chef idea was originally a way for the company to sell more equipment by providing a turn key business that people could take advantage of the hamburger craze of the 50's and on. They grew to become the second largest chain behind McDonald's and were within a breath of becoming #1 but the size of the organization hit its limits. Due to the way they had structured the franchises the company was having problems getting access to capital. They sold to General Foods who spent years tinkering with the successful model, alienating the franchise owners and they eventually fell behind the other chains and died out.