Books for Prep | |
 - The Duke Of AmericaA very well written biography of a very complicated man. From the Duke's childhood to his later years in Hollywood, you get the full picture of an American legend that was patriotic, controversial, opinionated, grateful, and a deliberate artist. John Wayne: American takes you into Wayne's inner circle of friends, family, and co-workers. If you love John Wayne, or even kind of like him, you'll love this book. There are some shockers that reveal the man behind the curtain that is sure to be a water cooler discussion after you read the book. Rating: - an amazing biographyI am French and a huge fan of John Wayne's career. I've found this book very complete whithout having long movies résumés. This book is more focused on anecdotes' movies. Moreover, the life of John Wayne is not depicted only as a pure "American" cowboy (despite the title of the book)and the authors really want to explain the choices of John Wayne in politics or in his own life whithout trying to influence the reader. That gives us the impression that John Wayne lacked confidence in his own life but barely never in his career. I've been reading biographies for a very long time and I can say that this biography is really well written and as I was reading it, I watched several movies with John Wayne, just for pleasure!! Rating: - The Man and the Legend The acid test of any biography is does the personality of the subject come through the pages of the book? After the reader is finished, do they feel they have meet the man or woman they were reading about. Historians Randy Roberts and James S. Olson have done so with this book, which is very difficult for two distinct reasons: 1) Wayne left no papers; and 2) there is the legend of John Wayne that gets in the way of knowing Marion "Duke" Morrison, the man behind the famous stage name. Roberts and Olson have given their readers a well-written, engaging study that is both traditional biography of the actor, but a study of his status as an American icon. The authors also show that Wayne was a talented actor in addition to being a movie star and deserved the Oscar he won, even though he expected to lose. A decent and diligent son, he was never able to win his mother's love. For whatever reason, she showered her affections on her second son who was a mediocrity in life. Wayne was a conservative, but mainly because he was a classical liberal in that he believed in limited government that did little to impose on the liberties of individuals. Even though he was worth millions when he died, he had invested poorly and had gone bankrupt, squandered most of his earnings, and most of his fortune was the result of his having an honest business partner that had looked out for him. He went through three marriages, but was a loving, if removed father. In many ways, he placed more value in his friends than in his family. Perhaps because his friends could never hurt him the way his wives had. There will be other Wayne books, but it is difficult to see this book being surpassed anytime soon. Rating: - Read this book, Pilgrim!I had wanted to read a John Wayne biography for some time, but never got around to it until buying this book. I think I picked the right one. It is chock-full of interesting information regarding 'the Duke'. I was surprised to discover how nasty director John Ford could be to his actors, John Wayne included; and yet the two were good friends. Surely Wayne must have wanted to punch the guy out a time or two. Regarding Wayne's mother; I don't think the writers did an adequate follow through. In the first sections of the book, much was written about the relationship between mother and son, but there was no follow up later in the book. Did his mom ever come around and begin to appreciate him before she passed away, or did she remain cold and aloof until she died? As a reader, I felt like I was left hanging on this one. Otherwise, this was an excellent book, and I highly recommend it. The final sections, covering Wayne's last days were sad and disturbing, but the man left us with quite a legacy on film. There will never be another like him. Rating: - excellant book .I enjoyed this book more than I can Say . Being 80 yrs. old , I have grown up with John Wayne , more so than any other movie " STAR ". Buy this book , you will treasure it . Jack Yannuzzi In association with Amazon.com | |