The entertaining story behind the man
583067
Interesting story about Cramer's history. You can also pick a few bits about investing that may be helpful. You may want to wait for the movie. No, I haven't heard that there will be one, but if they make it I think it would be intense and educational. Love him or not he's got a track record that impresses me based on common sense that not all of us have.

I was not paid for this review and did not receive any consideration from anyone for writing it. If Jim Cramer appeared at my door with a check to thank me for my review I would invite him in for a drink, but ask him to leave his check outside. That's not why I wrote it.
514540
One man's story of his life's ups and downs that demonstrates what a little humor and a lot of perseverance can get one through!
2151446
Riddle of the Labyrinth offers an interesting and entertaining story of the discovery of Linear B tablets by Arthur Evans and the decipherment by Michael Ventris. In addition, the book also tells the story of how Alice Kober laid the ground work for the decipherment through the first methodical approach to the analyzing Linear B.

While I really enjoyed the story, I can only give this book four stars because I was hoping for more technical details about the decipherment. However, as the author states at the beginning, "The Decipherment of Linear B" already serves that purpose. In summary, a good book for anyone interested in learning more about the human interest story behind the decipherment of Linear B.
1180226
I thought it was pretty cool to read this story from the man's point of view. It did repeat some things but added enough new content that I was glad I read it.
3188987
This was a good read, a glimpse behind the always-mild persona that Carson presented on TV. And boy, were there other sides to Johnny.

Bushkin is a skilled storyteller. He dishes on some stories, and keeps some of the identities private. That shows some class, and increases the thrill when he does dish the juicy bits. The most fun part of the book is the first two-thirds, when Johnny's enjoying his own success, and he and Bushkin are close. Being part of a star's entourage takes its toll, though, and Bushkin reveals the effects gradually. Bushkin does a good job of keeping his later disillusionment out of the early stories, which makes it possible to enjoy the good times along with him.

One note: it helps a lot to be familiar with the TV shows and movies of the late 70s and 80s. Without some awareness of the personalities of the era, I think the book might have been rather obscure.

Also, for readers who are lawyers  -- Bushkin was Carson's lawyer, and he gives some fascinating background on some of Carson's legal troubles, and the ethical quandries they put him into. It doesn't bog down the story, though. If you're in the legal profession, no worries, you won't be missing out, and you won't feel like you're in class.
2037199
THE BACK STORY IS HELPFUL IN FILLING IN THE PIECES NEEDED TO REALLY KNOW WHO HE IS. KEEP THEM COMING.
2858845
Interesting to know the man behind the paint brush
25357
Successful actors and actresses usually focus on themselves. Sir Roger Moore knows that "the play's the thing" and directs interesting and rewarding stories that movie and television fans will enjoy. As author, he mostly plays the role of stand-in for us as voyeurs in casting calls, make-up chairs, scenes as they are performed, and during the carousing afterward. He has a sharp sense of humor and doesn't take himself or anything all that serious . . . except UNICEF for which he has done immense toil in recent years.

The style of story telling reminded me a lot of William Shatner's autobiography, Up Till Now. Sir Roger is more restrained, as befits his British background.

The book's main weakness is that the storytelling is a bit too good at directing attention away from Sir Roger. As a result, we learn the surface man . . . and not too much else. He's a jolly companion who wants you to have a good time.

If you are a huge fan of Maverick, the Saint, the Persuaders, and his Bond roles, I think you'll leave the book wishing for more. But that's part of the actor's art: Leave them eager for Moore.

Have fun!
2866112
For 80 pages, this book tells a great story. Mike, the protagonist, is your average blue-collar guy, that finds himself involved in the professional henching industry. It's basically a good look into the personal life of a henchman. The art isn't blockbuster, but works great with the script, and it's very easy to identify with the main character. Overall, a 4.5, and a great read.
1917818
Imagine listening to an old man tell great stories from his life. How much fun it is to listen, depends entirely on whether your personalities mesh, and his skill at telling stories.

I like the way my father and grandfather told stories.  I don't personally care for Mr. Gregory's style, but that is an idiosyncratic preference.  I think many folks would enjoy reading this.

PG rated.  Actually, maybe don't let your teenager read it until they have a few years of driving experience.
2862135
The Autobiography of Ben Franklin is surely an entertaining read, following one of the most ingenious men of American History.
Following Franklin from very early on in his life, gives an insight of him as a child and young man, with distinct personality traits. We follow his journey to Philadelphia and how he gained influence and a great reputation as a benevolent man.
Throughout the book, Franklin describes all situations very precisely and to the detail. This can be enjoyable to read and much is to be learned from it, but often appears trivial as when he goes into detail on the narrowness of streets in Philadelphia.
It should be noted that the book has no proper ending as Franklin died while writing about the French-indian war, therefore no account of the revolutionary war is to be found.

Pros:
- Masterfully written account of Franklin's life
- Much to be learned from, especially his system of 13 virtues.
- Gives great historical insight to the period

Cons:
- Can seem trivial at times
4709650
I found this book to be comical. The main character is an antagonist but you can not help but want to read more. His name is Georges Duroy and at the beginning of the story he is poor and not amounting to much. He runs into an old acquaintance one day and from then on luck is on his side. He is a selfish, power hungry, womanizer and everybody buys into his gentlemanly persona. The read is entertaining and fast flowing.
1881011
For years, Hal Needham made a name for himself as a stuntman who wasn't afraid to take on any stunt, no matter how dangerous. Besides his stunt work, he directed movies (most notably "Smokey and the Bandit" and "The Cannonball Run"). As if that wasn't enough he also owned the Skoal-Bandit NASCAR race team. "Stuntman!" is the story of his life - a life that was never boring.

"Stuntman!" is the autobiography of a man who lived (and presumably still does) life to the fullest. Needham uses an interesting technique at the beginning of the book - offering little snippets of the stories within the book - almost like the previews at movies. This easily could have backfired on him (why read the book when he's summarized it for you?) but it works. While you can classify this as an autobiography, outside of the beginning where Needham describes his childhood, it really isn't. Instead it is a collection of stories of his days as a stuntman, director, and race car team owner. It is all interesting stuff but in the end you don't learn much about Needham's personal life (for example he glosses over his three marriages and I have no idea how many children he has).

Needham is not a stupid man (witness the box office success of "Smokey and the Bandit") and he is right to focus on what fans want to know about - his professional life. Some of the stuff he did was death-defying and interesting to read. He doesn't gloss over the dangers he faced (and at one point describes how hard it was to recover from serious injury). While he can be a bit full of himself at times (and I suppose you can't blame him) he never portrays himself as anything but what he is - the uneducated son of a sharecropper who took the talents he had and used them to the best of his ability. If you are looking for Hollywood gossip this really isn't the book for you - Needham praises those he likes and often mentions but doesn't name those he doesn't like. The one "scandal" in the book is the mysterious death of Sarah Mile's business manager (Miles was Burt Reynolds costar in "The Man who Loved Cat Dancing") but Needham provides scant details about that incident which is frustrating.

"Stuntman!" is a nice inside look at the world of stuntmen.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
1046613
Well, this is my first book about the behind story about Steve Jobs and Apple and I found it fascinating. Before it I just watched the video of his commencement speech in Stanford 2005, I was shocked and intrigued by this man, who plays in his world and has changed the world in several aspects.

The book is absolutely entertaining, informative but also seems redundant in some acts, to be fair. And, it would be much better if the author is not so critical or biased about Steve Jobs. Well, he is just a human, even if sometimes regarded as an avatar from outside.
745470
An honest account of an interesting man's life.
1626744
I enjoyed The One Man, but certain aspects were glossed over or not in great detail in order to move the story along. Overall very good read.
3630613
The story told here is one sided.  This is David's version which is IMHO, very slanted toward his point of view. I am sure if those players on the other end were to write this story their views would heavily conflict with David's.

In my opinion, much of the activities that DI engaged in were the result of his working his short position.  There is a good reason that DI is so well connected to a few financial journalists.  He needed to get his story told in order for his short position to work. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  This is the way hedge funds/institutional investors work their positions.  This book becomes much more interesting for a reader who takes the time to investigate both sides of this story.  I followed this, and other DI shorts very closely while they were happening and I can tell you that this was an interesting event.  The book is worth reading and I enjoyed it.