Take a spin in the fast lane with the one and only Pleasant Gehman. This lady rocks (so we won't have to). Woman has lived through quite a bit and lived to write about it--and we get it all: the good and the bad. What makes her stand out as a writer is her own, very unique way of putting the word down. Might remind some of Henry Miller, Jeri Cain Rossi, Kirk Alex, or even Charles Bukowski--by that I mean she bares her heart and soul and stays away from the phony type of writing (one might find in mags like The New Yorker and others like it.) You get the whole picture: warts and all. That makes her human in this reader's eyes--and we dig the hell out of her for it.

I love this woman's unique take on Tinsel Town and L.A. in general. Once you start reading you won't be able to put it down. Read it from cover to cover in a single sitting. This is honest writing, screams from the gut. You get it all because the lady has the smarts and talent and backbone to give you the truth: the good, the bad and the hilarious. She knows life is that and more because she has lived through it. Enjoy the laughter when you can, she seems to say, and do the best that you can do to get through the less than pleasant moments (like heartbreak and other disappointments) that all of us sometimes find ourselves having to deal with. My only complaint is that she does not have enough books out there! I would like to see Pleasant write a longer work, maybe a novel or her memoirs. I put her up there with the best of them like Carson McCullers, Sylvia Plath, Unica Zurn, Dan Fante, Charles Bukowski, John O'Brien, Nathanael West, Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, et al. Can't wait for her next book.

Escape From Houdini Mountain is a dizzing joyride of autobiographical fiction from a different kind of L.A. Woman. Spun from her experiences in the L.A. underground, the stories are infectiously entertaining. Pleasant's eye for the human condition is pristine. Her heart shines as she revels in a carnival of delicately drawn characters. Some are sad, some sick, some brilliant, but in Pleasant's world they are all appreciated equally. Ultimately this book, for all it's wildly funny tales, is an evolved praising of feminine beauty and it's power in a world gone mad.

It's rare that one can read a book containing so much dry information such as the budgetary concerns of many many films, and still be captivated by the storytelling enough to make it work. This book reads like a well-crafted novel, with the main characters being a handful of studio executives. What results is an utterly readable, insider's look into the business of filmmaking in the studio era. The artistic genius of some of these men is acknowledged, but largely, their business dealings are highlighted. If you're afraid of such business talk, don't be. The author makes budgets and salaries an interesting and integral part of the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who just loves movies and wants to learn more about how it all started. I also recommend this book to anyone who is in or getting into the producing biz now. What a helpful and inspirational resource. My only regret is that there is just no way that I can remember all of the information that I read in this book. That's why I refer to it as a resource in the title of this review and why I will use it as such for years to come.

Prof. Schatz does not suffer from the scholar's disease of academic-speak and writes a book that clearly demonstrates his expertise on the studio structure. Most books I have read extended the view of the outsider looking in at the star system and not the economics of the studios. "Genius of the System" chronicles the history of the studio's business, that is to say the economics and the people behind the economics.

If you want to read about the business structure of Hollywood during its beginnings, this is the book for you. I cannot recommend it enough.

An easy to read writer, Thomas Schatz details how the studio system worked from the silent era to its final collapse in the 1960s.

He illuminates both the art and the business of films, with keen analysis of how producers, directors and screenwriters created such fine art (and rich profits) -- especially the producers, who are more the authors of Hollywood films than any other group.

He convincingly portrays MGM's Irving Thalberg as a genius of art and commerce and MGM's Louis B. Mayer as a clod (except when dealing with difficult stars).

Schatz offers telling portraits of many others who did their best work under the constraints of the Hollywood system. He details the major studios' styles and how they evolved over the years. It's clear he has read file cabinets of documents, from endless -- but revealing -- memos to how much the stars made(!).

He also puts the film industry in social and cultural context; he even says the anti-communist witch hunts of the 1940s and 1950s were a disguised form of anti-semitism.

In the end, Schatz offers a convincing alternative to the auteur theory.

always a pleasure to read. You won't be sorry if you buy this book!

The dialogue is priceless in this novel! I'm going to read it again and again. It takes place mostly in the 60s, where our hero, Ulysses, grows up as a brakeman for the railroad. His father is a movie star who banks off of what Frank Chin calls the white "racist love" of America. What would that be? Well, being Charlie Chan's son, being a "neurotic, exotic" Asian, being a prostitute, dragon lady, or an effeminate, passive individual; all in all, having a westernized expectation of an Asian. Our hero, Ulysses, is the true Chinaman and you should make an effort to read this book.

I liked it more than DONALD DUK (although, I loved that book), because it's a step higher in experiencing how it is to be a Chinaman. Frank Chin has changed my life, but no other book has done it more than this one. Incidentally, Chin happened to be the first Asian in history to get a play produced in America. If you're interested, you should get it here ... Since his play came out it caused a storm of controversy, as this one will too.

This book is a culinary tour de force that features a variety of tastes that will whet anyone's pallet! A must read as well as a must use. I highly recommend this book to anyone whose interest reach beyond the den of their house. Enjoy-I did!

I really enjoyed this cookbook and all of its stories. I've tried a couple of the recipes (including the turkey for Thanksgiving) and they were as easy as promised. I'm glad I bought it and now I'm going to buy some for gifts.

Great recipes and wonderful stories about Nick Grippo's experiences in Hollywood catering for celebrities. He answers the questions I'd ask, such as what did he make, who did he make it for, and what was the experience REALLY like. The book is fun to read and I received it as a gift recently. The photos of the food are just beautiful, the candid shots with the stars are fun and informal and there is not a stuffy tone to the book, which is why I like it. It was also quite candid and revealing -almost as if Nick is "Everyman" in an apron. The layout was most unusual. It's quite a beautiful and deliscious book and gave me a few insights into Hollywood, along with a lot of laughs and a few tears when i read it..

I finished reading David Fine's excellent book Imagining Los Angeles: A City In Fiction at just before 2 am this morning. I was reading in bed in my 1923 bungalow in Whittier, California. It was a quiet night. No winds blowing; even the neighborhood dogs were asleep. It was too humid and Fine's wonderful analysis of Los Angeles fiction had my mind going a mile a minute. I thought about going for a drive; maybe listen to a little late-night radio, but I knew my wife would worry if she woke up and found me gone. I finally got to sleep, knowing I'd have to type up this report as soon as I got out of bed this morning.

Fine's book is not encyclopedic; if you are looking for a complete listing of SoCal fiction, you'll need to look elsewhere. Imagining Los Angeles is an overview - an introduction, a history with examples - of fiction set in the Los Angeles metro area. The first chapter gives you a little background on the area. Then Fine takes the reader on a literary journey from booster fiction, through fiction in the 20's, hard-boiled fiction, tough-guy detectives, the Hollywood novel and finishes with more ethnically oriented fiction and Los Angeles as a setting for disaster. The book is serious - probably not a summer beach read - but it also kept me in rapt attention and didn't read like the textbook Professor Fine could have turned it into. In my opinion, this book should appeal to a wide audience - from the serious literary student to the pop culture buff looking for a little backstory.

A lady just walked into my office (actually, my three legged female mutt just hopped into the 1980 guesthouse behind the bungalow) looking for my attention, so I better end this report now.

Sincerely Submitted, agnostictrickster 13 August 2001

This is a terrific book, that rare academic work that is both entertaining and instructive. Having grown up in L.A., but no longer living there now, I truly enjoyed revisiting the city of my childhood and young adulthood via all the stories and authors Fine discusses. Fine's writing style is clear and blessedly free of academic jargon. His treatment of a wide variety of books and ideas is nothing short of a tour-de-force. "Imagining Los Angeles" does exactly what good literary scholarship should do: shine fresh light on books and their authors and make readers eager to discover the books for themselves! (I've just placed a mega-order for several of the titles Fine discusses... )

"Fine's research is extensive and thorough, his observations shrewd and penetrating, and his command of the political, social, and cultural matrix profound. A major contribution."--D. W. Madden, California State University, Sacramento--CHOICE, January 2001

Simply put, there is no book like this about rap in Los Angeles. From KDAY to the Watts Prophets to Death Row, this book covers EVERYTHING you know about Hip Hop in LA, a story that is distinctly different from Hip Hop in New York. It features interviews with LA's biggest - Dre, Eazy, Cube, Ice-T, Cypress Hill, etc. - and leaves nothing out. This is a story that's rarely told, which is strange when one considers that LA rap was the force that mainstreamed Hip Hop. Hard to find, but a must have for any mainstream rap historian.

I have to give it up to Brian for the very honest and understanding picture that he paints of the early to middle development of the westcoast hip hop scene. Through his interviews and writings, hip-hop fans get a real sense of how rap music developed on the west coast and they hear the stories directly from the artists themselves. This book is priceless and a definite must have for all music fans. In fact, somebody stole my only copy so I need to buy another one. Cli-N-Tel

My bedroom in the Picture section LINK'S Room with the SP1200 from back in the days

West Coast Style LINK

In late 1993, right before the new year, Toni Dorado is returning home to Los Angeles to face the lover she left abruptly and to reconnect with her family. Her niece and her mother are very excited to have her back, but her sister Sylvia isn't happy at all, and she has her own problems in the form of an abusive husband. Toni struggles to make amends with Pat, her former lover, and the two slowly begin to communicate about where to go from here. As the various women's lives and sometimes volatile relationships collide, so too does the earth as a major earthquake hits the area in January 1994, forcing the women to face some naked truths about each other and about themselves. Even though the earthquake has a deus ex machina feel (where it solves problems so the characters don't have to), "Faults" is quite a remarkable novel for creating a beautiful portrait of a present-day Chicana family to which everyone can relate.

This book is excellent and readers of Ms. De La Pena's previous books will be reunited with some familiar characters. It's also a fascinating read for LA fans and fans of lesbian literature. It's the kind of novel you wish wouldn't end but when it does you know she'll be back with an even greater read next time! I think Terri De La Pena really captures what it's like to be a lesbian and a Mexican-American!

Other reviewers have outlined the plot of this novel adequately, but more needs to be said about the deft characterizations, setting, and style.

The five primary characters in Faults have each been given a distinct voice. The novel is structured through short chapters, each in the first-person voice of five very different women. Terri de la Pena has created characteristic idioms, world-views, personalities, and character strenghts and 'faults' for each person. I was fascinated as these characters unfolded; it is a risky and, in Terri's hands, successful narrative technique.

Two reviewers complained about the mix of Spanish words and phrases in the narratives, a perspective I would like to counter. My Spanish understanding is based on a couple of semesters 20 years ago, and although I didn't understand the litteral meaning of every Spanish phrase, I found the use of Spanish absolutely authentic to the characters, and actually pretty easy to decode. In fact, there is often a translation of sorts in the context, many are English cognates, and others are common Spanish heard in the US. So don't let it put you off. Even when you don't understand the phrase, the intent and mood is clear. Actually, the use of Spanish adds a great deal to the novel--how much Spanish crops up in a character's thoughts, for instance, provides insight to her personal culture. Also, the presence of Spanish is important to the sense of living as Chicanas in an Anglo macroculture. Bilingualism (and not every Chicano/a speaks Spanish) must be an enormous, perhaps a defining part of the experience. For a non-Spanish speaker of another culture to criticize what is clearly a deeply imbedded cultural characteristic shows a regretable bias, and listening to it would limit one's aesthetic. Finally, I want to say that for Chicanas and others with Spanish-based cultures, the language mix must be quite welcome. (Terri de la Pena is not the only Chicana author writing in this manner, of course.)

I appreciate the attention Terri de la Pena pays to environment in her settings--from street and business names to architectural details. Though briefly mentioned, these things add to the authentic ring of the story.

One other strength of the structure created by the five woman characters is the way time unfolds as the characters speak. Each short narrative takes place within a given moment or brief period of time; in fact, each section is dated so we have a sense of events defining a period of several weeks. What we know about the past is colored by the POV of the speaker, so the contrasting views give us various "truths" that we must sort out as we perceive the biases of each woman.

I have focused on three aspects of Terri de la Pena's writing that contribute to the strength of "Faults." The sum is, of course, much more than the parts. The book is an important addition to lesbian literature which offers a reading experience rich on many levels. I recommend it.

This volume, originally published in 1962, was "Judo" Gene LeBell's first book. The basics are covered briefly, and most of the volume is concerned with covering competition techniques and theories, with clear illustrations to explain the dynamics of each move along with precise narrative. Among others, LeBell expounds upon the Triangle Theory (pg 98), The Outrigger Theory (pg 99), counters, fakes, transitions, and entire chapter devoted to grapevines (immobilizing the lower body), strangles, locks, and true to the spirit of a practical nuts-and-bolts fighter like LeBell, a chapter on banned techniques entitled " 'Necking' Not Allowed/Noncompetitive Neck Locks", and another on banned leg locks.

This book is in essence a primer on grappling, more than simply a text on competitive judo. Despite having been originally published over 40 years ago, you will find that the tactics covered in this volume are still relevent and effective in todays world--and that nany of the techniques people credit to Brazilin jiu-jitsu were being used in the US of A long before the Gracies first set foot over here. I would recommend this and LeBell's other books "Grappling World" and "Grappling Master" along with Renzo and Royler Gracie's "Brazilian Jiu Jitsu" for anyone who has no problem learning from precise technical manuals on grappling.

This is the best Judo book ever IMO. Gene does a great job at explaining all the moves. He is very descriptive. You should check it out even if you're not into Judo.

Gene LaBell was Heavyweight/Openweight AAU/USJF National champion for two consecutive yeas in the early '50s, before the sport enthusiasts "sanitized" Olympic Play. LaBell does not encourage cheating at judo; he reminds us, as he teaches over thiry arts illegal for contest, that judo was and is first and foremost, a Martial Art. With clarity of intent and mechanics, this former champion details dozens of spine locks, neck cranks, leg and toe locks and a wide variety of very serious self-defense techniques. This is a refreshing look at the devastating martial art as it was originally intended to be studied in the early days of "KODOKWAN JIUDO" when before a boxer could challenge a jujitsu man, a notarized agreement had to be signed waiving all liability of the judoka for the life of his opponent. NOT FOR THE BEGINNER!!!!! But black-belts will learn every time they turn the page.

Edward F. Burgess, VIII

Rokudan Judo & Jujitsu

Ms. Bauer's latest work is an enormously gratifying examination of human behavior and relationship. She is able to breathe an unmistakable honesty into her characters, giving them life which not only seems real but also feels real. Ren and Lou become intimate friends who enable the reader closely to examine her or his own relationships, especially relationships under the stress of everyday life. Kudos to Ms. Bauer for this funny yet highly intimate novel.

Ms. Bauer has written a wonderful book of real people that love each other during the highs and lows of a fascinating life. The book is hard to put down. I am afraid I will be forced to buy another copy since my book has been borrowed by my daughter and her friends.

A thoughtful, provocative meditation on ambition, fame and would-be fame, as well as what's left when the spotlight goes away. It's an inside look at a relationship between an actress and a screenwriter, and manages to celebrate their relationship and romance without trivializing it. At points it's wickedly funny, insightful, sad and inspiring. Ought to be required reading for anyone who wants to go into movies. Bauer is one of the best writers of the human heart around.

Besides being very well-written and witty, this book is one of the best-researched "graving guides" I have seen on the market. I believe this is because Masek lives in the area, and is a regular visitor to these sites. Many other books have been written by people who either don't know the subject matter personally, or who have relied heavily on other, usually erroenous, sources. These mistakes are repeated over and over in guide after guide, but not in this one. Masek has clearly done all the leg work himself, and it shows.

Besides giving directions, the book also contains some very witty anecdotes about the people and the places they are buried. Although a bit large to sneak into the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn, this book really needs to be at your side for any excursion out there into the increasingly-popular world of celebrity grave-hunting.

I concur with the two previous reader reviews. This is an extremely well written book that is virtually impossible to put down. It provides the novice as well as the professional celebrity grave hunter with juicy little tidbits regarding their favorite dead celebs. It also provides accurate information regarding grave locations and precise directions as to how to find each one. Oddly enough, no other book on this subject has managed to do that.
The author also includes background information about each burial ground. I found that not only interesting, but in one specific case actually humorous.
I didn't want the book to end. I definitely will buy subsequent books by this author. In fact, I ended up buying three copies of this book as xmas gifts and the recipients enjoyed this book as much as I did.

If you are interested in exploring and visiting celebrity graves, this is a great resource. The information provided for each celebrity will give even the youngest graver in your group an idea of who the celebrity was.
This would also be an excellent guide for those of you who are not residents to the area. Visitors to Los Angeles will find this book to be helpful because it breaks down each cemetery into managable sections for touring.
Buy this book!