Rating: 
Summary: How can I put into words her magnificent tale of growing up
Review: Doris Kearns Goodwin is truly one of the best writers of ourtime. Wait Till Next Year took me from a tale about baseball to the wonders of growing up in what seemed a simpler, family and home-centered life. Dad worked, Mom tended to us post-war kids at home, and our neighbors were our best friends and playmates. I broke into tears when Doris described the departure of her best friend, Elaine, with whom she'd shared so much of her youth. We, too, moved away at about the same time and age, and life was never the same for us. Our friends were gone, my Mom, too, became ill. And baseball, it was at the center of our lives as well. I'll never forget hearing that Roy Campenella had been in an accident that would confine him for life to a wheelchair. How could that be possible? Just as Doris is baffled by the disintegration of her beloved Dodgers. Thank you, Doris, for showing us--liberal, caring, family-centered Catholics--that someone as gifted as you could put into words what we felt, who we were; who we are today. Your book is a jewel; I highly recommend it to every caring person. And to those who seem hardened by life, please read this book. You'll come away with a tear in your eye and warmth in your heart.
Rating:
Summary: How can I put into words her magnificent tale of growing up
Review: Doris Kearns Goodwin is truly one of the best writers of our time. Wait Till Next Year took me from a tale about baseball to the wonders of growing up in what seemed a simpler, family and home-centered life. Dad worked, Mom tended to us post-war kids at home, and our neighbors were our best friends and playmates. I broke into tears when Doris described the departure of her best friend, Elaine, with whom she'd shared so much of her youth. We, too, moved away at about the same time and age, and life was never the same for us. Our friends were gone, my Mom, too, became ill. And baseball, it was at the center of our lives as well. I'll never forget hearing that Roy Campenella had been in an accident that would confine him for life to a wheelchair. How could that be possible? Just as Doris is baffled by the disintegration of her beloved Dodgers. Thank you, Doris, for showing us--liberal, caring, family-centered Catholics--that someone as gifted as you could put into words what we felt, who we were; who we are today. Your book is a jewel; I highly recommend it to every caring person. And to those who seem hardened by life, please read this book. You'll come away with a tear in your eye and warmth in your heart.
Rating: 
Summary: a bore
Review: This is a VERY easy read that has a few very funnymoments. However, it is a trivial narrative that only a baseball fan or someone who grew up in Long Island in the fifies would be captivated by. Too cute and with little point for the rest of us, but so short that anyone could give it a shot.
Rating:
Summary: a bore
Review: This is a VERY easy read that has a few very funny moments. However, it is a trivial narrative that only a baseball fan or someone who grew up in Long Island in the fifies would be captivated by. Too cute and with little point for the rest of us, but so short that anyone could give it a shot.
Rating:
Summary: A book about another era, but has a simple message for today
Review: Considering that Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of the women Imost admire and respect in America today, I was curious about what her book would be like recounting her childhood. What I came away with was a sense that a girl, or boy for that matter, growing up in an ordinary home, doing "ordinary" routine things, could go on in life to accomplish great things. Rituals,having simple fun,setting aside time to daydream, being passionate about something - anything - will lay the groundwork for confidance, curiosity,and passion in a child that will stay with them into adulthood. From a very early age, perhaps three, my son has had a passion for history and the era of his grandfather, World War II. I have tried to nuture that passion for the last 14 years. One can only hope as he goes on to college this fall that he turns out half as accomplished and as much a contributing member of society as Doris Kearns Goodwin. Thank you for the reassurance Doris!
Rating:
Summary: A book about another era, but has a simple message for today
Review: Considering that Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of the women I most admire and respect in America today, I was curious about what her book would be like recounting her childhood. What I came away with was a sense that a girl, or boy for that matter, growing up in an ordinary home, doing "ordinary" routine things, could go on in life to accomplish great things. Rituals,having simple fun,setting aside time to daydream, being passionate about something - anything - will lay the groundwork for confidance, curiosity,and passion in a child that will stay with them into adulthood. From a very early age, perhaps three, my son has had a passion for history and the era of his grandfather, World War II. I have tried to nuture that passion for the last 14 years. One can only hope as he goes on to college this fall that he turns out half as accomplished and as much a contributing member of society as Doris Kearns Goodwin. Thank you for the reassurance Doris!
Rating: 
Summary: A dull account of a dull life.
Review: I was lured into buying this book by the picture of EbbetsField on the cover and the implied promise of insights into, and memories of,Brooklyn in the fifties. I am just three years younger than the author, and I hoped for some interesting reading about a time and place that defined my childhood but that I was too young to notice at the time. Memoirs must serve at least one of three purposes. They either describe an interesting life, or they offer insights into a time and place, or they are simply well written and stand on literary merit alone. This book fails all three tests. The life is not interesting, the time and place are merely touched upon and poorly understoof, and the writing has no literary merit. Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: A dull account of a dull life.
Review: I was lured into buying this book by the picture of Ebbets Field on the cover and the implied promise of insights into, and memories of,Brooklyn in the fifties. I am just three years younger than the author, and I hoped for some interesting reading about a time and place that defined my childhood but that I was too young to notice at the time. Memoirs must serve at least one of three purposes. They either describe an interesting life, or they offer insights into a time and place, or they are simply well written and stand on literary merit alone. This book fails all three tests. The life is not interesting, the time and place are merely touched upon and poorly understoof, and the writing has no literary merit. Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: For any girl who grew up loving the game
Review: We were sometimes called tom-boys, and often given dolls bySanta when what we really wanted was a catchers mitt. Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote a memoir for all the little girls out there who grew up loving the game. Her beautifully written tale of how her parents equally influenced her life is a touching testament to them, and to a seemingly simpler time when teams were the same year after year, and a little girl (or boy) could give Gil Hodges a good luck totem before the big game. This novel is about so much more than baseball, adn it was a pleasure to visit that much-talked about era with someone who made it come alive.I'll think of Doris fondly when I buy my season tickets this year. And this Yankee fan will even silently pull for the Red Sox, her modern day answer to the Broklyn Dodgers, to make a run (for the wild card.)
Rating:
Summary: For any girl who grew up loving the game
Review: We were sometimes called tom-boys, and often given dolls by Santa when what we really wanted was a catchers mitt. Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote a memoir for all the little girls out there who grew up loving the game. Her beautifully written tale of how her parents equally influenced her life is a touching testament to them, and to a seemingly simpler time when teams were the same year after year, and a little girl (or boy) could give Gil Hodges a good luck totem before the big game. This novel is about so much more than baseball, adn it was a pleasure to visit that much-talked about era with someone who made it come alive. I'll think of Doris fondly when I buy my season tickets this year. And this Yankee fan will even silently pull for the Red Sox, her modern day answer to the Broklyn Dodgers, to make a run (for the wild card.)
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