Rating: 
Summary: "Blessed are those who expect little"
Review: "For they are seldom disappointed"
I started with the recorded book 11 CD set and listened to the book read by Tony Hillerman. Then I bought his book (ISBN 0-06-050586-9) for the pictures of family and friends, and to look at the spelling.
There are many five star books out there. However this book excels beyond the five stars. Being the memoir of Tony Hillerman this is really several books in one as he remembers his several lives from impoverished childhood through military, through collage student, through reporter, now writer.
This memoir gives us many insights as to what Tony draws on for material in his books. And many aspects of his childhood can be related to by any child. His war experiences would rival "All Quiet on the Western front" and reflects the experiences of the most recent wars. I am now reading some of the source materials that he read for background of his novels.
. "Seldom Disappointed" actually enhances the enjoyment of reading the Tony Hillerman novels.
Rating:
Summary: One of those books you tell people about
Review: Enjoy learning about a good man. I picked up this book to find out how Tony Hillerman came to know and write about the Navajo. It took awhile to get to that point in the book but what a wonderful journey along the way. Mr. Hillerman's parents taught him the gift of having a positive outlook on life and he has lived his life that way. I was happy to learn about Tony Hillerman and it felt good to read his life story.
Rating:
Summary: The West of the late 20th Century
Review: Hillerman is part of Brokaw's Greatest Generation. That's a trite notion, but Hillerman can wear that mantle proudly. This book covers a lot of ground. It's about the Depression, growing up in Texas. It's about being in the Infantry in World War II. He seems to do a good job of describing war and armies of young kids killing each other. It's sobering if you read the history books, about policies gone bad and the rise of bad governments. In the end it's about kids killing kids, and I don't pretend there's any way to avoid that in many instances. I'd like to.Eventually, Hillerman ends up in New Mexico. The stuff about political corruption is priceless. It sounds a little like Arizona, where I grew up. Those confessions when you have a bike lock around a suspects privates make a guy a bit cynical. But it's little glimpses of the legislature and the university that really explain how things work in the mountain west. Hillerman comes off as a good guy. Not a hero, but a good guy. I've met Mr. Hillerman. I've read all the books. I like the idea of finding harmony with the land and with ourselves. He seems to (want to) understand how people go bad. Sometimes it may be because they grow up with nothing, and sometimes because they grow up with too much. His books take the view that people are generally the product of the pressures they face growing up, and sometimes the influences produce rotten scoundrels. That's not the simplistic view of 'personal responsibility', but Hillerman doesn't offer excuses, only explanations. And, as a mystery writer, he 'needs' bad people, right? This book provides interesting explanations, from real life, for some of his villains. There's a hierarchy of evil in some of his books, trashed-out people trying to survive and powerful manipulators pulling their strings. It's interesting to juxtapose this on 'authority' that is based on constant cleansing and renewal of blessing. What makes this book so great is that you see how a writer's experience molds everything he does, and what sometimes seems like a formula is, hopefully, a very rich blending of human experience that has generated unique perspective. I have more respect for the books since I read this book, and I was already a fan. Hillerman makes me proud to live in the Southwest. George Sears
Rating:
Summary: Seldom Disappointed? I Think Not!!
Review: I became a fan of Tony Hillerman's work three years ago after reading ''The Wailing Wind'', so my spirits understandably soared when I found I would be able to add a copy of his memoir to my growing collection of books he had already written. I bought it as a birthday present for myself last year, and once again, in this particular work, he remains as good a storyteller as in the Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee mysteries he has written, and even though the book received its title from the observance made by Tony's mother, I doubt anyone who reads it will indeed be seldom disappointed!
Rating: 
Summary: Who proof-read the MS?
Review: I LOVE TONY HILLERMAN! AND I LOVE HIS BOOKS...ALL OF THEM! I know the following might sound trite, but I was astonished at the number of mistakes in this book! They appear to be the kind of error that a spell-checker doesn't pick up..."there" for "their" and the like. I had the feeling that the MS had never been proofed by a live person, and Mr. Hillerman should get after his editor. I found the errors very distracting. That said, I found the accounts of the war experiences and, especially, the adoptions, totally engrossing. I will share this book with other Hillerman fans of my acquaintance (and they are many). And I'll keep on reading his books as long as Mr. Hillerman continues to write them.
Rating:
Summary: Who proof-read the MS?
Review: I LOVE TONY HILLERMAN! AND I LOVE HIS BOOKS...ALL OF THEM! I know the following might sound trite, but I was astonished at the number of mistakes in this book! They appear to be the kind of error that a spell-checker doesn't pick up..."there" for "their" and the like. I had the feeling that the MS had never been proofed by a live person, and Mr. Hillerman should get after his editor. I found the errors very distracting. That said, I found the accounts of the war experiences and, especially, the adoptions, totally engrossing. I will share this book with other Hillerman fans of my acquaintance (and they are many). And I'll keep on reading his books as long as Mr. Hillerman continues to write them.
Rating:
Summary: Gotta Love Tony
Review: I started reading Tony Hillerman books for my 11th grade English extra credit and I couldn't put them down! I recieved this book as a Christmas present and couldn't put it down! If you enjoy Tony Hillerman's books then you'll love his memoir. Its open, frank and honest about what it took before he became the author we know and love. After reading this I became determined to read any of his books I hadn't read yet. Also if you are familiar with his books you get little inside stories as to what it took him to get some of them published.
Rating:
Summary: The Life and Times of a Good 'ol Boy
Review: I was interested in this book because Hillerman is an accomplished writer, and I thought I would learn some about the craft. I learned much more about life and history and enjoyed all of it. Hillerman comes across as the salt of the earth, a young boy from rural Oklahoma who was truly without guile. He describes growing up in a small town and then being drafted and shipped off to war. I especially enjoyed his telling of his time as an infantryman during WWII. I have read WWII accounts by officers like Patton but never by a grunt. It was a new and enlightening perspective that I appreciated. It is always interesting to see/read how successful people become a success in their chosen fields, and Hillerman's account is interesting. In it he shares much history of the southwest. He does not share about writing his novels until he is well into his memoir. This is the story of his life and not just about writing. He eventually does share how he made the leap from journalist and college professor to novelist. This is a lighthearted tale of the life of a truly American writer. It requires patience and rewards it with an honest, entertaining story.
Rating:
Summary: The Life and Times of a Good 'ol Boy
Review: I was interested in this book because Hillerman is an accomplished writer, and I thought I would learn some about the craft. I learned much more about life and history and enjoyed all of it. Hillerman comes across as the salt of the earth, a young boy from rural Oklahoma who was truly without guile. He describes growing up in a small town and then being drafted and shipped off to war. I especially enjoyed his telling of his time as an infantryman during WWII. I have read WWII accounts by officers like Patton but never by a grunt. It was a new and enlightening perspective that I appreciated. It is always interesting to see/read how successful people become a success in their chosen fields, and Hillerman's account is interesting. In it he shares much history of the southwest. He does not share about writing his novels until he is well into his memoir. This is the story of his life and not just about writing. He eventually does share how he made the leap from journalist and college professor to novelist. This is a lighthearted tale of the life of a truly American writer. It requires patience and rewards it with an honest, entertaining story.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed? Not at all!
Review: I've enjoyed reading many of Tony Hillerman's mysteries which are more about understanding bits of pieces of Native American culture in the high mountain country of New Mexico and the interactions of individuals, a nice contrast to the fast-paced, urban-setting mysteries rife with sex, violence, and foul-mouthed bad guys of many mystery authors. His memoir will delight his many fans because the picture it paints is one of an unassuming person who grew up in the poverty of the Great Depression, did more than his share as an infantry grunt in WWII, and relates his post-war life with his beloved wife, Marie, with warmth and modesty. The book is plain and simply written and Hillerman's self-effacing demeanor sets it apart from the memoirs of other authors and artists who see the world only through the prism of their own egos. Hillerman does not reflect deeply on What It All Means, but merely relates in matter-of-fact fashion a journey through life. His infantry tour describing the conditions in the bitter winter of 1944-45 concludes that Army Intelligence was seldom correct, the West Pointers directing the war were often but dimly aware of what was really needed, e.g., winter garb for what turned out to be the snowiest winter in Western Europe in 40 years, and that confusion and ignorance were constant companions. His "grunt" experiences are comparable to those described in more detail, and with much more reflection, by Raymond Gantler in his fine book,"Roll Me Over" written soon after WWII, of similar situations and experiences. Hillerman's post-war experiences of university life, journalism, and, finally, his quest to be a novelist make up the final third of the memoir. Particularly interesting for budding novelists, and particularly those who have read his novels, are how incidents, individuals, and other miscellaneous happenings provide grist for what happens to Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee in their adventures. In sum, Hillerman's account of his life is an honest, often moving account of an unassuming man who has realized his ambitions and cares to share a bit of this with others. A hard-to-put down book.
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