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Rating: 
Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: After reading Beyond Love and City of Joy, I expected this to be just as good. Two third of the book is interesting - although I discovered what a prejudice author this is - but the nearer I got to the end of the book, the more disappointed I was. I expected a great ending, instead I found a very slow one.
Rating: 
Summary: what life !
Review: Gripping. Lapierre shares in this book his most important events and adventures of his life, all extraordinary and all moving. An incredible life in an incredible book. In telling his story, he more than changes lives, he gives.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I have read almost all of Lapierre's books and loved them. They were vivid, well-researched and absolutely riveting. But this book seems dated. He takes old pieces and pieces them into a book. We've been there.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: This dude knows how to write. Throughout the book, his passion, respect and sometimes joy as he describes life's adventures and the amazing people he has met permeate his writing. He brings the events to life, makes them very real.In particular, his horrific account of the death of Caryl Chessman brought tears to my eyes. How could it be that in a so-called civilised country such deaths continue? I was outraged and appalled to learn from Lapierre that of the 500 death executions since 1977, 'seventy-five concerned men and women whose innocence was proven after their death.' 75 innocent people killed! Mon dieu! Er no, actually -- I've since found out from various anti-death penalty web sites that in fact 75 (or now around 85) people were released (ALIVE) from death row after their innocence was proven. The distinction, I think, is rather important! He also claims that 'California has remained faithful to its gas chambers' as a manner of execution. As far as I could find out from various government and anti-death penalty web sites, California uses primarily, if not solely, lethal injection to dispose of its unwanted citizens. Lapierre's account of 'tarantulas as hairy as apes' in Africa would excite ecologists -- who perhaps foolishly think wild tarantulas exist only in the Americas -- as much as his (unfortunately mistaken) sighting of a rhinoceros excited his host in the Ivory Coast. Characterising Mohatma Gandhi with temporal accuracy, if somewhat dismissively, as 'an elderly half-naked Indian...living in poverty' no doubt adds credence to his amazement at the 'miraculous alchemy' and mutual understanding that existed between Gandhi and Lord Mountbatten. But is it really so miraculous when one considers that the middle-class Gandhi had studied for and received a law degree from London University and practiced as a barrister in South Africa for 20 years? Is it so miraculous that two educated men with experience in and a good understanding of each other's cultures could then understand each other? Obviously any account of events is going to carry some subjectivity, like his rather derogatory characterisation of Gandhi, but it's disturbing when things presented as facts, like the huge number of innocent death row victims, are blatantly incorrect. It made me wonder how many other factual errors I'd inadvertantly absorbed as truth. Nevertheless, it is great read, lively and interesting, and his contribution to the welfare of the poorest of the poor in India goes beyond admirable. Just take the 'facts' with a grain of salt!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: This is an interesting book by a man who has obviously had a fascinating life. He takes us across many continents and interviews many people, throwing in anecdotes about his life and interests. However what stops me giving this book a 5 star rating is the fact that I feel that some of the topics are given superficial treatment (despite the lengths of the chapters), and there is too much emphasis on the author's own involvement. Fair enough, you might say, it is his book about his experiences, but I feel it is these experiences which should take central stage. This is however only a small criticism, and it is a VERY interesting book, about interesting people in interesting times.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: This is an interesting book by a man who has obviously had a fascinating life. He takes us across many continents and interviews many people, throwing in anecdotes about his life and interests. However what stops me giving this book a 5 star rating is the fact that I feel that some of the topics are given superficial treatment (despite the lengths of the chapters), and there is too much emphasis on the author's own involvement. Fair enough, you might say, it is his book about his experiences, but I feel it is these experiences which should take central stage. This is however only a small criticism, and it is a VERY interesting book, about interesting people in interesting times.
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