Product Description
Struggling with the many problems faced by children of divorced families, eight-year-old Megan tries to adjust to having two rooms, two pets, two sets of possessions, and two potential stepparents. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

negative, negative, negative
This is an extremely negative book.It is told from the eight-year-old girl's point of view, and is just very disturbing.Instead of pointing out any positive things about divorce at all until the last page (you can have hugs from four adults instead of just two and you get more Christmas presents) it focuses entirely on the negative situations, which, though one would expect a generalized notion, are actually rather specific to certain relationships.Not every divorce involves nannies and the parents' subsequent lovers.How many kids would have learned that one of their nannies ran off with her lesbian yoga instructor?The girl comes across as very spoiled, selfish, and rude.She's taught to give people degrading nicknames, such as Mrs. Valium (whom she likes because she doesn't care what Mrs. Valium calls her as long as she calls her when she has chocolate), she clearly finds it okay to tell people she hates them, and she plots throughout the book for ways to get her parents back together.The plots include telling her dad's girlfriend that he'll never marry her (your ultimate goal must be marriage! seems to be the message here) and her mom's boyfriend that her mom will marry him if he doesn't watch out (giving the distinctly opposite message that marriage is a bad thing!) and calling her dad and telling him that there's a strange man in her mom's bed, hopefully causing him to barge over with lots of police.

If you're looking for a book that helps kids understand the positive things that can come from divorce, this is NOT the book you're looking for.Another picture book that is much simpler, shorter, and positive is Two Houses by Claire Masurel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

one of Jong's best books
Definitely one of Jong's best books.she takes you on an indepth journey throu english history from the eyes of a woman. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography, autobiography, criticism and sexual politics, celebrating the life and, in particular the work of Henry Miller. Best known for "Tropic of Cancer" and "Tropic of Capricorn", his torrid and marvellous evocations of the "vie de boheme" in Paris between the wars, Henry Miller appears the archetypal male American writer at large - outrageous, over-sexed, happier in France and Greece than in the Aglo-Saxon world. Branded as a sexist, he was at heart a romantic, a radical innocent abroad. He wrote Jong a fan letter on the publication of "Fear of Flying", and became her mentor and friend, considering her his alter ego in female form. ... Read more

Product Description
From the best-selling author of Any Woman's Blues comes a collection of more than 150 poems, including early works previously uncollected in book form, selections from her seven previous poem anthologies, and new poems. Book available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Fear of Fifty gave me plenty to reflect on
My measure of a good book is how long it makes you think after reading it, and this book has had me thinking for days.I think Erica has been very raw and honest in detailing her feelings about her life and experiences.Refreshing to read about someone who has been married more times than me.Also contains the best last line I have ever read

i love this book at age 28
i love to read people writing their own story.and this one can be the best of them.erica share what's deep in her heart,and doesn't afraid to face her wrong and say sorry.this book helps women more for there are something only women meet in their life time and somthing only women understand.

Fear of Fifty
Erica Jong is funny, witty, and unusual.After reading the book, I listened to her tapes.I enjoy giving them as gifts to my friends who turn 50.I even gave it to my 30 year old stepdaughter and she loved it,too....Erica Jong helped me look forward to "Turning 50"---wellalmost! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

THOROUGHLY THRILLING
I was blessed to read some of Erica Jongs masterpieces of poetry. But this book, "Here comes & Other Poems" is my most favotite. I myself write somehow poems in both Arabic and English. It is my pleasure toadmit that Erica Jong's poems are most inspiring to me. I do remember a lotof lines of her by heart. Here you have two lines I love of her "HereComes &Other Poems": "If a woman wants to be a poet,/ shemust dwell in the house of the tomato." The expression "the houseof the tomato" is well known in colloquial Arabic. But here, withErica, it dresses a revolutionary battledress of feminisim. To end up myhumble entry I call upon one of my favorite Western poets (Erica Jong):keep drawing dewy dreams of delight for writing snowy poems of light tobrighten our Wide World night. There is a lot of darkness here, there andeverywhere. Only devoted efforts of love, beauty and virtue, like what yourink is doing, can erase a little bit of that damned darkness.. letting anarrower margin of pure light to stand instead. Please, dear readers,forgive my "translated from Arabic" English. "Salamatt"(Greetings)!

THOROUGHLY THRILLING
I was blessed to read some of Erica Jongs masterpieces of poetry. But this book, "Here comes & Other Poems" is my most favotite. I myself write somehow poems in both Arabic and English. It is my pleasure toadmit that Erica Jong's poems are most inspiring to me. I do remember a lotof lines of her by heart. Here you have two lines I love of her "HereComes &Other Poems": "If a woman wants to be a poet,/ shemust dwell in the house of the tomato." The expression "the houseof the tomato" is well known in colloquial Arabic. But here, withErica, it dresses a revolutionary battledress of feminisim. To end up myhumble entry I call upon one of my favorite Western poets (Erica Jong):keep drawing dewy dreams of delight for writing snowy poems of light tobrighten our Wide World night. There is a lot of darkness here, there andeverywhere. Only devoted efforts of love, beauty and virtue, like what yourink is doing, can erase a little bit of that damned darkness.. letting anarrower margin of pure light to stand instead. Please, dear readers,forgive my "translated from Arabic" English. "Salamatt"(Greetings)! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

One fine writer reviews another.
Maybe no one could write better prose about an author like Erica Jong could about Henry Miller. Both writers broke down barriers and social taboos through their writings about sex. Both were liberaters to genders and both saw sex as a sense of freedom and expression.
Henry Miller's life didn't begin when he came to Paris, it exploded. Jong tackles so many issuses of a man that was at times a Devil at Large. This is one of the finest biographies I have ever read.

A dialog between friends
Jong tackles Miller's wide-ranging life from the perspectives of friend and fellow writer. She also takes the nearly unheard-of fresh angle of looking at Miller as a human being, warts and all. As linear biography, the book doesn't work; this is fortunate, as it is intended -- and works -- as a romp through someone's life.

In a fine mesh of poetry, prose, research, experience and playfulness, Erica Jong succeeds in giving one an idea of what Miller might have been like if one had met him. This is far more valuable than any diatribes or rants regarding the often alleged "obscenity" of Henry Miller's work. Readers also can find here a more concrete analysis of Miller's many facets: supporter of woman writers, conqueror of his own Oedipal complex, father, lover, dirty old man, intellectual, rover.

If you like Henry Miller, read it and learn more. If you hate Henry Miller, make an effort to understand him. You still might not like his writing, but you'll at least have one hype-free view of his work and life -- and Erica Jong's writing is as fresh and funny as ever.

The Sage, The Diamonds, The Dung and Erica...
My take on this...

And so, it is.

Everyone has somehow come to the notion that their generation, their time is "the one" and that there is nothing new under the sun unless their generation creates it or is savvy enough about adapting it as their own. Also, something construed as'challenging to' our accepted notions should be outright condemned. Case inpoint is when Jong published "Fear Of Flying" groups everywherelabelled as way too provocative. Jong's reply: "I had imagined thateveryone knew Chaucer, Rabelais, Lawrence and Joyce were full of sex, sowhy all the fuss?"

"The Devil at Large" is aboutliberators, necromancers, artists and writers--about writers Jong andMiller, about how similar they were and how they came to be fast friendsand about this blindsidedness of the public I spoke of above. It is forthose of us searching for answers, it is about, to flip-flop paraphrase thegreat psychedelic bluesband Funkadelic, "freeing your a**, and yourmind will follow". Who better than Isadora Wing herself should do awork on the Dirty Ol' Man of Letters? This is, my friends, a greatbookwith great ideals.

And so, it is.

To many, Miller is a rabidmisogynist who doesn't deserve a second glancing. His use of language isdense and unappealing and obscure and he goes deep, deep into what wecultured folks would call unmentionable..like the section on French urinalsvs. American urinals from the novel 'Black Spring'. But, see the facts thathe's described the unmentionable, that he attempted to put words to anotherwise impossible to describe feeling, frees us all...

The universe isperceived by us all sensually. To be part of the universe is to beexpressive sensually, according to Miller via Jong. To embrace both theflesh consuming microbes and the exudates we normally discard, to loveequally the dung and the diamonds.

Embracing only our high ideals neverlead to anything, says Miller through Jong, but war, famine and hatred.And, concludes Jong, "Without obscenity, there is no divinity".If we do not accept and embrace it all--even the nastinesses--there cannotbe a breakthrough of the physical to the spiritual. Life is aboutliberation, minute by minute, fear by fear. Miller's role according to Jongis to help us liberate ourselves by reading abouthis struggles with hisown liberation..

But, alas! Personal liberation? We cultured folks aremuch more interested in new tires for our cars since the economy is doingso well and we want to feel only as liberated as the freedom of motion weget from our cars...

And so, it is.

Feminist Take on the Master Phallus
Henry Miller has been one of my favorite writers for my entire adult life.I also am a fan of Erica Jong (who was onced facetiously tagged with the moniker of female Henry Miller) That made this book doubly alluring.Ihave always had to renconcile the raw bluntness of Miller with my ownphilosophical positions.A lot of Millers writing is extremely sexist onthe surface and even on some deeper levels.I like the way Jong is able topoint out how supportive Miller was of female writers like Marie Corelliand Emma Goldman and Helena Blavatsky.(all writers I read because ofMiller)She also cites his support of her own career.Miller was a childof the Teddy Roosevelt era but he sought to overcome all these obstacles. Most of his writing was an attempt to transcend these weaknesses.DidMiller fear women as Jong suggests?She certainly presents a strongargument to that end.This is a touching elegy to a writer that influencedand aided Jong in her own literary ascension.As to the criticism thatthis book is really about Erica Jong, I would state that The Time of theAssassins is really about Henry Miller and Anais Nins book on D.H. Lawrenceis largely about Anais Nin.These are artists writing about other writersand not critics presenting literary criticism.It should be read as asalute and not as objective analysis.And I state it does succeed quitewell at that.

Jong on Miller....and lots on Jong & society
The title says "Erica Jong on Henry Miller" but it should read "How Henry Miller impressed & influenced Erica Jong". This book is completely subjective, filled with impressions Jong has digestedfrom reading Miller's works, as well as from correspondence &conversations with him. It is mostly blind praise & back-patting,loaded with Jong's running commentary on American morals on such topics assex & lesbianism. While of intrest to fans of Jong & Miller,reading this work to find out about Henry Miller's life & works willleave you still needing to find out about Miller's life & works. ... Read more