Product Description
Just what were they thinking when they cast John Wayne as Genghis Khan? Or Sharon Stone as a frigid housewife? Or Frank Sinatra as a vengeful cowboy? Each of the entries in this fun book gleefully dissects the mismatch of performer and role, and delves into the film's production, examining the screwy thinking that led to the ill-fated pick in the first place. Photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Starring John Wayne As Genghis Khan
Damien Bona's `Starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan!' (which seems to be the same book as the alternatively titled `Starring Demi Moore As Hester Prynne') is a disposable celebration of the notorious - and some not-so-notorious - instances of miscasting.Like other `best of,' `worst of,' and `100 biggest' listings `Starring John Wayne...' is highly personal and idiosyncratic.Even though Bona says in his introduction "(t)o be miscast, an actor has to have spent the bulk of his or her career well cast - he can't really be wrong for a role until he has established a personality strong enough to mark him as ill suited for it," these type of books are never complete or immune from charges of omission.That's part of their charm, in fact.

The book is divided into seven sections.Each section contains a number of short essays, 5000 words or so, on the offending star and movie.The first section is entitled "Waxworks: The most unconvincing portrayals of historical figures ever captured on film" and begins with an essay on William Bendix in `The Babe Ruth Story.'Bendix "plays the character as a wide-eyed dope," Bona observes, which is hard to argue with.Bendix may have been miscast, but Bona is silent about John Goodman's portrayal of The Babe in the movie of the same name.`The Babe' was released in 1992, four years before `Starring John Wayne...' was published, and is every inch a classically miscast movie as the Bendix movie.This isn't to say Bona is wrong or even inaccurate, but books of this type are never the last word on a subject.Bona has some selections that I disagree with.He doesn't like Jack Lemmon in `Cowboy' ("Not an actor who fits comfortably into a period film, Lemmon isn't very convincing at any of this.") and I think Lemmon was very effective as a hotel clerk, a greenhorn, who wants to go on a cattle drive.Perhaps the most astonishing instance of miscasting, in Bona's view, is Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in `Rain Man.' Age differences and physical dissimilarities are the culprits."Look at their body frames, " Bona writes, "their sizes, their eyes.No way did they have the same parents.And although each boasts a prominent nose, they are differently shaped - Hoffman's wide and long, Cruise's more classically Roman."Er... okay. Perhaps, but I'd rather have seen mentioned Laurence Olivier as Gen. Douglas MacArthur in `Inchon', an uncomfortable looking Clint Eastwood as a singing cowboy in `Paint Your Wagon,' or Kevin Costner as a decidedly un-British Robin Hood.Or Donald O'Connor as Buster Keaton, or James Cagney as Lon Chaney.None of these guys are in the book, although any of them belong there.

Still, `Starring John Wayne...' contains interesting tidbits about each miscast movie and star.I was delighted to see that Gregory Peck, along with Frank Sinatra and Tony Curtis, made it into the three-man Miscasting Hall of Fame.Although I'm a fan of some of Peck's movies, I think Bona gets it just right when he notes, after a nod to some of Peck's greater movies, that "(w)hen his material is not... strong, ..., or when he's trying to play someone whose sense of moral rectitude is less than impeccable, Peck's disinclination to sound like anyone other than Gregory Peck is jarring."As these things go `Starring John Wayne...' is a good book and a fun read, particularly suited for those who are fans of older movies.

At least it wasn't Starring Shirley Temple as Norma Desmond!
What makes a good movie "good" or a great movie "great"?

The answer, of course, is, "many things." You have to have a good story, a well-written script (ideally with memorable lines and lots of linear logic!), a director with a fine eye for detail and organizational skills that rival Ike's before D-Day, a well-trained crew, a well-versed composer, a top-notch special-effects team, and a visionary producer with a dream in his mind and a deep pocket to match (but at the same time have better fiscal discipline than some Presidents).

Have I forgotten anything? Oh, yeah. And you gotta have a good cast.

Let's face it. Until the late 1960s, we did not go to see the latest Michael Curtiz or Victor Fleming picture like we go watch the new one from Spielberg or, God forbid, the latest Michael Bay offering. No, we (or our parents and grandparents) went to see the new Gable and Lombard flick at the Bijou or Rialto. If you went to a John Wayne picture -- as millions of Americans did from 1939 until 1976 -- you knew he'd be either a stalwart cowboy or Marine sergeant or even a colonel in the 82nd Airborne. And, by gum, you believed him in those roles, even when he seemed (as he does in The Longest Day) a bit too old for the role.

So, casting is important, and many great movies are great because the casting decisions were inspired and sound.

Yet, as Damien Bona illustrates in "Starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan: Hollywood's All-Time Casting Blunders," sometimes inspiration took a left turn at Sunset Boulevard and ended up in the pool with Joe Gillis' corpse. Whoever thought up the idea of casting the Duke as Temujin, the Mongol warlord better known as Genghis Khan (or Susan Hayward as a Tartar woman named Bortai) in 1956's The Conqueror must have been smoking something other than tobacco cigarettes. The sight and sound of John Wayne dressed up in Mongol warrior garb and spouting lines originally intended for Marlon Brando make one shudder. Suffice it to say that this picture was not a big hit.

Bona aims his acidly-witty verbal darts at such casting blunders as:

Marlon Brando as an Okinawan in Teahouse of the August Moon

June Allyson as a sapphic murderer in They Only Kill Their Masters

Tony Bennett in The Oscar

Robert Redford as a British aristocrat who, in real life, was also bald in Out of Africa

Michael Keaton as Batman

My personal favorite chapter is devoted to Gregory Peck, who was extremely talented but was also miscast in quite a few movies, including Moby Dick and The Boys from Brazil. Boma points out that most of Peck's miscasts did not come from his acting but from his voice and persona. In Days of Glory, a 1944 movie about Russian partisans fighting off German invaders, he speaks in a distinctly American accent. The one time where he does use a heavy German accent is in The Boys from Brazil, a 1978 flick about Josef Mengele and his plot to create some 90 or so clones of Adolf Hitler to create a Fourth Reich. Not only is the makeup overly done, Bona says, but Peck overacts, much to the detriment of the film.

Bona's style is both informative -- I had never even heard of Tony Bennett acting in a movie --- and irreverent. His chapters are brief (averaging at no more than four pages) and have clever tag lines (the one for John Wayne's The Conqueror is "Mongol Cowboy") that sum up the miscasting's overall effect. Biting yet never overly mean, Boma makes the reader laugh out loud while at the same time wondering what some of those casting directors were indeed, thinking...or smoking.

Alex Diaz-Granados

very entertaining!
A cynical and hilarious look at actors and actresses who were miscast. Lucille Ball, Donna Reed, Marlon Brando, Richard Gere, Demi Moore--a real variety of performers who for various reasons ended up in roles that wereall wrong for them! This book also includes the story-behind-the-story, asin, *why* John Wayne ended up playing Genghis Khan. An interesting andenjoyable book!

Interesting, informative and witty
An almost exhaustive guide to those truly bad-casting decisions that are so bad, they're good.Many a film noir has been reduced to slapstick because of the decision by the casting agent. ... Read more

Product Description

This tribute to John Piper compiles essays from colleagues written on important themes of his ministry. 

John Piper has had a profound impact on countless men and women over his nearly thirty years of ministry. From his online ministry with Desiring God to his preaching ministry at Bethlehem Baptist to his writing ministry in over thirty books, his faithful service has encouraged and challenged many with God’s Word. 

Piper’s influence does not stem from his own abilities and accomplishments, but finds its source in his consistent and humble leading of others to Scripture, where the breathtaking glory of God is displayed in all its wonder. We rejoice and are changed as we encounter glorious truths about God in Piper’s ministry.

It is in this spirit that friends and colleagues of Piper, including Wayne Grudem, D. A. Carson, Randy Alcorn, and others, honor him by presenting essays covering topics central to his ministry: prayer, the sovereignty of God, justification, Jonathan Edwards, Christian Hedonism, and more. 

Pastors, scholars, and lay leaders will benefit from this tribute to a man who has labored so faithfully for the fame of God’s name. 

Product Description
In this remarkable book, John Welshons weaves together his own personal awakening with those of others he’s counseled to create a deeply felt and beautifully expressed primer on dealing with grief. Grieving, says Welshons, offers a unique opportunity to develop deeper and fuller life experiences, to embrace pain in order to open the heart to joy. Written for those who have experienced any kind of loss — death, divorce, or disappointment — this book offers reasonable, reassuring thinking on dealing with the death of loved ones and ourselves, finding the inner gifts that promote healing, and much more. Awakening from Grief takes a rare and compelling positive look at a subject needlessly viewed as one of the most negative in life. This is a persuasive primer on drawing the joy out of grief. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

A must read
My 29 year old daughter was murdered last year. I started reading anything I could find at the library just trying to figure out how I was going to survive this or if I really wanted to. After reading many books I found "Awakening from Grief" and couldn't put it down. It made me look at things in a different way and with a different understanding. This book has helped me more then I had ever imagined it would and I think just about anyone at whatever point you are in your life needs to read this book. I have since bought my own copy of it and am just finishing it for the second time. I am looking forward to reading more books by John Welshons

Life Changing
I am not one who has had many "light bulb moments in my life" but this book turned a switch in my life and allowed me to heal.Multiple losses (a foster child back to her parents, fires, deaths, job, and a divorce) left me paralyzed.Overwhelmed by the continuous waves of losses, my defense was to not feel.I finally understood that if I was to feel joy again, I had to let the losses "be real".To not feel loss was to also not feel joy and I have too much in my life to be joyful about.

One of the things I liked about this book is that it does not only address losses due to a death - there are so many losses one can experience - loss of self, loss of family, loss of home.I am grateful to feel myself again and to have learned how to integrate the losses into my life - they must surely are a part of me as much as the joys are.

I have bought this book for many friends and they have had positive results as well.

Received before expected date
This book arrived ahead of schedule, in good condition and the price was right!Thanks for making shopping so easy.

Awakening from Grief, Fining the Road Back to Joy

John Welshons is an amazing author. His first book, Awakening from Grief, has brought so much peace and healing to my family, friends and myself. With every turn of a page, I felt more and more blessed to have met John and been touched by his gift of healing the soul.

THE FINEST BOOK I'VE READ ON THIS SUBJECT!
This book offers us a unique and precious opportunity to open our hearts to the fullness of our human predicament.John Welshons' approach is both incredibly loving, and - at times - breathtakingly honest.He is an extraordinarily gifted writer, a wonderful meditation teacher, and a wise and compassionate counselor.He seems to have a basic trust in our inherent inner strength and wisdom.He skillfully guides us to finding a place of quiet, loving contentment within ourselves in spite of all of the curve-balls life often throws at us.Through sharing some amazing experiences of loss and disappointment in his own life, he demonstrates - repeatedly - how to find real and lasting joy in spite of life's uncertainties.This book is a wonderfully accessible expression of the very same wisdom shared by Stephen Levine, Pema Chodron, and Elisabeth Kubler-Ross . . . in a somewhat less esoteric and more immediately comprehensible form.Awakening from Grief has changed my life.I hope you will allow it to work its magic on you! ... Read more

Product Description

For years a debate has raged over how to define true masculinityand true femininity. While there is agreement that men and womenshare equally in the privilege of being made in God's image, someviews of manhood and womanhood blur God-given genderdistinctions.

Wayne Grudem assembled a team of distinguished writers to showhow egalitarian views destroy God's ideal for your relationships,marriage, and life purposes. The contributors to this bookinclude:

• John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis,Minnesota
• Bruce A. Ware, Senior Associate Dean of the School of Theologyand Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern BaptistTheological Seminary
• Richard W. Hove, Director of Campus Crusade for Christ at DukeUniversity
• Daniel Doriani, Dean of the Faculty and Professor of NewTestament at Covenant Theological Seminary
• Daniel R. Heimbach, Professor of Christian Ethics atSoutheastern Baptist Theological Seminary
• Peter Jones, Professor of New Testament at WestminsterTheological Seminary in California

These writers explore key issues, including theinterchangeability of male-female roles, the meaning of submission,and the historical novelty of egalitarian interpretations ofScripture. This book will demonstrate how some views of manhood andwomanhood tamper with our understanding of God's character and whythe extremes of male domination and feminism destroy the beauty ofour sexual differences-differences that celebrate the excellence ofmen and women as God created us.

Customer Reviews (2)

An author I would like to meet
Working as a board certified Licensed Professional Counselor, I am required to use written treatment plans with my patients. That raises the question of which orientation to use. I chose to break with the current ones taught in graduate schools and use one that has a known history of success. Having observed a trend in our culture to blur the distinction between manhood and womanhood, to the demise of many couples, I chose to use the biblical orientation. That immediately raised the issue of finding a reputable source upon which I could formulate my treatment plans. Enter Wayne Gruden and his book.

I was drawn to his book by yet another book "What's The Difference" by John Piper. His writings led me to more serious in depth works on the subject during which I came across the name Gruden. It seems that Piper's book is the light weight of three publications, and Gruden's is right in the middle. After reading Gruden's work, I think I will pass on the heaviest weighted volume for now.

I found Gruden's work to be just about right, not too light, and not too heavy. It is, nevertheless, a rather thorough work. In it he not only lays out the created gender role differences, he also addresses the more prominent arguments raised against the biblical stance. I found that to be very helpful in providing me with some peace of mind while writing my treatment plans - a sort of apologetic primer on the subject. The book had enough surprises in it (things I did not know) to easily hold my interest to the very end, and thorough enough to require that I frequently laid it down, pondered what was written, checked out his citations, and re-read some passages. That puts it in the category, in my experience, of a text book, or reference volume, which is exactly how I have treated it.

Not for the Liberal!
Biblically sound review of the topic of women in ministry.Gentle and respectful in its presentation. I used it for a class paper in Biblical studies class, very helpful. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Mixed-Nuts
Out of eleven pastors, theologians, mentors, and a preacher's wife contributing to the thirteen articles (or addresses from "Building Strong Families in Your Church" conference in 2000) in this book, no one comes close to the depth, weight, intensity and wealth of anthroposensitive theology of Prof. Wayne Grudem's article. Even though his is the longest paper (62 pages), it is worth spending your time on, as he systematically explains the theology of man and woman. He begins with Genesis to come to the conclusion that men and women are created with equal value and dignity, yet different roles. Grudem gives then ten evidences of God-ordained headship of man at the Creation, which means that this headship is not a result of the Fall, but God's design; as we note the order of creation, the representation of humanity (humanity is often referred to as mankind, not womankind), the naming of the woman, the naming of creatures, the accountability (God called Adam, not Eve after both sinned), the purpose (woman is called to be a helper, not in a pejorative but honorable sense), the conflict (as a result of the Fall that introduces distortions of roles), the restoration (the reversal of the curse, through the New Testaments directives as those found in Col 3:18-19 or 1 Pet 3:1-8), the mystery of the complementary union of man and woman in marriage, and finally, in the parallel with the Trinity that Grudem later elaborates further brilliantly.

Next, Grudem warns about the dangers of the distortions that seem to be prevalent not only in the West, but in many parts of the world, where man, instead of being responsible in his humble, loving role as the leader, is drawn into the extreme left of passivity; which Grudem calls "wimp", or the extreme right of tyranny. Similarly, women face the risk of resigning to the extreme left into what Grudem calls "doormat" or the extreme right as usurper, instead of the God-ordained role as a joyful-intelligent helper with equal value and dignity, who serves their husband with glad submission. Despite the biblical God-ordained headship of man, Grudem openly denounces the abuse of women, not only in marriages or relationships in general, but also in the abominable practice of female infanticide, of which he commented,

"This is a tragedy of unspeakable proportions. In addition to the harm of these lost lives, we must think of the destructive consequences in the lives of those women who survive. Form their earliest age they receive the message from their families, and indeed from their whole society, "Boys are better than girls," and "I wish you were a boy." The devastation on their own self-worth must be immense. Yet all of this comes about as a result of a failure to realize that men and women, boys and girls, have equal value in God's sight and should have equal value in our sight as well. The first chapter of the Bible corrects this practice, and corrects any lurking sense in our own hearts that boys are more valuable than girls, when it says we are both created in the image of God" (p.79-80).

From here, Grudem launches a counter-argument, that to me sounds like a check-mate to the feminists' propositions that often argue that first; in Gal 3:28, the role distinctions in man and woman are abolished, second; that "be subject to" (hypotasso) spoken of in Eph 5:21 nullifies male headship in marriage and family because the word means "mutual submission", and third; the word "head" (kephale) in Eph 5:23 does not mean leader or imply authority, but "source". The counter argument against the first one is that the context of "one" means, "... that we are united, that there should be no factions, or division among us, and, that there should be no sense of pride and superiority or jealousy and inferiority between these groups, ... men should no longer thing themselves as superior to women... when the Bible says that several things are one, it never joins things that are exactly the same. Rather, it says that things that are different, things that are diverse, share some kind of unity (e.g, in purpose)" (p.50).

In regard to the argument that male headship is nullified in Eph 5:21 as implied in the words "be subject to," Grudem refutes it, not only by using the commentary from Daniel Doriani who pointed out that the words mean, "that those in authority should govern wisely and with sacrificial concern for those under their authority," but also through an extensive analysis on the root of the Greek word "hypotasso" and its uses at different passages of the Bible, all of which indicate a uni-directional, not bi-directional or reciprocal submission, as evident from (p.53):
- Jesus was "subject to" the authority of his parents (Luke 2:15)
- Angels and other spiritual beings are "subject to" Christ (1 Cor 15:27, Eph 1:22)
- Christ is "subjected to" God the Father (1 Cor 15:28)
- Wives are told to be "subject to" their husbands (Eph 5:22,24; Col 3:18, Titus 2:5, 1 Pet 3:5)
- The church is "subject" through Christ (Eph 5:24)

And finally, in regard to the word "head" (kephale), Grudem argues there has never been an interpretation that says the word "head" to mean "source", but always "leader" or "one in authority". There are many other excellent lessons that Prof. Grudem teaches, that I should not reveal here because otherwise, unless checked, I could not resist to give you the entire content of his paper in this review. For example, the parallel between the equality of man and woman, yet different roles, to the Trinity is simply mind-boggling and why the issue of manhood and womanhood is huge because it is not merely about men and women, but the repercussions reach out not only to the family, society and most importantly our understanding about and obedience to God himself.

The other two addresses that are worth learning are from John Piper and Bob Lepine. Observant readers and those who are familiar with Pastor John will note that his paper is similar to his second talk at 2004 Desiring God National Conference, in which he points out that marriage is not to be lived out for marriage sake or for man and woman's sake but the ultimate priority is the glory of God. Amen. Bob Lepine gives an excellent treatment on the role of a husband in a family as prophet, priest and king, parallel to that of Jesus Christ to the church. As a priest, the husband is responsible to pray for his wife and family. As prophet, he should understand solid theology, establish doctrinal foundations in the family, teach them and confront sins in their lives (and I should say in his own life as well). The husband as king leads, provides and protects his wife and children, as well as establishes strategic planning.

Something that would immediately be evident to the discerning readers is that there are two groups of speakers with two different concerns, at least from the impression I received by reading their articles; one with the family or country or both as the uttermost concern, and the other one is God and his glory as the primary concern. The first group barely touches the Scriptures (with some exceptions, such as Mahaney), since what they seem to care about is to how to teach men to be truly masculine or how to raise "healthy" family through a successful self-help program or through some magic formulas. One author clearly embraces the seeker's sensitive approach while running his man's program as evident from the following,

"Since the outreach to seekers is a definite purpose of Men's fraternity, the first ten to twelve sessions are as non-religious as possible. So the music you hear playing in the background is popular secular music. Here are two more tips to help your Men's Fraternity a winner: 1. Find the right host... 2. Use technology. Tehnical bells and whistles that are familiar to men can reduce the resistance of those not comfortable in church. In the early sessions, I don't even open a Bible. I will say, "Just like the Scriptures say," and the Bible verse will come up on PowerPoint behind me." (p. 200, 202-203)

I would not say the same about the lectures about woman because Susan Hunt talks about raising feminine girls and mentoring young women in the context of honoring God, living a life pleasing to Him under the covenant of grace, enabled through the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore, she falls in the second group; the God-centered group. She does a better job in her second paper that deals with mentoring young women where she uses Titus 2:3-5 as the basis of women mentorship. Some noteworthy lines that she wrote are:

"What is the purpose of this mandate? (i.e., Titus 2:3-5) The emphasis of the book of Titus is sound doctrine and godly living. God's glory is the overriding purpose of the relationships being discussed. This is not a self-enrichment program (note the difference here). These are covenant relationships that are centered on glorifying God by reflecting His grace to one another. Spiritual mothering: When a woman possessing faith and spiritual maturity enters into a nurturing relationship with a younger woman in order to encourage and equip her to live for God's glory.

What kind of training is involved? ... The training would involve the cultivation of sound judgment and prudence. It suggests the exercise of that self-restraint that governs all passions and desires, enabling the believers to be conformed to the mind of Christ. This is a teaching of a way of life as we live in relationship with one another. It is passing on to younger women a biblical worldview that includes a biblical perspective of womanhood" (p.185).

Here is the grade I would assign to each author. To me personally, and hopefully to the readers as well, the authors who receive A and B teach me some valuable glorious, God-honoring, life-transforming truths about the theology of man, woman, and marriage, while those who receive C or lower, I would simply say, "Proceed with caution."

Rainey: B
Grudem: A++
Piper: B
Lepine: A
Mahaney: C
Weber: B
Hunt: B/A
Davis: D/B
Lewis: F
Farrar: C
Loritts: B

The Truth is Hard to Swallow
Dennis Rainey's compilation of Christian authors is brought together very well.The content is so needed for the Christian who wants to make a difference in their home and in their marriage.

With a penchant for honesty and thorough research, this book delivers, in each chapter, a feast for thought and self evaluation.The intellectual approach to challeneging the Christian reader makes this book work better than 90% of the books I have read on this topic.The blending of the intellectual challenge, the practical application, and bibical foundation makes this book.

He starts by assessing the greatest challenges facing the family and then leads the reader to a biblical explanation for these challenges.The remainder of the book provides specifics for the husband and the wife in strengthening the marriage and raising masculine sons and feminine daughters.

If you do not have a Christ-centered life, you might feel as though this book is like climbing Mt. Everest without training for the climb. With that said, it is a "must" read in my opinion, but is suited best for matured Christians. ... Read more

Product Description
Under the stones of the Alamo, amid the gift shops andtour buses, the wraiths of fallen soldiers cry out to beremembered. By an ancient burial site at the bottom of a hiddencanyon, two lovers come face to face with their own dreams andfears. . . .In his first collection of short fiction, Ray Gonzalezpowerfully evokes both the mystery and the reality of the bordercountry-a land of legends and lies, haunted by the ghosts of theoppressed and the forgotten who still stir beneath the parched fieldsand shimmering blacktops. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Stories
This book is a wonderful find. These are stories about the cultural experiences of many characters on both sides of the border. There are many different stories that made me think and want to revisit later. They can also be read as time permits. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

john wayne and the movies
the book was zackly what i looking for and the price and service made it even better... ... Read more

Product Description
John Wayne’s words were as powerful as the six-guns he wore on his hips.On and off screen, he spoke in declarative, often blunt sentences to express what he meant.This book presents an articulation of wisdom from an icon of the Old Right,fascinating for its probity and sincerity.The compilation is a challenge to so-called Conservatives and a valuable reference regardless of the reader’s political ideology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Remembering the way it felt
No one can say it like the Duke.For those of us old enough to remember how it was to say it straight, this will bring a smile and maybe even a tear.It'll also make you wonder how life got so complicated.A must for those who need a simple, easy read and remembrance.

Please!
Please!Someone send a copy of this book to George W. Bush.NOW!

Clever
This clever little book can be read from two points of view. The first, and I suspect the way it was intended, is to compare the words of an old-school Conservative with the rhetoric of today's ideological phonies.The second, is to get to know the real John Wayne -- not in a 300-page biography -- but in his own plain-spoken words.Both on and off screen quotes are divided into sections:"Philosophy," "On Himself," "On His Profession," "On the Cowboy," "On the Sexes," "On Faith," "On Politics, and "On Country."Highly recommended reading on both counts.

Not worth your money!
The book is 4 or 5 pages of writing about John Wayne's conservatism mixed with commentary about Bush's 'troubled' presidency, and finishes with a bunch of John Wayne quotes.One quote per page for the remainder of the mini-book.6 inches by 6 inches square...and no page numbers, so I'm guessing 70 or 80 pages.It's less about John Wayne and more about how the editor is using current politics and John Wayne's name to make money.If you're looking for something on John Wayne, as I was, don't buy this. ... Read more

Product Description
In this immensely captivating and imaginative novel, perfectly set at the intersection of fact and fiction, Dan Barden superimposes the story of John Wayne on the story of the Bardens, a family very much like his own. Frank Barden, Wayne's contractor, is an Irish Catholic from New York who has come to California in pursuit of the American dream for his wife, Lillian, and their three young children, Danny, Alice, and Chris. Wayne is someone the Bardens work with, drink with, and felt blessed to be around.

In fictionalized episodes ranging from Wayne's first love at sixteen to his deathbed conversion to Catholicism, this novel offers a surprisingly intimate vision of John Wayne. The Bardens are the perfect observers, guileless enough to retain an unabashed admiration for a man they consider a hero, perceptive enough to begin to see him as he really is--a man struggling to come to terms with the myths that define him.

In their own way, the Bardens are coming to terms with these same myths. Frank Barden, trapped by alcoholism and the masculine ideal embodied by his friend Wayne, begins to lose touch with his family. Lillian Barden, disappointed by the impossible promise of the men around her, questions her faith in the manhood that men like Frank have to offer. As John Wayne lies on his deathbed at the close of this heartbreaking story, the Barden children have grown up, and Lillian and Frank are facing the dissolution of their marriage. With wit, intelligence and sympathy, Dan Barden "manages at once to humanize John Wayne and to expose the mythmaking apparatus that is as vital to American family life as it is to American cultural life" (Jennifer Egan). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Gave me a headache...
Fiction or not, this author's writing gave me a terrible headache.His sentences were often rambling, incoherent statements which never made a point.Don't waste your time.

John Wayne: A Novel
What a wonderful story of an American family struggling with the lack of success both personally and professionally and their interaction with someone - Wayne- they feel has achieved the success they strive for. The story had me thinking with each chapter, "what is fact and what is fiction?" A great read of how the success of an American icon such as John Wayne may not have been as great for him as what the American public saw from the seats in a movie theater.Only those who had personal contact could see he suffered the same struggles as the everyday public.The more I read the more I was drawn into the family's struggles and where they were headed. Short, but stated all that was important in life during that period of time.

Loved it
This book was brilliant.A complex, powerful study of an American family and their interaction with each other and with one of America's most indellible icons. I thought the writing was excellant - insightful andconcise. A great depiction of inter-family dynamics.Just brilliant.

IS NOT WORTH SPENDING MONEY ON
After reading this book I was left completely unsatisfied.The subject matter, plot, and overall writing was horrible.I would not waste your time OR money on this book!

SNORE
Dan Barden is a great writer -- the dialogue flows beautifully. However, the story didn't move me at all. I'm a huge John Wayne fan and I figured: how could I be disappointed?? But I was...BIG TIME. ZZZZzzzzzz ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

From the cover ...
<< Feo, Fuerte y Formal>> fue el epitafio que John Wayne (1907-1979), la maxima leyenda del cine universal, eligio paraser recordado.De cualquier forma lo sera gracias a un punado de obras maestros del Septimo Arte queya han pasado a formar parte del acervo cultural de nuestro tiempo:La Diligencia, Piratas del mar Caribe, Rio Rojo, Arenas sangrientas, La legion invencible, El hombre tranquilo, Hondo, Centauros del desierto, Rio Bravo, El Alamo, Hatari, El hombre que mato a Liberty Valance, El Dorado, El gran McLintock, Boinas verdes, Valor de ley, Los Cow Boys, El ultimo pistolero ...

Este libro recorre la biografia del hombre y la trayectoria artistica del actor, nos cuentas su vida personal, sus tres matrimonies y sus siete hijos, las convicciones politicas de un hombre valeroso, honesto, independiente y politicamente incorrecto que supo sobrevivir a todas las dificultades e imponer su imagen y su mito a millones de hombres y mujeres de todas las edades, paises y condiciones.Y junto a ellas, las peliculas, su lucha dificil para obtener el estrellato, la relacion con genios como John Ford, Howard Hawks o Cecil B. DeMille y su legado que se recoge en sus magnificas interpretaciones, en su charisma personal y en ese monumento cinematografico que es <>, la pelicula de su vida, su proyecto mas personal y el resumen artistico e ideologico de toda su obra.

Estas paginas nos dibujan la figura de un hombre complete, de un autentico heroe americano, de un gigantesco actor de cine que se llamo John Wayne, su recuerdo pervivira mientras exista un lugar donde se puedan proyectar peliculas.?Y que seria del hombre del siglo XXI sin peliculas?
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Product Description
This digital document is an article from St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 3031 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Signed essays ranging from 500 to 2,500 words, written by subject experts and edited to form a consistent, readable, and straightforward reference. Entries include subject-specific bibliographies and textual cross-references to related essays. ... Read more