It‘s a slowly developing, character driven story which touches on a number of hot button topics - white privilege, economic differences, abortion and transracial adoption - without seeming preachy or didactic. Enjoyable read - makes you think.

A bunch of little pieces by David - some touching, some awkward and other being laugh out loud funny. David uses his diary in an outward focused way - to reflex on the things (trivial or substantive) that he encounters on a daily basis. The most interesting thing is that he goes from a dirt poor dropout to a best selling author with multiple abodes across Europe and it happens so seamlessly you hardly realize its happened.

Excellent debut novel with great character development. Keep the family tree close cuz you will be doing some time traveling from the 1700 to today. The book shines best when it turns to Africa and has one of most comprehensive descriptions of slavery and ALL the hands involved with it.

This is indeed a saga - a dive into a life of a man and a country - Ireland. Great character development, a compelling story line, and in a way a historical novel of a country that has been barreling into 21st century. It‘s a HUGE book but a fast read because you care so much about the characters that is hard to put down. I can‘t believe I finished it in six days, but I‘m sad - - I want more!

Although the story lagged in bits, this story of abandonment and find lost selves is compelling. Very in depth descriptions of New York City and various setting in China. Don‘t want to give away spoilers, be patient and read it! It will grow on you.

Lyrical, mystical, heartbreaking; I loved every page. Prepare to be touched- Ms Ward is a southern writer to her core, you will be moved.

So much comedy comes from pain. Given what Tiffany has gone through, she‘s definitely on her way to the Mark Twain award. It‘s not a literary masterpiece but it is an extremely honest (and funny in parts) book about surviving a difficult childhood. Its a miracle that she is still standing.

it is a breathtakingly honest book about being damaged and coping with it using food. And it is no sugar-coated fat to skinny fantasy - she is actively dealing with these issues. Fatness and fear of fatness is such an epidemic in this country - Roxane makes a major contribution by writing so honestly about the pain of not fitting society‘s ideal body image.

Now that I‘ve finished the book, I know why the guy is in pain. This is a very painful, depressing book. The story handles sexual abuse and its aftermath in a straightforward manner however,the characters, are all so perfect, multi-cultural, talented and rich that the story loses some credibility. To the authors‘ credit, the story is so well crafted that you don‘t question its believability until you put the book down.

I‘ve always loved the versatility of sports writing - a good piece can be part mystery, memoir and even Econ lesson. I probably love sports writing more than actually watching sports (tho I can waste a Sunday Knitting and watching NFL RedZone). I think last years edition was stronger, but this one includes a great piece on Tiger Woods and a stunner of a mystery dealing with a missing long distance runner.

This book is like crack for the true crime addict! Coverage of major crimes throughout history - in the prose used at the time. Hits the major categories of crime - mafia, serial killers, white collar, assassinations, heists, etc. The section on the Attica uprising was especially illuminating. Great gift for the true crime fan.

The book is not only a good overview of South Africa pre and post apartheid, it is an intimate story of a mother son relationship. There is nothing in the book about his career and how he became a comedian - which is a good thing. It really focuses on how he became a man in an environment where he could have easily perished. He can tell us the rest in the next book. I recommend getting the audible version - his performance is excellent.