Tijuana-born Urrea calls lice, scabies, typhoid, etc., the ``many ambassadors of poverty''; his vignettes of borderland misery (most appeared previously in the San Diego Reader) are like a series of painful and shocking introductions at a demonic embassy party. Born to a Mexican father and an American mother, and raised in San Diego, Urrea spent much of his childhood in Tijuana but never saw real squalor there until 1978-82, when he volunteered, under the direction of renegade missionary ``Paster Von,'' to bring food, clothing, and medicine to the poor. He has made several visits since. After a brief look at the plight of ``undocumented workers'' crossing into the US, Urrea focuses on the families that remain on the Mexican side, scavenging a living from the border's comparative wealth: One trash-picker, originally from Michoac†n, explains that ``At least here you have garbage!''; glue-sniffing children prey violently on gringo tourists and on each other, taking shelter in hellish underground burrows; police corruption and brutality affect even Urrea's father, who dies violently. Characters are glimpsed vividly only to disappear into chaos, but Urrea reconnects with one, a little girl barred from school because she's barefoot. Urrea buys shoes for her; when they're stolen, she's expelled; her family disappears; ten years later, she lives in a chicken coop with her children, but her spirit and personality seem intact. Descriptive writing here sometimes reveals more than it feels decent to know, but Urrea's recognition of intact humanity—along with his accounts of kindness and generosity—gives this nightmarish tour its redeeming affection and hope. (Photographs.)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-385-42530-9
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Anchor
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1992
A heartfelt if somewhat unsurprising view of old age by the former president. Carter (Living Faith, 1996, etc.) succinctly evaluates the evolution and current status of federal policies concerning the elderly (including a balanced appraisal of the difficulties facing the Social Security system). He also meditates, while drawing heavily on autobiographical anecdotes, on the possibilities for exploration and intellectual and spiritual growth in old age. There are few lightning bolts to dazzle in his prescriptions (cultivate family ties; pursue the restorative pleasures of hobbies and socially minded activities). Yet the warmth and frankness of Carter’s remarks prove disarming. Given its brevity, the work is more of a call to senior citizens to reconsider how best to live life than it is a guide to any of the details involved.
Pub Date: Oct. 26, 1998
ISBN: 0-345-42592-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1998
Less a sequel than an addendum, the book offers a close-up view of the Oval Office in its darkest hour.
Four decades after Watergate shook America, journalist Woodward (The Price of Politics, 2012, etc.) returns to the scandal to profile Alexander Butterfield, the Richard Nixon aide who revealed the existence of the Oval Office tapes and effectively toppled the presidency.
Of all the candidates to work in the White House, Butterfield was a bizarre choice. He was an Air Force colonel and wanted to serve in Vietnam. By happenstance, his colleague H.R. Haldeman helped Butterfield land a job in the Nixon administration. For three years, Butterfield worked closely with the president, taking on high-level tasks and even supervising the installation of Nixon’s infamous recording system. The writing here is pure Woodward: a visual, dialogue-heavy, blow-by-blow account of Butterfield’s tenure. The author uses his long interviews with Butterfield to re-create detailed scenes, which reveal the petty power plays of America’s most powerful men. Yet the book is a surprisingly funny read. Butterfield is passive, sensitive, and dutiful, the very opposite of Nixon, who lets loose a constant stream of curses, insults, and nonsensical bluster. Years later, Butterfield seems conflicted about his role in such an eccentric presidency. “I’m not trying to be a Boy Scout and tell you I did it because it was the right thing to do,” Butterfield concedes. It is curious to see Woodward revisit an affair that now feels distantly historical, but the author does his best to make the story feel urgent and suspenseful. When Butterfield admitted to the Senate Select Committee that he knew about the listening devices, he felt its significance. “It seemed to Butterfield there was absolute silence and no one moved,” writes Woodward. “They were still and quiet as if they were witnessing a hinge of history slowly swinging open….It was as if a bare 10,000 volt cable was running through the room, and suddenly everyone touched it at once.”
Less a sequel than an addendum, the book offers a close-up view of the Oval Office in its darkest hour.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1644-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2015
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