Hamilton Holt; editor of The Independent; collected these touching autobiographies of ordinary people--new immigrants and sharecroppers; cooks and fishermen; women and men working in sweatshops; in the city; and on the land. First published in 1906; and reissued a decade ago; this new edition of Life Stories of Undistinguished Americans is expanded to include lives Holt did not include in his original selection; as well as a new preface by Werner Sollors.
#1774400 in eBooks 2012-10-02 2012-10-02File Name: B000FBFHG6
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Enter Alan Alda: The Real DEalBy Nancy RossmanSmart; self-effacing; determined; loving...its all there. I knew nothing about his childhood; his handsome and successful father with whom he had a great relationship. Their competitive drive; their help to each other throughout their lives; and just how Alan got started in the first place with drama; and comedy.There was just enough stuff about the entertainment industry to make this interesting without all the name dropping; gossip; and other finger pointing that goes on in so many celebrity books. Nothing that I would label tell-all.I was relieved to come away with the same honorable opinion of him as I have always had...his wife and daughters come first. He is a good human and worthy of all the film accolades; but still; I think it is rare that the man actually stands up well to the "part" he plays. However; Alan does.The book was fun; poignant; and full of life. Some good words to live by as well.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Get your heart and soul stuffed!By Firsthand WitnessMy heart and soul were stuffed by his wonderful book. His ability to elicit immense laughter absent of personal presence was amazing. I burst out laughing on so many occasions! Truly a reflection of improv treasures he possesses; even as a writer. The depths of revelations of his personal life and acting struggles were especially interesting to read about...it was also like a treasure hunt in finding out about how history was made with MASH! Truly acts of God; and the strengths of a wonderful human spirit; were revealed in his work...and especially in finding out that his father was in MASH scenes; something I never knew! Not only is Alan a great actor; but he equally can elicit strong emotion at whim from his reading audience. Such a great artist! Such a great human being! If you want to learn about him; and some other interesting aspects about human behaviors; especially in the acting world; read his book!Thanks Alan...youre the greatest! Ill never get my dog stuffed!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Alda; Unique. ClassicBy CustomerIve always had an affinity for Alan Alda. I grew up watching M*A*S*H and thought his character was funny and believable. Ive followed his career since then and have always been impressed. Theres a reason he was once voted the most believable actor in the business. I like his work; and what brief interviews Ive seen over the years with him have impressed me. I saw this autobiography mentioned on a biography show about him and thought; why not? I was not disappointed. I barely paused to sleep while reading it. Highly recommend to everyone and anyone and hope that others will be as pleasantly suprised by the color; diversity; adversity and sheer intelligence born in this mans life. There was an interview with Loretta Switt in which she says; "there arent too many Alan Aldas walking around out there." Having read this; and consequently his second book; Im inclined to agree.