Leni: The life and work of Leni Riefenstahl, by Steven Bach

This audio book was read by Henrietta Tiefenthaler, and was 14 hours and 26 minutes long.

I was already aware of who Leni Riefenstahl was because I had seen a story about her on television when I was a teenager. She was famous for being the Third Reich's film maker. She was a talented director who made what has been called the best documentary ever by her harshest critic. And until 2003, she was still alive, and still unrepentant about her work for Hitler.

Born in 1902, she was the daughter of a successful plumber and a woman who encouraged her dreams of being a dancer. She began her career in the middle of the silent film era, and she gradually evolved from dancer to romantic adventure to an interest in directing her own films. After reading Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf on a train, she decided she had to meet him. Since she was a minor film starlet that Hitler admired, she got her wish.

Leni Riefenstahl leveraged her relationship with Hitler, her talent and ambition, and the vacuum left by the German film industry's expulsion of the Jews, into an opportunity to be the Reich's official filmographer. Her documentaries of Nazi rallies and the 1936 Olympics in Berlin made her internationally famous, and after the WW2, almost universally despised.

If this book were only about her work for Hitler, it would probably be interesting enough. But hers was the story that refused to die. After avoiding prison, and being labeled as only a "fellow traveler" in the spectrum of guilt, she thought she was off the hook and could continue with her career. But multitudes had been witnesses to her work, so there was always someone to remind the world that she was an unrepentant Nazi who brazenly lied about her past.

This book gets 4 stars, but Leni herself rates one flashbulb.

The Four Hour Work Week, by Timothy Ferris

I actually listened to this audiobook twice. Although Mr. Ferris has some very revolutionary views on working and Lyfestyle Design, there are a lot of important nuggets scattered throughout for anyone who is even wondering about making money online.

Tim Ferris loves extreme living. He's a kick boxing champion, internationally competitive tango dancer, and runs his business from all over the world during his many mini-retirements. In today's global economy, with our modern mobile technology, and a free-wheeling imagination, there are few limits on what you can do. But first you must dare to do it.

In this book, Tim uses his own experiences, and those of his friends who are also members of The New Rich, to show you how to gradually free yourself from the static workplace so you can use your time more effectively for your own gain.

I give it 4 stars.

Rise and Shine, by Anna Quindlen

This audiobook was obtained for free from Netlibrary.com. It was 10 hours and 49 minutes long, and was narrated by Carol Monda.

Meghan and Bridget Fitzmaurice lost their parents at an early age. Meghan grew up to be a world famous host of a morning news show, Rise and Shine, while Bridget grew up to an unmarried social worker who also helps keep Meghan's family grounded. The city of New York is also a major character in this book, providing the classist backdrop that is constantly making itself heard.

Meghan's life takes a turn downward when she inadvertently drops a 4 megaton expletive before her mike is turned off on the way to a commercial. She is temporarily suspended while the show's producers figure out what to do, and Meghan decides to go into hiding while she sorts out her life, including her failing marriage.

It's an easy read and it wasn't boring. But I had a hard time caring enough about the characters to really get into it. I felt like a was treading water, waiting for my next book. For that, it's only worth 2 stars.

Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World, by Carl Hiaasen

This audiobook was obtained from the Alachua County Public Library through Overdrive Audio. It was 1 hour and 41 minutes long, and was narrated by Richard Gilliland.

Carl Hiaasen has been known for years for his comedic novels in which the villains are complete greedheads with no respect for Florida's ecosystem. And that's why this non-fiction offering comes as no surprise as he analyzes the corporate entity that could be a composite of all his antagonists worst traits. At least, that is Hiaasen's portrayal of Disney as it goes beyond Orlando and even threatens the skin trade in Times Square.

He makes the case that Disney is able to grow with impunity because it takes so many people with it as it prospers. Land values skyrocket and support businesses flourish, so everyone is excited when Disney is involved in a project. And its values are just as usurping as its lust for property. The level of trust that consumers have in Disney gives it a leg up in evry negotiation and the benefit of every doubt.

But Carl Hiaasen doesn't believe it. And even though he is a bit of an extremist on the other side, he does humorously make the case that Disney is a company that should be watched and held to account by the rest of us. And he does so in such an appealing way, that he gets you nodding and smiling and agreeing with him, just as he believes Disney does with its wholesome image.

It was a rather short book, but informative and funny, and left me wanting more. If that doesn't get you 4 stars, I don't know what does.

Lovesick Blues, by Paul Hemphill

This audiobook was obtained for free from NetLibrary.com through the Alachua County Public Library. It was 7 hours and 22 minutes long and was narrated by Jonathan Hogan.

This was an amazing story of Hank Williams, a sick, flawed man from nowhere who was probably the greatest country music singer and songwriter of all time. He was born with a form of Spinabifida that made his life miserable all of his days. It was probably a contributing factor to his early alcoholism.

As a teenager, he was the "Singing Kid" on a local radio station in rural Alabama. He had learned the art of being an entertainer from a black street musician named Rufus Payne. His rise to stardom had many fits and starts as he kept sabotaging his career by being so unreliable due to his alcoholism. This dogged him throughout his career, which ended ironically with his failure to get to a performance because he died in the car on the way there.

I knew next to nothing about Hank Williams when I downloaded this audiobook. But I was so fascinated that I am bent on buying some of his music. This is a wonderful and terrible story about a man with genius for creating hit songs and little else. His death is all the more tragic because it came at the age of 29. This is a 4 star car wreck you just can't stopping staring at.

Just a Guy, by Bill Engvall, Alan Eisenstock

This audiobook was a free download from Overdrive Audio, through the Alachua County Public Library. It was narrated by Bill Engvall.

The most likable of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour has created this autobiographical tour of his life and the things he finds interesting. If you are already a Bill Engvall fan, this is for you. If you were hoping that this was a book by the next Dave Barry, you will be sorely disappointed. It has a few funny moments, but it could have been condensed down to an interview.

I actually like Bill Engvall, and I cannot blame him for cashing in on his transient fame, but there is nothing compelling about this book. At best, I call it 2 star mind candy.

Def Jam, Inc., by Stacey Gueraseva

This book was obtained from the Alachua Public Library, was on 9 CDs, and was published in 2005. It was narrated by Kevin R. Free.

Yes, this is the story of Hip-Hop, as it was nurtured by a record company started by a 19 year-old white Jewish college student and a black rap impresario. Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons were out promoting the urban beats before radio would have them, so they took the music of young artists in the embryonic hip-hop movement and brought it straight to the streets.

Part music history, part guerrilla marketing primer, this is a fascinating look at a music genre in which I have previously had little interest. It still doesn't speak to me, although it was hard to listen to this story without beginning to care about the players.

Hip-hop, it appears, was a multi-racial movement from it's beginning. And Def Jam promoted black and white artists. It's all-time biggest star, as I learned later, was actually the Beastie Boys, which I always thought was a punk rock group. They were frequently eclipsed by other acts, like LL Cool J, Run DMC, Public Enemy, and other black stars, but for sheer longevity and raw numbers, the Beasties have outsold them all.

The violence associated with black rappers is only a small part of this story, as was the east-west rivalry that sometimes lead to bloodshed. As an outcast industry, hip-hop was originally shunned by black radio stations that were run by Motown era conservatives that wrinkled their noses at the new upstarts. If they got airplay at all, it was usually late at night. This outsider position made it a magnet for outlaw elements.

This was an eye-opener, and I did enjoy it, although I thought it ended a bit abruptly. I give it 3 stars.