Book: Audition - an autobiography by Barbara Walters

No.1 Bestseller in NYT's for two consecutive weeks. That is something.

Normally, I am not the one who goes for bestsellers, howmuchever best selling they may be. 'Coz I just wait till all that buzz settles down. By that time I would have received some 'one-on-one' opinion about that book also. That's make it worth every penny I spend on it besides the sheer pleasure it offers. But with Audition it's the other way round.

It was kind of an impulsive buy. I was little fascinated by the title itself - Audition - something that's quite 'out-of-place' as far as naming an autobiography is concerned. Once the book reached my hands I got into an intuitive mood, to some extent provided by the look and feel of the book: That this one is going to be an amazing read. And it indeed was.

Barbara Walters's Audition makes you feel the personal (its an auto-biography, I do remember)element in it, more vividly and intensely. You feel like you are indeed one of the invitees to her life, private and public. You belong. You relate. And herein lies the secret why this book has sold more than 425,000 copies at press time itself.

Walters's writes about her career, leaving NBC for ABC, mentally handicapped sister, her relationship with her father and foster-daughter Jackie, her childhood and failed marriages, her interviews with world leaders and men (and women) in the news and so on. There are shocks and surprises too. She tell us about her 2 year affair, some thirty years ago, with an Afro-American senator by the name Edward Brooke.

Her narrative style is magical. She has been quite frank and free while discussing about her life and the impact it had on her mind. This is so remarkable of an autobiography. And this does has its 'effects' on readers' minds also: some passages may leave you emotionally drained - like when she tells about her sister and foster-daughter, failed marriages etc. These narratives are distintive for their psychological insights also.

To sum it up, Audition is indeed a much much readable auto-bio. Worth your time and money. I simply love reading it again!

Off the pad: While asked about why she gave such an odd-title for an auto-bio she's said to have told that she been auditioning all her life. That's quite an explanation; of an odd-kind.

Project Gutenberg for Free E-Books

I came across Project Gutenberg in the late '90's through the Mathrubhumi daily. From that time onwards I am a regular visitor to the PG (http://www.gutenberg.org/). I started with downloading 'Raja Yoga' from their collection.

Later I contacted Michael Hart, through a contact email on their site, offering my services in the hope that I can contribute to an august cause and make some dime by way of charges for my services. At that time, much time had been at my disposal (jobless in harsh terms, Ha! Ha!) so I cannot be blamed for viewing the whole issue through the money perspective! The 'no money rewards' reply mail had been a big put-off for me, though I wished to contribute some time later.

Now, almost a decade has gone by, since I came to know of PG, I salute the man behind this mission - Mr. Michael Hart- and his crew, for facilitating millions read electronic versions of almost all classics and other literary and technical masterpieces by downloading them free of charge. As I look with awe and admiration at the growth of this wonderful initiative, I wish to be of some use for this PG one day...

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Check PG out http://www.gutenberg.org/ at leisure. You can search books by author name, title, categories etc.

Happy reading!

The name is Rajnikanth...

Though he's million-rich he stills sleeps on the floor, uses no air conditioner and doles out millions for charity work. At 58, he is still the baba of action for fans in India and abroad.

Know more about the actor persona, Rajnikanth in his biography "The name is Rajnikanth" by Dr. Gayatri Srikanth, published by Om Books International, Pages 370, Price: Rupees:495.

A good read indeed!