1/7/2024 0 Comments Behind the beyond reviewHe was the only one of the family to survive what Francois Maurois, in his introduction, calls the "human holocaust" of the persecution of the Jews, which began with the restrictions, the singularization of the yellow star, the enclosure within the ghetto, and went on to the mass deportations to the ovens of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. If they are not, it’s a brilliant satire.Įlie Wiesel spent his early years in a small Transylvanian town as one of four children. If the authors are serious, this is a silly, distasteful book. To ask why this is so would be a far more useful project. The world may be like this at times, but often it isn’t. We are told, for instance, to “be conspicuous at all cost,” then told to “behave like others.” More seriously, Greene never really defines “power,” and he merely asserts, rather than offers evidence for, the Hobbesian world of all against all in which he insists we live. While compelling in the way an auto accident might be, the book is simply nonsense. Quotations in the margins amplify the lesson being taught. Each chapter is conveniently broken down into sections on what happened to those who transgressed or observed the particular law, the key elements in this law, and ways to defensively reverse this law when it’s used against you. Each law, however, gets its own chapter: “Conceal Your Intentions,” “Always Say Less Than Necessary,” “Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy,” and so on. These laws boil down to being as ruthless, selfish, manipulative, and deceitful as possible. This power game can be played well or poorly, and in these 48 laws culled from the history and wisdom of the world’s greatest power players are the rules that must be followed to win. We live today as courtiers once did in royal courts: we must appear civil while attempting to crush all those around us. The authors have created a sort of anti-Book of Virtues in this encyclopedic compendium of the ways and means of power.Įveryone wants power and everyone is in a constant duplicitous game to gain more power at the expense of others, according to Greene, a screenwriter and former editor at Esquire (Elffers, a book packager, designed the volume, with its attractive marginalia). At the request of her family, he also includes “the only unfinished, authentic Virginia Andrews manuscript in the possession of the Andrews family,” which they wanted to be published in unedited form.Īndrews' fans will appreciate this insightful glimpse into her mysterious life. Though repetitive at times, Neiderman does an admirable job weaving in the available information about Andrews, offering a coherent view into the life and thoughts of this reticent writer. The author also discusses Andrews’ views on religion, reincarnation, and the media, including her disdain for interviews. Neiderman also discusses Andrews’ other artistic talents and speaks to the physical and mental struggles that she endured throughout her life-many caused by the early death of her father, frequent moves, an accident she suffered on a staircase as a teenager, and numerous unsuccessful medical treatments and surgeries. Analyzing her work, primarily Flowers in the Attic, Neiderman speculates about the inspiration for her stories and their characters, with a particular focus on similarities to Andrews’ strained relationship with her mother, Lillian, who became her caregiver. He also attempts to clarify misconceptions that have arisen regarding her medical condition. (Neiderman has written more than 70 novels under the name.) Through a study of Andrews’ personal letters and interviews with family members, Neiderman provides insight into her life in an attempt to answer some of the questions that have been posed by fans over the years. Following the author’s death from breast cancer in 1986, Neiderman, who is best known for his novel The Devil’s Advocate, was commissioned by Andrews’ family to carry on her literary legacy under her pen name, V.C. A biography of author Cleo Virginia Andrews (1923-1986), written by her longtime ghostwriter.Īndrews is best known for her controversial (and frequently banned) gothic novel Flowers in the Attic, which was first published in 1979 and adapted into films in 19.
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