26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shadow Dancing With the (So-Called) Stars, July 23, 2010
This witty look at the unReality Show and its stars faked lives reminds me of a Coen Brothers film noir comedy, Blood Simple, in which the shadowy characters stay disconnected and everything falls apart. It shares the same tone of dry, literary humor; it's raw and it's an audience pleaser. I also heard a Raymond Chandler/ Robert B. Parker tone (poet/thug), which I find an interestingly edgy combination. The guy mixes salty language with a lot of ten dollar words.
The violence here is mostly of the emotional variety: scamming, betrayal, narcissism, alcoholic behavior, manipulation, control, and from the accounts in the book, questions of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation could be raised. The eight kids involved are clearly being robbed of their childhood, privacy, dignity and more. Did they choose to be filmed during potty training?
Authors Al Walentis and Polly Kahl interviewed child actor advocate Paul Peterson (of the Donna Reed Show), whose perspective adds even more gravitas to the already compelling concerns about the welfare of the children, as well as family members, former friends and professionals who have observed Kate's disturbing lack of "graciousness," among other signs of basic humanity.
The adult Gosselins seem like tragic figures, too, and I was glad that counselor Kahl considered this point. What would it take for a narcissist and a people pleaser to heal? I liked her compassion and professional perspective. Her writing style was a nice counterbalance to his, though she also shared a certain ironic bemusement which I enjoyed. And I especially liked that Walentis, veteran entertainment writer, who was hired by Us Magazine to cover the Gosselin story, looked at the whole industry, saw its shadow, and owned his own part of it. This, to me, is a moment of beauty in the book that moved me deeply. Whole people have a sense of humor about themselves and can admit to flaws. It is the pretense NOT to have a shadow that creates the craziness shown in this weird tale.
But what I hope stays with you is the compassion between the snarky lines. This is the book's golden shadow. Concern for the kids is right on top. But dig deeper and you will find a secret underground world of compassion even for the "antagonist": Kate, aka Hate, who is so lonely and armored that she responds to a friendly, "Hi Kate, I'm your neighbor." with "I live on 23 acres. I have no neighbors."
And of course, society itself is the real antagonist. The network who put this dark dramady on TV would not have done so without an audience. That's us. The "what are we going to do about it?" part is right in your face as you read this book. But the more subtle questions, "Can we forgive ourselves? How do we heal this?" ...that these flirt ever so slightly outside awareness makes them even more powerful catalysts for positive change.
If your shadow enjoys snarkiness, your social conscience cares for kids, and your soul is calling you to compassion, they'll all enjoy reading this book. Highly recommended.
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39 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Imagine..., July 31, 2010
Imagine you are 13 years old, and your classmate has, on her cell phone, a video of you potty training, which of course she shows to everyone in school.
Imagine you are married to a woman who criticizes you, right down to the way you breathe, on national TV. And then one day, she tells you "It's over" (but please, let's pretend it's not, for the cameras.)
Imagine you were a middle child, who never felt important enough, so you had 6 babies and a reality TV show, and now you live in a $1.3 million house on 23 acres of land, and no one is your neighbor.
Imagine you are a respected local reporter, hired by a national magazine to report on the people mentioned above -- along with other reporters and paparazzi from around the word, camped out by the side of twisting country road in a small town in Pennsylvania.
While the first "imagine" hasn't happened yet -- can you imagine that it *won't*?
This is the story of these people, as seen and heard by the aforementioned reporter, in the summer of 2009 -- and a little bit before and after -- the Gosselin Summer.
In addition to what the author saw and heard, hanging out with the others on the country road, this book includes interviews with local townspeople and comments from current and former neighbors of both Jon and Kate (even though Kate doesn't have any neighbors).
Find out how Jon was once considered a "cool guy" by the locals -- and then pond scum by local waitresses. Read blog postings -- long-lost from the internet -- which have been gathered from those with the foresight to save them, and blog posts from local Reading Eagle reporters -- that continued until Kate called the editor and told him She Was Not Pleased.
Also included are quotes from articles in newspapers in cities where Kate had speaking appearances, comments from fans who hung by the Gosselins' plastic security fence and "got to" speak with Jon, in those days when he was "famous" -- before TLC forebade him to speak (sorta like his now ex-wife, only with more experienced, more expensive lawyers) and excerpts from the information packets you would have received if you wanted the Gosselins to speak at your Church, Event, or Mothers of Preschoolers group.
How did Jon Gosselin go from whipped husband who had everyone's sympathy, to a guy made fun of by late night talk show hosts? The events which could be seen in Berks County that summer are recounted in this book -- along with true stories of how the reporters got those stories (following the car of a financial advisor 60 miles, back to his home office on the day the Gosselins' divorce was announced is my personal favorite).
If you've watched Jon & Kate Plus Eight, or even seen Kate on all the covers at the supermarket checkout, this is the book for you. I found it more interesting than Multiple Blessings: the God-centric book "by" Kate, which was actually written by Beth Carson, a former friend of hers -- who is also interviewed in this book -- and *much* more interesting than "woe is me for being your mother" I Just Want You To Know -- (private) Letters to My Kids (published for the whole world to buy and read) on Love, Faith, and Family (if only I understood what any of these things were).
If you really believe that Kate Gosselin is Super-Mom, who can juggle eight kids (my grandmother had 13) and still Dance With the Stars -- you should read this book.
If you've wondered how TLC could air promos about "Life-Changing Decisions that will Affect Every Member of our Family" for four days before airing, and then post as a part of the episode (in white letters on black screen) that the Gosselins had filed for divorce on June 22, 2009 -- the same day the episode aired (wow - those producers at TLC have amazingly fast post-production times! Or maybe, like everything else on this "reality" TV show, the timing was just another "event" to get ratings (I heard they got 10 million viewers that week)) you should read this book.
If you are a God-fearing Christian, and feel this family represents you and your God-centered lifestyle, you should read this book (Deut. 19:15, 1 Thess. 5:21) -- but please be forewarned about the salty language, cause there are only so many different ways to say "Jon wanted to find someone to have sex with." If I were God, I would say My name was being taken in vain.
If you think that everything you saw on Jon & Kate Plus Eight was Reality: real life, with no camera setups or retakes -- you should read this book.
You will notice I haven't mentioned the kids a lot, after the beginning of this review. The book doesn't either. It's mainly the story of Jon and Kate and TLC and the three-ring circus taking place in Lower Heidelberg Township, PA before, during, and somewhat after the summer of 2009.
There is a small (about 30 page) section at the end, by Polly Kahl M.A., a counselor who had the experience of having the Gosselins move into her town in late 2008. The possible effects on the children are covered in part of that section, along with some *actual* thoughts on Love, Faith, and Family and the personalities of those who would sell all that away for the false values of Fame and Fortune.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Secret World of Jon and Kate, July 25, 2010
I just finished the book (waited to receive a hard copy) and found it to be a very good read. Considering the several negative posts it received, I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. It's exactly what it was presented to be ... a look at the Jon and Kate fiasco through the eys of the pap. Perhaps other readers' expectations were unrealistic; i.e., a "tell-all" book... that really could only be written by a first-hand participant. As pointed out by other posters, there were several errors in grammar and/or typos, but that's certainly not a big deal. There are errors/typos in every book I read. I have a Masters in English ... you read it and move on. Anyone so fixated on minutiae can apply those standards to their own writings, but should not impose them on others' wriitings ... it'll kill the joy of reading. Since the book is written in the style of a tabloid, I also don't understand those who are offended by the writer's style/language. Surely those complaining have read many blogs and tabloid sites ... otherwise, they wouldn't have been aware of, or interested in, the Jon and Kate trainwreck in general, or this book in particular ... and should be rather inured to the style/language. Seems a bit hypocritical to me.
I've followed the Jon and Kate saga for the last couple of years, and many/most of the anecdotes in the book were familiar to me from reading the blogs. However, the book goes beyond what is presented in the tabloids or on the blogs by giving a behind-the-scenes look at the flurry of activity that occurs among the pap and the journalists in getting the story to print....all in all, a totally different perspective on the events and a very enlightening one at that.
In addition, there are many new little tidbits of information scattered throughout the book ... some are about Kate, but most are in regards to Jon. The author could only write about what's available to him. Since Jon has been much more overt in his activities, there's obviously much more information to be found on him. The next book will be when someone finally cracks Kate's inner circle.
For the uninitiated, this book may be a bit confusing as it assumes that the reader is aware of the history of Jon and Kate, leading up to the current trainwreck. Probably, a short prologue to bring the reader up to speed would have been beneficial. Also beneficial would have been a different title to the book ... one that better emphasizes the role of the pap in the book.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who has been following the lives of Jon and Kate. It's so nice to have information that is spread around the Net compiled in a single volume.
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