Customer Reviews

Teaching the Pig to Dance: A Memoir of Growing Up and Second Chances

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In today's political environment, Fred Thompson sticks out like a sore thumb. I don't pretend to agree with all of his political positions, but that's what is so refreshing about Thompson's book: you don't have to agree with him politically to understand where it is that he came from, and what makes this book different from the usual self-indulgence that seems to be a requirement of books by politicians in this political environment is that Thompson does not tell you what to think, nor does he waste any ink describing what's wrong with America and the ways it would be different were he in charge. My personal attraction to this book wasn't political, but the similar backgrounds we came from, and those lessons he learned growing up in small town Tennessee without being born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

This is also the first book by "a political figure" that I fully enjoyed reading. It really boils down to Thompson's own philosophy. Any fool can tell you what they want to do, but it is where you came from and the choices that life has given you that shape the man you come. Thompson doesn't pretend to be a saint, and it's refreshing that not once does he preach at you like a Mike Huckabee, or talk over your head like a Mitt Romney. He is not inflated by his own self-importance on the grand stage like a Rudy Giuliani or Newt Gingrich.

For Fred Thompson, it's about the lessons you learn on your journey to adulthood that make you the person you are today. Those lessons trump political ideology. It's growing up that makes you a true leader, and in the world today, it would be nice if more politicians came to realize this.

Fred Thompson (US Senator from Tennessee for 8 years) has excelled as a straight-shooting politician and a respected and believable Hollywood actor. In "Teaching the Pig to Dance: A Memoir of Growing Up and Second Chances" he offers an amusing, winsome, instructive memoir loaded with homespun stories about his family (his father is described as the funniest man he ever knew). This amusing volume describes and outlines his rise from an aberrant young man to a formidable senator. He draws on his distinctive, folksy, and quirkish upbringing as he traces his journey to fame. His hometown of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee will be familiar to many readers who grew up in similar small towns.

Senator Thomson reveals:

- Life almost generation ago in a small southern town with its own Davy Crockett statue

- Meals consisting of possum and chocolate sauce

- A young man heading in the wrong direction and how he turned toward wholeness and success

- How learning Latin in striving for a law degree was akin to attempting to "teach a pig to dance."

- The life and times of a country lawyer

The author delivers funny and honest memories which helped change a difficult youth into a successful and well-liked celebrity (film credits include: Die Hard II, Days of Thunder, and The Hunt for Red October). Fred encourages the reader to embrace the truth that the love of parents and family is one of the most powerful motivations for young people going in the wrong direction. In "Teaching the Pig to Dance" one discovers a story of a fascinating life starring a first-rate man. If you miss Senator Thompson in the political realm and you desire to see what formed his person, then this delightful volume is for you.

There Are Moral Absolutes: How to Be Absolutely Sure That Christianity Alone Supplies

Though author Fred Thompson is a former U.S. Senator... as well as a former co-star of Hollywood's long running television series "LAW AND ORDER... and more than likely can fill a country barn with all his accumulated "name-dropping" stories... Fred instead found it much more fulfilling to share with the world his humble background that started in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. He introduces his family tree in an almost "ah-shucks" manner that is dripping with love... respect... and the images of days gone by... in an America that unfortunately doesn't seem to exist much anymore. The reader very quickly gets the feeling that if this was a movie made in the golden era of Hollywood... the stars would be Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda.

In describing his Father he conveys his undying affection for the hard working example his Dad laid out in his daily life... along with an unstoppable impish wit... that never knew a wrong situation to be unleashed in. His Mother... as if cast in Hollywood rather than Tennessee... had to bite her lip... look the other way... or simply lose her personal fight to not laugh out loud... when a comment or an action providing a life lesson... was punctuated with ill-timed (to her) levity. As one might expect if you've ever heard Senator Thompson speak... almost every story is built around good-old-fashioned-all-American-country-pure-wisdom. Such as when he describes most of the farmer's from his town: "USUALLY HAVING LITTLE IN THE WAY OF A FORMAL EDUCATION, A MAN'S REPUTATION FOR HARD WORK AND KEEPING HIS WORD WERE HIS MOST VALUABLE ASSETS." In depicting the use of alcohol it was pretty clear cut: "THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS A SOCIAL DRINKER. EITHER YOU DRANK OR YOU DIDN'T, AND DRINKING MEANT GETTING RIP-ROARING DRUNK." Though his Father had a few bad habits when he was younger he straightened up under his wife's influence... which of course reminded Fred of a country analogy: "A STORY ABOUT A FELLOW WHO, AFTER YEARS OF LOW-DOWN BEHAVIOR, WAS HIT ACROSS THE HEAD BY A TWO-BY-FOUR- AND THEN REFORMED." "NOBODY EVER EXPLAINED THINGS TO ME LIKE THAT BEFORE, HE SAID."

Thompson's early love of the movies... his time spent in church... and probably just as important as any stories in this successful man's life... were the ones he tells of when he was growing up and knew he had done wrong... and waited for the other foot to drop... but some kindly soul didn't turn him in. He tried to return that benevolence himself when the opportunity presented itself.

As a Father and Grandfather myself... I still to this day am so thankful for having had the greatest Father in the world... so it is touching and refreshing when a man like Fred says: "DAD SET THE STANDARD FOR WHAT A MAN OUGHT TO BE- STRONG AND PROTECTIVE OF THOSE WHO DEPENDED ON HIM. TRUSTWORTHY AND STRIVING EVERY DAY TO BE A BETTER MAN. IT BECAME A STANDARD BY WHICH I MEASURED THINGS, WHETHER I LIVED UP TO THEM OR NOT!" Ever the realist... Fred summarizes near the end of the book: "THE KEY IS NOT ALWAYS TO LIVE UP TO THE STANDARDS THAT ARE SET FOR YOU BUT THAT YOU ALWAYS TRY. IT'S LIKE WHAT SOMEONE SAID ABOUT A CONSCIENCE:" "IT DOESN'T KEEP YOU FROM ENGAGING IN BAD BEHAVIOR, IT JUST MAKES IT SO YOU CAN'T ENJOY IT NEARLY AS MUCH. AND I DIDN'T ENJOY IT VERY MUCH WHEN I DID NOT LIVE UP TO DAD'S STANDARDS."

A book by a politician... that's not too much about politics... but about things that are more important!

I thought this was very good. I read it to my husband while we drove into town. It lifted our spirits. Great read.

This is an engaging look at Fred Thompson's growing up in small town America and how his humble beginnings started him on the road to becoming an actor, lawyer, and congressman.

Fred Thompson started his life in the small southern town of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. His mom was a homemaker and his dad owned used car lots for most of Fred's growing up years.

Fred was not the best student for all his years in school and mostly seemed to get into alot of scrapes. In his later years, when he had a family and wife to support, he then stepped up to the plate and was able to pursue a degree in law at Vanderbilt University.

Since I came from a small town in southern WVa, some of the characters that inhabit Fred's story seem to have stepped out the pages of my own life.

One of the funnier moments in his story is about how he took his first wife Sarah to visit a hog farm for a first date. He and his friend Tommy double dated and decided to take their dates to the illustrious hog farm owned by their coach. Fred's friend Tommy never saw his date again but Fred went on to marry Sarah.

An enjoyable and quick summer read.

The Fred Thompson we see is just the tip of the iceberg. I gained a lot of respect for him by reading this book. Having been raised in the same religion, I now understand more about who he is and how he got there. A good read about a good man.

This book proves that a young rebel can turn into a responsible citizen and politician.

I read this in one weekend. I found the honesty refreshing. Simple stories of the past, including those that do not put the author in a good light give credibility to the entire work. This is not an inside baseball analysis of his political life, but rather a trip back to his boyhood, heartwarming stories of growing up and familial relationships (good and bad), and some frank talk of his personal bad decisions. It's like everyone's life but not everyone would put it in print. There is also joyful acknowledgement of all the characters in his past that had a positive influence on his life.

It is peppered with enough southern humor to keep you smiling, and even snort your coffee once in a while.

I came away with an appreciation for Fred the child, the young man, and the man NOT in the spot light of acting or policitis though that is covered very briefly; I suspect another book or two might be covering those issues. He got into Law & Order quite by accident (and an unlikely chain of events) through a case he (as a young lawyer) took on out of desperation to do something significant when there wasn't anything significant to do in a small town. He certainly did not have acting aspirations, which I think is unusual in itself these days.

Motto: Take chances. Work hard. Good stuff happens, sometimes.

I bought this book as a Father's Day gift for my Dad, who grew up in Kentucky. He loved it and said that Thompson's life growing up in Tennessee was almost identical to his. Good read and a great gift.

Fred Thompson's book is an insightful memoir into what it was like to grow up in the South in the 1950s. It really resonated with me, and so many of his experiences and mine were one and the same. It is a shame that folks don't raise their kids like this anymore -- to be hard-working, self-reliant, and willing to take a few chances along the way. I read it in a single day because I couldn't put it down -- it's that good! In my mind, I can hear Fred Thompson speaking the words in this book since the book reads just like a good story someone is telling you. A not-to-be-missed opportunity...