Amazon.com
M. Scott Carpenter was America's fourth man in space, his 1962 three-orbit mission in a tiny Mercury capsule closely paralleling that of John Glenn's previous mission. But that's where the similarities end: a malfunctioning navigational system caused Carpenter to splash down, dangerously, some 250 miles off-target, and Glenn's fame would somehow forever eclipse that of all seven of his fellow original astronauts combined. This memoir, penned in conjunction with Carpenter's daughter Kris, oddly distances itself from Carpenter's life through use of a third-person narrative (only the astronaut's calm account of his perilous mission is delivered directly in his voice), a device that ultimately echoes the more personal distances Carpenter endured in his own fateful, if troubled, journey toward the stars.
While Carpenter may have been able to trace his lineage back to the Plymouth colony of the 1630s, his immediate family seemed shattered. His research-chemist father was successful but absent, his mother often a bedridden invalid. Carpenter's journey to the Mercury program after a Rocky Mountain childhood and a stint on lumbering Naval patrol planes is one of the more unlikely of the original astronaut class, and he offers up his own perspectives on what has become a compelling body of American folklore (thanks largely to Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff and the memoirs of other participants). While the account of NASA's infancy seems quaint, its officialdom often comes off as nothing short of cutthroat, perhaps inspiring the pioneering spaceman to the book's final adventures exploring a distinctly different frontier--the bottom of the ocean--as part of the Navy's endurance-minded SeaLab program. --Jerry McCulley
Book Description
Coming from a family of early Colorado pioneers, astronaut Scott Carpenter grew up with a vibrant frontier tradition of exploration. He went on to become one of seven Project Mercury astronauts to take part in America's burgeoning space program in the 1960s. Here he writes of the pioneering science, training, and biomedicine of early space flight and tells the heart-stopping tale of his famous spaceflight aboard Aurora 7.
Carpenter also shares a family story of tenderness and fortitude. Raised by his grandparents in Boulder, Colorado, while his mother lay sick for years with tuberculosis, Carpenter witnessed bravery, love, sacrifice, and endurance that prepared him for life as a Navy pilot during two wars, service to country as a Mercury astronaut, and finally as a pioneering underwater explorer.
Written with his daughter, Kris Stoever, For Spacious Skies tells a wonderful American family story filled with never-before-told insider tales from the earliest days of NASA and, for the first time ever, Carpenter's own account of his controversial flight and splashdown.
Customer Reviews:
Not Sitting on the Beach..........2007-09-09
Scott Carpenter and his daughter were "inspired" to write this book in response to Gene Kranz's characterizations of Carpenter in "Failure is Not An Option." Ordinarily, a "defensive" book is not especially interesting. Kranz accused Carpenter of having too laid-back a personality, and that he would be found laying on a beach, strumming a guitar and contemplating. Kranz biggest beef was a blow to Kranz's pride, when Carpenter essentially told the media that for a period of time on his Mercury mission, Mission Control, Kraft and Kranz did not know where Carpenter was...
However, this is a well-written, well-paced entry into the history of America's space effort, and is fun to read "against" the Kranz book.
My grandpa used to say that there's no such thing as a one-sided story. Getting so many different strong personalities to work together to get us into space was quite an accomplishment, and both these books (and others) help us understand the "miracle" that we pulled off.
It was one of our nation's greatest and proudest accomplshments for so many reasons.
Not just about Mercury..........2006-12-26
M. Scott Carpenter and his daughter Kris have certainly written a fascinating biography that is unlike most others I have read about astronauts. For starters, it is written mostly in the third person. I asked Scott about that recently and he said that was a decision by Kris to do that. I must say, it was risky to go that route with an autobiography. But from the standpoint of what the story was trying to tell, I think it was worth the risk since this is more then just a biography about Scott as it discusses his early life, his relatives and the early developments of the Mercury space program. As such, you get so much more here then just the life story of a Mercury astronaut.
Carpenter's life was certainly an interesting one. Born in New York, he moved back to Colorado as a very young child with his mom while she battled the effects of TB (a battle which she fought for far longer then anyone would have predicted as she didn't die until after Scott's Mercury flight). His father remained apart from his life for the most part as he spent his childhood being raised by his grandparents on both sides of his family. A well grounded education, coupled with living a very healthy youth in Colorado produced a smart individual with the body of an athlete who could have done anything in life he wanted when WW2 provided him with the calling to join the military. Unable to see combat in the big war due to delays in his flight training, Scott's flying talents didn't get utilized until Korea when he was part of a P2V Neptune patrol bomber unit. Later, he became a test pilot until a lucky set of circumstances landed him in a prime spot as one of the Mercury 7 astronauts. But then again, that is still just the beginning of the story.
Scott's Aurora 7 flight is told in the first person and it gives a full description of what happened in orbit from his perspective as well as discussing some technical problems that weren't fully understood until after the flight (such as a fault with the attitude control system on the spacecraft, which resulted in a higher fuel useage when operated in automatic mode). To me at least, this description coupled with information printed in other sources paints a much more accurate picture IMHO of what happened to get Scott about 200 miles off course then what has been described in other early biographies about the space program. It just goes to show it is always a good idea to get the story from more then one viewpoint.
Not too much is discussed about Scott's work on the Sealab project (certainly not in the depth that Mercury was discussed). But it is mentioned since that more then anything seemed to have more to do with his not flying another space flight then what happened on Aurora 7 (read it and make your own conclusion). Scott certainly has a unique perspective among other astronauts from the Mercury days and it seems to me that if he were a lot younger and flying shuttle missions, he might make a perfect mission specialist, even though he could certainly fill the role of a commander or a pilot as well.
Probably the most insight I got from this book was a looking into the life of a military family from the 1950s, while they were trying to raise three young children. Those readers who have been in similar situations (regardless of the branch of service) will probably recognize the situations where the wife tries to raise the children at home in base housing while the husband is off to some of the most interesting duty stations in the world and dealing with his own set of challenges as an officer in the Navy. It certainly shows that the plights of military families are by no means unique (and my mom had similar tales to tell from her days as an Army wife while Dad was off on TDY assignments).
Throw that same family into the media circus known as the Mercury program and things get a bit more interesting. At that point the families that were hoping to live a private life, raising kids and serving their country got thrusted into almost a rock star status. They had more money as a result, but not every change was good and marriages tended to suffer as a result (Scott's marriage was no exception).
So if you are just looking for something that JUST talks about an astronaut's experiences in the Mercury program, this book probably isn't for you. Granted you do get a lot of useful Mercury information, but in addition you get an almost complete tapestry on what made Scott Carpenter tick and the lives he touched. You won't get the cliches of "Duty Honor Country" either. We all know that astronauts are patriots, but the book doesn't rub the reader's nose in it. Probably the closest I can compare this book to in terms of other astronaut bio reads is the Neil Armstrong biography "First Man". But both books are unique in their perspectives.
For the sheer enjoyment I got reading this book, I do give it five stars. I agree it isn't a read for everyone. But if you don't go in with any preconceived notions, then it makes for a much more enjoyable read.
My own copy is the original hardcover, but the most recent printing of the book includes a special epilog chapter which talks a bit about a similarity of emotions that were experienced during the reentries of Aurora 7 and STS-107. The outcomes of the two were very different, but people who weren't alive during the Mercury program don't remember that there was a bit of public uncertainty that existed when Scott's spacecraft landed long with low fuel. Mercury control had more data, but the press and the general public didn't know much at all. Fast forward to February 2003 and a similar uncertainty fell over the public when Columbia didn't arrive at KSC when it should have and nobody knew anything until the first footage of its breakup appeared on national TV. In terms of the Carpenter biography, this epiloge doesn't seem like a good fit. But, by using one experience to shed emotional light on the other, it does help showcase what families of astronauts feel and experience when loved ones take the ride into space knowing full well that they may not come back alive. As such, it is helpful to get the family perspective as well.
Good Read.......2006-08-24
If your reading the other Mercury books, add this one to the list.
Getting the book basically for the shipping is a great deal.
From Sky High to Rock Bottom with NASA........2005-09-21
Life at NASA is not always rosey. NASA experimented with different programs and each mission helpted to determine their research progress in the main mission to be the first to do things in Space. NASA uses young, ambitious people as guinea pigs. When my son Jeff had his first NASA job, he told me he was a glorified computer operator. They used his hard-earned experience at the University of Chicago to catagorize the information coming to base at Boulder, Colorado, from the flawed Hubble telescope. He'd spent years at Kitt Peak in Arizona (his professor getting all the credit) as a grad student in astronomy, and this task was important to him so that he worked for half-salary that year. Was his work appreciated? He was kicked out the door as soon as the Hubble was corrected. So much for job security.
It takes pioneer spirit to have the courage for those experimental 'flights' Scott Carpenter and his colleagues achieved. He was the 4th American in space and the second to orbit the earth. In May, 1962, he made history in the tiny spacecraft 'Aurora 7' which malfunctioned in one of its scanners , forcing him to "overshoot" the expected landing site by 250 miles. This led to a lifetime of controversy.
This book, written with his daughter, explains in detail this ill-fated flight which made him famous or infamous. He clears up lingering doubts about that flight while telling history 'as he lived it.' When things don't work out exactly as projected, it is always the main person involved who takes the blame for its 'failure' as in the case of Jeff, who is again on NASA's payroll at a Center of Excellence in Nashville for which he took tours of students to the Pasadena Jet Propulsion Lab several times a year. Now that phase is over, and it seems that his job is in jeopardy again.
After Project Mercury, Scott went on to take part in Naval Sealabs as an undrewater explorer and researcher. From high above the earth to deep below the ocean, he has traversed time from one dimension to another. He is one of our greatest Space hereoes, 'Commander Carpenter and his flying machine.' He's endured quite a journey and paid dearly in his personal life. Re remarried in 1988 and had son Zachary.
His fellow "Right Stuff" astronauts included John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Deke Slayton, Al Shepard, Gordo Cooper, and Wally Schirra. "Journeys so perilous that farewells were in fact small prayers. 'Good-bye' is itself an invocation that God attend every step, and with 'audieu' and 'Godspeed' for that matter -- for speedy journeys bring travelers home sooner rather than later. And home soon is always good." Keep faith, Geoffrey.
Too Concerned with Kraft's Book.......2005-01-17
Carpenter spends a large portion of this book refuting what Chris Kraft wrote in his book, "Flight", too large in my opinion. I did find his story interesting and I think he could of told his story without making specific rebuttals to Kraft. On the positive side, this book is a nice addition to my NASA library since it focuses so much on the Mercury missions, compared to the many books written on the Apollo program.
Book Description
A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Loren Eiseley began his lifelong exploration of nature in the salt flats and ponds around his hometown and in the mammoth bone collection hoarded in the old red brick museum at the University of Nebraska, where he conducted his studies in anthropology. It was in pursuit of this interest, and in the expression of his natural curiosity and wonder, that Eiseley sprang to national fame with the publication of such works as The Immense Journey and The Firmament of Time.
In All the Strange Hours, Eiseley turns his considerable powers of reflection and discovery on his own life to weave a compelling story, related with the modesty, grace, and keen eye for a telling anecdote that distinguish his work. His story begins with his childhood experiences as a sickly afterthought, weighed down by the loveless union of his parents. From there he traces the odyssey that led to his search for early postglacial man—and into inspiriting philosophical territory—culminating in his uneasy achievement of world renown. Eiseley crafts an absorbing self-portrait of a man who has thought deeply about his place in society as well as humanity’s place in the natural world.
Customer Reviews:
inspiring.......2007-10-06
A fascinating look into the man behind such a creative literary & scientific mind! He is quite 'bare bones' about himself. Also suggested bio.: "The Lost Notebooks of Loren Eisley" ed. by Kenneth Heuer.
Right from the Heart .......2006-11-06
An excerpt from 'All the Strange Hours'
"...Oncoming age is to me a vast wild autumn country strewn with broken seed pods,hurrying cloud wrack,abondoned farm machinery,and circling crows..."
Frankly I lost my reference notes.But this is a wonderful read.You enter deep into the thinkings and passions from the heart of one man.Eiseley will invite you into his thoughts and observations about life and people like a quite and unassuming gentlemen.These stories bring you deep into the core of the Midwest cast of mind.
Great Read
Strange Man.......2006-02-23
Thoughtful writing, and interesting, but Eiseley sure was a bitter and despairing fellow. He held grudges forever and never forgot a slighting, even from childhood. It appears that he wrote this at an advanced age, when his friends and associates were dieing off seemingly all around him, and he wasn't very happy about it and his own mortality. Interesting, but definitely a downer.
Perfect- I wouldn't change a word.......2004-04-22
There are few books written today that I don't want to rewrite. All the Strange Hours is one of them. This is the real thing- forget "Magical-Realism" and forget all other memoirs. This is unlike any memoir, or book I've ever read before, and should be getting out to a larger audience. You don't need to be into science, archeology, or even know who Eiseley is to appreciate this work. His writing is so good that it doesn't matter.
He also doesn't delve into the mundane things that most writers would- in fact, you go through the entire book, and you don't even know his wife's name. If I met Eiseley, I'd feel that I'd know little about what he likes to eat, or what kind of music he enjoys, or if he's a morning or night person. But none of that matters- because I feel like I know him on the inside. People who knew Eiseley say that those who read his works often knew him better than those who knew him in person. I'd list Eiseley easily as one of the greatest writers of all time, and at minimum I'd put him in the top 3 of great prose writers. Check him out, and you'll see. You won't be disappointed. Trust me- - I don't like most contemporary stuff, and if you don't either, this is great literature for you.
The Terrible Beauty of Existance.......2003-01-13
This is a beautifully written personal meditation on the impermance of life against the passage of time and the attendant sense of loss by a deeply compassionate existentialist who searches for the meaning within the design of nature. There is a palatable sense of both truth and despair. There is also a consistant thread of both awed respect and admiration for the immensity of "the terrible beauty" of existance. If you are looking for a book that balances the invisibly fine line between the light and the dark of insight from the perspective of a honest man who grasps both, this is your book.
Book Description
Forensic Nurse The Vital New Link Between Medicine and Criminal Investigation Serita Stevens R.N., B.S.M., M.A., C.L.N.C. With the Assistance of Members of the International Association of Forensic Nurses A forensic nurse offers an intriguing inside look at her profession, from gathering evidence to solving crimes nurse is often the first person to see the victims of an accident, an assault, or a suicide. Forensic evidence is often crucial, and it is the forensic nurse who is trained and experienced in providing that. Beginning with a history of what forensics is and how nurs-ing interlocks with the needs of the legal community, Forensic Nurse explores the precise workings of a forensic investi-gation-how a medical examiner's office operates, what wounds and patterns tell us, how evidence should be taken and preserved to best make use of it, and the role of the forensic nurse in the court system. Case studies in every section show how proper evidence collection by the forensic nurse can either declare the accused innocent or prove his guilt. Forensic Nurse will fascinate readers with an interest in true crime and in the workings of criminal investigation, as well as those interested in medicine. Serita Stevens R.N., B.S.N., M.A., C.L.N.C., has published mystery novels and a guide to poisonous plants. She lives in California. true crime/medicine 0-312-25199-8 $24.95 $36.95 Canadian 51/2" x 81/4" / 320 pages Thomas Dunne Books August
Customer Reviews:
Disjointed and poorly written.......2007-08-14
As an individual who has an intense interest in both forensics and nursing, I was very excited when I stumbled across this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed to discover the anecdotes pieced together so randomly that the book had no logical flow. I'm honestly shocked that this text made it to press with how poorly written it is; there was clearly no editor. Overall, I would recommend looking elsewhere for information. This book is a dud.
"Forensic" Book Review.......2006-01-30
Oh my.....this book is badly written and poorly edited! I am a nurse, and I was looking forward to reading a book about an area in which I am interested and knowledgeable. What a disappointment! While there are a few snippets of worthwhile information, in general this book is sorely redundant, carelessly worded, and written on the level of the Cherry Ames, RN childrens' novels the author claims she is helping to re-write/re-issue. Ms. Stevens, a nurse herself, needs to stick to writing mysteries and romance novels, or whatever it is she writes. This book is professionally embarrassing!
A 3 hour infomercial !!!.......2005-12-27
I was drawn to this book due to my interest in forensics and criminal investigation. While I have to say that this book presents a rarely seen step in the investagation, and the role of the nurse in the investigation. The pro's of this book is greatly out weighted by the cons.
The book is orgainzed into introduction, sexual assult, child abuse, domestic violence, etc.
The Author begins by introducing forensic nursing, how forensic nurses differ from normal nurses, what they do, their training, etc. While this is all well and good, the text qiuckly degenerates into a repetitious and tiresome rant on the difficulty of gaining training, the lack of compensation, and the inacceptance and degrading treatment by doctors of forensic nurses. Indeed, this book, seems to be more written as a rebuttle to the aforementioned doctors than a delination of forensic nursing for the lay reader.
This book relies heavily on vague annecdotes, and repetition.
After the introduction the book degenerats into a formulaeic series of anecdotes, with identical format:
Mary/ Jane/ Sarah (insert female name here) is a nurse at a nameless hospitial. She has endured extreme hardship and inacceptance in gaining training. One day she sees a patient Mr.S and with her unique experiences and training is immediately able to identify signs of sexual/ domestic/ child/ elder/ abuse. She endures the belittlement and inacceptance of incompetant doctors, and skeptical law enforcement members, and prevails by solving the case.
Each anecdote is pretty much as vague as outlined here, in rare occasions, anecdotes will have some recounted dialogue. Each chapter can encompass up to a dozen or more of such vague anecdotes. Giving the impression that the book reads like a 3 hour informercial. (Theyre good for elder abuse too!)
Through out all these anecdotes, I found it dificult to find the point of the book. The book is repetitous in pointing out the inacceptance faced by nurses from doctors. And the portrayl of doctors and nurses in this book is consistant with the author's views. The nurses are portrayed as intellegent super sleuths, detectives behimd the bedpan, that deftly deflect the defendent's questions with a smile, sharped eyed, angels of mercy and compassion. The doctors however, are portrayed as conservative, inaccepting bumbling fools that make mistakes in court, that pass off rape as S&M.
Almost nothing is mentioned of the role of doctors and law enforcement on solving cases.
The book it's self is also scant on details that would help a lay reader better understand the work involved. For example, the forensic nurses's innovative use of the Coloposcope in evidence collection is repeatedly stressed (Of course, so is the doctor's opposition). However, the she never cover the central question: What is the coloposcope? It takes pictures, yes. But what does it do, what are the limitations? How is it used? We dont know! But we do know that it is the secret weapon of the forensic nurse, strongly opposed by doctors, a device that never fails to solve the case.
As such, I feel that this book could have been much more informative that it was. It is a rather onesided, poorly written farce.
Great.......2004-12-09
I really enjoyed reading the book and kept reading and reading. I think that I want to be a nurse for my second career. I am certainly going to inquire into forensic nursing. I think it is fabulous that there are so many different aspects to it and I want to tell our hospital people to use them!
Norm Alsaline.......2004-11-19
I found this book to be very poorly written. The book reads as if the author has overheard conversations (or lectures) and started writing about them in the third person, then switches to first person, making it sound like she has had all these experiences. If you are interested in forensic nursing please look for a more accurate source of information. Join the International Association of Forenic Nurses and get involved! Attend a conference and get the information from the lecturers. Talk to the PRACTICING Forensic Nurses and get the true stories as they really happened. This book is a farce.
Average customer rating:
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Forensic Nurse: The New Role of the Nurse in Law Enforcement.(Book review): An article from: AORN Journal
A. Lynn Littlefield
Manufacturer: Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
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ASIN: B000KGG8R8
Release Date: 2007-01-31 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from AORN Journal, published by Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc. on October 1, 2006. The length of the article is 491 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Forensic Nurse: The New Role of the Nurse in Law Enforcement.(Book review)
Author: A. Lynn Littlefield
Publication:
AORN Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2006
Publisher: Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc.
Volume: 84
Issue: 4
Page: 689(2)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Amazon.com
David Downie's delectable Cooking the Roman Way begins with an irresistible invitation: "Close your eyes and imagine you're in Rome, seated al fresco in the sun on a rooftop terrace...." This is a must-have cookbook for anyone who loves Italy and its food, serious cooks and armchair cooks alike. The recipes are simple, well-researched, and perfectly authentic. Downie delivers history and tradition so vividly you feel as though you went to Rome and learned these facts for yourself, and Alison Harris's photos help make that impression all the more real.
The more than 100 recipes are divided by course. Antipasti include the venerable Sweet-And-Sour Baby Pearl Onions, even more addictive than, Downie warns, Farro Risotto Balls with Basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano, little deep-fried nuggets of comfort food. Primi piatti include the aromatic Fennel and Bean Soup with Cherry Tomatoes, Mint, Basil, and Sage, and plenty of pasta recipes, any of which would make a great meal. Secondi cover meat, poultry, fish, and eggs, and include the marvelously rich Roman Oxtail Stew, and Spicy Boned Lamb Leg Sautéed with Rosemary, Wine, and Vinegar. Contorni are vegetables and side dishes, such as Sweet Pepper Rolls Stuffed with Cheese and Anchovy, and dolci include desserts such as Ricotta Lemon Fritters with Sambuca and Fresh Strawberry Tiramisu. Beautiful enough to give as a gift, easy enough to use every day, Downie will definitely have you Cooking the Roman Way. --Leora Y. Bloom
Book Description
Rome is the most beloved city in Italy, if not the world. Rich in culture, art, and charm, the Eternal City is also home to some of the most delicious and accessible cooking in all of Italy. Influenced by both the earthy peasant fare of the surrounding hillsides and the fish from the nearby Mediterranean, Roman food makes the most of local ingredients and simple, age-old techniques. Yet while Italian cookbooks abound, no American book has focused on Romes unique and varied fare. In this beautifully illustrated cookbook, author David Downie and photographer Alison Harris offer a comprehensive collection of more than 125 Roman recipes, exploring the lively, uncomplicated food traditionally served in Roman homes and trattorie. From well-known dishes like Spaghetti Carbonara, to popular snack food like Pizza Bianca, to distinctive specialties like Roast Suckling Lamb, each recipe in Cooking the Roman Way is simple, authentic, and easy to make at home. With four-color photographs of landmarks, markets and food, stories about and profiles of food vendors, entertaining anecdotes, and a food lovers guide to the streets of the city, this book paints a vivid picture of Rome and the food that has sustained it for millennia.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Collection of Mainstays.......2007-09-18
Everything I eat comes almost exclusively from this book. Downie does an excellent job in presenting an unbiased, uncompromising view.
I would be very pleased to read a book on the raising, selection, and slaughtering of swine detailing the curing processes used in rural America for Italian-style deli meats.
I think David Downie is just the man for this task.
Awesome, authentic Roman recipes.......2007-01-06
Many excellent recipes with a bit of history thrown in. The Tiramisu recipe is worth the cost of the book.
indispensable guide.......2006-03-19
I bought this book before a planned trip to Rome for the stories of restaurants and food stalls and eating in Rome. Then I realized how wonderful the recipes are. This book was an indispensable addition for our trip to Rome - I took along a list of restaurants and dishes to try, which I would never have known about without this book. And one of my best purchases in Rome was an abundance of dried spices from the Campo de Fiori spice man, one of many colorful locals featured in "Cooking the Roman Way"! Back at home, it is a favorite choice for finding great recipes and I have given several copies as gifts to serious cooks and Italophiles alike.
Shootout in the Forum. Two excellent books. One Winner.......2003-12-27
Two books on Roman cooking have appeared within the last eighteen (18) months, which gives us a golden opportunity to proof one against the other to find the better book. The first published last year, the current subject, is `Cooking the Roman Way' by David Downie. The second is the more recently published book `In a Roman Kitchen: Timeless Recipes from the Eternal City' by Jo Bettoja.
In general, Downie's book appears to be based more on restaurante, trattoria, and osteria recipes while Bettoja seems to rely more on home cooking recipes. Still, there is a significant overlap of recipe names. I had no trouble at all finding five recipes with the same traditional Italian name, although the English translation of the name may have been a little different. I give high marks to both authors for giving the Italian names of all dishes in both the text and the index.
I compared the recipes for five dishes:
Gnocchi di Semolino alla Romana
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Cipolline in Agrodolce alla Romana
Carciofi alla Giudia
Frittata con Zucchini
Although no pair of recipes was the same, I can find virtually nothing in these five recipes which would suggest that one author was presenting consistently superior recipes. I was slightly annoyed with Downie for specifying white coctail onions in the Cipolline recipe, especially since I have no trouble finding cipolline in my local Pennsylvania megamart. My conclusion that Downie relies on the Trattoria and Bettoja relies on the home is in the sources they cite for their recipes. Both appear to give equal time to the influence of the Jewish quarter on Roman cooking.
In Bettoja's case, the focus seems to be on a large number of recipes for each major type of Roman dish. She has, for example, more pasta, artichoke, and fava bean recipes than Downie, and also more dessert recipes. This is ironic since Downie controverts one of my hero Mario Batali's claims that Italians do not go in for sweets.
In contrast, Downie includes many seminally Roman recipes which Bettoja simply ignores. He has excellent recipes for making both Pizza Bianco, a certifiable Roman speciality, and fresh fettucini, including sound recommendations on making the fettucini completely by hand and with the assistance of power mixers and power pasta rolling machines. Most surprising of all is that Downie includes the recipe for Gnocchi di Patate while Bettoja does not. My understanding from Mario is that this is a Roman speciality and every trattoria in Rome serves it on Thursday. Alternately, Claudia Roden identifies it as a northern (Friuli) Italian speciality. Since Downie specifically cites potato gnocchi as the Roman canonical dish for Thursday and thereby agrees with Mario, I have to assume that while the dish may be promenant outside Rome, it is certainly a distinctively Roman dish as well.
Bettoja is a teacher who runs her own culinary school in Rome while Downie is a culinary journalist, so it surprises me that it is Downie who has the superior sidebars on some basic techniques such as how to clean an artichoke (sidebars with step by step photographs) and how to roast and skin sweet peppers.
Even though Bettoja's book is later and even though the books have identical list prices and almost identical page counts, Downie's book is much richer in the quality and quantity of it's photographs, almost all with useful captions. I generally do not count good photography to a cookbook's credit, but in the case of a book dedicated to so photogenic a location as Rome, I must make an exception here. For the identical price, Downie and his photographer and editors have simply done a much better job. Downie's book is also richer in sidebars on general Roman and Italian culinary matters. The sidebar on the sources of Pecorino Romano, which is made in greater quanities in Sardinia than it is in Lazio, was a great surprise. His headnotes for individual dishes are also richer in explaining the history of many dishes such as Fettucini Alfredo and Fettucini alla Papalina.
In the battle of the blurbs, Downie has Mario and Carol Field while Bettoja has Lidia Bastianich and Frances Mayes on her back cover. I think that's a tie.
I would buy both of these books, even with the rather substantial overlap in named dishes. The overlap is actually a plus for amateur foodie scholars, as it gives one the sense of exactly how different two sources can be with exactly the same dish. Bettoja is a great source for pasta recipes and Roman desserts, while Downie has much greater success at evoking the Roman ambiance and in covering deeper techniques. Downie also wins the points on domestic sources for flour and other Italian specialities. Bettoja rather quixotically gives us the telephone numbers of companies in Rome. Not very useful unless you plan to visit Rome in the near future.
Both books are recommended. If you need to choose one, I would pick Downie's book.
nostalgic.......2002-12-08
well, what can I say: having lived in Rome many many years, the title caught my attention. Yes, it is all true, those stories, those foods, those open-air markets, those wild greens sold as "misticanza". I am particularly grateful for the names of the individuals portrayed in the pictures. And something that other cookbooks don't mention, but this does, is the difference between american Globe artichokes and the Romanesco artichoke. My only regret, and unavoidable in my opinion, is that as italian society is evolving, those people portrayed in the book in bringing us the sources of these unique foods, as the old babuska-like produce market ladies that roamed the Appian way and Valley of the Caffarella for those wild greens to sell it like a sort of "spring-mix", are a species destined to extinction. The market Campo de Fiori is not anymore a market for the masses, but a market for the very wealthy, where peaches shipped in winter from Argentina are sold for two Euros each. In a way, the title given to this review reflects the fact that this book is really describing this almost extinct world. How the masses, now living in the suburbs and away from open markets of downtown rome, cope in continuing the culinary traditions of their parents and grandparents in a society that limits the traditional role of the home-maker that has plenty of free time to shop in morning-only markets, is the real question for the future. I say to the authors, see what the supermarkets in the suburbs are packing and selling in the produce section, and you'll see what nostalgic cookbooks will be written 30-40 years from now.
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