Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops

Book Description

To his many fans, he was known as "Mr. Excitement," a singer whose music and stage presence influenced generations of performers, from Elvis Presley to Michael Jackson. Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops looks at the life and career of this deeply troubled artist

When Jackie Wilson died in 1984, he was buried in a pauper's grave, devoid of even a simple marker. Yet, at his peak, he was one of the 20th century's finest singing talents who, between 1957 and 1968, achieved 24 Top 40 hits in the U.S. with tracks like "To Be Loved," "Higher and Higher," and "I Get the Sweetest Feeling." Wilson was the first major star groomed by Berry Gordy for his new Motown label, and scored the label's first hits, and thus is an integral part of this story. In live performance, Wilson's amazing vocal range and gliding, rapturous style influenced Elvis Presley himself -- and later Michael Jackson. Offstage, Wilson lived a life bent on self-destruction. Professionally controlled by the Mafia and hounded by the IRS, heembarked on three marriages and untold extra-marital affairs. He suffered massive alcohol dependency and chronic addiction to amphetamines and cocaine. Shot and critically wounded by a former girlfriend in 1961, he later suffered a heart attack in 1975 and remained in a coma until his death nearly nine years later. Written with the cooperation of Wilson's family, friends, and former lovers, this is a vivid portrait of musical genius and human tragedy.

Also includes two 8-page photo inserts.

Customer Reviews:

Unique.......2007-08-31

What a fantastic book. It's amazing to think that so much about Jackie Wilson could have been lost had author Tony Douglas not stumbled upon his work of passion assembling this.

The book is a refreshing read, it's both structured in a linear fashion and discombobulated in the randomness of the stories relayed by those who knew Jackie. Some may not like the sort of "stream of consciousness" in the writing, but I think it really lends itself to how the information was gathered, presented, and to a lesser extent, what sort of impact it has upon the author.

There is not much editing or editorialising going on, just an opportunity for the reader to share the experiences of those who knew Jackie and the man who compiled it all into this book. You can tell how the stories were gathered from the notes and memories of those who knew Jackie. It gives a very personal feel to the whole thing.

This is a must-read for any music historian or musician looking to understand the roots of popular music today. It is chillingly relevant.

Chock Full of Information and Problems .......2006-08-01

There is no doubt that Tony Douglas is a loyal Jackie Wilson fan. He has gone through extraordinary lengths to speak with the majority of the key role players in Jackie Wilson's life. However, the book is sloppily presented and filled with a number of glaring inaccuracies. For example, Elvis signed a picture of himself and Jackie, "You got yourself a friend for life." The picture is actually in the book. Yet, Douglas misquotes what Elvis wrote. There is no excuse for this. It calls into question other questionable passages by the author. In another part of the book, Douglas transcribes, "mark" instead of "mock." From the context, it was evident that the speaker meant and said the latter. In another display of sloppiness, Douglas repeatedly repeats certain passages throughout the book. One gets the impression that he thoroughly researched the topic, but just assembled, somewhat haphazardly, the information in the most convenient manner possible. I noticed that he seemed to take sides in the dispute over the Wilson estate. In all fairness, he should have quoted the other side's position, even if he disagreed with it. On the whole, because I was able to filter out the fiction from the non-fiction. In the interest of good taste and preserving Jackie's dignity, Douglas should have exercised his editorial powers and not included some rather disgusting quotes from those purportedly taking care of the incapacitated Wilson during his final days. In not doing so, Douglas commits an unpardonable crime. Unfortunately, most who read this book are not as well versed on Jackie Wilson's life to perform this task. Consequently, they will walk away with a jaundiced view of the greatest entertainer of the 20th century.

Distorted Facts.......2006-07-15

I was very disapointed with this book. I purchased it with the intention of learning more about the singer for a feature article I am working on. When I did some fact checking with family members, including Harlene, and people whom he recorded and worked with, it became apparent that many facts were omitted. Was the writer's intent merely to sell books rather than tell a story based on a balanced view of facts? I don't know. After doing a little digging myself, this book to me comes off like a tabloid, not a biography.

However, it does give way for a more balanced and factual based story which hopefully someone will tell some day.

From the author.......2005-06-27

Jackie Wilson whose honey-rich falsetto-tenor voice had thrilled millions throughout the world died in January, 1984; aged 49. For the preceding eight years and four months he had been in a vegetable-like state. He never uttered a word since suffering a heart attack while performing at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in September, 1975. Yet another indignity awaited Jackie. After a well-publicized funeral attended by around 1,500 relatives, friends and fans he was buried in an unmarked grave in his home city of Detroit. Effectively his burial was that of a pauper. Jackie was born in June, 1934. Using the name Jackie Wilson, he would reach the top of his chosen vocation - as a singer and performer. From humble origins he would grow up to become known around the world for his soaring and impassioned singing style and unequalled stage routine. His USA chart successes amounted to 55 Top 100 and 24 Top 40 hits. He was admired and emulated by many entertainers including Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. Jackie's mother was a powerful influence on him. As Jackie was her only son, she doted on him. School wasn't for Jackie, he was an habitual truant. This was to land him in trouble and, twice, to detention in the Lansing Correctional Institute. There he learned how to box and he was skilled proponent. He even considered becoming a professional boxer. Jackie sang from the age of six and from his adolescent years he would sing both gospel and blues on the street. Even then could sing in perfect key and enriched many a soul with his voice. In his early teens Jackie formed a quartet, the Ever Ready Gospel Singers Group, which became a popular feature of churches in the district. Jackie wasn't religious, he just loved to sing and the cash came in handy for purchasing cheap wine. He also ran with a feared local gang called the Shakers. However, Jackie was more of an icon for the gang and they ensured that he wasn't harmed during his regular amateur performances in "unfriendly" neighborhoods. Jackie became a sweetheart of Freda Hood when he was ten and she was 11. He was good-looking, self confident to the point of being brash, and a favourite with the girls. He expressed to Freda from the earliest age his ambition to be an entertainer. He left school in the ninth grade, in 1950, aged 16. Freda was 17 and Jackie 16 when she became pregnant, so a marriage was hastily arranged in February, 1951. A daughter was born the next month. Jackie had no regular job to support his new family, but from the age of 15 Jackie was a regular performer at a local black nightclub. Being under-age, he had to perform using another's ID, the same ID he used to get married. The appearances brought in some cash, but family life was generally a struggle. At 17 Jackie obtained work at the Ford automobile foundry, close to where he lived with his mother (who had divorced Jack Snr) and her common-in-law husband, John Lee. He lasted only two weeks at the Ford plant. At the time he was practicing singing with a local group, which included Levi Stubbs (later lead singer of the Four Tops). Known then as the Royals they didn't record any songs with Jackie, but evolved as Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. A successful black group at the time was Billy Ward And The Dominoes, with Clyde McPhatter as lead singer. News reached Jackie that Ward was in Detroit and looking to replace a member of the group who had been drafted into the army. A contest was held to formerly choose a successor for the army draftee. 18-year-old Jackie won and became a member of the group, but within months Dominoes lead singer Clyde McPhatter left to form his own group (the Drifters) enabling Jackie to become the new lead. The group worked for many years, especially in Las Vegas, before white audiences. Despite some fabulous record releases featuring Jackie's tenor lead, his only recording success with the Dominoes was in June 1956 with "St Therese of The Roses" which reached #13 on the Pop charts. In 1957 Jackie decided to try a solo career. Al Green, who already managed singers Johnnie Ray, Della Reese and LaVern Baker, took over Jackie's management. Green went to New York and arranged with record executive Bob Theile to sign Jackie to the Decca label. The day before the deal was to be signed, Al Green died. Green's protege was Nat Tarnopol. Tarnopol convinced Jackie to let him become his manager, despite having no management experience. And so it was he who signed Jackie to the Decca stable. Jackie was, for years, the only singer on the subsidiary Brunswick label, so Tarnopol convinced the Decca bosses that he could successfully handle the label and attract more black talent and, as part of the agreement, he was given 50% ownership of the label. Aspiring songwriters Berry Gordy and Roquel "Billy" Davis met Jackie through the Flame Show Bar, a popular Detroit night spot, which Al Green had also managed. They had written numerous tunes, what they needed was a voice to bring the songs to life. In September, 1957, Jackie's first recording, "Reet Petite", was released. It was a Gordy and Davis composition to which Jackie added his own distinctive style. Although it achieved only #62 on the US Pop charts, it did better in the United Kingdom, climbing to #6. Jackie was on his way. In October 1958 Jackie, with another Davis/Gordy composition, "Lonely Teardrops", reached #7 on the Pop charts - his first million seller. The three musicians were now on their way to world recognition. One of Jackie's most important assets was his equal appeal to black and white audiences. Jackie trusted Nat Tarnopol implicitly and foolishly signed over power-of-attorney to him. Tarnopol was keen not to limit Jackie's career by concentrating on rock 'n' roll. He chose veteran band leader and Decca arranger Dick Jacobs to arrange and produce most of Jackie's recordings from 1957 through 1966. Jackie became a major star, often appearing on coast-to-coast television on national TV shows, New York's Copacabana and the Las Vegas nightclub circuit. He toured the country tirelessly before sell-out audiences. As a stage performer he only had to walk on stage to bring the house down, causing hysteria amongst females. He often courted danger by leaping into the audience where his clothes would be ripped to shreds. In the southern states he played to segregated audiences which, naturally, irked him. There were numerous racially based incidents which placed him in danger. During a performance in New Orleans in 1960, Larry Williams was performing and the police had ordered that he not make his traditional leap into the audience. Jackie urged Williams that he should do his normal performance, so things became extremely tense. When a policeman laid hold of Williams, Jackie saw red and knocked him down. Total pandemonium broke out and a riot ensued. Jackie was arrested and was severely beaten by the police before being ordered out of town. If there were still doubts about Jackie's vocal talents, his second million seller "Night" would dispel them. "Night" reached #4 on the Pop charts. Berry Gordy used his royalties on the nine hits he'd co-written for Jackie to establish his Motown recording label, while Davis joined Chess Records as A&R manager, song writer and producer. By 1961 Jackie was involved with Harlean Harris a glamorous Ebony magazine fashion model. Jackie was a womaniser all his life and had also been having a relationship with a young woman, Juanita Jones. Early in the morning of 15 February 1961, Jones waited for Jackie and when he returned with Harlean to his Manhattan apartment; she ambushed him and shot him twice. Despite his wounds, with one bullet lodged near his spine, Jackie made it downstairs to the street, with the revolver he'd snatched still in his hand. Fortunately a policeman raced him to the nearby hospital. Surgery and weeks of medical care saved him, although the bullet remained forever near his spine, being too inaccessible to be removed. He also lost a kidney and was fortunate to survive. Jackie's management and legal advisers decided that the incident would create a scandal. Being a married man having an affair with another woman, it may have also damaged his career. A story was concocted that portrayed Jones as a demented fan who had planned to shoot herself, but Jackie had intervened and, as a result, he was shot. Fortunately for Jones, the story was accepted and she got off scot-free. A month and a half later Jackie was discharged and, apart from a limp and discomfort for a while, he was quickly on the mend. He discovered that, despite being at the peak of success, he was broke. In arrangements that are not entirely apparent, Nat Tarnopol was controlled by a music industry mobster by the name of Gaetano "Tommy" Vastola. Vastola had at least part ownership of Queens Booking Agency, which was Jackie's and most other black artists' booking agency throughout the period. Jackie's touring manager, working under the auspices of Vastola, was a Mob enforcer named Johnny Roberts. Roberts employed a minder to look after Jackie. He was August Sims, a hulk of a black man weighing around 230 pounds. He provided protection as well as ensuring Jackie made his concert dates. In 1963 Jackie had a major hit on his hands with the dance groove, "Baby Workout", which reached #5 on the Pop chart. Around this time the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seized Jackie's Detroit family home. Freda said it was the first they knew of any unpaid taxes, as Tarnopol and his accountant were supposed to take care of such matters. The fact was Jackie was nearly broke. Fortunately Jackie made arrangements with the IRS to make restitution on the unpaid taxes and to re-purchase the family home at auction. However, Freda's patience had finally run out due to Jackie's notorious philandering and she filed for divorce. Jackie didn't contest it and so their thirteen year marriage was annulled in 1965. For the rest of her life Freda regretted seeking the divorce. Jackie continued a grinding regime of road tours, but over the next few years his career ran out of steam. A fortuitous meeting was arranged by Tommy Vastola between Tarnopol and the respected Chicago soul music producer, Carl Davis. The meeting was a catalyst for a brief revival in Jackie's and Brunswick Records' fortunes. So it was that there are two distinct phases to Jackie's career; the Dick Jacob's phase from 1957 to 1966 and the Carl Davis phase from 1966 to 1975. Davis insisted that all of Jackie's recordings now be done in Chicago. One day Jackie was in Davis's office discussing what material they were going to record and a demo of the "Whispers" was on the desk. Jackie kept asking Davis what the song was. Could he listen to it? "No," Davis kept telling Jackie, it wasn't for him. Finally he relented and let Jackie hear it. "I want to do it," he said immediately. Davis agreed and Jackie turned it into #11 Pop hit. Jackie was back on track again and a third million seller followed in 1967 when "Higher and Higher" reached #6 on the Pop charts. However, this was the beginning of a stormy period in Jackie's life. He was drinking heavily, snorting a dangerous amount of cocaine and popping quantities of "uppers" (amphetamines). Paranoia began to dominate Jackie's life. This began in the early 1960s when he accused Freda and his mother of working for the FBI. The drugs were part of the problem, but the realization that he was being robbed and yet was unable to get off the Brunswick label also played a part in Jackie's demise. Frankly, he was scared. It reached the point where Tarnopol didn't want to pay him his record sales royalties and, in turn, Jackie was reluctant to record. Naturally his career suffered, particularly as he was being poorly promoted. In March 1967 Jackie and his friend and drummer were arrested in South Carolina on morals charges. Both were arrested in a motel with two young white women. Lurid details of the case appeared in the newspapers. Tarnopol decided that to restore Jackie's public image, a marriage to long-time girlfriend Harlean had to be held. The civil ceremony was held the next month. Jackie had been going with Harlean from at least 1961 and they'd had a son in 1963. They were only fined a few hundred dollars and the "morals charges" were soon forgotten. Yet Jackie's personal life was in turmoil. Not only was he being shot-changed by his management, but believed that Tarnopol was having an affair with Harlean. In 1969 he obtained a legal separation from her and went to live in a run-down hotel in mid-town Manhattan. Jackie was beginning to lose interest in life and his career. He'd not bother to dress and would remain for weeks in his cheap hotel room, drinking and smoking marijuana. Maintenance payments were not being made for his four children to Freda and she resorted to court orders to force payment. As well, he now had New York court orders, issued on behalf of Harlean, seeking maintenance for their son and herself. Jackie feuded with Tarnopol and it had reached a point where they hated each other intensely. At one point it is claimed Jackie was held out the window of a New York high-rise, just to make the point of who was in control. Jackie wanted to change labels, yet remained bound to the Brunswick label for 18 years. Tragedy struck Jackie again in September 1970 when his eldest son, 16-year-old Jackie Jnr, was shot dead during a confrontation at a neighbours' home. Jackie took it very hard and began to take stock of the alcohol and drugs that were destroying him. Shortly after the death of his son Jackie met Lynn Crochet and lived with her for the next five years. Lynn, who was white, had been head waitress at a nightclub, outside of New Orleans, which was Mob owned. In 1971 a civil marriage ceremony was held, but Jackie must have been aware it would not be legally recognised being still married to Harlean. With firm threats of leaving him Lynn got Jackie into "detox" and, in his later years, Jackie didn't drinking anything stronger than Pepsi. Around 1971, Jackie wanted his management contract with Tarnopol terminated and to do this he needed the help of someone with as much or more influence than Nat. He approached Tommy Vastola, who was already part of Tarnopol's control group. It is not entirely clear how the management was wrested from Tarnopol, but it was. The management contract with Tarnopol was torn up. However, he was still bound to Brunswick. In September, 1975 Jackie was on stage in New Jersey, performing "Lonely Teardrops" and was on his knees when he was stricken by a heart attack. Dick Clark, who headed the Rock 'n' Roll Revue revival tour, recalls him crashing backward and striking his head. An ambulance quickly got him to the nearby hospital where he remained in a coma for over three months. Jackie gradually improved to a semi-comatose state, but obviously he had suffered severe brain damage and, at 41, a tremendous career was ended. Although he never uttered another word, he remained clinging to life for a further eight and a quarter years. In a most tragic irony, his mother came over from Detroit to see him and less than a month after he was stricken, she collapsed into a diabetic coma and died. Jackie finally let go of life on 21 January, 1984 and the voice that had thrilled millions would sing no more. T

Lonely Teardrops -- The Jackie Wilson Story

Average customer rating:

Sad story of a brilliant singer, hard to follow
Tough to follow but informative
Don't waste your time or money
Preposterous
A disappoimting and incoherent story of fiction.

Lonely Teardrops -- The Jackie Wilson Story
Tony Douglas
Manufacturer: Sanctuary Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1860742149

Customer Reviews:

Sad story of a brilliant singer, hard to follow.......2005-02-10

Tony Douglas wrote this book because he found out there was not one biography of Jackie Wilson. He took it upon himself to go to America and interview pretty much all the persons who played a part in Wilson's life and therefore it is well researched and thurough. It is also not a hagiography like many other music-biographies are, he definitely pays attention to the womanizing side and addictiveness of Wilson.

The stories about him in the end of his life as a vegetable but also the death of many of his children are harrowing. But also the early beginning are well covered.

It is however hard to follow sometimes, the chronology sometimes doesnt make sense or is badly constructed, making you sometimes flipping back to see where you are. Another thing is that more years, months and dates could have been used to have a better view of where he was in life.

His friendships with other soul singers are interesting and some things are mentioned that I hadn't read in other books, about Sam Cooke for example. The discography in the back is adequate.

There are not that many biographis on Jackie Wilson so therefore it's worth the read, but maybe someone should take it upon himself to write another wne that can equal Daniel Woolf's 'You Send Me' about Sam Cooke.

Tough to follow but informative.......2000-02-12

The book is a very difficult read. It is hard to follow who saids what. There is too much detail given about too many people. The added details makes it difficult to decipher the confusion behind the life of Jackie Wilson. However, there is some good information pertaining to this great star that any fan would find enlightening. I'm glad it was written, we need more books about Jackie Wilson, but I wish it would have stayed focus on the man himself instead of giving us so much detail of the lives of the people surrounding him.

Don't waste your time or money.......1999-02-23

I came across this book while surfing Amazon's site. I thought that the then 4 star rating Amazon gave it made for a good read. After barely making it all the way through I came back to this site and found that 3 or 4 of the reviews were fromthe author himself who of course gave it five stars each time he posted. Probablly he had his friends write the other reviews that were positive as I find that many others have now come forward with their objective remarks which embody my feelings about the book:

Inconsistent, contradictory, speculative, and a total let down.

Where was Harleen Wilson's side of things? Why did Douglas give so much attention to a virtual gorupie's version of Jackie's life. It's very dissapointing and makes me wonder if Douglas tried to pull the wool over our eyes when he realized he could not get more reliable sources to talk about Jackie's life. As a fan of Wilson's I know quite a bit more about his life than it seems the author does. I hope someday someone has the gutts to tell the REAL story about this amazing entertainer's life

Preposterous.......1999-02-20

I didn't like this book. There was far too much speculation and heresay. The sources are vague and inconsistent. It seems like any time the author came close to making a point, every source was either a second or thrid hand perriferal person and leaves us with very little true knowledge of Jackie WIlson's career. However, it was very sad to learn that after Jackie fell ill in the mid seventies, Lynn Guidry (the woman who CLAIMS she was his last wife) vanished for 2 years with whatever money jewels,furs and cars that Jackie owned. It leaves the reader curious in what may have been her involement in Jackie's demise. This becomes particularly intruiging when one considers her method of coaxing Jackie to take her on the road while she was married to another man, with the lie that she was dying of cancer.

A disappoimting and incoherent story of fiction........1999-02-16

It's no wonder to me anymore why this book could not find a publisher. The Author neither paid much attention to his grammer or the facts of Jackie Wilson's life. It seems that Tony Douglas relied mainly on the testimony of the drunks, drug addicts, groupies and other parasites that made a living from hanging around Jackie Wilson. I don't think anyone can tell the true story of Jackie Wilson without an interveiw with his widow "Harlene Wilson". I wish I could get my money back.

Book Description

Unwilling to see Asian American women silenced beneath the noisy discourses of feminists, cultural nationalists, and Eurocentric historians, Wendy Ho turns to specific spoken stories of mothers and daughters. Against reductive tendencies of scholarship, she places her own conversations with her China-born grandmother and her U.S.-born mother and her own readings of other Asian American women writers. She finds in the writings of Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan, and Fae Myenne Ng not only complex mother-daughter relationships but many-faceted relationships to fathers, family, community, and culture. Always resisting the simplistic explanations, "In Her Mother's House" brings Asian American women's experience as mothers and daughters to the forefront of gender and ethnicity.

Book Description

Off-camera insights about the show's personalities.

A backstage perspective of the show with revealing interviews and candid photos.

New details about the show's amazing theme-bikes.

All of the drama—the blowups and the triumphs that make American Chopper so fascinating.

Background history of choppers.

A detailed tour of Orange County Choppers, the setting of the show.

Customer Reviews:

Great gift for American Chopper fans!.......2005-09-21

My nephew lives and breathes this show. He absolutely loved the book.

Flippin' pages on the OCC.......2005-08-29

For starters, you wouldn't be considering buying this book unless you were a fan of the show and liked to watch the antics of the OCC boys as much as see the bikes they build. I don't own a motorbike or have my motorbike license (yet) but American Chopper is one of my favourite shows on TV.

The book is fairly similar to the program itself, great eye candy and very entertaining, as a lot of the show's memorable moments are carried through into the book. Perhaps the most interesting parts of the book are the brief history and bio of all the major characters of the show and number of detail photographs of the bikes they build.

The bio's add another level of enjoyment when you're watching the show because you feel like you know the guys a little better, understand a bit more of what drives them and in Sr's case, what aggravates him the most!

Don't buy this book if you're looking for comprehensive technical detail or specifications and construction methods of the bikes. There is some further detail on the theme bikes (engine, wheels, construction, paint etc), but the information is really there to compliment the pictures of each of the bikes.

The pictures are definitely a feature of the book, because things move too quickly in the show for you to really sit down and just marvel at all the details of the bikes. Being able to look over the bikes in my own time gave me a greater appreciation for the aesthetics of what is really mobile art. These bikes are not utilitarian by any means, and for those of us not living in the USA or unlikely to be able to ever see one of these bikes first hand, the book is a way to get a little dose of American Chopper without being around a TV, and deserves a space on any fan's bookshelf.

WANNNABE MANUAL! FOR SIDEWALK COMMANDOS EVERYWHERE!.......2005-06-04

Speaking on the authority of a REAL Biker who has LIVED the Lifestyle for over 35 of my almost 53 years, during which I have ridden the same '63 Harley Panhead, (which I built and rebuilt from the ground up with my own two hands), longer than the Turtle Kids have EVEN been alive, My Brothers and I all find Orange County Chumps to be some of the Funniest Comedy ANYWHERE! Their Ol' Man is one of the greatest comedians to try and call himself a "SELF-PROCLAIMED biker"; seemingly, the only thing that HE works at is running his MOUTH! What little I have been able to watch of this show without developing acute nausea, I have NEVER seen Turtle, Sr. EVER pick up a tool or lend a hand to help anyone at ANYTHING.
The bikes built by OCC may have some eye appeal, but are otherwise a waste of parts & labor, as they are totally unridable; you would need an entire parking lot to turn one of them around, and the spider bike in particular, with its ridiculous rear fender, would give you a radical shower if one attempted to ride it on wet pavement, much less in the rain!(And I would LOVE to know what company sells them INSURANCE!)
My Brothers and I have long debated which is more hilarious, the Turtles, with their hour long screaming matches, or the sidewalk commandos who give the mighty OCC free advertising, running around with WANNABE T-shirts & other gear, none of whom OWN, or probably even KNOW HOW to ride a MOTORCYCLE! Only Hang-arounds and Wannabees worship these comedians; REAL Bikers only LAUGH at them!
As far as other reviewers who are so critical of my well earned opinion are concerned, just read their other reviews (if they have any)!
At least Jesse James RIDES his creations to shows! The Turtles TRAILER Theirs everwhere (and then have to FLY IN their mechanics when one of their monstrosities breaks down!) JESSE JAMES may be terminally commercial, but at least he's HONEST!

Hooray for the Teutels.......2005-01-20

For anyone that loves the show, this book is a great way to delve into the history and details that make the Teutels who they are...vulgar yet charismatic, tough yet endearing. It always seems as though you never get to see enough of the bikes they build, but with this book, you see every minute detail complete with a "how they did it" approach. I love the Teutels and enjoyed learning more about their personal histories and pet peeves. It makes watching their show even more interesting.

Average customer rating:

American Chopper At Full Throttle
Discovery Channel
Manufacturer: Meredith Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 069622545X

Book Description

Best-selling author, Michael Ekedahl's comprehensive text explores the .NET platform, discussing Visual Basic as an object-oriented, data-driven language. Tackling the numerous changes and enhancements to the .Net framework, this book is designed for individuals with little or no programming background.

Customer Reviews:

Poorly written book; poorly written assignments.......2007-09-02

I am currently using this book for a programming class and since this is only my second programming class, I thought maybe I had a comprehension problem...I do not.

After many hours of frustration and thoughts of wanting to just quit school because of this class/book, my husband, who is an experienced programmer, told me that I was not the one with the problem, it was the book. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to use the text because it came with my class and I have to do the assignments. However, my husband has loaned my some of his books that are written much better and fill the gaps that this book leaves. I just hope my school will read the reviews and choose a better book for future students.

Who pays this man to write books.......2006-02-12

Ekedahls books are not good books to learn programming. They are books that teach how to type code in the code windows and run and "Look how well I can tell you to write a program". Unfortunately you do not learn how to prorgam. You are lost and confused and looking at your classmate asking if they understand the class.

For a beginner's book get Diane Zak's, It will save u time and money, stress, anger and hatred towards him.

Poor textbook, there are many better........2005-09-02

This is a poorly written book. The explanations are incomplete and the book is (badly) organized around examples, rather than conceptual building blocks. As stated in other reviews, some of the program examples do not work, and must be debugged. What really prompted me to review this text is the previous positive review from a teacher. Let me make one thing perfectly clear: when class after class of students finishes a course feeling demotivated because of a confusing text, and that they have frustrating gaps in the knowledge they should have aquired, the teacher or professor's opinion of the text is irrelevant. Apparently there are some teachers who, rather than admit that they have chosen a bad textbook, will dig-in and defend that text to the bitter end. I take great exception to the review title "Great for responsible and interested learners!" In other words, he says that students who do not find this book understandable are irresponsible and/or uninterested. On this note, perhaps we should let half of the air out of a life-ring before we throw it to a drowning person. If he or she is "responsible and interested," and tries very hard, then the person will overcome that disadvantage, and in the process, build endurance and ability to stay afloat. We are told by the reviewer that the "responsible and interested" reader will be able to "connect the dots" on his own, and make sense out of this book. Finally, the review even has the audacity to admonish teachers who might be tempted to "cater to this type of student," (students who complain about this textbook). I have tried hard not to get personal in this review (rebuttal), so I will just say in a generic mode, that any teacher or professor who intentionally sets students up for failure by using a difficult text, when other better,clearer, more understandable ones are available, should rethink his or her career. A book for teaching Visual Basic should thoroughly expound Visual Basic, and not be an obstacle course for teaching independent thinking. On that note, as you might expect, this book is utterly useless for someone learning VB on their own.

Not worth the paper it's printed on........2005-08-16

I have to say I agree with the reviews below that state that this book is not for beginners. Others have already pointed out the problems with this book, and I agree with them.
Don't buy it, unless you are looking for an expensive paper weight.

Class revolt over this book.......2004-11-24

It's funny how perspectives from a programmer and a beginner differ so greatly on this text. I am a very successful 30 something student at a major university. I think I am qualified to say, from a beginner's standpoint, that this book leaves much to be desired. I will retread some of the same points others have made here.

The book is intentionally vague: As beginners, students need to grasp basic programming concepys and styles. This text seems to often avoid explaining these basic concepts. The text also does not offer examples of good efficient code or practices. The teacher materials (assignments) intentionally ask for things not discussed in the chapters, The exams are designed to trick the student rather than test understanding of concepts. Forcing sheer memorization over understanding is a bad way to start learning. Example: Which of the following are properties of the Color Structure? a. R,G,B / b. ColorRed,ColorBlue,ColorRed / c. Alpha / d. All of the above - if you answered A you are correct -but Alpha is also a property of the color structure. That's not inportant. A is the answer.

Examples sometimes don't work: Code examples in Chapter 6 fail to work. What's worse, the publisher's web site does not correct this issue. If you plan on drawing text onto a form prepare to do some reading on the outside in order to accomplish this task.

Not easy to read: As mentioned, this text is full of run on sentenses, disjointed and technical. Technical is good, but some plain english explanations would help the BEGINNER to grasp concepts.

Class revolt over the text: As mentioned, students in my class have openly criticized this text. (They actually begged the teacher to just code in VB and explain what's happening over usung the text) These complaints were brought to not only to the teacher, but to the head of the department.

If you are teacher and want to teach VB to beginners, look at some of the other suggestions posted here. This text makes learning VB a chore. People want to be challenged, but also have fun learning something as powerful and simple as VB.NET.

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