A highly readable and sagacious account of overcoming obstacles and building success.
A successful businessman decides to sell his company and discovers that he has cancer in this debut memoir by McIntyre.
The author was planning to turn over the sales and marketing business he had built over 30 years when he noticed a lump on the side of his neck. He was told that it was probably a clogged saliva gland and prescribed antibiotics. Thinking little of it, he boarded a plane in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, to meet with a potential buyer in Baltimore. The transaction progressed quickly after his visit to Maryland, but the lump swelled to the size of an orange. Following investigatory surgery in 2010, McIntyre learned that he had cancer at the base of his tongue that had spread to the tonsillar glandular area in his left throat. He was told the prognosis was “good,” which, as a dedicated businessman, led him to consider which should come first: the sale of his business or his cancer treatment. The author tells the story of both major life events simultaneously. The memoir recounts how McIntyre made his name in the foodservice industry working for RJR Foods in Winston-Salem, where he was in charge of sales for half the country, before relocating to Charlotte in 1979 and setting up his own company. The resultant food-service sales and marketing agency, McIntyreSales, grew to represent the likes of Nestlé and Smucker’s. The author reveals how his battle with cancer and letting go of the business changed him over the course of what turned out to be a profoundly spiritual journey. He also discusses his efforts to help others, such as his work with the homeless and destitute in both Charlotte and El Salvador.
In the opening to his memoir, McIntyre writes, “I’ve never done anything remarkable, nothing different from what you would have done if you were me.” This sense of humility, which is present throughout, makes the author’s story approachable and appealing. The author never crows about his successes, either in business or his battle against cancer; instead, he is eager to use his experiences to advise others. His go-getter assertiveness naturally shines through at times: Regarding an occasion in which he turned up at his doctor’s office without an appointment when the lump did not improve, he writes plainly, “Because sometimes you don’t call, you go.” This polite pushiness should inspire others to be proactive about their health care when they believe something is gravely wrong. McIntyre’s writing also has a quietly meditative quality, charged with warmth and wisdom: “I knew I was simply one of the billions of people on earth, connected to this place, to Joyce and my family. I was complete. I didn’t need to do anything but be in this moment.” Reading the text feels similar to sitting down with a wise old friend—one who will offer business advice but also encouragement to see the bigger picture. The author’s business successes are compelling and his cancer struggle is courageous, but what truly makes this memoir stand out are the memorable nuggets of wisdom that McIntyre imparts: Recognizing opportunities for growth even in the most difficult of circumstances, McIntyre writes, “It’s hard times that shape people and companies.”
A highly readable and sagacious account of overcoming obstacles and building success.Pub Date: March 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781088082805
Page Count: 394
Publisher: Tall Clover Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.
Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022
A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.
A carefully curated personal portrait.
First ladies’ roles have evolved significantly in recent decades. Their memoirs typically reflect a spectrum of ambition and interests, offering insights into their values and personal lives. Melania Trump, however, stands out as exceptionally private and elusive. Her ultra-lean account attempts to shed light on her public duties, initiatives, and causes as first lady, and it defends certain actions like her controversial “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” jacket. The statement was directed at the media, not the border situation, she claims. Yet the book provides scant detail about her personal orbit or day-to-day interactions. The memoir opens with her well-known Slovenian origin story, successful modeling career, and whirlwind romance with Donald Trump, culminating in their 2005 marriage, followed by a snapshot of Election Day 2016: “Each time we were together that day, I was impressed by his calm.…This man is remarkably confident under pressure.” Once in the White House, Melania Trump describes her functions and numerous public events at home and abroad, which she asserts were more accomplished than media representations suggested. However, she rarely shares any personal interactions beyond close family ties, notably her affection for her son, Barron, and her sister, Ines. And of course she lavishes praise on her husband. Minimal anecdotes about White House or cabinet staff are included, and she carefully defuses her rumored tensions with Trump’s adult children, blandly stating, “While we may share the same last name, each of us is distinct with our own aspirations and paths to follow.” Although Melania’s desire to support causes related to children’s and women’s welfare feels authentic, the overall tenor of her memoir seems aimed at painting a glimmering portrait of her husband and her role, likely with an eye toward the forthcoming election.
A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781510782693
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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