John Wayne My Father: Written by Aissa Wayne

Many books have been written about the great John Wayne and many have told a story of a man who America loved. This is Aissa Wayne’s story.

  

Aissa Wayne is John Wayne’s daughter by his third wife Pilar Pallete.

This is her story, not the story of how others saw him, or the dirt that Hollywood stars generate. It is just a simple story about a girl and her famous dad.

It is hard for the average person to understand the pressures of being a daughter to such a public figure.

It was interesting to discover that John Wayne worried about money. When Pilar would tell him to slow down he would reply, “We need the money.” So famous, yet so insecure.

It was obvious that Aissa had inner turmoil because of her powerful father. I just would have liked to see her convey those feelings a little more clearly.

John Wayne had to battle cancer for a good part of his life. He started smoking early in his life His cigarette of choice was Camel nonfilters: high tar, high nicotine.  So in September 1964 it should not have been a complete surprise when a lump was detected on his lung. “During an addiction spanning four decades, he rarely consumed less than three packs a day, or more than six.”

He was John Wayne, the Duke, this shouldn’t happen to him. Apparently, cancer is unaware of fame.

John Wayne succumbed to cancer on June 11, 1979. His death was truly the end of an era.

During his lifetime he made people laugh and cry through the venue of movies.

John Wayne won the coveted Oscar on April 13, 1970 for True Grit. 

The small glimpse into John Wayne’s life from the eyes of his daughter was enlightening.  I liked how the book cataloged his life, which helped the reader get to know her and him.  We now can only know him from the stories that are written about him, so to have this window into his life is a treat.

As with all things in life there are lessons to be learned. Cherish the time that we have, spend it with the ones that we love, and take care of our bodies in the hope of extending the time we have been given.

Unlikely Angel By Ashley Smith with Stacy Mattingly

When I wander down the aisle at my local library I am often drawn to a particular book. This was the case with Unlikely Angel. Frankly, after reading it I am not sure why.

Ashley Smith tells her story about when she was taken hostage in 2005 by courthouse killer Brian Nichols in March of 2005. She spent seven hours with this man and survived the ordeal at her apartment in Atlanta, Georgia.

I liked the fact that it was a true story told by the hostage and was looking forward to it. However, I have to say it was like watching a bad movie where you really want to reach out and change it. The book gets right into the night of her abduction in her apartment. The sequences of events themselves are interesting, but throughout she reflects upon her life, which at times made me cringe. She speaks of her marriage as if it was wonderful but admits he was abusive and into drugs. Ashley also continuously tells Brian Nichols about her daughter whom she loves but does not have custody of because of her drug use.  She does describe herself as a recovering drug user but was using the day of the abduction. She seemed to have opportunity to leave the apartment but choose to stay. Ashley does say that she wanted to defuse the situation so that he wouldn’t hurt anyone else. That may be true, but the story came off as redundant at times and a little strange. I couldn’t help but question some of her decisions.

Having not been in her shoes I don’t know how she felt and what she must have gone through, but I do rely on the writing to guide me there and it came up short. I read nonfiction so that I can see the lives of others even if for a short time and in this case I was unimpressed.