The Last Perfect American: The Life Experiences of Jack R. Anthony

By Charlene Dixon-Anthony

This is a book about a man of war and we are all born to die. It tells how a man chose to live until he died. And this is a book about a man whom I deeply love who has shown me the terrible facing of death that is military. Thank God he is still alive, but I live everyday as a woman who loves a man who is closer to God, eternity and his past than he is to me. This is a book of one warrior who speaks for all warriors who dont speak about their experiences of war. From 15 years of age to eighty- seven years of age Jack forgot himself to serve his country. He was a body guard to three U.S Presidents who chose him because they knew he would surrender his life to protect them.

Jack generously, although unwillingly, expressed his war experiences. Men of war hide violence. Jack has expressed this to me. I am grateful to be his wife and a woman that he loves. I am fortunate to be able to give this gift of Jacks privacy to the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496923806

Charlene Dixon-Anthony

Charlene Victoria Dixon-Anthony has written many unpublished works. She holds four college degrees and has done most of her secular work in the fields of social welfare, education and social work. Her interest in her country has inspired her to write this book about her husband, Jack Anthony, who she believes is a man amongst men in every since of the word American. Her desire is for the readers of this book to gain an understanding of Jack’s experiences as a young man, a man of war and a family man. It covers Jack’s involvement in World War II, the Korean War and twenty-eight years law enforcement as a Detective-Sergeant on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as well as his work in aerospace as an investigator.

Book preview

AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2014 Charlene Dixon-Anthony. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 7/10/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2381-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2380-6 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

This book is dedicated to the following persons:

My parents Anita Claire Mayo-Anthony and Ted Anthony who gave me life and understanding;

My mother’s children, Joan, Tom and their families;

My three children, Jim, Mary and Sue Ann, whom I haven’t seen in close to thirty years;

My grandchildren and great grandchildren whom I have never seen;

To Charlene’s mother, Hallie Battle-Dixon who gave all she could to Charlene.

To my deceased wife, Irene Anthony, who with her generosity, sincerity and beautiful vision of life made a part of my life possible.

And to my current wife, Charlene Dixon-Anthony, whose love of me and family made this book real and possible.

Jack Ralph Anthony

Contents

Foreword

Commentary

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Jack Anthony

Seeing The Whole Picture

The Anthony’s and the Mayo’s

Mother Mayo

Living in Compton, California

Working Up from Down

Childhood and War Veterans

Dad and Mom

My Early Years and the Los Angeles Times

The Great Depression and Grandpa Mayo

Dad and Standard Oil

Working and Working

A Young Man’s Childhood

Depression, Hunger and Hopelessness

Yesterday and today’s Depression

A Hard Working Man

Tex, a Horse

A Boy, His Mom and a Job

Coming Home

On War, Again

The Decline and Rebuilding of America

Critical Times

The Bad 1950s

Marriage, Babies and a Home

Korea and Soldiering

After Korea and Knudsen Creamery

Southern California Back in the Day

More Changes

Some of The Past

Jack and the Founding Fathers

America’s America

Universal Military Training

Education

Jack on the Civil War

War on Both Sides

Los Angeles and Its Dry Days

1939

Soldiers and Poetry

Jack on Bombing

Jack’s Boyhood

More on Jack’s Parents

More on the War

Knowledge and more Knowledge

Our Constitution

The Prison System

Jack & His America

Jack on Germany and World War II

More Family Memories

War Memories

More of Jack’s Roots

Food

Grandma and Jessie James

My Grandparent Friends

First Born

A Part of Southern California

Jack’s Day at the Bar

Ships and Sea Going Tugs on the Pacific

The Blue Whale and Jack

Jack and Moby Dic

Dark Days Ahead

Jack’s Alaska

Fighter Planes, Facts & Jack

The Alaska Tour

Germany’s War

Japanese, Respect and Humility

Treaty of Versailles

Fighter Planes and Facts

My Mother’s Favorite: W.E.B. Du Bois

Perfect American Bomber

Our New President, Barack Hussein Obama

Jack and the Right to Bear Arms

Jack on Soldiering

Another Anthony (Tom)

Law Enforcement and Los Angeles County

El Monte, CA.

Charles Manson and Jack

Jack’s Take

Roosevelt, the Man (FDR)

Endless Involvement in War

America? What’s That?

Just an Older Boy

My Opinion is:

Drugs and Prisons

White Collar Crime

Healthcare: By Jack Anthony

Our Children Today

Americans and Ethnic Diversity

Good Leadership

My Four Most Unforgettable Lovers

The Ideal American by Jack R. Anthony

Jack’s Summary

About the Author

References

Foreword

By Dr. Henry Greenfield, Ph.D.

Background: Educator, California State Bakersfield;

Antelope Valley College (On staff);

Lecturer and Researcher (Philosophy of Education),

And Teaching and Evaluating Students-How to think, not what to think. (Unpublished)

I have known Jack Anthony for several years and I have found him to be an imperfect man who always tries for perfection. A great many things can be learned from his approach to life and from the life that he has lived. Jack embodies the struggle we all should undertake to lift others, our community and our country. His many years of devoted service to his country have made him an outstanding patriot. Jack’s love of country spurred him to action in all his endeavors from military service to his work as a Detective-Sergeant Deputy Sheriff with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Henry Greenfield (2014)

Commentary

by a

Harvard Graduate

What is most outstanding to me about Jack Anthony is not his childhood, boyhood, or manhood, but his service in the military. He is a military man. He was obviously aristocratically blessed. What is most outstanding to me about him is that this man whom I have had the pleasure of talking to has been a man of war.

Ladies and gentlemen, many of you do not know that men of war do not talk of war, ever. And this man has opened up to me and talked about war to me, and I have had several Uncles in the military and a grandfather who was a Master Sergeant of Fort Banning, Georgia. All of my Uncles with the exception of one have never talked to me about their experiences in war; this includes World War II, Korea and any other wars that they were in. When my one Uncle did disclose his horrific war experience, he was on his death bed. What is most unusual about this, to me is that I had the good luck while studying at Harvard University and not having my draft card pulled forcing me into the military. In 1972 my father told me if my draft card had been pulled he would take me out of this country, America. My father reassured me that I would not go to Vietnam.

Jack Anthony opened up to me very slowly about some of his deeds and what he would consider misdeeds while he was involved in war because we men of war are human. We do know when we kill. We do know why we kill and it can hurt a life, change a world and destroy the innocence of a soul.

I think that this is a fine time for this book to be read by Americans because if we can let the Gay people come out of the closet then we can let the military men and women come out of their closet, too. It is time for it to be known and heard what it is to be, in fact, a man of war.

I have never had the pleasure of speaking to a man other than Jack Anthony who has been in war. I have been in my own personal war. My father wouldn’t discuss war with me and neither would my Uncles. And with the exception of only one of them, wouldn’t talk about war until he was on his death bed.

So, if you can read America about women’s liberation, the battle of the sexes, and the changing of the sexes, and if you can read about Gay rights, surely you can read about the rights of those persons who have protected you with their life.

Richard Vernon Battle,

Harvard University Graduate

Acknowledgements

It is with gratitude and appreciation to my husband Jack Anthony for sharing his life history with me and his readers. He devoted his life to his country and to his fellow human beings. He is considered by me to be an honorable human being.

It is with additional appreciation to the contributors of this book who shared their honest opinions and concerns regarding America. It is with interesting note that so many people comprise this great country and want to see it survive.

And I have special thanks, respect and appreciation to Dr. Henry Greenfield, Richard Vernon Battle, and Mr. John Rees who generously shared themselves towards the preparation of this book. I am thankful for the contributions of the Los Angeles Times newspaper and the past news that brought insight and awareness into this country’s history and its problems.

ThelastperfectAmerican.JPG

Jack Ralph Anthony

The Last Perfect American

Introduction: Jack Anthony

Are there any perfect people? I don’t believe so. I only know perfection in relation to what I have been taught, and since I haven’t met any perfect people I have come to the realization that man is imperfect, and he is not capable of attaining perfection in this world.

The idea of perfection does exist. So what is perfection? I don’t know. It can mean a lot of different things to people with their own ideals. I have experienced what I thought was perfection at different times in my life, and later, through knowledge and experience, I learned differently.

When a means to an end is generated, this can be symptomatic of something without flaw. However, does this depend on who is interpreting the means and the end?

In the English (U.S.) Thesaurus, perfection is equated with such words as: Faultless, flawless, textbook, picture-perfect, seamless, unspoiled, unadulterated, impeccable, complete, absolute, whole, finished, total, entire, intact, precise, exact, accurate, spot-on, ideal, great, wonderful and other similar descriptions or adjectives.

It is up to the reader to decide in his or her own mind and senses what is determined by what is written in the terms of something that is thought to be perfect or imperfect. When one looks into the world of forgiveness is this a process of aiming towards perfection? Or when a great thing has been accomplished although through imperfect means can this be perfection?

Completion is perfection. A perfect circle is one without flaw. A number perfectly squared gives the correct answer and helps to create the unimaginable like the great pyramids in Egypt. The result of this creation gave satisfaction, praise and a great sense of power to those who worshipped and admired such great architecture.

Achievement, improvement, searching out, and acquiring are considered action towards perfection while helping to attain the ultimate best.

My person as perfect is nonexistent. However, being human and doing my best with the best part of what I am can be construed as perfection. A newborn that has all of its fingers and toes, hearing, a healthy brain mass and a healthy body can be seen as a perfect baby. But later in life the imperfection of the person is realized whether it be physical, mental or spiritual.

Perfection can be realization, accomplishment, acquiring, finding, modeling and adding to already what is good.

Showing or having the idyllic sense of the ultimate can be superlative; all of the best are perfect. Imperfection is faking, pretending or mimicking. I often think of myself as being the polar opposite of anything near perfect but I don’t mimic, pretend or fake at anything that I do.

I did not learn to do this, neither could I copy it.

Supreme I am not but I am like the animals that use their perfect instincts. My own instinct doesn’t compare to theirs. How imperfect am I compared to the lower animal kingdom and how perfect is the animal compared to me? A clock is perfect when it keeps correct time.

Perfection is something that Americans haven’t achieved. We have not eliminated most of the problems in our society. Perhaps in the attempt to rid our country of crime all we did was build an excess of prisons and these imperfect houses for the imperfect criminal are considered actual universities where one can get their education and when they’re released they take with them a lot of imperfections. The imperfect prisoners are angry because they have been incarcerated.

After World War II, this country was sick of war. Once faced with smaller wars we made treaties as the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO.) America has been involved in signing treaties with allies to help the nation under attack. A perfect example is the Korean War where South Korea was invaded by North Korea. Just because a lot of countries were involved as allies under treaties didn’t make the war work perfectly while it lasted five years.

When France had problems with other nations such as Vietnam, America got involved as an advisor to the armies of South Vietnam in order to protect them from North Vietnam. Before long, The United States had convoys of helicopters, thousands of U.S. soldiers, the Navy, Marines and the Army. Eventually, war broke out and lasted sixteen years. As a result, countries like Cambodia got involved and thousands of people were tortured and killed.

The type of destruction that happened in World War II was almost total. War pulls us farther away from the perfect idea of what America could be. It causes hatred that seems never ending while being handed down to generations. America has been forced to learn hard lessons because of war. But it is hopeful that this country’s optimism will always exist long after America is possibly scraped off a historical time clock or map.

Since WWII, America has been in a constant state of war. The perfect ideas of ending wars and settling down didn’t last long. A small country like Kuwait called upon the United States to help them. They were willing to defray the cost in order to help them fight Iraq. This led to a war between the United States and Iraq.

One can equate war with cancer. It’s an illness that kills. War causes devastation. There is nothing good about it and it can go on for years. Sometimes it’s America’s fault and it gets out of hand.

America is a country founded by sensitive and insightful awareness which was needed when our imperfect forefathers presented law and a Constitution that aimed towards perfection and a better-functioning society. America survives carrying with it the used ideas of men while thriving in an imperfect society.

This book is written trying to describe mankind and deeds done while in their imperfect state. I hope the reader is not too judgmental, but instead, has an open mind. It is a wish and a prayer that this writing is understood with such clear headedness that it may lead to a perfectly open understanding and an unspoiled point of view. It is an attempt to portray a country and a people who are all too flawed while lacking the circular whole. But the imperfections of war, poverty, racism, power, survival, death, and destruction can sometimes lead to the rebuilding of a nation while changing the ideas of its people

In a sense, this book is a love story about a man, a people and a country that once was and is still trying to be. Optimism is needed for survival. The learning track of a mind can change the dust of despair to remnants of expectation.

The reader was always considered while writing this book. It is their measure of thought that I want to interpret this material. I present to you a country that I love.

My contributions of the writings in this book involve my recognition of the Los Angeles Times newspaper in my young and old life. It comes from my appreciation of having the news in my life and in the lives of my great grandparents, grandparents and parents. As a newspaper, the Los Angeles Times was one of the answers to some Californians.

What I know and what I have learned from being in the place of imperfection is that the folly of war does not always solve the problem that the war was fought over. For example, one of the reasons that Germany wanted to have another war following World War I is because it wanted to undo the damage and unfairness that Germany felt was done to Germans in World War I. This was their continuation of a war which led to World War II. I have borrowed thoughts and works for information, and I offer them as gifts with their own awareness and hopeful research to the readers of this book.

The history of America can teach us about our past mistakes. Mandatory high school or college courses can get this idea through to its students. What was really gained by the many wars involving the United States? There were many prosthetic legs and arms made because of all of the maiming of soldiers and other people during war time.

As a boy, I knew right from wrong. I knew it was wrong to injure without provocation. And when I was injured I fought back hard and won. It’s never enough time for me to talk enough about my life as a child, a young adult, a middle-aged man or an elderly man. I have seen the changing of the guard as some may say.

Much of what I have seen has prepared me for my old age and my eventual death. But before I die I want to share as much of my Americanism with others. I have indeed seen the times build and perish. I’ve fought and served my country and I have been exposed to the misery, brutality and loss as a soldier, Deputy Sheriff and servant of the people.

When my wife, Charlene, told me that she wanted to write about my life as she referred to me as a perfect American I happily agreed but I didn’t identify with the term perfection. I wasn’t sure of what my wife, Charlene, wanted to express about me. But as the interviews between us progressed, I began to understand her meaning of the words perfect and imperfect.

I give you my history, some of the history of my country, my stories, my memories and my life. Good reading to you!

Seeing The Whole Picture

I think of myself as a man and an American, who, although imperfect, have never been arrested for anything. I’ve always worked for a living and I began earning money since I was ten-years-old. I had a multitude of different jobs and when I was younger I did everything from herding cows and sheep, working at machine shops, aircraft companies, oil refineries, dairy companies and much more. I was fired one time by one of Hollywood’s great producers, Louis B. Mayer of Metro Goldwyn Mayer who taught me to listen to instructions and, as necessary, follow them to the letter. I was fired by him because I didn’t follow his instruction perfectly. I didn’t steal from my employers and so I was a trustworthy employee wherever I worked. I got along with fellow employees and this sounds like a small thing but getting along with people is very important key to a type of perfection. A person that doesn’t get along with their co-workers is like having a monkey wrench in the works. Some people have a problem getting along with other people while others can do it with no problem. People who can’t follow orders and fit very well into an imperfect world argue about everything. When this happens, cohesiveness in the workplace is destroyed and this interferes with work getting done and employees get fired. Some adult people are still children in the work place; some of them are angry others are inept and still others just get through it the best way that they can. When a person knows that they’ve done a good job this decreases insecurity and they are appreciated by their peers and employers.

Hobbies kept me going when I was a youngster not working. Horses were my love and I spent a lot of time with my horses while camping alone in the mountains near the San Gabriel River in the city of San Gabriel, California, with my two horses.

I’m a good swimmer and I know the life threats in the water that can happen to a non-swimmer. I used to surf and water ski at the beaches and I didn’t do it perfectly.

My love for planes finally put me in the Pilot’s seat and I received a private Pilot’s license which helped me have the opportunity to fly to different states in the United States. I flew with the Air force as a Gunner and not as a pilot for about three years.

I challenged my fears and went against some of the warnings of my parents making myself a capable man in many areas.

Going to sea was interesting and a different type of job altogether. I learned a lot. I had to be trained in many areas. Coming home to California after being in World War II proved to me that my home, friends and all that I knew before the war had disappeared. This had a profound effect on me while I learned and realized that I loved my parents and my country deeply.

As a soldier I learned to kill. I protected my country perfectly and followed my soldiering duties as instructed. And now, many years later, the images and smell of death and rotting flesh is still with me.

I reached a mark of perfection when I passed the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s exam. I became perfect in my understanding of the word sin because I learned that forgiveness is best.

Adding perfection to the imperfect nature of prisoners and the penal system encourages less criminal activity and a society of people who have their rewards. If an ex-inmate is proud of himself he can be a better contributor to his society. Nine out of ten people in jail aren’t that bad. They make bad decisions and used poor judgment. If a person has a traffic accident because they are drunk and as a result goes to jail does this make them a thief? No. It means that they had bad judgment and killed somebody because they were drunk. A person can get trained out of drinking. America gives up too easily on a lot of its prisoners.

Think about the military service that can utilize the penal system. It doesn’t take a long time to figure out what a person is going to be like. Job appreciation follows. It’s important to be able to take care of oneself and not feel hopeless.

I’ve hired ex-felons to work for me and not only did I appreciate the fine work that they did, I paid them more than minimum wage. I kept some workers for years and the others that wanted to continue to work for me were always available when I needed them. To this day I have not been disappointed in the ex-felons that I hired and neither has my wife been disappointed.

Creating liars out of our people in America is not the way to go. A person should be able to be truthful on their job application. When a person cannot be honest on an application because they spent time in prison then the person doesn’t want to be honest.

The leaders of America speak about how they relate to the people in this country. The different spoken influences prove the desire to attain and prepare for our country’s evolvement.

Slavery in America was probably the most important issue that the United States had. This country had a huge work force that worked for nothing. The pay that they received was food and housing. And they were kept unschooled and submerged from regular society. The slaves had to live in their own little environment and could be sold any time. Families were often separated for a lifetime. These are some of the things that the U.S. eventually worked out. At least some effort was put forth to change things and it took years. Slavery is unrewarding and suppressive. The lack of freedom in America goes against the basic meaning of the reason this country existed in the first place, and I think about if I were a slave how would I feel about it?

America has made a lot of mistakes and a lot of losses followed. Does America need a depression or a slowed down economy every ten or fifteen years?

I chose to write about other outstanding Americans who, like me, were imperfect.

They loved America in spite of America’s imperfections and their own imperfect natures. I will open my American life to you; share my America with you when I was a baby, a child, a boy, a young man, a husband, a father and an elderly man looking back on his imperfect life for over eighty-five years

The Anthony’s and the Mayo’s

My paternal grandfather, Frank Anthony, and Grandma Effie M. McKinney, were married on May 24, 1895, in the year 1895, at Mine La Motte, Missouri. I feel honored to have had a history with my grandparents and my great grandparents. And I write a part of their story with the greatest respect and love for them. I suppose that my grandparents were thinking about pursuing a successful life in America. My grandmother Anthony and Grandma Mayo would soon consider being mothers and raising children, as well as helping their husbands, Grandpa Anthony and Grandpa Mayo.

Grandma Anthony was an active member in the organization, The Eastern Star, and my Grandpa was of the Masonic order. They went to Long

Reviews for The Last Perfect American

[pgchuis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

More of the action seemed to happen off-stage than on! Excellent notes, and again many familiar lines I have seen referenced another literature and in everyday speech. Most of the cast dead by the end...

[stormydawnc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My favorite of Shakespeare's plays(that I've read). Is there a more interesting character than Hamlet? The amazing this about this play is that I know the end from the very beginning, but I'm always compelled to read on.

[cebellol · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Possibly one of the only tragedies Shakespeare wrote that I can really, truly say I enjoyed. I really can't say much about it without ruining it though, so I'll just say READ IT (avoid the movie until you've done so though. I really like Kenneth Branagh, but it's just a little overkill.)

[nikkles_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have loved this play since I first read it in high school. I find it both very tragic (but in a heroic kind of way) and very funny. I remember laughing at the fishwife dialogue in the library and my class mate thinking I was terribly odd. It doesn't matter, I still think this book is beautiful to read and very funny.

[xleptodactylous · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hamlet was the original diva, mmhhmm.

[trilliams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh, Hamlet, Hamlet, Hamlet, Hamlet, Hamlet. Get thee to a nunnery.

[ashdwyer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While this book is incredibly depressing, the story is one that holds your attention the entire time. Shakespeare seems to be good at doing that...

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I refuse to offer up a literary review on Shakespeare. I wouldn't presume. However, I will say that I enjoyed this dark story. Watching a man descend into madness, yet still retain enough sanity to accomplish his purpose is drama at its best. Half the fun for me is finding out where all the quotes one hears all the time come from.

[john257hopper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

To commemorate in my own small way the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death, I decided to read Hamlet for the first time in my life. While one of his greatest plays, I don't enjoy this as much as Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet, which I studied at school and have enjoyed also in adulthood. There are some amazing scenes, though, and the flow of phrases which have entered the English language from this play alone comes thick and fast.

[mzzkitee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the greatest works ever written.

[kmass_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

By far the best Shakespeare play ever, and that's saying a lot. It's just so incredibly complex. Hamlet's soliloquies give insight into the human psyche that even most novels, let alone dramas, can't match. And Horatio just might be my favorite Shakespeare character of all time,

[kellyholmes-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite Shakespeare works.

[the_awesome_opossum · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hamlet's an amazingly dynamic and complex play about the lure of death and the struggle against inaction. Wonderful and dark and always a pleasure to read

[kswanteck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shakespeare is good to teach in any classroom, because it is so timeless. The struggles Hamlet faces throughout this play, wondering who he is and what he should do, are things that everyone goes through at some point in their life. Students could really see character development and inner struggles within a character while reading Hamlet. It could also be a good way to get students to interact with a text, because it is a play and they could act it out.

[rosenstern · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After King Lear, this is one of my favorites. Hamlet, in short, is the Lion King. Rather, I should say The Lion King is Hamlet. My reassurance of Shakespeare's credibility and talent is purely unnecessary so a review is kind of pointless. But if you liked the Lion King, attempt Shakespeare's version. It has more blood and wit.

[nules_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was a reasonably enjoyable Shakespearean play. It's kind of wild. It's not long, but not the shortest of his plays, either.

[misslizzy_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this play once during my senior year of high school, and have yet to read it since, but something about it makes me like it. Scandal amongst royal families will ALWAYS be interesting, I suppose.

[booksfordinner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My fav editions of the Bard.

[alejandrademena · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It read it on my Great Books class in college, at first I thought it was going to be boring but it is very interesting. I have read it a few times and this edition was for sure the best one.

[jfoster_sf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic Shakespeare tragedy.

[knotbox · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed, and could relate to the performance done on DVD in 1996, and that is what recommended the play to me. Really interesting and moving.... it's hard to review something so integral to the classics, but as with all of shakespeare, it is best read simultaneous (the dreaded, read-and-pause) with a good adaption.

Kenneth Branagh helped me appreciate Hamlet. Despite it's leangth, it is lush and fantastical in the most bearable way. A great play.

[lieslmayerson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Life changing. Truly a must read for anyone and everyone. While I know plays are meant to be seen, I honestly think you must create your own interpretation.

[cyndavaz · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Forced reading from high school - I hated every moment of this.

[katy89williams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was the first work by Shakespeare that I had every read, and it was definitely not the last. Hamlet was so captivating and thought provoking that I had to read more of Shakespeare. This was an author that I had not been looking forward to reading, but after reading this I was hooked. I highly recommend it to everyone out there.

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Vertaling van Komrij. Uiteraard een tijdloos stuk met een ongelofelijke diepgang, maar geen gemakkelijke lectuur. Ligt me minder dan de iets eenduidiger stukken King Lear of Macbeth.

[birdie.newborn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a mature play of Shakespeare's, blending all the elements of drama, psychology, gutter humor, passion, ambition, doubt. The Playbook version is unique, but valuable. I haven't seen anything approaching it.

[rizeandshine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hamlet is my favorite and most quotable of all Shakespeare's plays. It is much more than a straightforward tale of revenge and focuses a great deal on the philosophical, moral and psychological, and even the reader/audience is left with many unanswered questions at the play's end. However, I prefer to be immersed in a play, listening to the beautiful language, rather than reading the text, so it's difficult for me to rate as simply a book.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Last time I read Hamlet, I was in school and I remember having some difficulty with the language... This time I found the language easier (although still hard to follow in places -- "The canker galls the infants of the spring
Too oft before their buttons be disclos'd,
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blastments are most imminent." Laertes to Ophelia; I have read this over & over and still don't understand it).

[pluckybamboo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The crazy, classic story about the prince of Denmark, in which everyone dies but Horatio... really delves into the idea of death, insanity, and the line between fantasy and reality. A must read (or see!).

[alcracka · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorites. Best film adaptation: surprisingly, Mel Gibson's. Branagh's was way too long (yeah, I know, but still) and had Robin Williams in it; we won't talk about Ethan Hawke's.