Lexington, KY - That Kind of Journalist
Kentucky Monthly founder Stephen Vest writes a collection of stories that provides glimpses - often hysterical, usually self-deprecating and always rewarding - of his life at home, in Kentucky, and on the road as he explores, and enjoys, the adventures all these situations offer him.
Always willing to jump into the fray - or even create it - Vest enjoys his brief stint as 007 while in London (England) and isn't the least insulted when a customs officer challenges his claim, "Nawp, you don't look a thing like 'im." "I'm in disguise!" Vest replies. "Nawp, you're far too short and like me, you're far too round about the middle...(and) what did you do with the rest of your legs?"
With that Vest walks the reader, almost literally, through a weight loss that he documents in pictures as well in his stories. Traipsing the sidewalks of Frankfort he loses the weight and gains an insight into his city - and an appreciation for its uneven terrain.
Relaying the story of his car left in neutral at the post office, "It had apparently rolled backward across the parking lot, jumped the curb, proceeded down the hill backwards - picking up some major momentum - then crossed two lanes of traffic, cleared the 6-inch-high median, crossed three more lanes of traffic and came to rest on a grassy knoll between a Shell gas station and a state office building...workers at another state building...came out to applaud me - honest - I'm not making this up." And so his stories go.
When he mentions his father and grandmother the grins of laughter turn to smiles; the poignancy of his memories is common to so many families. Says Ed McClanahan in his introduction: "Vest's an eager participant in his own stories...He writes honestly and unabashedly about those personally embarrassing moments that most of us would prefer to forget, those times when we misbehaved or chickened out or otherwise failed to live up to our own - or everyone else's - expectations." He's that kind of journalist.
The Last Mrs. Astor
In "The Last Mrs. Astor," former editor of The New Yorker Frances Kiernen tells the life story of Brooke Russell Astor, who at age 51 married the cantankerous and fabulously wealthy Vincent Astor - his previous wife actually arranging the union. Brooke Astor's first marriage was an unhappy one, her second a passionate and content one, but one that left her a widow at a relatively young age. And although her marriage into the Astor name was far from perfect, she endeavored to make it work.
Deeply involved in the social and charitable goings-on of New York, her stalwart commitment to the city became a major focus in her life when Vincent died after seven years of marriage. The Vincent Astor Foundation, endowed with the generous Astor family funds, became her passion and when she stepped into the leadership role many heads turned.
A woman of extreme kindness, generous heart and tireless energy, Brooke Astor also lived the lifestyle to the extremes that wealth offers. An accomplished writer, she recounted her own life story in numerous publications, but it is through interviews with personal friends and family, as well as an interview with Mrs. Astor herself, that Kiernan tells her story. Savvy and charming, Brooke Astor was involved in every aspect of the foundation's activities and made personal visits to every grant recipient that benefited from its largesse.
On the occasion of her 100th birthday, presidents and diplomats alike paid her homage for her generosity - her name forever associated with furthering the well-being of New York's citizens. But it was not a life without its troubles, and it was here that Kiernan details the events that fueled the sensational gossip that rumbled through New York for so many years.
Intimate, revealing and offering a glimpse into a world few will ever see "The Last Mrs. Astor" presents an insider's view into a life well lived.