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Lädt ... Everything by Design: My Life as an Architect (2007)von Alan Lapidus
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Alan Lapidus's life has been a Zelig-like romp through most of the cultural and political highlights of the recent past. He has popped up as architect for or observer of many of our era's most iconic figures, including Donald Trump, various Mafia big shots, mayors, Aristotle and Jackie Onassis, Bob Guccione, pit bosses, real estate legends, and spies. "Everything by Design" takes us behind the scenes in Las Vegas, Disney World, Havana, Atlantic City, Moscow, the Amazon rainforest, and New York. Along the way we learn why Mickey Mouse never seems to use the restroom, why the baccarat tables in casinos are always far away from the dice tables, why the CIA wanted him to redesign Havana's main synagogue, and why the tunnels under the Hotel Moskva can't be touched. " Everything by Design" is a keenly observed social and cultural history of modern America by one of its key shapers. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)720.92The arts Architecture Architecture - modified standard subdivisions History, geographic treatment, biography BiographyKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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Lapidus displays a sarcastic, and sometimes cruel sense of humor which put me off. The section on his early upbringing and his disdainful description of his mother seemed unnecessarily hateful. Especially when he describes the death of his mother and how he and his brother made a joke related to the loss of a childhood pet. Lapidus writes: When I picked up the phone, Dick said, "Alan, Mom's gone to a farm in Connecticut." Jerry came into the room to find me literally rolling on the floor, laughing so hard my sides were hurting. (page 31) The thought that one's mother's death would be this gleeful (regardless of her skill at being a mother) struck me as cold. No one in the book seems immune to Lapidus' judgment and ridicule, including his aunt who helped raise him (Aunt Rose was either marginally impaired or simply bone stupid; I have never been able to figure out which. - page 29-).
Lapidus' portrayal of women in the book is also off-putting and smacks of juvenile humor. As a woman, I found myself growing weary with his attitude toward the female sex.
For readers who enjoy the drama and prestige of rubbing elbows with the rich and famous of our society, Lapidus' book will give them an interesting ride. He reveals the politics and economics of big business, and the momentus task of designing and building the elegant and unusual structures that pop up around our country. Had Lapidus focused more on this aspect of his memoir and spent less time running down those around him that not only helped bolster his career, but provided support to him as he was learning, I might have liked this book better than I did. ( )