Of course, I should start out the new year with a book review. Lessons in Becoming Myself by Ellen Burstyn has been a refreshing pleasure to read. It was a Christmas present form BF.

Now, I know very little about Hollywood or movie stars or movies or Broadway plays, but Ellen has received my deepest respect for what she has done for the acting profession and for women. This book is about her life with its many successes and failures. It is her great search to find out why she was placed on this earth. Certainly, a question most of us ask.

I found her quest to put women in heroic roles much to be applauded. She has been nominated six times for an Academy Award, and won the Best Actress Oscar in 1974 for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" co-staring with Kris Kristofferson. She also starred in "The Exorcist" which has become a classic and many other plays and movies.

However, her personal life was mostly in shambles and her story leads to Sufism and a spiritual quest. This was the part that really interested me since it would seem so hard for a movie star to get beyond the glitz and glamour. I applaud her tenacity and faith.

Anyway, the book gave me many new ideas to ponder and sources to delve into. I mentioned that the book was refreshing because Ellen Burstyn seems truly interested in the world and its people. With all of the ugly news from Hollywood, it gives me another thread of hope.

You people who keep up with Hollywood and movie stars should definitely read it.