WHEN ALL WHO WRITE OF DESE AND DOSE CAN SHINNY UP J. THURBER'S PROSE, THEIR TALES OF FATHERS, MOTHERS, AUNTS, COUSINS AND UNCLES AND GRANDPARENTS, THEIR "MEET THE FOLKS" (WITH FAMILY JOKES) WILL BE ACCLAIMED. BUT DON'T LOOK NOW — BECAUSE THEY WON'T. THEIR WRITING NOW IS BUT A HOAX — FOR HE'S BOTH ACORNS AND THE OAKS. Happy tumbling around in the family tree, and some assorted local bushes, these are the author's permanent memories of people as important as rain in his early life, from old family history of past ancestors on to Ohio State University professors and Columbus newspapermen he knew. Except for these have appeared in the New Yorker and were happily noted as they were published; here they have been arranged in a "kind of chronological order....with a vague continuity" so that you progress from a step-great grandfather to the great grandfather who licked all his enemies, to Man With A Rose, grandfather who cherished his eccentricities, through to father, who was plagued by the mechanical and the manufactured, to which tells of mother and her elaborate pranks. And there is the practical nurse, the strange baseball field at the School for the Blind, and other assorted Columbian who found out the high visibility in which these people, lovely people, appear. So "meet the folks" in the nicest way possible.
Pub Date: June 12, 1952
ISBN: 1122235267
Page Count: 98
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1952
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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