Though English-language books on Korean pop culture are unfortunately quite rare, only complete newbies will find this...
A breezy but flawed introduction to Korean pop music for novice fans.
While many Americans only discovered Korean pop music, also known as K-Pop, when Psy’s music video for “Gangnam Style” went viral on YouTube in 2012, it has been popular worldwide for over a decade. This primer follows the development of K-Pop from the 1950s to the present, focusing mostly on the last 20 years. Through profiles of influential artists—including Seo Taiji, Rain, Girls’ Generation and Psy— Kallen describes the “factorylike” star systems at Korea’s major labels and the phenomenon of Hallyu, the “wave” of global interest in Korean pop culture that began in East Asia in the late 1990s. Numerous color photos and playlists of artists’ representative songs add interest for teens. However, knowledgeable readers will note that the author overstates some artists’ impacts, overlooks other major musicians completely and appears to have only a rudimentary knowledge of Korean culture, perhaps due to his reliance on non-Korean, English-language sources. One example of this is the author’s incorrect use of the Japanese term “anime” to describe Korean animation.
Though English-language books on Korean pop culture are unfortunately quite rare, only complete newbies will find this overview informative. (glossary, recommended albums, source notes, selected bibliography, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4677-2042-7
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
In no particular order and using no set criteria for his selections, veteran sportscaster Berman pays tribute to an arbitrary gallery of baseball stars—all familiar names and, except for the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, retired from play for decades. Repeatedly taking the stance that statistics are just numbers but then reeling off batting averages, home-run totals, wins (for pitchers) and other data as evidence of greatness, he offers career highlights in a folksy narrative surrounded by photos, side comments and baseball-card–style notes in side boxes. Readers had best come to this with some prior knowledge, since he casually drops terms like “slugging percentage,” “dead ball era” and “barnstorming” without explanation and also presents a notably superficial picture of baseball’s history—placing the sport’s “first half-century” almost entirely in the 1900s, for instance, and condescendingly noting that Jackie Robinson’s skill led Branch Rickey to decide that he “was worthy of becoming the first black player to play in the majors.” The awesome feats of Ruth, Mantle, the Gibsons Bob and Josh, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb and the rest are always worth a recap—but this one’s strictly minor league. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4022-3886-4
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
This absorbing history examines the lives and work of eight innovators in the design and manufacture of musical instruments. From Avedis Zildjian, who brought his family’s centuries-old cymbal-making business from Turkey to Boston, to Robert Moog, whose electronic synthesizer rocked the music world, VanHecke’s portraits celebrate the inquisitive scientific tinkering, dedication to craft and business moxie that rendered Steinway pianos, Hammond organs and Fender guitars both household names and performers’ favorites. The writing’s freshest when VanHecke changes it up with bits of cultural trivia, like Beatles lore. (It’s dullest when awash in the minutiae of cousins, marriages and succession.) Examining the effect of the Great Depression, the World Wars and immigration on these family businesses vibrantly contextualizes those issues for kids. Numerous well-captioned photos and period illustrations, sidebars and clearly labeled diagrams of the musical instruments expertly extend the text. Students and teachers of music are the natural audience for this unique treatment. (introduction, endnote, quotation sources, bibliographies, websites, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59078-574-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
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