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March Book Three. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. Illustrated by Nate Powell. 2016. 246 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: Y'all better hurry along, now. Sunday School's nearly over, and the main service'll be startin' soon.
Premise/plot: March is the graphic novel autobiography of John Lewis. So far, there are three volumes in this autobiography. Today, I am reviewing book three. It opens in Birminham, Alabama, September 15, 1963, the bombing of a church. This one covers the rest of 1963, 1964, and 1965. The 'past' story line concludes with the 1965 Voting Rights Act becoming a law. The 'current' story line concludes with him deciding to do a graphic novel autobiography.
My thoughts: From start to finish, I personally found this compelling. Not just start to finish book three. Though that is certainly true enough. But start to finish all three books in this autobiography. Even though this third book was longer than the previous two, it didn't feel weighed down by unnecessary elements. If it was weightier in substance--darker, more depressing perhaps--that is for one good reason: it reflects what was happening. The book definitely captures the ongoing struggle of the non-violent fight for freedom: the spirit of determination, the bravery and courage, the stubbornness of men and women and even children taking a stand for something they believed in heart and soul and mind. Yes, this book is violent and bloody, perhaps much more so than the first two volumes even. But it shows readers--of all ages--that this "civil rights movement" was not quick and easy. That it was something that took years--decades even. That it was exhausting. That it took not just a few dozen big names, but hundreds, thousands of people. One can't learn "everything" there is to know about the "civil rights movement" by reading one or two books. This book series showed you how BIG everything was.
My Name is Mahtob. Mahtob Moody. 2015. Thomas Nelson. 352 pages. [Source: Library]
I read Not Without My Daughter over twenty years ago. It was one of my 'discoveries' as I was shelf-reading the shelves in my high school library. (Not even nonfiction was safe to assign me! I was prone to getting distracted.) At the time I didn't read a lot of nonfiction, and, I certainly didn't associate nonfiction with "compelling" and "fascinating." But it was a quick read that I remember really getting absorbed in. That being said, do I remember many details?! Of course not! And I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. It allowed me to pick up My Name is Mahtob with fresh eyes. There was no need to compare and contrast accounts or memories. And as soon as the author said that she had never read her mother's book, I felt a bit relieved if I'm honest.
So how much of the book is focused on her time in Iran? Just a chapter or two. Maybe slightly more. Her experiences certainly shaped her life in one way or another. But perhaps not in the way one would expect. Once back in the United States, her mother wrote a book, her mother went on tour with the book, did book signings, gave lectures, traveled not just around the country, but, to other parts of the world, there was a movie deal, etc. Sometimes Mahtob stayed in school and had a "normal" life though perhaps it's not normal to attend elementary school with a false name--a new name. But she certainly did a fair amount of traveling with her mother, and was a person of interest to the media. Through it all, through several decades, the two lived in fear that her father would retaliate. That more drama would find them. Would her father try to find them? Would Mahtob be kidnapped?
The book focuses on her growing up years--her school-age years, from kindergarten through college, I'd say. A few chapters follow about her adult years--home/family life, working, dating/socializing, etc.
The book focuses on a handful of big things: the effect of her childhood trauma (for lack of a better word), her health problems growing up with Lupus, her vigilance to stay safe and yet deal with the past in a healthy way, and how her Christian faith has shaped/defined her.
Is the book "too" Christian? I think honesty is best. It is published by Christian publishing house. There is no denying that. And the author is a Christian--defines herself as being Christian. Her faith matters to her. And she speaks openly and honestly about being a person of faith, of being a Christian. While unashamedly saying that she *is* a Christian, she stresses the importance of freedom of religion and freedom of speech. How every single person should have the freedom to believe or not believe whatever they want, to worship or not worship as they personally see fit, to make their own choices about how to live, what is right for them. So, yes, she mentions Jesus.
Other reviews I've seen complain about the "Christian" content. That somehow because she mentions God in the pages of her life, in her life story, that the book loses appeal, and, potentially readers. This makes no sense to me.
She certainly didn't ask for fame. And her life might have been different if they'd never gone to Iran to visit her father's side of the family. But this is a memoir, and it should reflect a whole life, a whole person. If there is a message in the book, it is, I think that one person can make a difference, that every individual matters, that choosing forgiveness means choosing joy.
I found this one a compelling read. I am going to try to reread Not Without My Daughter soon.
She Is Mine: A War Orphans' Incredible Journey of Survival by Stephanie Fast. 2015. Destiny Ministries. 224 pages. [Source: Review copy] Stephanie Fast's She is Mine is a compelling, unforgettable memoir of a Korean war-orphan.
Her father, whom she never met, was an American soldier. He returned to the U.S. unaware that he was going to be a father. Her mother, ashamed and embarrassed, returned to her family. Initially beloved of her mother, the author was shunned by the rest of the family and shunned by the community in which she spent her early years. Eventually, her mother gave into the family pressure and abandoned her. The author was--at the age of four--put on a train and sent away. Told that "an uncle" would welcome her at the end of the line, the truth was she would never see her family again, never find her way back "home."
She had the clothes on her back, and, a day's worth of food. But how can a four-year-old survive on her own? But survive she did. The book chronicles the years--three or four years, I believe--she spent surviving, leading an uncertain, always desperate existence. Sometimes wandering in the country, in the fields; sometimes wandering into villages and cities. Usually her encounters with other people were negative. It went beyond her early-years experience of name-calling and "shunning." She was beaten. She was tortured. She was left to die. And yet. There were a few people who treated her kindly, with grace, who emphatically declared you must survive.
The memoir goes to really dark, really ugly places. I won't lie. Some of what she endured is horrifying and the fact that she was able to survive is a miracle.
She is Mine is ABOUT adoption, about the need for adoption, about how life-changing and amazing adoption can be. It's about adoption-as-redemption and redemption-as-adoption.
In Meags Fitzgerald’s previous book, Photobooth: A Biography, which documented just about anything you ever wondered about photo booths, she went far beyond her central subject, wrapping in segments of autobiography, making it a work about a wider swathe that her more intimate moments exist within. For Long Red Hair she does the exact opposite, focusing […]
1 Comments on Review: Meags Fitzgerald continues to her autobiographical innovations with Long Red Hair, last added: 2/3/2016
Jane Mai isn’t merely self-deprecating. That phrase doesn’t capture her at all. Actually, I don’t know what to call it instead, but it comes out in the form of See You Next Tuesday, her comics diary from Koyama Press that mixes self-loathing with sweetness, as well as a lot of going to the bathroom and farting […]
2 Comments on Review: The hilarious honesty of Jane Mai’s See You Next Tuesday, last added: 1/27/2016
‘My first impression is of daybreak, light and colour and golden and purple fruits at the level of my shoulder.’ With this beautiful sentence, so characteristic in its fusion of poetry and physical, bodily detail, Rudyard Kipling evokes the fruit-market in Bombay, the city (now Mumbai) where he was born in 1865.
At the height of his career - during the time he was writing Great Expectations and Our Mutual Friend - Dickens wrote a series of sketches, mostly set in London, which he collected as The Uncommercial Traveller. The persona of the 'Uncommercial' allowed Dickens to unify his series of occasional articles by linking them through a shared narrator.
Enchanted Air. Margarita Engle. Illustrated by Edel Rodriguez. 2015. Simon & Schuster. 208 pages. [Source: Library]
Did I enjoy Margarita Engle's Enchanted Air? A thousand times yes! I don't remember when I first discovered Engle's verse novels, I just remember it was love at first sight from the first book on. Every novel of hers which I've read, I've ended up absolutely loving. I really should treat myself to rereading all of her novels.
Enchanted Air is the author's memoir of her first fourteen years. It is all in verse; wonderful, glorious verse as only she can write. She writes of her travels back and forth from the United States and Cuba. (In addition to writing about other family travels, vacations, if you will.) She writes of various moves within the U.S, all in California, I believe. She writes of summer days and school days. Of belonging, wanting to belong, needing to belong. Of uncertainty, confusion, and on the opposite extreme: JOY. Joy of knowing, of discovering, of loving, of living, of just being. The focus is on herself and on her family. She grew up during the "Cold War." And she shares with readers her experiences; how upsetting and confusing it could be to grow up Cuban American at a time when Cuba was very much THE ENEMY. She also writes about her love of reading, writing, and storytelling.
From "Learning" (p. 134)
At home, I scribble tiny poems all over the walls of my room. Inside those miniature verses, I feel safe, as if I am a turtle, and the words are my shell.
"More and More Stories" (p. 82
I find it hard to believe that I am surviving a whole summer without a library for finding the familiar old magic of books. But storytelling seems like magic too--a new form that is also ancient at the same time. Will I ever be brave enough to tell old-new tales in my own way?
From "Refuge" (p. 54)
When I climb a tree, I take a book with me. When I walk from school, I carry my own poems, inside my mind, where no one else can reach the words that are entirely completely forever mine.
The Upstairs Room. Johanna Reiss. 1972. HarperCollins. 208 pages. [Source: Library]
I am so glad I decided to read Johanna Reiss' The Upstairs Room. This one has been on my list of books I needed to read for quite a while--over a decade at least. It is nonfiction--a biography--set during World War II. The author and her sister were Jews that hid for several years from the Nazis.
Readers meet Annie, the young heroine, and her family. She has several older sisters, a mother and father. The war changes everything for the family. The mother, who was close to death anyway--the Nazis invasion of Holland didn't really change the outcome. The family found hiding places, but, separate hiding places. Annie was placed in a hiding place with one of her sisters. Readers meet the two families that hid the two girls. One family became like a second family to her. I found the book to be a quick read, and quite intense.
The book itself was well-written: both compelling and well-paced. What surprised me a little bit, and what might surprise others as well, is the language. I wasn't expecting (strong) profanity in a Newbery Honor book! I really wasn't. That being said, it wasn't a huge issue for me--as an adult reader. But I could see how it might not work for certain families as a read-aloud choice.
Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Edited by Pamela Smith Hill. 2014. South Dakota State Historical State Society. 400 pages. [Source: Library] Pioneer Girl is a must-read for anyone who grew up loving, or perhaps, LOVING, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books. Pioneer Girl is an annotated autobiography. The book itself is a draft of an autobiography written by Laura Ingalls Wilder circa 1930. Mother and daughter worked with this draft preparing to send it to various publishers (not just book publishers) for a year or two. (There are several draft versions of Pioneer Girl.) Eventually, the focus shifts from writing an adult autobiography to writing a series of historical fiction novels for children. The adult autobiography was "forgotten" as a book itself, and becomes a source--a good source--for mother and daughter to use in their own fiction. I didn't know that Rose Wilder Lane borrowed generously from her mom's autobiography while writing her adult fiction. Lane wrote Free Land and Let the Hurricane Roar (Young Pioneers).
The autobiography shares Laura Ingalls Wilder's earliest memories through her wedding day. (Those earliest memories are of being a toddler in Kansas.) These memories are, of course, in her own words. The writing is natural and casual. Some paragraphs are great at capturing details and specifics of an event. Other paragraphs are more of a rush, a blend, they seem a bit fuzzier, less exact. These are her very personal reflections written first for her daughter, and, then possibly for a larger audience. Wilder has turned reflective. She's older now, feeling that very much. (Her mom died in 1924, her sister, Mary, in 1928. She's wanting to capture these memories, these stories, to hold onto them perhaps.) One also sees the book itself as an act of love, an expression of love, a way of remembering and honoring.
The annotations are wonderful. They provide background and context. The annotations includes notes on a wide variety of subjects a) people b) places c) events d) nature e) culture (songs, dances, fashion), f) writing, editing, and publishing. There are plenty of notes that compare and contrast scenes and events as they appear in Pioneer Girl and as they appear in one of the original novels. Readers see how a memory recorded in Pioneer Girl is shaped and crafted into a finished product with plenty of detail and even dialogue. Readers see how Wilder carefully--oh-so-carefully--crafted the characters of the family. One gets the definite impression that she was purposeful with every scene, every book. It was no accident that Pa is so noble, independent, strong, and bigger-than-life almost.
I learned so much by reading Pioneer Girl. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who has enjoyed spending time with Laura and her family through the years.
A Girl from Yamhill. Beverly Cleary. 1988/1996. HarperCollins. 352 pages. [Source: Library]
If you grew up reading Beverly Cleary, you should make time to read her autobiography, A Girl From Yamhill. This first autobiography covers her life from her earliest toddler memories through high school.
In Cleary's books for children, she often focuses on what it's like to BE a kid: to go to school, to spend time with friends, to encounter not-so-friendly kids, to play, to 'get along' or not with your family. But also to THINK like a kid. I thought she was always really good at capturing childhood anxieties and worries. So in A Girl from Yamhill, readers get a chance to find out what Cleary's own childhood was like, what her home life was like, what her school experiences were. Reading A Girl From Yamhill gave me a greater appreciation for the Ramona books. It's not as if you could say that Beverly was Ramona. She wasn't. Though she did play BRICK FACTORY. (Also Beverly had a doll named after a car.) But I could see some correlation between the two certainly. For example, she writes of the financial difficulties, and of the stress her father was under when he was in-between work or out or stuck in a miserable job. So there were certain things that reminded me of the Ramona books. I do feel the Ramona books are timeless.
This one covers so many years. I'm not what the 'perfect' audience age would be. It isn't a light read or a funny one.
So I really enjoyed reading this one. Perhaps I enjoyed it so much because I read and reread Cleary's books so often.
Teddy One-Eye: The Autobiography of a Teddy Bear by Gavin Bishop, Random House NZ
This handsome hardback book is a fascinating hybrid. The sub-title makes the shape of the story obvious, but there are other elements carefully woven in. And like any challenging book, questions come to mind but don’t get answered – probably deliberately. The story is written from the point of view of a somewhat philosophical teddy bear who belonged to the author when he was a boy. Through the teddy’s eyes (eye?) we learn about Gavin’s family and childhood in the 1950s – including all sorts of interesting details that leave me in awe of the author’s memory.
But the story is more than just a study of a childhood in New Zealand. This is a very long-lived bear who also belonged to the author’s daughters in their turn, an experience that involved some interesting cross-dressing. A hint of mystery throughout the text eventually results in readers learning about a tragic previous owner before Gavin actually laid hands on the bear.
There are times when Teddy is abandoned in a cupboard or trunk for many years. He hibernates, but to keep the reader’s interest from waning Gavin has included rolling graphics that mark relevant historical events during those years, eg. in 1969 Neil Armstrong took a teddy bear to the moon.
This book will be bought by all New Zealand public libraries, also primary and intermediate schools. I suspect it will be enjoyed most by keen readers of about eight or nine, but all school-age children will be able to appreciate it if parents make it a family read-aloud book, adding explanations and discussion when needed.
ISBN 978 1 77553 727 4 RRP $34.99 Hb
Reviewed by Lorraine Orman
0 Comments on Gavin Bishop's Autobriography from a teddy bear's view as of 1/21/2015 12:39:00 AM
An Autobiography. Agatha Christie. 1977/1996. Berkley. 635 pages. [Source: Bought]
Agatha Christie's autobiography has been on my tbr pile for years now. I have looked forward to reading it for so long! I must admit the length had me a little intimidated. But once I started reading this one, I found myself completely absorbed in it. It is truly a fascinating read cover to cover. I think this one could prove appealing to a variety of readers.
Do you love history? I found Agatha Christie's Autobiography to be fascinating. This book is rich in details. Readers learn in great detail about her family and her growing up years. What Christie is describing is a way of life, and the way she saw the world around her. Her thoughts on her parents, grandparents, siblings, the family servants--the cook and the maids and nannies. You get a real sense of what it was to be a child (and teen) growing up in England in the 1890s and 1900s. She was "out" (ready to date) a year or two (or even three) before World War I began.
Are you interested in World War I? in World War II? Christie details what life was like during the war years. She was a nurse for a great part of World War I. She also assisted in dispensing drugs. She fell in love and got married during this time. During World War II she again did her part in the war effort. I believe volunteering in a hospital. She was in and around London during the War. She recalls how she rarely (if ever) took shelter during the raids because she was afraid of being buried alive under all the rubble. She had a grown daughter by that point. A daughter who fell in love, got married, and had a child during this time.
England was at war. It had come. I can hardly express the difference between our feelings then and now. Now we might be horrified, perhaps surprised, but not really astonished that war should come, because we are all conscious that war does come; that it has come in the past and that, at any moment, it might come again. But in 1914 there had been no war for--how long? Fifty years--more? True, there had been the "Great Boer War," and skirmishes on the Northwest frontier, but those had not been wars involving one's own country--they had been large army exercises, as it were; the maintenance of power in far places. This was different--we were at war with Germany. (257)
Are you interested in archaeology? in world-traveling? She spends a good deal of time recalling her travels around the world. She accompanied her first husband on an extended trip--covering several continents. (She left her (quite young) daughter with her mother and sister.) After her divorce--he fell in love with another woman and blamed her for it--she traveled on her own. On one of her trips to the Middle East, she met the man who would become her second husband. He was an archaeologist. While she did not stay with him the duration of all of his digs, she accompanied him on some, and visited on others. Readers learn that Christie LOVED, LOVED, LOVED to travel.
Are you a rehab addict? Christie loved looking at houses, buying houses in need of repair, fixing them up, renting them out, and selling them. She owned many properties at various points in her life. I believe the book said she owned eight during World War II. The book talks about her remodeling and redesigning houses.
Are you interested in writing, in her writing life? You'll find plenty to delight you within her autobiography. She talks about different sides of her writing life. Her novels. Her mystery novels. Her plays. Her short stories. Her poems. She talks about her mistakes and successes. Readers learn about which books she liked best and which book she really, really hated!
It was while I was working in the dispensary that I first conceived the idea of writing a detective story. (289)
People never stop writing to me nowadays to suggest that Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot should meet--but why should they? I am sure the would not enjoy it at all. Hercule Poirot, the complete egoist, would not like being taught his business by an elderly spinster lady. He was a professional sleuth, he would not be at home all in Miss Marple's world. No, they are both stars, and they are stars in their own right. (502)
Do you love to read? Christie shares her thoughts on her favorite writers and books!
I want to emphasize the fact that you do not have to love mysteries in order to find this autobiography of a mystery writer fascinating! I marked so many passages that I wanted to share with you. Too many to actually share. It would overwhelm any post. So just trust me, read this one!
I will choose a quote which happens to bring to mind a certain song from Frozen.
One of the first things that happens when you are attracted to a man and he is to you is that extraordinary illusion that you think exactly alike about everything, that you each say the things the other has been thinking. (228)
Let’s take a look at the differences between: biography, autobiography and memoir? Often confusing, are they all the same?
A biography is the life story of a person written by someone else.
An autobiography is the life story of a person written by themselves.
A memoir is a collection of memories from a person’s life, told in the first person. It’s different from an autobiography, because it does not tell the entire life story.
Now that we’ve got that straight, what is the difference between an authorised or unauthorised biography? An authorised biography is a biography written about a person with the subject or family’s permission.
An unauthorised biography is just that. A biography that has no approval from the subject, which naturally means the subject has not contributed information or personal material to the biography. A well known unauthorised biography is Oprah: A Biography by Kitty Kelley.
Just when you thought that was the end, I bring you fictional autobiography. Essentially, it’s when an author creates a fictional character and writes a book as if it were a first person autobiography. Sound confusing? A popular example of a fictional autobiography is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. This also brings us to the controversy of autobiographical fiction. This is when an author will write a book and claim it is their autobiography, although it contains falsehoods and may not be true at all. A great example of this is A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, originally sold as a memoir but later found to contain much fiction.
Many readers will suspend disbelief in order to enjoy a good fantasy or fairytale, but if an autobiography is found to contain false claims or fiction, is it any less enjoyable? I like to know what I’m reading beforehand and resent it if I find out later that a book was not all I thought it was. What about you?
Let’s look at a few more genres before I close off this What Is It? article on genre.
Gothic literature is very popular and includes such novels as Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Gothic novels contain some of the following elements: horror, secrets, romance, madness, death, ghosts, supernatural and gothic architecture including haunted houses and castles. Characters in a gothic novel will often include: women in distress, tyrannical males, maniacs, heroes, magicians, angels, ghosts and much more.
Gothic horror or gothic literature is a great genre, but what about Tasmanian gothic literature? Yes, you read right, there are a number of novels now classified as Tasmanian gothic literature and if this tickles your fancy, you may want to check some of them out: The Roving Party by Rohan Wilson, The Hunter by Julia Leigh and Gould’s Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan.
Whatever your reading tastes may be, you are bound to enjoy some genres more than others and at some point in your reading life, continue to read from your favourites. Just remember to keep exploring and venturing into new reading territories because you never know what you’ll find.
When Graham Nash visited Penguin Towers recently, the Penguin Blog was lucky enough to sit down with him and hear, from the man himself, about the 10 songs that mean the most to him. Graham recorded this as an audio interview, but we thought we'd share it with you here so you can listen to the songs as you read.
This post is in Graham's words. We hope you like it. Happy listening.
1. The first song I’d like to talk about is Be-Bop-A-Lula by
Gene Vincent. An amazing, amazing record, recorded 2-track at Capital Records. One of the reasons I joined Capital Records personally, apart from all
the financial stuff that went on between my managers and the record company,
was that I would join if they would leave me in the studio with the original
two-track of Gene Vincent’s Be-Bop-A-Lula. It was the very first record I ever
bought and unfortunately the day after I bought it I sat on it. It was a '78 and
of course it shattered. Anyway, this is Be-Bop-A-Lula by Gene Vincent.
2. I was once talking to John Lennon about great
rock’n’roll songs. And he and I both agreed that Great Balls of Fire by Jerry
Lee Lewis was undeniably a great, great rock’n’roll song.
3. One of my personal favourite groups of course, is The
Everly Brothers. I’ll never forget what their music did to me when I was fifteen years old, I was enthralled by their sound, by
their harmony. I know they were brothers and I know they came from Kentucky but
they had this unbelievable blend. In 1992 in Toledo, Ohio, I was in my hotel
room and the phone rang. It was Phil Everly and he was talking to me. I said "Why are you talking to me in Toledo, Ohio?" And he said, “Well, you’re doing
the show at the place that we’re going to play tonight. Would you like to come
to the show?” So I went down with The Everly Brothers in their bus, to the
venue. We had that rubber chicken at 5 o'clock after soundcheck that most
rock’n’roll bands have and Don Everly looked at me and said “OK. What are you
gonna sing with us?” And you know, I’m dying inside, it’s been my dream to sing
with The Everly Brothers, and I have a cassette of me singing So Sad with The
Everly Brothers and it thrills me to this day. So let’s play So Sad.
4. After World War II when 14 and 15 year old kids had nothing to do
but kick a ball around, Lonnie Donnegan came into our lives on the BBC and
Saturday Club on Saturday Morning. He was very influential with us because he
provided a form of music that we could afford. If you had a cheap acoustic
guitar and a washboard then you could put thimbles on your fingers and
replicate the drums, and have a tea chest with a broom handle and a piece of
string for the bass, and you could actually make decent music. So let’s play Rock
Island Line by Lonnie Donegan.
5. There was a movie out when I was a kid, it was called
Blackboard Jungle. Part of the musical track was this song by Bill Haley & The Comets called Rock Around The Clock. A few days before my fifteenth
birthday, Bill Haley came to Manchester and I got tickets for me and Alan Clarke. We sat in the front row of the balcony and were absolutely blown away by
the energy of The Comets. So why don’t we play, Rock Around The Clock.
6. I’m a lover of harmony. I mean it’s very obvious – I
was in The Hollies, a great harmony band; Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds
were both great harmony bands, but The Beach Boys were something else. I truly
love this song, this is one of the finest songs on record. By The Beach Boys,
it's God Only Knows.
7. I’d like to be a little selfish here. When Stephen
Stills first played me Suite Judy Blue Eyes I couldn’t believe what a great
song it was. It was 7.5 minutes, it was in four movements; a brilliant,
brilliant song.
8. After I joined David and Stephen I kind of put The
Hollies into the back of mind. You certainly don’t talk to your new girlfriend
about your old girlfriend, you know, you just don’t do that. And so I spent
many years kind of pushing them away in my mind. But recently, for the last 10
years I’ve been listening to The Hollies and, man, we were a fine band! Good
harmonies, great energy. I remember this particular song because we had a
manager, Michael Cohen. And he said to us one day, “I have this neighbour, this
friend of mine, and she says that her son writes songs. Do me a favour - she
keeps bugging me - why don’t you do down and just check out this kid.” So we
went to this house and there’s this fourteen or fifteen year old kid and, you know, we
were The Hollies! And we knew we were The Hollies. And I said “OK kid, what
have you got?” And he said, “I’ve got this song and it goes like this…” *sings
first lines of Bus Stop* And we knew The Hollies could cut a great record of
it. So this is Bus Stop.
9. One day [David] Crosby told me that he had just come from a
session at Abbey Road with The Beatles and they pushed two giant speakers left
and right, opposite each ear, sat him in a chair, and David Crosby was one of
the first people ever to hear this song: A Day In The Life.
10. I’ve
always been a tenacious man. I don’t give up easily. When I’m committed to
something I do it with all my heart. This is a wonderful, wonderful song that
we should all listen to and take to heart, this is Don’t Give Up by Peter
Gabriel.
WILD TALES by Graham Nash is out now. For more information on the book why not follow Penguin on Twitter. For updates from Graham Nash, follow him on Twitter here.
TweetThe Infinite Wait by Julia Wertz Koyama Press I have a complicated and knotty relationship with auto-bio comics, beset by apprehension and cynicism. There’s no doubt the genre produces some interesting material- Art Spiegelman, Seth, Robert Crumb, to name but a few, but more recently I’ve found a lot of it to be, quite frankly, boring. The [...]
9 Comments on Review: The Infinite Wait by Julia Wertz: bio, booze and books, last added: 3/5/2013
A huge fan of Wertz and I loved this book. Interesting thought on autobio comics, a much maligned and yet inarguably great comics genre, as well.
Keith said, on 2/19/2013 6:43:00 PM
Thanks for the review. I didn’t even realize Wertz had a new book out. I immediately bought this.
Zainab Akhtar said, on 2/20/2013 2:12:00 AM
Yep, I’m a big fan. I think another(!) thing that bothers me with auto-bio comics -and this may be just my experiences- is that it seems to have become the genre of choice for indie/small press creators, and with diary comics, the net it’s all a bit ubiquitous. I don’t think it helps the image of indies as arty, cliquey and a little self-absorbed. I would love to see more imaginative and ‘original’ work- world building, great characters, story- weaving. People like Wertz are incredible though, she manages to blow away all cobwebs.
RDaggle said, on 2/20/2013 8:12:00 AM
“Interesting thought on autobio comics, a much maligned and yet inarguably great comics genre”
Huh. I thought that, in fact, this was exactly the point the reviewer was arguing.
A bare handful of great works doesn’t constitute a genre, let alone a great genre.
Chris Hero said, on 2/20/2013 8:31:00 AM
@Zainab Akhtar
“I think another(!) thing that bothers me with auto-bio comics -and this may be just my experiences- is that it seems to have become the genre of choice for indie/small press creators, and with diary comics, the net it’s all a bit ubiquitous.”
Hmmm…I have no idea what indie/small press comics you’re reading, and try as I might I can’t read the entire field, but with the exception of Eddie Campbell’s books, I can’t think of an autobio indie/small press book I’ve read in years…unless you count Sammy the Mouse or that How I Made it to Eighteen, but that’s by a woman and not what you were talking about.
I just bought a pile of mini-comics this past weekend and they’re all sci-fi or goofy stories about ridiculous characters. I’m not questioning your assertion, it’s just I haven’t come across much autobio indie/small press stuff in years.
Maybe my library of books by women creators is just too small? I’ve been trying to grow it, but all my favorite women creators do either stuff almost exclusively for the web or mini-comics.
But yeah, I’d be interested to know what books you’re reading that make you feel like it’s the genre of choice, because I honestly thought that genre just about died out.
Zainab Akhtar said, on 2/20/2013 12:03:00 PM
Hey Chris:
Here’s some by female creators of the top of my head(not sure whether you wanted both men and women, couldn’t make it out from your post). Most of these are excellent:
Flocks by L Nichols
Sunday in the Park with Boys by Jane Mai
Single, The Monkey in the Basement (and other minis) by Corrine Mucha
Please God! Find Me A Husband by Simone Lia
Radiator Days (and other books) by Lucy Knisley
Gray is not a Colour by Sally Madden
But I Really Wanted to be an Anthropologist by Margaux Motin
Dotter of her Father’s Eyes (mixture of auto-bio and bio of historical figure) by Mary Talbot
Persepolis, of course, by Marjane Satrapi etc etc
Best,
Z
Chris Hero said, on 2/20/2013 8:57:00 PM
Ooh! Good list! Jane Mai is one of my absolute favorite cartoonists! I’ll look into the rest. I have a bunch of minis by various talented women, but I don’t know how many of them are still making comics. Like the funniest comics I’ve ever read were by a woman named Lauren Burnett. I haven’t come across a comic from her in a while, which is a real shame.
My question was more what are all these autobiographical books you’re reading that make you feel like it’s the genre of choice? Because, honestly, that genre appears near dead to me with the exceprion of a few women cartoonists. But honestly, I could read autobiographical stuff from women all day because they’re better. Women seem to focus more on the emotional connection between people and I like that. Like, they mine the humor out of human interactions much better than men do. I dunno…I could probably word that better.
Chris Hero said, on 2/21/2013 9:55:00 AM
BTW – I forgot to tell you this article was awesome! Please review more stuff! You’re really good at it!
The Infinite Wait and Other Stories on The Comics said, on 3/1/2013 3:12:00 PM
[...] Posted on Mar 1, 2013 in News The Infinite Wait and Other Stories by Julia Wertz (9780987963024 | September 2012 | $15.00 | Trade Paper) has been reviewed by The Comics Beat. “With an internal gaze that’s unflinching and unforgiving, Wertz blows all comers out of the water. Her honesty is searing, caustic, strengthening and yet not without fear. Her truths are coated in an equally zingy humour, a cloak that makes them less scary and more manageable.” – Zainab Akhtar, February 19, 2013. http://comicsbeat.com/review-the-infinite-wait-by-julia-wertz/ [...]
Last year, Tomie dePaola won The Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award and his extensive interview with Lee Wind on the SCBWI blog reminded me that I still haven't read Tomie's books about his home front experiences during World War II. He wrote about them in the last four of the eight books that make up his 26 Fairmount Avenue series, subtitled The War Years.
This post probably contains spoilers
In Book 5, Things Will Never Be the Same, begins in January 1941, first-grader Tomie had just received his two best Christmas presents - a Junior Flexible Flyer sled and a diary with a lock and key, and so Book 5 begins with his very first diary entry. With all the charm, honesty and bluntness of a very precocious and artistic 6 year old, Tomie takes us through the year 1941, diary entry by diary entry. Each chapter begins with a short diary entry and the rest of the chapter goes into more depth everything that was going on at the time. And 1941 is an exciting year for Tomie. Through his diary, Tomie presents a wonderful picture of what life was life in that year preceding America's entry into the war. Things he writes about include the day to day family life of the dePaola family, and the world of a first grader, for example, learning about President Roosevelt and the March of Dimes, and not being able to swim in the summer because of a Polio scare; the excitement over seeing Disney's Fantasia in the theater, his disappointment over who is second grade teacher is, about his tap dancing lessons which he loves, and of course all the holidays over the course of the year. But all this changes on December 7, 1941. Tomie writes in his diary:
As the dePaola's listen, along with the whole country, to the radio announcer talking about the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tomie's mother says to her family, "Things will never be the same."
Unlike Things Will Never Be the Same, which covers a whole year, Book 6, I'm Still Scared, diary entries only cover one month, December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1941, but is is a powerful month for second grader Tomie. Not quite understanding what has happened and the implications of war, Tomie is a scared little boy and to make matters worse, no one really wants to explain what's going on to him. Luckily for him, after listening to Roosevelt's speech on the radio, the family go to visit Tomie's grandparents and his grandfather, Tom, takes some time he talk to him about his fears. But life had indeed changed. At school, there were air raid drills, and at home, an air raid shelter had to be created in the basement just in case. And Tomie had to contend with being called the ENEMY because of his Italian heritage. War was everywhere. Even at the movies showing a children's feature, the newsreels showed London in the Blitz, and Tomie realized it was the first time he had seen what war was like. At the end of December, young Tomie is still scared.
Book 7, Why?, begins on January 1, 1942 and runs until April 29, 1942. In his new diary, Tomie gives more details of his day to day life. He writes about his excitement about being able to stay up late for New Year's Eve, of going to help in his grandfather's grocery store, and of his first surprise air raid drill at school. But his real trouble comes when his teacher starts teaching the kids to write in cursive and refused to allow Tomie, a lefty, to hold the pen in a way that worked for him. And Tomie talks more about his older brother Buddy and how angry/annoyed Buddy gets with him. But perhaps saddest of all are the entries about his cousin Anthony A/K/A Blackie. Blackie was a favorite cousin who had joined the Army Air Corps. Tomie seemed able to adjust to everything involving the war - like rationing and air raid drills - but the news of Blackie's death is just incomprehensible to him. In the end, he is left asking himself Why?
Book 8, For the Duration, is the final book in the 26 Fairmount Avenue series and begins on May 1, 1942 and runs through... Well, that's hard to say. It seems that early on, Tomie's diary key disappeared. While there are not more diary entries, Tomie still talks about his life and in 1942, patriotism is in full swing. At school, Tomie gets very sad and runs out of the room when the class starts singing the Army Air Corps anthem. At dancing school. there is a lot so rehearsing for a wonderful recital, but there are also bullies in the schoolyard who take his new tap shoes and start tossing them around. And there are victory gardens and ration books and helping again in his grandfather's grocery. Things between Tomie and his brother Buddy get worse and in the end, it is Buddy who has taken the diary key. But one thing Tomie learns to understand completely is that some things disappear (chewing gum, fireworks) and other thing come into being (war bonds, war stamps), all "for the duration."
The 26 Fairmount Avenue series is an extraordinary group of chapter books recalling Tomie dePaola's early life living in Meridan, Connecticut. For the most part, they are a series of vignettes told in great detail and include whimsical illustrations by Tomie thoughout the books. Much of what Tomie writes is funny, charming, sad and so typical of kids that age. Though I haven't reviewed for first four books here, I would really recommend the whole series to anyone who is a Tomie dePaola fan. My only gripe is that we are left hanging about Buddy and the diary key.
And if you are a Tomie dePaola fan, be sure to read Lee Wind's interview with him:
Part 1 can be found here
Part 2 can be found here
Part 3 can be found here
These books are recommended for readers age 7+ Things Will Never Be the Same was borrowed from the Children's Center of the NYPL I'm Still Scared was borrowed from the Yorkville Branch of the NYPL Why? was borrowed from the Morningside Heights Branch of the NYPL For the Duration was borrowed from the Bank Street College of Education Library
I really appreciate your post this week. Somehow, I've missed keeping up with this series. The Doucette has the first couple at that's it. Thanks for participating in this week's Nonfiction Monday. Tammy Apples with Many Seeds
I live in CT and had no idea about these books. I am looking them up tomorrow. These sound like books that some of my 5th graders will be able to enjoy during our HF unit. They need books on all levels. Thanks for sharing.
I also love this series and I love the illustrations that are included. Tomie dePaolo has added so much to the enjoyment of children's books and really knows how to speak to kids in them.
Yes, they probably would be good for some of the kids you have. I used them in my 4th grade class for the readers still on chapter books and even though they take place in the 1940s, the kids still liked and related to them.
Oh my goodness, I had no idea this series existed. We love dePaola here! (My daughter is only 3 so we haven't gotten to chapter books yet) Thanks for this post!
How powerful! I love what you are doing with your blogs Alex. I just read Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks and it made me realize how our kids' generation are so far removed from the horrors of the World Wars, the lessons we've learned from them, and the implications for the present and the future. What a precocious 6 year old to be writing in a diary (with waaaay better handwriting than my son, can I just say!) about his thoughts around such complex issues.
Thank you so much for linking into the Kid Lit Blog Hop! I'm now following this blog via email. :)
Praeterita, John Ruskin’s incomplete autobiography, was written between periods of serious mental illness at the end of his career, and is an eloquent analysis of the guiding powers of his life, both public and private. An elegy for lost places and people, it recounts Ruskin’s intense childhood, his time as an undergraduate at Oxford, and his journeys across France, the Alps, and northern Italy. Attentive to the human or divine meaning of everything around him, Praeterita is an astonishing account of revelation. In the following excerpt, Ruskin remembers his childhood home.
When I was about four years old my father found himself able to buy the lease of a house on Herne Hill, a rustic eminence four miles south of the ‘Standard in Cornhill’; of which the leafy seclusion remains, in all essential points of character, unchanged to this day: certain Gothic splendours, lately indulged in by our wealthier neighbours, being the only serious innovations; and these are so graciously concealed by the fine trees of their grounds, that the passing viator remains unappalled by them; and I can still walk up and down the piece of road between the Fox tavern and the Herne Hill station, imagining myself four years old.
Our house was the northernmost of a group which stand accurately on the top or dome of the hill, where the ground is for a small space level, as the snows are, (I understand,) on the dome of Mont Blanc; presently falling, however, in what may be, in the London clay formation, considered a precipitous slope, to our valley of Chamouni (or of Dulwich) on the east; and with a softer descent into Cold Harbour-lane on the west: on the south, no less beautifully declining to the dale of the Effra, (doubtless shortened from Effrena, signifying the ‘Unbridled’ river; recently, I regret to say, bricked over for the convenience of Mr Biffin, chemist, and others); while on the north, prolonged indeed with slight depression some half mile or so, and receiving, in the parish of Lambeth, the chivalric title of ‘Champion Hill,’ it plunges down at last to efface itself in the plains of Peckham, and the rural barbarism of Goose Green.
The group, of which our house was the quarter, consisted of two precisely similar partner-couples of houses, gardens and all to match; still the two highest blocks of buildings seen from Norwood on the crest of the ridge; so that the house itself, three-storied, with garrets above, commanded, in those comparatively smokeless days, a very notable view from its garret windows, of the Norwood hills on one side, and the winter sunrise over them; and of the valley of the Thames on the other, with Windsor telescopically clear in the distance, and Harrow, conspicuous always in fine weather to open vision against the summer sunset. It had front and back garden in sufficient proportion to its size; the front, richly set with old evergreens, and well-grown lilac and laburnum; the back, seventy yards long by twenty wide, renowned over all the hill for its pears and apples, which had been chosen with extreme care by our predecessor, (shame on me to forget the name of a man to whom I owe so much!) — and possessing also a strong old mulberry tree, a tall whiteheart cherry tree, a black Kentish one, and an almost unbroken hedge, all round, of alternate gooseberry and currant bush; decked, in due season, (for the ground was wholly benefi cent,) with magical splendor of abundant fruit: fresh green, soft amber, and rough-bristled crimson bending the spinous branches; clustered pearl and pendant ruby joyfully discoverable under the large leaves that looked like vine.
The differences of primal importance which I observed between the nature of this garden, and that of Eden, as I had imagined it, were, that, in this one, all the fruit was forbidden; and there were no companionable beasts: in other respects the little domain answered every purpose of Paradise to me; and the climate, in that cycle of our years, allowed me to pass most of my life in it. My mother never gave me more to learn than she knew I could easily get learnt, if I set myself honestly to work, by twelve o’clock. She never allowed anything to disturb me when my task was set; if it was not said rightly by twelve o’clock, I was kept in till I knew it, and in general, even when Latin Grammar came to supplement the Psalms, I was my own master for at least an hour before half-past one dinner, and for the rest of the afternoon.
My mother, herself finding her chief personal pleasure in her flowers, was often planting or pruning beside me, at least if I chose to stay beside her. I never thought of doing anything behind her back which I would not have done before her face; and her presence was therefore no restraint to me; but, also, no particular pleasure, for, from having always been left so much alone, I had generally my own little affairs to see after; and, on the whole, by the time I was seven years old, was already getting too independent, mentally, even of my father and mother; and, having nobody else to be dependent upon, began to lead a very small, perky, contented, conceited, Cock-Robinson-Crusoe sort of life, in the central point which it appeared to me, (as it must naturally appear to geometrical animals,) that I occupied in the universe.
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Subscribe to only literature articles on the OUPblog via email or RSS. Image credit: John Ruskin, 1879 by unknown (Hubert von Herkomer?) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
3 Stars Autobiography of a Duck John Arnold 36 Pages Ages: 7 and up …………. Autobiography of a Duck is just that, the life of one Pekin Duck, not a chick, as told by the duck. Duck hatched and then lived with his siblings and his mother on a farm. Then one day, some humans [...]
Drawing from Memory by Allen Say, Scholastic Press, 2011, 72 pp, ISBN: 0545176867
Recap: Allen Say uses photographs, cartoons, paintings, and of course, words to illustrate an autobiographical look at his early years as an artist.
Review: When was the last time you met a twelve-year-old who lived on his own in an apartment in a huge city? Probably never, right? Well that was real life for Allen Say.
Say had always known that he loved to draw, even when it was to the detriment of his school work and strongly discouraged by his own father. But when his grandmother told him that he could live alone in his own apartment if he got into a prestigious middle school, he suddenly got a lot more interested in studying. Once he was living on his own, Say tracked down the famous Japanese cartoonist - Noro Shinpei - and asked him to be his sensei, or mentor. Shinpei agreed, and forever changed the course of Say's life.
It was fascinating to read about an life that was so completely foreign from my own experiences. Independent from his parents, he spent the vast majority of his time with Shinpei, other teachers, or other art students. He was committed - heart and soul - to developing his craft, willing to spend whole months on a single sheet of paper, learning to draw with charcoal.
Not surprising when you consider the fact that Say is an artist, the illustrations are critical in reading and understanding his story. In fact, Drawing From Memory reads almost more like a scrapbook than anything else, with a collage of photographs, archived cartoons, and "drawings from memory" filling in the gaps left by the words.
I picked up Drawing From Memory only because it was a contender in this year's Battle of the Books. While I was presently surprised by how engaging it was, I have to admit I'll be surprised if it makes it out of Round 1 of the BoB. It just seems a little too simple. Then again, I've yet to read its opponent - The Grand Plan to Fix Everything - so who knows? *Update! I recently finished TGPtFE and wasn't a huge fan... In fact, I think Drawing from Memory now has my vote for this round!
2 Comments on Drawing From Memory, last added: 2/25/2012
I agree that this is not a crowd-pleaser, but more of a mellow artist-pleaser. I have to say, there were so many other options that would have made a better cover. I complained about that in my review.
The part when he lives in his own apartment was my favorite and reminded me of my Japan days.
"Mellow artist-pleaser" - you are so right! I can definitely see "artsy" students really diving into this story. And you have seriously lived all over the world! Did you teach in Japan??
In this slender volume, Ann Stalcup shares her memories of living through the Second World War as a young girl in Lydney, England, along the Severn River and close enough to Bristol to remember seeing the fires that resulted from a revenge bombing by the Germans.
Stalcup’s earliest recollections was of people digging trenches and being afraid of her government issued gas mask at the age of 3 in 1938, when as all of England was preparing for war. Then, Ann's father joined the Air Raid Patrol (ARP) in their village, and her grandparents in Birmingham built an Anderson Shelter in their backyard in Birmingham. A year later England was at war with Germany, but all those preparations didn't prepare Ann for war.
Stalcup achieves a nice balance in this book, giving historical events from a more personalized point of view. One very interesting example is the rescue of troops at Dunkirk. Ann and all the people of Lydney felt part of that rescue when they discovered that one of the small ships had once been the pride and joy of a local man. He had to sell it, but the buyer wrote and told him that his form boat would be making the trip across the English Channel.
Other memories goes are about life within her home. Immediately after the war began, the Stalcups had two 11 year old evacuees from London, along with so many other evacuated kids that the schools couldn't accommodate them, so they had to resort to split sessions: mornings the Lydney students, afternoons the evacuees. Soon, two more evacuees joined them, but they returned home when the expected German attacks on England never happened that first year of war.
Despite rationing, the author remembers how her mother was able to give her a 5th birthday party in 1940, though when her mother explained to one little girl that the centerpiece was not a real cake, the girl burst into tears of disappointment. But Stalcup had her own disappointment, recalling that Queen Wilhelmina of Holland
9 Comments on On the Home Front: Growing up in Wartime England by Ann Stalcup, last added: 12/9/2011
Hi Alex, your reviews are really unique. Each time I come upon books on children amid wars, I immediately thought of you and your blog. Next time I come across another title and found it good, I'll recommend it to you.
My Christmas wish list is largely made up of books I’ve found via your reviews. I included Dark Hours last week and have just added On the home front. My husband will be delighted when he sees the length of the list. You provide the most entertaining reviews, thank you.
Hi Alex, as I was reading through your review, I was immediately reminded of the NYRB book Charlotte Sometimes by British writer Penelope Farmer - have you heard of it? It's not your usual staple - it's fiction, but the theme is essentially the same with a dreamy-like quality to it as well. The overall feel/vibe/setting though remains the same. Thanks for participating this week. I loved the review too.
Thanks for all your comments. This is an interesting post and was actually the genesis for my post Victory through Snap, Crackle and Pop earlier this fall.
I hope you enjoy this book, if you read it. There was some interesting day to day stuff in it that I really was surprised at.
I've just been through a reading stint where I seemed to have focused on books about WWII. This does sound interesting and worth looking for the Doucette Library (curriculum library). Thanks for the recommendation. Tammy Apples with Many Seeds
Thanks for this one, Alex. It rings a lot of bells for those of us who remember wartime England! I can remember rolling around in my child's head a phrase that one heard a lot: "When the war is over . . ." it wasn't comprehensible because the war was all there was, the war was our lifetime. That we lived beyond it was our good fortune, and it is good that Stalcup can bring it again into the consciousness of the young.
Very nice review! I like reading war stories told from children's pov. The good ones I've read this year include Uri Orlev's ISLAND ON BIRD STREET and Karen Hesse's WITNESS (though this one is really about the war on racism). This one sounds like a very good read, too!
We may think we have other cultures "all figured out" but until we've lived it, we can only begin to imagine.
Hanane Habib grew up in a toxic environment (by most peoples standards) but for her it was a way of life. From a controlling aunt and grandfather to being forced to work and give up her dreams at a young age, Hanane's story will leave you angry and astounded.
Misunderstood A Scar for Life is a compelling and can't-put-down read. Her independence and bravery in the face of an entire cultural expectance, will leave you singing her praises and rooting her on. This book is one of the best I've read! Awesome!
Virgin Books has acquired actor and 1970s heartthrob David Essex's autobiography.
The as-yet-untitled book will be published in March 2012 and will chart Essex's career spanning four decades as a drummer, singer, theatre star, film actor and recently as "EastEnders" character Eddie Moon.
Virgin Books has world rights in all languages and the book was signed by Virgin Books editorial director Lorna Russell.
I met Allen Say at a “Meet the Artist” event at the Eric Carle Museum in 2007 when they were running an exhibit of his work called Allen Say: a Sense of Place. It was very nice to meet him, since he is a really charming, friendly person and one of my favorite author/illustrators.
While all of his books stem from his lifetime experiences, Drawing from Memory is Say’s first autobiographical work focused on how he became an artist. Born in Yokohama, Japan in 1937, he was taught by his mother to read at a very young age. Soon he was reading lots of comics and copying the pictures from them. He decided that he wanted to be an artist, and luckily, he had talent, but, unfortunately, not his parents blessing.
But then the war came and his life drastically changed. He and his mother left their home in Yokohama to live in relative safety with a mean uncle. Later, this mean uncle shows up in Once Under a Cherry Blossom Tree (one wonders how many of these kinds of people end up playing a dastardly role in future books.) Say’s father remained in Yokohama.
After the war, however, Say’s parents never got back together. His mother was forced to work financially and Say went to live with his grandmother, who also often and vocally disapproved of his artistic aspirations. But luckily Say got accepted into a school and was allowed to have his own apartment – at 12 years old. There he read about a great cartoonist, Noro Shinpei, and a young boy who had sought this man out and had become his apprentice. Say know at that moment what he needed to do.
Drawing from Memory gives readers an inside look at Allen Say’s development as an artist from childhood on, in both text and drawings. Many of the drawings are done from memory (hence the title of the book) with the exception of one sketch-book he didn’t burn before leaving Japan. The artwork is done in watercolor, pen and ink and various other mediums, all very effectively reflecting the emotions of the artist at the time. The drawings are punctuated with old photos giving credence to the drawings.
The book only covers Says life in Japan, before he came to America. But this was the period of his formation as an artist and was a very important time in his life. I did have a hard time believing he could leave his mentor, Noro Shinpei, with whom he was so happy, even though I know these things need to be done in order for an artist to come into his/her own.
Like all of Allen Say’s works, this is a wonderful book for both kids and adults. Kids, regardless of their future aspirations, if any, will find inspiration in Say’s journey to become an artist in the face of so many obstacles. Adults will learn, as Say’s mother did, to “Let you dear child journey.” (Pg 35)
Though Say doesn’t write much about his life during the war, I found the insider’s picture of post war Japan that he depicts in this book particularly interesting, since it is something we often don’t hear about. The unhappiness and discontent of the people that took place are depicted in the drawings demonstrations and clashes with the police. The people wanted jobs, money to live on, better education, a better government – in general a better world.
Drawing from Memory is a definite must for anyone who likes Allen Say’s previous work and for anyone not familiar with him.
This book is recommended for readers age 9 and up This book was borrowed from the Webster Branch of the NYPL &nbs
5 Comments on Drawing from Memory by Allen Say, last added: 10/13/2011
No, Zohar, it isn't a graphic book, but the author's life in Japan with lots of drawings and photos, and a great, inspiration book about the creative process.
Hi, I'm glad I popped by your review on this book! I'm Asian and understand how, in our culture, drawing for a living may not receive enough blessings back then.
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