Equally fascinating for its exploration of both the physical complexities of housebuilding and the theory and history that...
An absorbing account of amateur builder Howard’s construction of his family home.
A latter-day embodiment of that quintessential American, the homesteader, Howard (The Preservationist’s Progress, 1991) is determined to build his family a home in the little town of Red Rock, two hours and a world away from New York City. A writer, Howard is as taken with the intellectual aspects of the project as he is with the physical; he traces his design influences back to 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio, his heating system is one conceived by a Victorian building reformer, and the layout of his grounds finds its roots in 18th-century England. No effete intellectual, however, the author spends his days hoisting beams and driving nails with his one hired helper. But his most remarkable attribute is his fundamental belief in his totally untried abilities, his unshakeable assumption that he can actually build his own house from the foundation up. For the specialized needs of the building process—the heating system, the landscaping—he employs skilled workmen, and each of them in turn becomes a character in story (from the practical stonemason to the landscaper whose vision requires that the garden look as if “an old lady lost control of it”). Yet despite the new friends and day-to-day gratification, all does not run entirely smooth. Howard makes no effort to cover his mistakes, which run from budget miscalculations to serious accidents averted only by luck; the very first vignette has him misjudging the depth of the house’s foundation by two feet. These setbacks don’t stop the inevitable forward motion of the project or the author’s pleasure in the work, however, and Howard’s assertion that “one of the joys of building is that it is at once work and leisure” is entirely convincing.
Equally fascinating for its exploration of both the physical complexities of housebuilding and the theory and history that lie behind the ways homes are made.Pub Date: June 8, 2001
ISBN: 1-56512-293-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Algonquin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2001
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
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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