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MARION BARRY

Name: MARION BARRY
Author: Jonathan I.Z. Agronsky
ISBN: 0-945167-38-9

THE POLITICS OF RACE

by Jonathan I.Z. Agronsky ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1991

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The trial of Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry, with its titillating mixture of sex, lies, and videotape, not only attracted worldwide attention, but gave rise to more serious questions—which are partially addressed here by Voice of America's Agronsky. Agronsky covers the sting operation that trapped Barry; Barry's life and career up to that time; and the ensuing trial. Born in Mississippi, Barry was five when his mother moved the family to Memphis; there, he was studying for his doctorate in chemistry when he got involved in the civil-rights struggle. He abandoned his studies, and was sent to Washington in 1965 by SNCC to open its first urban effort in social reform. The city was still segregated, in fact if not in law, and Barry learned how to manipulate the system to break down racial barriers and to gain advantages for his followers and himself. He attained a dominance sufficient not only to make him mayor in 1978 but to protect him from the consequences of a series of scandals involving inveterate womanizing, the corruption of those close to him, and flagrant drug use. The judge who presided over Barry's trial later commented that he had ``never seen a stronger government case'' than the one ultimately presented to the jury, but it was insufficient to convict Barry on more than one misdemeanor charge. Agronsky gives a careful, sober, and balanced account of Barry's decline and fall, and of a manipulation of the politics of race as shameless as that of the Bilbos in the Mississippi from which Barry came—but he does not explore the profound political cleavages evident in the result of Barry's trial.

Pub Date: July 1, 1991

ISBN: 0-945167-38-9

Page Count: 384

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1991

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.