A splendid, multihued collection of writings by women on their kinship with animals, edited by Hogan (Solar Storms, 1995, etc.), Metzger (Writing for Your Life, not reviewed), and Peterson (Sister Stories, 1995, etc.). While it might be argued that women haven't exactly been foreigners to the study and appreciation of creatures in the wild, as this collection suggests—Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall, Diane Ackerman, Gretel Ehrlich, and Terry Tempest Williams all readily spring to mind, and all figure in this anthology (not to mention Rachel Carson, who doesn't)—there is no debating the editors' main point: Women have a lot of fascinating and important things to say about the dialogue between species, and they deserve more page space. Included here are reports from the field, poems, ruminations, interviews, short stories, and formal essays, from the rigorously scientific to the sacred and spiritual, many displaying the revived interest in ``ancient indigenous intellectual and religious traditions.'' Speed past the half-baked introduction by the editors: ``animals have been the source of our connection with the world all along''; and the casually tossed off comment that ``what women have brought into the equation is a respect for feeling and empathy,'' which snubs the work of Frans de Waal, Jeffrey Moussaief Masson, and Harry Green, among others. Move on to instead the material that doesn't have an agenda other than writing purely and with disarming clarity about a woman's experience with animals. Enjoy Vicki Hearne's tale of pit bull justice on Venice Beach, Charlotte Zoe Walker's mesmerizing story on the healing power of goats amid the memories of political torture, and Leslie Silko, Alice Walker, Ursula Le Guin—77 contributions, all told. These are, indeed, stories of an intimate nature: sensuous, unsparing, carefully mulled, razor sharp.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-449-91122-5
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1997
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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